Goodbye November Man
Bill Granger was a sports writer, journalist, mystery writer and one helluva thriller writer. His November Man series created Devereaux, a haunted, philosophical, introspective spy who could not escape the implications of the deeds and deaths that were his stock in life. Yet, he was driven by an existential imperative to do the necessary thing.
Bill Granger's well-worn books are always at hand in my library. Click image to enlarge. The third book in from the right is my copy of The November Man. And is totally worse for wear and re-reading.
I started my journalism career as a sports writer, then got into bare-knuckle reporting where doing the right thing meant not caring who you pissed off. I’ve never written a mystery, but every time I’ve written one of my thrillers, I have re-read one or more of Granger’s November Man books for inspiration. And to enjoy writing and thinking that set a higher bar than I can equal.
I have also tried my best to create characters in the style of Devereaux who aren’t just mechanisms caught up in the action of a thriller, but who are aware of the ethical, moral and religious implications of the double binds that force them to make hard decisions.
Bill Granger died last month according to today’s New York Times.
God Bless him.
