Whether San Francisco private eye Graham Gage solves his latest case or not, his odds of lining up his next one are looking pretty thin. Graham Gage has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Cancer. And it’s killing him.
STEVEN GORE podcast excerpt: “Graham Gage is more cerebral, more analytical (than Harlan Donnally). I think that made him a better character for this subject (coping with a late stage cancer diagnosis).”Gage, the hard-working, world-traveling, great-friend-to-have-in-a-crisis hero of three previous novels by Steven Gore, stands tall in his fourth thrilling adventure story, White Ghost. But is it his last hurrah?
I’m not tellin’. But what I will share – and what Gore himself will likely describe in moments – is that Gage’s illness came to him organically. That’s right – author Gore had it first. But Gore, a real American character, has kept his cancer at arm’s reach for 15 years. I’m not sure the same can be said about Gage. Mostly because I haven’t read to the end yet. I didn’t want to spoil the conclusion by accident for anyone.
STEVEN GORE podcast excerpt: "Some novelists rely too much on superpowers. The perfect memory or perfect recall. Nobody has that."White Ghost is full of globe-trotting, heroin-smuggling, chemotherapy-laced Gage intrigue. Steven Gore has become one of my favorite American novelists, a point I can prove by saying this is his fifth appearance on Mr. Media, tying him overall with only sportswriter Peter Golenbock. That’s how much I like his work.
Key interview moments:• 5:25 Gore discusses how some novelists rely too much on “superpowers” to get their heroes out of a jam";
• 16:10 Gore reveals his own angoing, personal struggles with a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma back in 2001;
• 39:20 An explanation of why Gore afflicted his private investigator character, Graham Gage, with cancer rather than his lawyer character, Harlan Donnally.
