I’ll start with an admission of guilt: I’m a guy, so the closest I’d ever been to a book group was something we dubbed “the no-book book group.” A bunch of husbands met at a local bar and drank. If we inadvertently read the writing on the bathroom wall, the rule held, we were not allowed to discuss it. Problem is, I ended up needing books groups. My recent book “A Cold-Blooded Business,” is based on an intriguing murder story I covered for The New York Times for several years, one that conjures up some intriguing questions about guilt, redemption and our collective ability to put the worst that we’ve done behind us. In other words, it’s good book club fodder. Inexperienced in the ways of book groups, though, I was especially vexed by this: how do I get to ones far away? And that’s when it occurred to me. Actually, it occurred to me while watching my sixth grade daughter fritter away homework time video chatting with friends over the computer. I will do the same, I knew as if I had seen a vision, only with red wine in hand to toast the book group I am visiting, if only electronically, to discuss and explain and answer all questions. It’s gone well and has turned me into a book group convert, though I still think there’s something to be said for the more beer-based “no-book book group.” Whichever kind you have, I’ll be glad to drop in.

Marek Fuchs wrote “A Cold-Blooded Business,” called “riveting,” by Kirkus Reviews, which also praised its “breakneck pace up to the final pages.” When he is not writing, Fuchs serves as a fireman.
www.marekfuchs.com

Pick one up here.