After an award-winning debut novel, local author Carl Vonderau is back with his second novel, a thriller that takes place in San Diego and Tijuana.
“Saving Myles” focuses on the gripping story of a troubled teenager whose vices lead him to risk his life as he knows it.
The story begins with a family torn apart and a broken marriage after Myles’ parents make the difficult decision to send their only child to a treatment center. As soon as Myles returns, he sneaks off to Tijuana to make a drug deal and is kidnapped.
“My motto in writing is, behind every crime, there is a family. So behind all my books is a dysfunctional family one way or another,” said Vonderau.
Vonderau decided to set the story in both San Diego and Tijuana because of local exploration he was able to do for research. He was able to speak to two FBI agents, two Drug Enforcement Administration agents and even a prior kidnapping victim in the region.
“I know that I wrote a lot of dark parts of Tijuana but that is what you do when you write a crime novel. I also recognize a lot of beauty in Tijuana,” Vonderau said.
His first novel, “Murderabilia,” which focuses on a serial killer father and how his actions punish his family, was published in 2019 and won a Left Coast Crime Award for best debut mystery and a San Diego Book Award for best mystery/suspense. This led to his decision to leave banking after 30 years of international experience in the United States, Latin America, Canada and North Africa to pursue being a full-time author.
Pacific Beach author Carl Vonderau.
(Courtesy of Daren Scott)
Q: How did you get the idea for your newest novel, “Saving Myles”?
A: The most important thing for me, in the crime component, is that there is a family with problems that has to be worked out. The other side was that I have always wanted to write a book where there is a sketchy bank, so I decided I’d have a small bank involved in money laundering taking place here in San Diego. And the third thing was, with the troubled family, I decided I would tie in a troubled teenager.
Q: Why was it so important to make drug addiction part of Myles’ backstory?
A: Because it’s a way for Myles to grow, a way for Myles to get closer to his families. He both resents them and wants to get closer to them and I love those type of contradictions. He will never admit to his father that the treatment center did anything for him but he uses the lessons constantly as he faces external threats.
Q: Who was your favorite character to develop?
A: Fiona [Myles’ mother] was my favorite character to develop. In many ways, she was the most challenging. Because, here is a woman who kicks her husband out of the house, embarks on an affair with a younger man. She fights against the treatment center, yet I really admired how close she felt to her son. And she changes and gains strength.
I had to do a fair amount of research for her character. For instance, I read from Esther Perel why people have affairs, why a woman would leave her husband and have an affair. You gain some empathy and understanding for her. And she turns out to be a pretty feisty character and I like that.
Q: What was it like writing Myles’ character?
A: I thought how was I going to write a teenage character? Because its been a long time. He both wants to be close with his family and wants to be apart from them. He’s going on his own hero’s journey.
Q: What do you hope for readers to take away from this book?
A: I hope that they can see that an external threat can force a broken family to come together so that they forgive each other and cherish one another again [and] also that there is heroism underneath the most troubled teenager and even in the most troubled marriage as well.
Book jacket for author Carl Vonderau’s new novel “Saving Myles.”
(Courtesy of Carl Vonderau)
“Saving Myles by Carl Vonderau (Oceanview Publishing 2023; 336 pages)
‘Saving Myles’ book launch with Carl Vonderau
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Warwick’s. 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla
Tickets: This event is free and open to the public. For those who wish to reserve seats, for each pre-order of the novel one seat will be saved. $27.95 plus tax.
Online: warwicks.com