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Who Am I?
The notion of “Identity” can be regarded in multiple ways: Identity (noun): the condition or fact of being a specific person or thing; the ways that people’s self-concepts are based on their membership...
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5 Mysteries and Thrillers That Will Make You Laugh
If – like me – you love a comedy murder mystery or thriller, but have been judged by someone for it, I’m here to tell you that it’s ok because of science. That’s right, there is actually science behind...
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6 of the Best Queer Mysteries
There’s nothing I love more than sitting down with a queer mystery or thriller—obviously, as a writer of the genres myself! The twists, the turns, the “oh my god!” moments, there’s nothing like it. Add...
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Three Great Time Travel Books for People Who Don’t Like Science Fiction
I was never a fan of science fiction. I have a vivid imagination but with the exception of the original Star Trek, there’s something about stories set on different planets, or filled with aliens or...
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Humor in Mysteries and Thrillers Is No Joke
At Night Court one Christmas, John Larroquette gave me a sofa pillow embroidered with: “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Larroquette, who makes the work of acting comedy and drama look effortless, gave...
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13 Weird, Fascinating Things I’ve Learned Researching Crime Novels
The incredibly successful suspense author Harlan Coben once told me—with a chuckle—that he thought conducting research for a book was just another form of procrastination. Guilty as charged on some...
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Publishing My Godmother’s “Lost” Murder Mystery Manuscripts
“Aunt Betsy, what do we do with these boxes? They’re filled with paper,” my nephew shouted across the large playroom. In preparation for the estate sale, we were cleaning out my mother’s office,...
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Hart Hanson On Screenwriting Vs. Novel Writing
My father grew up in a small lumber mill town in Idaho called Potlatch, where the panhandle meets the pan. In 1953, Potlatch High School won the state championship in Track & Field. How’s that for...
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Writers and Musicians: When Artforms Intersect
I have long held the belief that you can tell a lot about a cowboy by the way he treats his hat; the way he wears it, and the way he treats it when he takes it off his head. The same can be said about...
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Six Mysteries Set in Luxurious Destinations
Armchair traveling is among my favorite pursuits. And little else surpasses the joy of diving into the most luxurious corners of the world via the pages of a delectable mystery. Give me all the books...
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The Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer 2024
Summer is here! Or, at least, pool season is officially starting (it’s been summer already for many of us working remotely). There are, of course, a gazillion good books coming out over the summer, and...
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The Persistent Power of ‘Prima Facie’
I am a writer driven by rape. My first foray into fiction featured a girl charged with murder for killing her rapist in self-defense. It was about silence and the many ways society revictimizes people....
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The Five Best Amateur Sleuths of All-Time
Amateur sleuths have been a staple of the mystery genre since the first detective crawled out of the ocean. But to be honest, I think there’s something vaguely condescending about the phrase—it sounds...
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The Death of Mr. Dodsley is a Charming Biblio-Mystery From a Master Stylist
Death of Mr. Dodsley, first published in 1937, is a “biblio-mystery” from a Scot who combined ministry in the Episcopalian church with a varied and successful literary career. John Ferguson was in his...
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Expand Your Mind with These Psychedelic Mysteries
Acid has had a long and colorful—way too colorful!—relationship with crime fiction. LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide was first synthesized by Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman in the pre-fabulous year of...
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Eight Books By Authors Who Have Also Engaged in Journalism
I’ve lived a dual existence for most of my adult life, and that’s given me a lot of pleasure. On the one hand, I’m a journalist who chronicles the “adventures” of companies that are in the...
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Susan Elia MacNeal on the Conclusion of Her Series, Women’s Role in War and...
Crime fiction authors are often asked about the inspirational alchemy that sparked the idea for their central characters and where they see them going in subsequent books. Because, let’s face it,...
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Five Great Books About Maine, From Thomas E. Ricks
Maine is an unusual state, with a distinct identity and, in rural areas, a culture that remains distinctly pre-industrial. It borders more Canadian provinces than it does states; it is the only...
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Who Was Q. Patrick, the Golden Age Mystery Author?
Peripatetic Anglo-American mystery writers from the Golden Age of detective fiction did their share of sailing over deep waters, not merely metaphorically but in fact, so it is no surprise that in the...
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Greg Iles On a Lifetime of Crime Writing
For years, I tried to find a book that would impress my grandmother, one of the most voracious readers I’ve ever known. Nothing would stick with her, especially considering she said that our wants in...
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