Robert Rotenberg Books

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Robert Rotenberg is a Canadian author and criminal defense attorney that writes mystery novels. He was born in 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, to Jewish parents. The author attended the University of Toronto (Osgoode Hall) and the London School of Economics.

Circumstances took him to Europe in the 1980s, where he worked on ‘Passion: The Magazine of Paris’ as a managing editor. Back in Canada, he joined forces with a partner to put out ‘T.O. The Magazine of Toronto.’

Although, the publication folded in the late 1980s. He took a detour through the entertainment arena, working as a film executive and a producer for CBC radio before ultimately dedicating his life to the law.

The author’s practice handles a variety of cases, both large and small. They attracted all kinds of attention when the firm defended a student for planting a fake bomb.

Rotenberg cannot think of a time when he wasn’t writing. He comes from a family of storytellers, and in school, he prioritized English and writing courses.

After pursuing English Literature in university, the author made his first attempt at producing fiction. He took a year off to pen his book, but he barely made it past the first chapter.

This is why he took so many detours, running off to law school, editing a magazine in Europe, and returning to Canada to run his own magazine, not to mention dabbling in film and radio.

Interestingly enough, the author only revived his publishing dreams after opening his law firm, using his first day as a practicing lawyer to work on his debut novel.

The manuscript never saw the light of day, even though it took him ten years to finish it. But Rotenberg doesn’t regret the time he poured into the novel because he had a better grasp of the writing process when he worked on ‘Old City Hall.’

Even though it took him another decade to finish it, ‘Old City Hall’ became his first published novel. The book rewarded the author for his hard work by becoming a critically acclaimed Canadian bestseller.
‘Old City Hall’ was just the first book among many. However, even though Rotenberg has a thriving publishing career, he continues to practice criminal law.

Rotenberg became a lawyer because he was interested in criminal law. This is the only aspect of the legal field that appeals to him. He has chosen to juggle the demands of publishing and the law because they feed one another.

Not only does writing fiction make him a better lawyer, but practicing law makes him a better writer.
He commends his publisher, colleagues in the legal field, friends, and family for supporting him in his endeavors. Rotenberg has also encouraged readers to write to him because he responds to every letter he gets. The author appreciates the feedback.

Robert Rotenberg Awards

Rotenberg has received New Blood Dagger and Arthur Ellis Award nominations.

Best Robert Rotenberg Books

The author loves Raymond Chandler. He survived law school by reading Chandler’s novels and short stories. He has read the crime fiction icon’s books more times than he can count. Rotenberg’s best novels include:

Old City Hall: Kevin Brace was guilty. Everyone knew it. The killing blow struck his wife just below the sternum. The radio show host had simplified things by showing up with blood on his hands and confessing to the murder.

But the case made no sense. The prosecutor’s office had everything they needed to put Kevin away for a long time, yet he wouldn’t speak to anyone.

The victim had a bad reputation. Her alcoholism had made the woman unpopular in some circles. Even more fascinating were the strange fingerprints at the crime scene. Something else was going on.

The Guilty Tea: Terrence Wyler was dead. The son of the Wyler Food dynasty, the killer stabbed Terrence to death in his kitchen. By the time Detective Ari Greene arrived, Terrence’s son was fast asleep upstairs.

Unlike Ari’s other cases, this one was simple. The ex-wife was the killer. She murdered Terrence. Or at the least, that was the narrative Samantha encouraged when she walked into her lawyer’s office, bloody knife in hand.

But Greene was not convinced. The Wyler family had many secrets, and it did not surprise Greene that someone had committed murder to keep them hidden.

When Does The Next Robert Rotenberg book come out?

Robert Rotenberg doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is What We Buried and was released on February, 27th 2024. It is the newest book in the Detective Greene Series.

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