Tor Posthumously Publishes Slain Officer’s Werewolf Novel

Quite a few news sites are talking about today’s publication of The Wolfman, a werewolf novel penned by a New York City volunteer police officer who was killed in the line of duty.

Tor Books gave author Nicholas Pekearo word in March 2007 that his novel about a detective who dispenses lethal lycanthropic justice had been accepted for publication. Just four days later, Pekearo and his partner Eugene Marshalik were shot and killed by David Garvin, a gunman fleeing the scene of another murder.

From the New York Daily News article on Pekearo and his book:

In the novel, Marlowe Higgins is a small-town detective who changes form under the full moon. As a wolf, he murders evildoers who can’t be brought to justice any other way. Higgins’ quarry is a serial killer known as the Rose Killer for the flowers he leaves at the crime scene.

Novelist Andrew Vachss calls it “a brilliant, insightful, overpowering debut” while the review in Publishers Weekly terms it “a considerable achievement that should give this novel crossover appeal beyond crime and horror readers.”

A publishing party will be hosted at Crawford Doyle Booksellers, the book store where Pekearo worked, on May 21st from 6 to 8 P.M. Crawford Doyle is at 1082 Madison Ave, between 81st and 82nd Streets. The party is open to the public.

The Wolfman is available for online purchase from Amazon and Tor Books.