Often, crime fiction and music seem to go hand in hand. For example, Ian Rankin’s Rebus novels frequently reference musical tracks and you can find Rebus playlists on Spotify. Mark S Bonta is a South Florida crime author who has gone one step further. When he wrote his debut novel, Hard Rokk Murder – about a rock star who teams up with a detective – he decided to create his own sound track to accompany the story.
Now, Mark’s second novel-album combo is about to be released. Song of the Embers sees the return of Michael Rokk and his band, along with Detective Sergeant Gina Bauer. Together, they face the case of a woman found barefoot and dead on a Florida highway. The book is accompanied by a full album to listen to online as you read, entitled Undercurrents.
We wanted to know more about Mark, his creative process, and the musical innovation he’s bringing to crime fiction. So, we invited him to join us for an interview.
What are crime fiction lovers going to love about Song of the Embers?
Crime fiction lovers are going to find plenty to sink their teeth into with Song of the Embers. It’s a sharp, emotionally charged mystery that builds on the groundwork of Hard Rokk Murder – but this time, the story digs deeper into the emotional toll of pursuit. Detective Gina Bauer is drawn into a new case that connects to a trail of violence and symbolism stretching beyond anything she’s seen before. Each discovery pulls her closer to the truth – and further into the psychological cost of finding it.
Equally, what are crime fiction lovers going to love about Undercurrents, the accompanying rock album?
Fans of crime fiction will love Undercurrents because it pulls them deeper into the same world as Song of the Embers but through sound instead of words. The songs echo the same themes of obsession, guilt and redemption that drive the story. It’s heavier, darker and more dynamic than the first album because it was written during the creation of the novel, not afterward. That makes it pulse with the same tension the characters are living through. Each track feels like a chapter in its own right – rhythmic, cinematic, and emotionally charged. If you listen while reading, you can feel the shifts in tone, the rise and fall of danger and emotion.
Who is Michael Rokk? What inspired, and how have you developed, the character?
Michael Rokk is a legendary hard rock frontman with a mind wired for patterns – a musician who sees meaning in chaos. On the surface, he’s a rock star with a complicated past, but underneath, he’s driven by the same instincts that fuel a detective: curiosity, intuition and a need to make sense of what others overlook. His fame gives him access to the edges of the world of his partner, Detective Gina Bauer, whose investigations often pull them both into darker territory.
Michael was inspired by the archetype of artists who carry both brilliance and burden – people who can read the room like a crime scene and channel pain into art. From the beginning, he’s shared equal ground with Gina as one of the story’s dual perspectives, offering the emotional counterpoint to her precision and discipline. He’s flawed, perceptive, and unpredictable – the kind of character who could either solve the mystery or become part of it.
And on a personal level, I’ll admit – Michael lets me live out my childhood dream of being a rock star, just without the roadies, the noise complaints, or the bad hotel coffee.
What are they up against in Song of Embers?
Michael and Gina are drawn into a case that begins with what appears to be a tragic car accident – but subtle details at the scene suggest something much darker beneath the surface. Their investigation soon exposes a human trafficking network built on control, ritual and psychological conditioning. The deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes that this isn’t an isolated tragedy, but part of a system that’s been hiding in plain sight for years.
At the center of that system is Halberg — a calculating engineer of human behavior who sees people as components to be rebuilt, repurposed, or erased. His calm precision makes him more unnerving than overtly violent; he’s a man who treats cruelty like design. And above him looms an unseen hierarchy whose reach hints that the case is only one thread of something much larger.
Who are some of the other interesting characters we’ll meet?
Detective Valdez remains Gina’s steady right hand – calm under pressure, dry-humoured and unflinching when things turn dangerous. We also spend more time with Gina’s daughter, Carly, whose grounded perspective and perfectly timed sarcasm help keep Gina anchored when the investigation starts to take over.
On Michael’s side, his kids and band step forward in real, practical ways. Alina runs down leads in New York – boots-on-the-ground checks that move the case forward – while Axel helps push Rokkline’s sound in the studio when Michael needs it most. Leo is the meticulous ear behind the board, and Tyler is the pulse that holds sessions together when emotions spike. They’re not just background players – they’re part of the engine that keeps both the music and the investigation moving.
What inspired you to create music to accompany your books, and how do you create the tracks?
That’s the cool part. While proofreading Hard Rokk Murder, I found myself re-reading scenes about the band’s concerts and rehearsals and wondering what those songs would actually sound like. Some riffs started forming themselves around the lyrics in my imagination, and before long, I picked up my guitar. From there, I realised I couldn’t just write about a rock star – I had to let the music exist too.
I started researching AI-assisted music creation and learned that it isn’t just a machine making random noise. I define exactly what I want: the key, tempo, instruments, tone – whether I want it clean, overdriven or raw. I can even upload my own riffs and build around them. It’s like having an entire band at my fingertips that can perfect and record professional tracks in record time. And the best part? I’m in charge – none of the other band members argue with me. Ha!
Does writing the music and the lyrics ever feed back into how the story develops?
Yes, absolutely. There have even been a few times when I wasn’t sure yet which direction the next chapter would go until I wrote and embedded a new song into the story. The feeling and thoughts that the song invoked helped me decide what the next act would be. Sometimes a riff or lyric reveals an emotional truth that hadn’t been clear on the page yet, and it shifts how the characters respond or how the tension builds.
For readers who pay close attention, there are subtle threads connecting the songs and stories across the series – small lyrical details or passing lines in a chapter that quietly hint at the larger mystery still unfolding.
How has your first book-album combo, Hard Rokk Murder and Resonance, been received by readers?
As a debut project from a completely unknown author, the audience is just beginning to grow – but the process has been incredibly rewarding. The feedback I’ve gotten so far, mostly from family and early readers, has reminded me how meaningful it feels to finally put something creative into the world.
The real lesson from releasing my debut has been patience and persistence. Building a new kind of crossover between fiction and music doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s taught me that impact matters more than numbers. Even a few readers who genuinely connect with the story make it worth the effort. And with the next book and album on the horizon, I’m excited to see where the journey goes from here.
Who are your crime writing influences and your musical influences, and why?
My crime writing influence may sound a bit strange, but it’s Stephen King. I’ve read every King novel since discovering him at 14, and what I love most is that his best stories aren’t strictly horror. His ability to make the extraordinary feel grounded is something I’ve always admired and tried to capture in my own way.
My biggest musical influence is Eddie Van Halen. I honestly believe he inspired more teenage boys to pick up a guitar than anyone else in history. When I was young, I scraped paint off my guitar to mimic his stripes and played my version of Eruption at a school talent show. That obsession never really stopped.
What’s next for Mark S Bonta?
I’ll be diving into book three of the Hard Rokk Mysteries series, which picks up right where Song of the Embers leaves off – both in the investigation and in the evolution of Michael and Gina’s worlds. This next installment will lean deeper into the psychological side of the story – it’s designed to be the most unsettling and emotionally intense book in the series yet. I’m also planning to play around with expanding the Hard Rokk brand into other areas – merch, maybe some creative collaborations, and whatever other crazy ideas come along. I also want to keep experimenting with how story and sound can intersect in new ways. The goal is to keep the world alive in as many ways as possible and have some fun doing it.
Order your copy of Song of the Embers below, and listen to the soundtrack, Undercurrents, following this link.
