Sixty-seven years ago, Gene Hackman's grandmother discovered a dead body in a house in Danville, Ill. At the time, Hackman was 6.

That incident - a jealous man killed his girlfriend and then himself - became the springboard for Hackman's second novel, Justice For None (St. Martin's Press). The book was co-written with Daniel Lenihan, an underwater archaeologist by trade and a friend of 12 years. Both live in Santa Fe.

So what's up with the writing? Hasn't Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner (Unforgiven and The French Connection), had enough creative challenges?

"It's a different kind of a challenge," Hackman said Wednesday in Denver, where he and Lenihan discussed their book.

"Writing is tough, but I can do it at home. I don't have to sleep in a lumpy bed somewhere. I don't need 90 people standing around waiting for me. It feels equally as creative. I wish I had started sooner."

Justice for None is the duo's second novel, following the sea saga, The Wake of the Perdido Star.

Lenihan says the partnership grew out of sharing books. Hackman would pass along hardbacks. Sometimes, a dog-eared page would show where Hackman had stopped reading. The two would discuss why he lost interest.

In the case of Justice for None, the story's atmosphere and characters deeply reflect Hackman's Midwestern roots.

"I insisted on changing the name of the town in the book. (The story is set in 1929 in the town of Vermilion.) I have so many friends and relatives who still live there. I didn't want people to feel we were picking on them, although every city has problems."

In researching the book, Hackman says he and his co-author discovered a photo of a black man who had been hanged from a bridge in Danville during the '20s. At one point in Justice for None, the main character, a World War I veteran suspected of murder, meets a black man who has been accused of rape, a relationship that gives the novel a social dimension.

Hackman and Lenihan are thinking about their next project, a story set during the Civil War - not that writing totally removes Hackman from the acting process.

"When I write, I end up asking myself all the same questions I ask when I approach a script. 'Where has this character been? Where is he going? What does he want? What does he smell? What does he touch?' "

These days, Hackman says he's not seeing scripts that make his motor race.

"You get to be a certain age (73) and the roles change. I don't care if I play first lead, but the part has to be vital, energetic and interesting. They're more the grandfather type, and I'm not interested in playing that."

And, no, thus far no movie offer has been forthcoming for Justice For None - not that an ultraserious actor like Hackman needs more validation. He's a tough-minded veteran who knows the best and worst Hollywood has to offer.

"Bonnie and Clyde (1967) was my first major film. I thought, 'This is the best. It'll always be four or five really good actors hanging out in a room or car and having this great dialogue to play.'

"You go into every project with this enormous hope that you can make it that way.

" It's that hope and that endeavor that keeps it alive."

denersteinb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5424

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