Rough Justice by Burt Weissbourd
Author Burt Weissbourd describes himself as an author of character-driven thrillers — a concept he learned during his days in Hollywood.
Early in his producing career, he had the chance to work with author Ross Macdonald, a legend in crime fiction, on his only screenplay. “Working with him, I began to see how characters could drive plot.”
Weissbourd later worked with other writers whose work grabbed viewers viscerally, not with explosions but with multi-dimensional characters that would draw readers into a deeply moving story. “I spent countless hours working out the stories and shaping the people in them. Working closely with great screenwriters was a rare opportunity to learn how to create complicated characters and to see how these complex people enriched storytelling.”
A Dynamic Duo Returns
In Weissbourd’s latest work, Rough Justice, he has created intriguing characters to mesh with the recurring duo from his first book, Danger in Plain Sight: restaurant owner Callie James and bartender/smuggler Cash Logan, who develop a romantic interest and continue to get involved in matters with dangerous foes seemingly out of their league.
This time, the criminal Yu and his crackerjack lawyer and wife Rosie arrange for Sara, a half-Algerian 25-year-old from France, to get her visa to work near Seattle. Then they sell her identity and arrange to kill her.
Sara also has a startling secret that ties her to Cash and Callie. After having dodged her initial would-be assassin, she seeks out Cash and reveals that she is his daughter. That’s all he needs to jump to her aid. These are serious killers, he warns her — if they failed once, they will try again.
A Talent Worth Noting
While character development is a core strength of Weissbourd and his writing, he is no slouch when it comes to plot. He develops an intricate storyline with many moving parts, writes at a fast, fluid and engaging clip, and keeps readers guessing at every turn.
I knew by page one, though, that Weissbourd was my kind of writer. Someone is telling the story of a young Rosie, who would be the perfect lady at dinner, then excuse herself and steal the change off the bedroom dresser. Better yet, she is getting sick on a plane, sitting next to a giant, muscle-bound, mean-looking man who has dozed off. She can’t hold it in and vomits all over the man and his expensive suit. Just then, as one might expect, he wakes up and is stunned to find the vomit all over him. Without missing a beat or showing the slightest look of suspicion, the young girl looks at the man and asks him,” Are you feeling better now, sir?”
Any assignment for Callie and Cash includes their troupe of unconventional characters, with various backgrounds and skills to add color and a depth to the story, which takes readers around the globe to spots including Seattle, Hong Kong, France, Malibu and Cuba.
For a rollercoaster thriller full of twists and turns and characters to latch onto, check out Rough Justice. For all the thriller masters he has engaged for their knowledge and inspiration, Weissbourd is on his way to building a reputation in his own right.
Purchase Rough Justice here or at the links below.
Burt Weissbourd is a novelist, screenwriter and producer of feature films. He was born in 1949 and graduated cum laude from Yale University, with honors in psychology. During his student years, he volunteered at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and taught English to college students in Thailand. After he graduated, he wrote, directed, and produced educational films for Gilbert Altschul Productions. He began a finance program at the Northwestern University Graduate School of Business but left in his final semester to start his own film production company in Los Angeles. He managed that company from 1977 until 1986, producing films including Ghost Story starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Raggedy Man starring Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard, which The New York Times called “a movie of sweet, low-keyed charm.” In 1987, he founded an investment business, which he still runs. Burt’s novels include the thrillers Danger in Plain Sight, The Corey Logan Trilogy (Inside Passage, Teaser and Minos) and In Velvet, which is set in Yellowstone National Park. Visit https://burtweissbourd.com.
