Background
Rick Blechta was born on June 6, 1951, in New Rochelle, New York, United States. He is the son of Edward and Elsie (Huebner) Blechta.
Rick Blechta
Rick Blechta
Rick Blechta
Rick Blechta
Rick Blechta
845 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
McGill University where Rick Blechta received his Bachelor of Music degree.
The Arthur Ellis Award which Rick Blechta received in 2017.
(Chris McKessock, part-time sax player and substitute scho...)
Chris McKessock, part-time sax player and substitute school teacher, is content to drift through life, but that's about to be turned upside-down. An old friend who also happens to be a police detective talks him into helping an undercover operation against a gang of particularly clever drug dealers, hurling Chris into a sordid world of blackmail, cocaine smuggling, and sudden death. When their first solid lead in the case is murdered and an intriguing woman enters his life, Chris realizes he has a personal stake in the outcome. Set against a background of classic Rhythm & Blues music and contemporary classroom hell, Knock on Wood is told in the wryly observant words of a reluctant and unlikely hero, scrambling to make a living in the wilderness of the New York suburbs and minding his own business until life catches up with him.
https://www.amazon.com/Knock-Wood-Rick-Blechta/dp/0963255436
1992
(Victoria Morgan is ticketed for the top. She has the look...)
Victoria Morgan is ticketed for the top. She has the looks, the drive, and all the musical talent in the world. Now she's in London with the chance of a lifetime: one of the world's greatest Stradivarius violins is up for grabs in a special competition, and she's the odds-on favorite to win it. Only one thing's wrong: someone wants her dead and she has no idea why.
https://www.amazon.com/Lark-Ascending-Rick-Blechta/dp/0963255452
1993
(Thirty-year-old Kit Mason has been blind for six years, a...)
Thirty-year-old Kit Mason has been blind for six years, and she still hasn't accepted what has happened to her. Not only is her career as a songwriter/guitarist stalled, but her personal life is in the pits. Kit's closest friends, Carolina, Susan, Marion, and Jackie, all members of her former softball team, the Ruthless Babes, have encouraged her to branch out in her music, and decide - during a ribald and beer-fuelled get-together - to kick-start her social life with a companion-wanted ad in a Toronto newspaper. Before the plans can take effect, however, one of the Babes is brutally murdered. The police are sure that she was the victim of a serial killer who is on the loose, but the Babes, shattered though they are, begin to suspect that the police are wrong.
https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Straight-Dark-Rick-Blechta/dp/0771015348
2002
(Victoria Morgan, violin virtuoso extraordinaire, and her ...)
Victoria Morgan, violin virtuoso extraordinaire, and her devoted piano accompanist are on yet another European tour currently stopping in Vienna. While playing to a full house, Tory leaves the stage and disappears in the middle of this important concert, leaving behind a puzzled (and angry) audience. Why would a seasoned professional so intent on maintaining her well-established career do something so damaging? Especially after some very negative reviews from the local press? Tory's decision to leave proves to be especially fatal to her career since the rumors of her disappearance involve the accusation that Tory has committed the brutal murder of a high profile Viennese figure.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AC4UQJ4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i7
2005
(Michael Quinn, former rock star, turned his back on a ban...)
Michael Quinn, former rock star, turned his back on a band on the verge of superstardom twenty-four years ago. He's spent his life since hiding from everything he had been. When a woman chased by thugs jumps into his car, he tries to help. But this sets in motion a chain of events which turns his life upside down, even more so when his best friend is murdered and the girl disappears. Meanwhile, the thugs are looking for Michael. Only by finding the mystery girl can he hope to get out of a hole that's getting bigger. Now he must confront what he was, what he is now, and what he might have been.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A80Z66A/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i6
2006
(Meet Andy Curran, drummer in a struggling jazz trio. When...)
Meet Andy Curran, drummer in a struggling jazz trio. When a distinctly odd street person sings at an open mic night at the club where they work, it's clear they've found their salvation: a vocalist of incredible talent. After she departs as abruptly as she'd arrived, Andy sets out to discover where Olivia Saint has gone and who she really is. That knowledge soon proves to be deadly indeed. In A Case of You, a crime novel that sweeps from the jazz clubs of Toronto to New York City and Northern California, Rick Blechta has created a compelling story, rich in detail and compassion, and populated with characters not easily forgotten.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AETRCDK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i5
2008
(Something is terribly wrong at Symphony Hall. Luigi Spada...)
Something is terribly wrong at Symphony Hall. Luigi Spadafini, the symphony's star conductor, has been murdered and the entire orchestra has confessed to the crime. This is the mess that Detective Lieutenant Pratt walks into one Saturday morning. Overworked and tired, he's also saddled with Detective Ellis, the newest member of the homicide squad, and still very wet behind the ears. With both the mayor and several big shots from the symphony's board of directors demanding a speedy resolution of the crisis, Pratt is pushed to the limit. The trouble is, he also faces a seemingly endless list of suspects with good reasons to want the philandering Spadafini dead. With the clock ticking, Pratt is forced to use both his wits and the computer skills of Detective Ellis to solve the mystery.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZJUZCY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
2011
(Marta Hendriks is onstage at the Metropolitan Opera in Ne...)
Marta Hendriks is onstage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York when she learns of her beloved husband's death in a house fire. Overcome, she collapses and has to be carried off the stage. Fast-forward two years and countless therapy sessions, and Marta is ready to resume her career. In a stroke of luck, she's hired at the last moment to sing Violetta for the Paris Opera. She manages to keep her emotions under tight control and triumphs in the opening-night performance. During one of her rare days off, relaxing for the first time since her husband's accident, something threatens her newfound peace. When Marta is caught in a sudden downpour, she dashes for the shelter of a subway station and spots someone doing the same. It is her husband. Marta fears she's losing her mind or did she actually see him? Back home in Toronto, she struggles with her need for the truth at the precipice of madness.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0095ZAYG6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
2012
(Detective Mervin Pratt is enjoying a quiet dinner at his ...)
