Hi Reader, I read John Sandford's first Lucas Davenport novel, Rules of Prey, a long time ago. It still comes back to me, even now. I certainly don't remember all the fine details, but I do remember the feeling of the story. I remember the discomfort that didn't sit well when I finally closed the book’s covers. I think that’s the test of a good book. It's not about whether you enjoyed it at the time, which I certainly did with Rules of Prey, but, I think, it's about whether the story keeps...
24 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, The house goes quiet around the same time most nights. The day's done and the only sound is the dog snoring on her chair, paws twitching at whatever dogs chase in their sleep. That's when I most like to reach for whatever crime novel I’m reading at the time. Sometimes I'm in my own comfy chair in the lounge room. Sometimes I’m propped up in bed. The where isn’t so important, what matters is the quiet. I don't think it's an accident that this is when the crime-fiction genre works...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, When you start writing, you start studying. I’ve found myself paying a lot more attention to the opening lines of my favourite authors lately. I’ve started noticing the mechanics and thinking about why an opening makes me sit up and take notice. What it is that pushes me to keep reading that story. So, here's a question. What is a first line, or two, actually supposed to do? The obvious answer is that it should draw you in. But the best openers do something more than that. They...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I spent thirty years watching real criminals. In interview rooms, in courtrooms, in the back of police vehicles. I saw people who'd done terrible things as they sat across from me and tried to explain themselves. They always tried to justify their actions. Sometimes there was remorse. Sometimes there wasn't. What I did see though, always, was an internal logic as they told their story and tried to make everything add up, to guide me to the logical outcome of whatever circumstance...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, I'm writing my first crime-fiction novel. Actually, it's my first novel of any kind, and I spent a long time thinking about how to open it. I wasn't thinking so much about the plot, because I already had a sense of where the story would go. What I wrestled with was the point of view. Who should we follow first? The detective is the obvious answer. Safe. Familiar. Readers know where they stand with a detective. But I wanted something different, so I opened with the killer. Standing...
3 months ago • 6 min read