Steve Skurka
Author Interview - Steve Skurka
Author of Pharo and the Murder at Smoke Lake
In the midst of the impending European war in July 1914, the renowned author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, embarks on a tour of Canada along with his wife, as guests of the Grand Trunk Railway. Their final weekend takes them to a log camp in Algonquin Park on Smoke Lake, where they are joined by Mason Caulfield, head of the railway, and Rudolph Mulino, a silent film actor.
Pharo Simmons, president of the Sherlock Holmes fan club in Buffalo, sets off for Toronto to interview Sir Arthur upon his return from the picturesque Smoke Lake, where the Doyles indulged in fishing and canoeing. However, the tranquility of the trip is shattered when one of their companions suddenly disappears and is presumed by the police to have drowned. The Doyles hastily plan to return to England, but not before Sir Arthur meets Pharo and enlists her assistance in unraveling the mystery that surrounds Smoke Lake. The author of the Sherlock Holmes books and stories suspects foul play and murder are afoot.
Together, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Pharo Simmons form an unlikely partnership to investigate the mysterious incident. Was it truly an accident, or a deliberate act of murder at Smoke Lake? The duo are determined to uncover the truth, expose the crime and identify the elusive killer.
Author Interview - Steve Skurka
Author I draw inspiration from:
I enjoy reading mysteries and I start with the masters of the craft, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles and Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are my favorites. I also read a lot of historical fiction and An Officer and a Spy by Richard Harris is a book that I reread and love.
Author Interview - Steve Skurka | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
On a couch in front of a burning fireplace, on a cottage dock on a sunny day, on a bed in a snowstorm or a rainy day.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Rumpole of the Bailey, John Mortimer’s famed, curmudgeonly English barrister. I am a criminal defense lawyer and would enjoy trading colorful courtroom stories over a pint at Rumpole’s favorite bar. I could learn a few courtroom tricks from the master of cross-examination.
Author Interview - Steve Skurka | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I covered the trial of Conrad Black in Chicago as the legal analyst for a Canadian television network. I wrote a book about the case that was favorably reviewed by a national newspaper and published in a second edition. The experience inspired me to study writing at the Humber School of Writing and my instructor was the acclaimed author Martin Amis. I left the course determined to write a novel. I’ve since written two and I’m currently writing the third installment in the Pharo series, Pharo and the German Traitors.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I like to hold a book and turn the pages as I read it, so I therefore read in hardback or paperback form.
The last book I read:
Dead Wake, the story of the sinking of the Lusitania, by Erik Larson. Larson is a master of telling historical accounts in an interesting and suspenseful way and Dead Wake is one of his best accounts.
Author Interview - Steve Skurka | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I type very slowly on my laptop and I find the plodding pace conducive to my writing. I do keep a notebook for every novel to jot down notes and ideas as they occur.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Pharo Simmons, the central character in my two novels, Pharo and the Clever Assassin and Pharo and the Murder at Smoke Lake. She shares a passion for social justice with me and her character traits of being strong, fiery, independent, clever, loyal, and resourceful are traits I admire and aspire to.
Author Interview - Steve Skurka | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I choose the career that I’ve pursued passionately for decades as a trial lawyer. It was a fulfilling career that enabled me to represent a variety of clients in the pursuit of justice. I defended a number of landmark cases that continue to benefit countless people in society.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The first two decades of the twentieth century, the time period in history of my first two Pharo novels in the series. I assiduously studied the fashion of the era to keep my books realistic.
Place I’d most like to travel:
England because I’m a fan of the Premier League, the elite soccer division in the country. I relish the prospect of attending soccer matches around the country.
My signature drink:
Sancerre, a white wine from France.
Favorite artist:
Jennifer Ross, the brilliant artist whose artwork is featured on the covers for my first two novels.
Number one on my bucket list:
I will swim in the Masters event at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2025.
I want to write for a winter in a European city like Paris or Bologna.
I want a small acting part in a film based on my books.
I was in a choir that performed at Carnegie Hall when I was eight years old.
I'd like to take singing lessons.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I love being a writer.
About Steve Skurka:
Author Interview - Steve Skurka
Steve Skurka is a highly respected criminal defense lawyer in Toronto. He has defended a number of landmark cases in Canada including the racial profiling case of R. v. Brown involving a former player on the Toronto Raptors basketball team. In other precedent-setting cases, he led evidence of marijuana-induced psychosis to significantly mitigate his client’s sentence and relied on the battered child syndrome in a homicide case. Steve taught criminal procedure at Osgoode Hall Law School, acted as the legal analyst for the CTV television network, and wrote a book about the sensational case of media baron Conrad Black. Pharo and the Clever Assassin, published in 2021, is Steve’s first novel in the Pharo series.
