Five Irish Myths and Legends We Take for Truth When I started researching and writing No Stone Unturned, I had a tremendous task at hand. Given the fact that my main characters are Irish and the plot is steeped in Irish history and mystery, I needed to learn about all things Irish. From the […]
Category Archives: Blog Article
THE SPY NEXT DOOR — WHO KNEW?
In their newly released book, Spy Sites of New York; A Guide to the Region’s Secret History, intelligence historians H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace with Hnry Schlesinger document the tradecraft used by Anna Chapman and other Russian spies to create identities and covers that enable them blend seamlessly into the U.S. urban environment. These […]
Writing Serial Killer Thrillers (Part III)
Writing Serial Killer Thrillers (Part III) Part III of this blog series “Writing Serial Killer Thriller’s” will cover some of the global aspects of serial killing. Rick was a homicide detective and gained a unique perspective when he caught a serial killer in 2000. He retired from law enforcement after 26 years. […]
San Francisco and Mysteries
A sampling of mysteries set in 19th-century San Francisco When you think of “mysteries set in San Francisco,” what comes to mind? Maybe your thoughts turn to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, or you envision noir-ish protagonists such as Bill Pronzini’s Nameless Detective, Kelli Stanley’s Miranda Corbie, or Mark Coggins’ August Riordan walking […]
Frederick Porter Wensley, Jack the Ripper, and Why You Never Want to be Second on the Stair Tower
Frederick Porter Wensley, Jack the Ripper, and Why You Never Want to be Second on the Stair Tower One of my favorite books on criminal investigations is nearly a century old. 40 YEARS OF SCOTLAND YARD was published in 1931 by Chief Constable Frederick Porter Wensley. I found an original hardcover in the back […]
The Art of Collaboration
The Art of Collaboration Let’s start with a couple of definitions. Plotter: A writer who carefully plans the story they’re going to write, laying out a logical plot chapter by chapter and actually sticking with the plan. Pantster: A seat-of-the-pants writer who doesn’t know on page five what’s going to happen on page […]
Agatha’s Back: Five Mysteries That Channel the Queen of Crime
Agatha’s Back: Five Mysteries That Channel the Queen of Crime When filmmaker Rian Johnson’s latest movie Knives Out hit theaters in late 2019, it was met with both critical acclaim and box office success. Some called it a “star-studded thriller,” others “a romping delight,” but there was one constant: almost everyone likened the film to the […]
TEN GREAT MYSTERIES SET IN MAINE
TEN GREAT MYSTERIES SET IN MAINE EMMA IN THE NIGHT by Wendy Walker Wendy Walker gives readers a terrifying, intimate look at true narcissism and a totally dysfunctional family in this twisted psychological thriller set partially on a rugged, nearly-vacant island off the coast of Maine. Two sisters disappear but when, three years later, […]
Writing Serial Killer Thrillers (Part II)
Writing Serial Killer Thrillers (Part II) In Part I of this blog series, thriller writer Rick Reed discussed writing serial killer novels. Why the location and condition of the body are important elements of the story. In Part II he will explain the various categories of serial killer: Homicide vs Murder vs Mass Murder […]
Road Trips to Die For or Die On…
Road Trips to Die For There’s something about a road trip that lends itself to murder. Perhaps it’s because being stuck in a car with your nearest and dearest can turn anyone into a homicidal maniac. Maybe it’s the disconnection of the open road or the claustrophobia of being confined in a […]
A Sense of Place: Raymond Chandler, Sherlock Holmes, and Spies Coming in From the Cold
A Sense of Place: Raymond Chandler, Sherlock Holmes, and Spies Coming in From the Cold Of course, crime fiction is about good ideas: who did it? The butler did it, they all did it, the detective did it, the narrator did it. We know who did it but will they be caught? We know […]
Why You Read a Book Twice
Why You Read a Book Twice There’s nothing like cracking the spine of a new book, having no idea what happens next. But we all have favorite books, too. The ones that are falling apart on our shelves. The ones we refuse to give away or lend (no matter how many times we recommend them). […]