Hi Everyone,
Ruth Ware says working in publishing was a wake-up call for an aspiring writer.
I think it’s easy, as a punter, to walk into a library or a bookstore and see the huge number of books published and think, “There must be space for me.” However when you work in the industry you realize this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the huge number of excellent books that don’t quite make that fin al fence for whatever reason—or do get published and don’t get the attention they deserve.
Ware has definitely caught the attention of readers with such bestselling novels as The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Death of Mrs. Westaway. Now with her new novel, The Turn of the Key, she provides a idiosyncratic updating of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. John B. Valeri talks with Ware in this issue.
Between the end of World War I and the start of World War II, no fictional detective was more visible than Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond. In 10 novels and 24 films, Drummond is a likably over-the-top hero who mixes “I say, old bean” British gentility with wild derring-do in stories that remain entertaining to this day. Michael Mallory profiles this winning character.
In a new annual feature, Oline Cogdill takes a look at terrific current books from six up-and-coming writers. Her criteria? “Stories that involves us, characters we want to spend time with, and dialogue that crackles.”
Several years ago, on the other side of the Atlantic, one of Northern Ireland’s top em ployment and civil rights lawyers was cross-examining a witness and got him to admit on the stand that he was lying—in front of the judge and everyone else. “Eddie Flynn came to me in that moment in court,” says Steve Cavanagh. Now Cavanagh is back with the much-buzzed about Thirteen. In it, the serial killer is not on trial—he’s on the jury. Craig Sisterson gets the scoop in this issue.
Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy helped power the ongoing Scandi-crime wave and a growing appetite for translated mystery fiction in general. Yet, the hidden figures who shepherd tales across language barriers have been largely overlooked: the translators themselves. In his overview, Craig Sisterson talks to several translators about taking a story from one language to another.
Sixty-five years ago one of the mystery world’s most popular authors, Stuart Palmer, creator of Hildegard Withers, met Groucho Marx on the set of the You Bet Your Life quiz show. Arthur Vidro takes a look back at the amusing television episode.
In this issue Alex Segura tells John B. Valeri his hardcore writing philosophy: “You have to create these characters with care— give them weight, heft, and meaning, and then have no fear when the grim reaper appears. You have to be willing to take them off the board if the plot demands it.” Readers don’t always know what to expect with Segura— except that they’ll be fully entertained.
Also in this issue, we have interesting My Book essays contributed by Elizabeth Zelvin, Daniella Bernett, Kathleen Ernst, and Sarah Wisseman.
In the last issue we told you about the new Mystery Scene Forum now available at our website. Please drop by and say hello, then leave a comment or question for us. We’d love to hear from you and think this extra way of staying in touch offers benefits to all of us. Plus, it’s fun—bring your best jokes, quotes, and anecdotes!
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief
"For me, the books I read were the call—the call to adventure, to thinking, to acknowledging other points of view. But to complete the ritual, I needed to respond."
I am surrounded by books. Every room, every space in my large, sprawling 1750s house is full of books...
Our history and experiences can define us, inspire our actions, and as writers impact our words and stories. Mine most definitely has: my father was a small-time gangster. Really.
"My ah-ha moment came when I read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.... That was it for me – I was off to the races."
Nietzsche once wrote, “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
"Mystery books were daring and exciting, firing up my imagination and making me yearn to become a girl detective or even a secret agent. They also empowered me to make up impromptu ghost stories around the campfire for my Girl Scout troop and sneak into the cemetery at night on a dare."
Fire and Ashes, the latest Angela Richman Death Investigator mystery, is an exploration of a fatal fire. To research this novel, Viets delved into the devastating consequences of junk science and arson investigations.