Detective Mervin Pratt is enjoying a quiet dinner at his favorite Italian restaurant when he's called in to assist at a murder scene at a popular downtown nightclub. The manager has been stabbed to death in his office. The lead investigator, Detective Gordon, no friend of Pratt's, sees it as an open-and-shut case. He has the suspect, motive, and even the murder weapon. But Pratt is unwilling to jump to conclusions. When Pratt's young partner, Dave Ellis, arrives on the scene uninvited and quietly tells Pratt that the suspect is his half brother, Pratt finds himself in an ethical dilemma. Ellis can have nothing to do with the investigation, and his connection to the case should be reported. On the other hand, Gordon's attempt to railroad the suspect and his outright antagonism to Pratt's involvement rub the detective the wrong way. The only solution, of course, is to solve the crime.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEN0ETQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4
2014
(A music star attracts a secret admirer, who turns into a ...)
A music star attracts a secret admirer, who turns into a dangerous stalker, and then, perhaps, a killer. When soprano Marta Hendriks finds a bouquet of red roses in her dressing room after a performance, she's surprised as well as charmed. The card only says "Roses for a Diva." And as miles and performances rack up in her globe-hopping career, the bouquets continue to mysteriously appear. But then strange things start happening in her private life. She's certain someone has been in her apartment, breaking her most treasured possession. After calling in private investigator Shannon O'Brien, Marta is shocked to discover her entire life has been invaded. When one of the other stars in a Roman production of Tosca is murdered, everyone realizes the situation is direr than they had imagined. Who Marta's stalker? What does he want? And where will he stop?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GTZZOCE/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2
2014
(Toronto homicide detectives Pratt and Ellis are brought i...)
Toronto homicide detectives Pratt and Ellis are brought in to investigate a series of hit-and-runs. Someone seems to be trying to kill random people using stolen cars. The detectives try to find any connections between the victims that might indicate something else at work. What they discover is beyond their wildest imagining.
https://www.amazon.com/Rundown-Pratt-Ellis-Mystery-Rapid/dp/1459810104
2016
Rick Blechta was born on June 6, 1951, in New Rochelle, New York, United States. He is the son of Edward and Elsie (Huebner) Blechta.
Rick Blechta was educated at McGill University where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1973.
Rick Blechta, after receiving his music education, formed a progressive rock band. He took the band "Devotion" nationwide. Gaining a following all across Canada he wanted to bring his music to a wide audience, gaining a following for himself in the process. It would also allow him to draw from a whole range of different experiences when coming to write his novels in the future.
In 1977 he began his career as an itinerant music teacher at public schools in Toronto. In 1991 he was looking for a different creative outlet. Since he had a minor in English and always wrote articles and reviews, he thought that he might meld his two passions together. Since very few crime fiction authors could use or were using music as a background to their plots, he thought it would be an interesting combination that would also stand out in a crowded field.
Blechta released his first novel named Knock on Wood in 1992. He followed in 1993 with another stand-alone book The Lark Ascending. He would also bring out a non-fiction work in 1995 titled In Cold Blood, which was a directory of Canadian crime authors. His next books included Shooting Straight in the Dark and Cemetery of the Nameless.
The stand-alone novel, When Hell Freezes Over, was released in 2006. Working as another mystery-thriller novel, it manages to follow in much the same vein as his other titles, keeping the reader guessing throughout. Its usage of character is also something to admire here, as Blechta writes on the subject of musicians, which is something close to him. Later he would also bring out some series as well, with such titles as Pratt and Ellis, along with Marta Hendriks too. These would both take up his time from 2011 onwards, as he started to focus upon more expansive narratives and ideas. The Fallen One was first released in 2012 to much acclaim. Working as a stand-alone title it was to be a self-contained story that followed the template of a contemporary thriller mystery.
The fact that Rick Blechta has been a musician all his life is clearly apparent in all his writing. He brings a musician's viewpoint to the thriller genre. As he is not interested at this point in writing a series based on a single character, musical backgrounds provide some cohesion from one book to the next. Still working in music as well as writing, Rick Blechta continues to put out work at a regular pace.
(Detective Mervin Pratt is enjoying a quiet dinner at his ...)
2014(Chris McKessock, part-time sax player and substitute scho...)
1992(Victoria Morgan, violin virtuoso extraordinaire, and her ...)
2005(Marta Hendriks is onstage at the Metropolitan Opera in Ne...)
2012(Thirty-year-old Kit Mason has been blind for six years, a...)
2002(Michael Quinn, former rock star, turned his back on a ban...)
2006(A music star attracts a secret admirer, who turns into a ...)
2014(Toronto homicide detectives Pratt and Ellis are brought i...)
2016(Meet Andy Curran, drummer in a struggling jazz trio. When...)
2008(Something is terribly wrong at Symphony Hall. Luigi Spada...)
2011(Victoria Morgan is ticketed for the top. She has the look...)
1993Getting a direct response from his readers, Blechta sees how they interact with his work, allowing him to better tailor it to his readers.
Quotations:
"I'm one of those people who has two big problems in life: I'm interested in too many things and I have a memory for the most minute bits of trivia."
"Having been active in many facets of musical life (rock, jazz, classical, opera, musicals, teaching) I have a lot of varied experience to call on - and I do!"
Rick Blechta married Vicki Woolsey on July 14, 1973. The marriage produced two children, Karel and Jan.