Review
The Fractal Murders is a fun thriller in a style similar to Robert B Parker, however it isn't without flaws. On the plus side is an interesting plot - experts in fractal geometry are being killed off at an alarming rate and our hero Pepper Keane is investigating - which gives him, and
therefore the reader, the opportunity to learn about fractal geometry (a method of analyzing geometric shapes to identify patterns and predict behaviors in complex systems) which Cohen
describes in an interesting and easy to follow style (even though I can't
remember a thing about it now!)
On the downside (at least from my point of view) is that this is a 'guy' book.
Pepper Keane is an ex-JAG* and ex-boxer, and staying fit is an important part of
his life - but I'm not particularly interested in reading about every detail of
his exercise regime (so I did...
Beyond the Book
The Judge Advocate General's Corps are naval lawyers. The JAGs
were established within the Department of the Navy in 1967 at which time these
specialized military lawyers became a distinct professional group within the
Navy, similar to physicians and chaplains.
Mark Cohen served as a JAG for 20 years. His next book,
Bluetick Revenge has just been published.
The Fractal Murders is one of those relatively rare
self-publishing success stories. Mark Cohen
worked with three agents who failed to find a publisher for it
,
so in 2002 he published it himself. Two years later he'd sold a few thousand books and
got plenty of word of mouth coverage - at which point Mysterious Press, a division of Warner Books, bought the...
