Small-town skullduggery, eccentric characters, humor and a gritty tone are staples of Southern crime fiction and former Great Falls resident Peter Malone Elliott was happy to indulge in them all in his debut novel, “Blue Ridge.”
The book’s protagonist, Cillian Clarke, is an alcoholic former Olympic equestrian who has fallen on hard times. His identical-twin brother, Christopher, is a smooth-talking U.S. congressman who is contemplating a run for Virginia’s governorship.
The long-estranged brothers’ schism deepens after Christopher is murdered. When authorities name Cillian the main suspect, he must evade the law while looking for the true killer.
In the process, Cillian uncovers shadowy figures masterminding a dangerous political conspiracy and befriends an investigative reporter who is trying to expose the malefactors. The novel ramps up tension all the way to the final page.
The book is long on action, political intrigue and sarcastic exchanges, but also features many loving descriptions of the Virginia countryside, especially the Blue Ridge Mountains of the title.
Elliott, 30, grew up in Great Falls and attended McLean High School. He later spent one year at American University, then went to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
The author, who now lives in Brooklyn, was working as a screenwriter in Los Angeles when the pandemic struck in March 2020. He subsequently came back to live in Virginia and admired the stunning scenery while hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“They’re beautiful, they’re show-stopping, but they’re also a little spooky and haunting,” he said.
Inspired to use them as the setting for his first novel, he began writing “Blue Ridge” in January 2021 and finished about a year later.
“Being a screenwriter really helped me shape this,” he said. “Brevity and conciseness are name of game.”
While some authors start with a concept and see where the plot takes them as they’re writing, Elliott said he always knows from the start of a project what the plot’s beginning, middle and end will look like.
Screenwriting is a more confined undertaking and Elliott said he enjoyed the freedom of working on the novel’s larger canvas.
“A novel is so much more liberating,” he said. “There’s a limitless well of things you can do. It was really exciting.”
Writing the character of Christopher, a successful athlete and politician, came easily to the author, but fleshing out brooding and troubled Cillian was more challenging, he said.
Elliott also includes plenty of equestrian details to flesh out Cillian’s character. While not a rider himself, the author grew up around horses and his sister was a champion national equestrian.
It’s not surprising writing is in his blood. His mother, Lauren Malone “L.M.” Elliott, is a best-selling novelist and magazine author. Her son learned from her the value of hard work, writing daily, doing extensive research and being proactive.
“I’m brutally honest with her stuff and she’s brutally honest with mine,” he said of their writing efforts. “So we have a nice, kind of symbiotic, working relationship.”
The author last year founded a writing-and-editing business.
“No freelance career is easy,” he said. “It takes a lot of discipline and self-motivation.”
Elliott in 2018 won Pipeline Media Group’s screenwriting competition with a biopic on Frank Sinatra Jr. The company a year later hired him to manage and expand the firm’s Book Pipeline division.
The author’s boss at the company, Matthew Misetich, described Elliott’s writing style as “deep-cut, but explosive.”
“The fact he was able to write a Southern thriller novel, a biopic screenplay and other TV pilots bleeding across genres displays a range you really don’t see often,” Misetich said.
Author/screenwriter Lee Matthew Goldberg met Elliott when he was working for Book Pipeline and became friends with him when he moved to New York City.
“He’s a great writer and a great person,” Goldberg said. “We often talk shop about the business and he’s become a reliable friend. Writing can be a solitary profession, so it’s important to know other writers who understand what it’s like. He has an old soul and often champions other writers too.”
Elliott’s writing style is thrilling and propulsive, with strong character development, said Goldberg, who was drawn in by the plot of “Blue Ridge.”
“I’m a fan of sibling narratives and enjoyed the rivalry aspect of the book,” he said. “The pages flew by as I read, and I was surprised by the ending. It takes a lot to surprise me, too.”
