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In 1991, Victor Cass joined the Pasadena Police Department.
An artist and writer, Victor is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design. In addition to his
duties as a police officer, he has created a diverse portfolio of artwork; designing the cover of the Pasadena Police Department’s
“Pasadena Welcomes the World” pamphlet for World Cup Soccer matches at the Rose Bowl to having original paintings
exhibited a prestigious art galleries. From 1994 to 1997, Victor Cass served as a patrol officer and a
Community Policing Officer. In 1998, he was promoted to detective; and, in the same year designed the official
logo for the XXXIII California Police Summer Games. Victor
Cass’ published his first book, Love, Death, and Other War Stories: Tales of Crime and Punishment in the
Wild West, in 2005.
According to the book description of Love,
Death, and Other War Stories: Tales of Crime and Punishment in the Wild West, “Pasadena Police
Detective Roy Gildard finds himself on a collision course with the ruthless gangster, Johnny "One Shot" King. Roy
is determined to catch Johnny, whose vicious gang, the P-9s, gets involved in a turf war with the Squiggly Lane Gangsters.
In the meantime, Roy finds true love and a deeper meaning to his life when his cop friend and ex-lover, Mary Eloyan, sets
him up with the pretty but troubled LA Sheriff’s Deputy Laura Reel.
Helping Roy battle the gangsters is
veteran training officer, George Denney, a suspected racist who gets a soft spot for his rookie trainee, the beautiful, mixed
African-American officer, Ingrid Neilson. Together, their efforts to catch Johnny are almost thwarted by the German-Mexican
siblings, Karl and Noemi Bernau, whose red harvest has struck terror in the immigrant community. What the beautiful people
don’t know can hurt them, as the bodies pile up in Pasadena.
According to one reader of Love,
Death and Other War Stories, it “is an excellent read for those who enjoy police or action novels. It's
a bit slow getting started, but once all the characters have been introduced it moves quickly through continual action, both
in the long-term plot and in the daily interactions between the Pasadena police and their neighborhoods. Told from the standpoints
of everyday cops on the beat, an ongoing series of vignettes gives a good look at their feelings, motivations and reactions
to their work. Cass's characters, unlike the standard cop-fiction action heroes, are reality-based- insecure, confused,
humorous and caring. In addition, the plotline (like real life) is unpredictable, keeping the reader on edge. Though the book
is graphic, sexually explicit at times, and scatters four-letter words throughout (not for the faint-hearted), it is enjoyable
and closes with an unexpected and truly heartwarming twist. This is less an action novel than a good, close-up look inside
the world of law enforcement. Add this to your summer reading list.”
According
to the book description of Telenovela, “Life can be one big soap opera when culture
clashes with romance and infidelity. When legal secretary Lorena Sandoval chooses to be single and celibate while waiting
for the right man, she bumps into Miriya, a determined girl on the go, whose womanizing hunk of a boyfriend, Arturo, is cheating
on her. Lorena learns of this affair while she and Miriya became fast friends. What Lorena doesn't know is that Miriya
has been having a secret fling of her own with a mysterious lover. Lorena later thinks she's met the right man in art
store manager Steven Meztaz. But the real trouble begins when she introduces Steven to Miriya! It's girl's night out,
friendship drama, and sexy romps in the land of the telenovela!”
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