A Sneak Peak at Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History
The third novel in the Funderburke & Kaiming series, Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, is coming out later this winter! Here’s a preview of the opening chapter!
The most important person in eleven-year-old Volker Berchtwelt’s life was his older brother Benek. He loved his grandfather, Otto, but despite his grandfather’s many virtues, they never shared the same easy camaraderie that the brothers did. Volker was mildly fond of his largely absent father, and as for his mother, she was practically dead to him. He had never forgiven her for abandoning the family nine years earlier, and she had never tried to make amends or even maintain a presence in his life, except for calls on his birthday and Christmas. So as far as Volker was concerned, she could stay in Boston or Providence or wherever she was living with her latest in a long string of boyfriends. As long as he had Benek, Volker reasoned, he’d be all right.
As close as the siblings were, their differences were stark and obvious. A little over six years separated the two. Benek was six foot three, slim, and athletic. Volker was small for his age, solidly built, and had no talent for sports. Benek’s hair and complexion were far fairer than his brother’s. Volker was an excellent student, Benek scraped by with middling grades. The elder was popular amongst his peers, the younger had no friends aside from his sibling, and he was fine with that.
Volker had always admired his brother, but it was when he was six years old that he really began to idolize his brother, even worship him. Their grandfather’s bungalow was nearly a century old, and their home creaked and groaned throughout the night, especially as the autumn progressed and the temperatures dropped. Young Volker was convinced that the noises were the sound of the Bogeyman, who crept through the shadows, and was prepared to devour him as soon as he fell asleep…
The release date will be announced soon!
–Chris Chan
Chris Chan’s book The Autistic Sleuth, written with the professional guidance of his mother Dr. Patricia Meyer Chan, was released on September 19th! His book on the Columbo killers, Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers, was released on September 24th! He is the author of the Funderburke and Kaiming novels Ghosting My Friend and She Ruined Our Lives, released by Level Best Books. He is also the author of the comedic novels Sherlock’s Secretary and Nessie’s Nemesis, published by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2. His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books. His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there). It is also available in a Kindle edition.
