Q&A with Ray M Schultz, Author of Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill

Publication date: December 2, 2025 by Ray M. Schultze

Genre(s): Mystery, murder mystery, historical fiction, historical mystery, literary fiction, biographical fiction

In Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill by Ray M. Schultze, a murder Jack London witnesses vanishes from all official accounts, setting him on a path into areas defined by competing interests and guarded truths.

The narrative unfolds in 1898 San Francisco, where Jack’s concerns about the unacknowledged killing lead him to examine places characterized by long-standing disputes and informal structures of authority. As he navigates Chinatown’s alleys, he encounters evidence of disappearances and alliances that seldom draw outside attention. A woman tied to these elements complicates his understanding of what occurred, offering insight laced with uncertainty. Jack’s determination places him in the path of individuals who depend on discretion to retain control. His search exposes the deeper framework shaping interactions across the city’s hidden pockets.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/48AI8UB

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244308185-jack-london-and-murder-on-nob-hill

What are the hazards of fictionalizing a real person? 

The thought that you might be guilty of libel plays on your mind, which is a good reason to choose as a subject someone who’s been dead for at least a century! I fictionalized Bogart in one of my novels, and I sweated that one because he’s so iconic. You really feel the pressure of getting the personality down right. The last thing you want is some expert on the man telling you that you got it all wrong. Arrggg.

How do you come up with your ideas for novels? 

Because I’m an independent author trying to seduce the major publishing houses, I’m always on the lookout for what the industry calls “high concept” stories—basically ones based on an outrageous or over-the-top premise like the idea of the writer Jack London getting involved in a murder investigation. Seriously?

When do you get your best ideas for writing? 

Sometimes when I’m half-awake in the middle of the night or just rousing myself in the morning. Sometimes entire lines of dialogue pop into my head and I try to write them down before I drift off again.

You’ve written some international thrillers. Do you try to visit the setting when it’s a far-away place? 

It’s a must for me. You can research your heart out on, say, Portugal or Austria, and probably uncover every detail your story needs—except for the intangible feel of a place. The only exception I made was my novel Beranek’s Stand, set in Iran. I chickened out on that one.

If you could time-travel, where would you go? 

The bronze-age city-state of Knossos, on the island of Crete. It was the first sophisticated urban civilization of Europe, and the Minoans produced magnificent art and gloried in nature. By coincidence, Knossos happens to be the setting of my next novel…

Ray M. Schultze is the author of six novels, five of them works of suspense—The Last Safe Place, Combustion, The Devil in Dreamland, Decatur’s Dig, and Beranek’s Stand. His most recent novel, Russian River, is historical fiction. His interest in writing began in childhood with a handmade, folded-paper “magazine” that his mother encouraged. After graduating from the University of California at Riverside, he pursued newspaper reporting as a practical way to support himself while writing fiction. Over a twenty-five-year career, he covered politics, the legal system, and education for newspapers in California, Florida, and Arizona. When he turned to fiction full-time, he drew inspiration from authors such as Alan Furst and Ken Follett. Ray now lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Judi. They enjoy tennis, hiking, exploring the region’s beaches and headlands, and international travel—experiences that often shape his novels’ settings. He is also an award-winning woodworking artist. Visit him at his website.