The Maenad's God by Karen Michalson
What's It About?
This 90’s grunge-era novel follows FBI detective Pete Morrow after he meets the surreal rocker Jade McClellan and his family of mischievous deities.In Karen Michalson’s novel The Maenad’s God, nothing is what it seems. At once a take-down of the police procedural, FBI detective and lead protagonist Pete Morrow introduces us to his office with sardonic flair: complaints of union-ignored asbestos and a memory of being sworn in after ad-libbing his way into the bureau.
It’s 1992. Fifteen years into his career, Pete’s seen too much to have much empathy left, and now it’s all just one nihilistic drag. Casually recalling past cases with morbid relish, he’s a cynical detective with a truckload of problems. He also has a history of defying his superiors, but he’s so ingenious they tend to ignore his mishaps. And oh boy, is he about to have a big one.
Newfound Romance & Gruesome Murder
When Pete’s sent to investigate a mob family on a military base in New York state, the fortuitous happens. He finds himself lured by “not cover band” Black Dog, hired by the army for a one-night show. Pete is especially drawn to Black Dog’s leader, the sensual Jade McClellan, who is aptly named; he oozes droll, jaded humor.
Immediately, the sparks between them sizzle. Jade alludes to dragons and poetry that leave Pete bewildered and longing. The concert is mystical and surreal: totally enveloping. On stage, Jade seems a supreme being. Pete is so entranced he loses track of space and time. Black Dog plays obscure pieces by well-known acts, per Jade’s explanation of why they aren’t really a cover band.
“Since, with any luck, no one will recognize the songs, our overall set creates an impression that we are entirely original, which puts us in a different class than a cover band.”
Afterward, they discover a murder, decorated with enough gruesome trinkets to rival a Christmas tree. The victim’s not who he claimed to be, either. It’s a layered, Russian doll-esque butchery, complete with cryptic notes, mice, and trout stuffed in hollow cavities.
The Maenad’s God takes a sharp turn for the dark fast and early; all of this is within the first 30 pages.
Criminal Deities, Past Lives & Shapeshifting Beasts
What follows is a New England/Canadian romp ripe in mystery and mythological mayhem, music and the mob, as Pete journeys into a rock n roll underground run by a family of deities. Turns out, Jade’s the son of a God. No wonder Pete’s so mesmerized.
The more he immerses himself in this strange clan — that speaks in twangy slang, lives in a derelict multi-story, and deals in the occult — the more he’s in danger of the crime family he’s been tracking, who just happens to be Black Dog’s ticket to fame.
His despondent perspective slowly transformed by his love for Jade, Pete finds himself daydreaming, recalling their intimacies and improvised balladry. There are several hints regarding their age-spanning connection — vivid, past life dreams, and comments from bandmates and Mother Hen, Penny. It seems that Pete has been here before and is right on schedule. “I know where yer off to and why ye came but please don’t get hurt this time,” Penny warns. “That part ain’t pretty.”
When the army base corpse disappears and turns up in Pete’s office, alive and well and introducing himself as Hugh McCrae, another path of intrigue is revealed. McCrae is an immortal monster, a creator of chaos, and he seems intent on destroying the art Pete has come to cherish.
So not only does Detective Morrow have to balance his newfound zeal for life and love, the threat of the mob, and his pestering boss, he must now outwit an eternal, shapeshifting beast. McCrae enacts his plan with the aid of religious zealots and the U.S. government, fully committed to taking down “Satan’s music.” Not that Pete Morrow is surprised. Fancy a bit of Satanic Panic in your fiction? It comes complete with rock concert protests.
Montage of Satire, Noir, Fantasy & Romance
A deep thinker, Pete amply considers every situation. He occasionally wallows in his presumptions. As the plot thickens, Pete’s world begins to crumble, and soon he’s overcome by his need for control and his growing obsession with Jade. We are given VIP access to the show.
This 90’s grunge-era novel is a work of satire, noir, fantasy and romance. The Maenad’s God will appeal to those who enjoy winding sentences, suspenseful pacing and passionate, intricate storylines steeped in myth.
Michalson has written a curious, introspective novel that seems to ask: Can power be owed? Can brilliance be objective? What does it mean to live life as an artist, gifted and ignored; to see cultural preoccupations and attempt to conquer them? What if it’s impossible? How do we, in the end, define failure?
About Karen Michalson:
Karen Michalson is the author of the Enemy Glory trilogy and The Maenad’s God. She has assumed many identities: novelist, criminal defense attorney, scholar and teacher of nineteenth-century British literature, and rock musician. All of her experiences inform her novels. Except when they don’t.
