Crimespree Magazine #56 Page 13
Everybody has a book they’re always trying to get other people to read and mine is Rosemary’s Baby. The book, I fear, in overshadowed in the popular imagination by the Polanski movie (which is also great, of course), but holy moly is Rosemary’s Baby a good book. I can tell you, too, why it’s so good—besides the fact that Levin was terrific at comedic realism put to the service of a deeply unsettling scenario (see also: The Stepford Wives). No, what makes this book tremendously good is the use of a strictly limited point of view; it’s one person peering out at a complicated world trying to make sense of it, and that formal choice allows for the atmosphere of dread that builds so powerfully in the novel. (The influence of this technique is present for sure in the Policeman series, and is definitely, consciously, probably glaringly obvious in the novel I wrote just before Policeman, called Bedbugs.)
The most recent book to change my life was John Le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I only read it for the first time a three months ago, because I was teaching a class on mystery fiction and wanted a spy thriller on my syllabus—and I simply can’t stop thinking about it. It’s a complicated book, with levels and levels of intrigue and flashbacks and memories, tricky coded language and in-group dialog, with all these veils and switchbacks. It’s makes the reader work, is what I’m saying, but it’s so worth it when you do. Anyway, at this point in my life and career I read Tinker Tailor as like a personal challenge to me as an author: don’t be afraid to make it really good. Don’t be afraid to make the story challenging and complex. Don’t be afraid to ask the reader to do her part, to have to work to put it together. Don’t spoon feed. A novel shouldn’t be a line, but a labyrinth.
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Pet Spotlight: Me and My Bassett
By Steph Cha
Issue 56
Remember that show Room Raiders on MTV? It was this dating show where hopeful singles tried to assess the personalities and interests of potential mates by touring their rooms. Three years ago, my room would have told the story of a messy girl with a lot of books. Now? My figurines, salt shakers, and one prominent commissioned portrait point to one conclusion—that I am a shameless, tacky, irredeemable basset lady. (My bookshelves are also quite nice, though.)
Luckily, I paired off before this transformation. My husband Matt is at least as entrenched in basset culture as I am. He was the one who turned me onto this noble, ridiculous breed—he’d wanted a basset since he was a child. When we reached the point in our lives and relationship where getting a dog seemed possible, we weren’t sure whether we would prioritize finding a basset or a rescue dog. It turned out we didn’t have to. We googled “basset hound rescue southern California” and found the Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California, which is just a lovely, wonderful organization. We put in an application and went through a moderately intensive evaluation, which included a home visit from a sweet old lady who’d had over twenty bassets in her lifetime. One day I will be just like her.
Duke was the first basset we met after we were approved for adoption. According to his profile, he was about one year old and weighed just over thirty pounds (on the shrimpy side for a basset hound). He’d been found wandering around Hemet, unneutered with no identifying information. My heart still breaks when I think about Duke, walking alone in the desert—he can barely stand to be left home alone for an hour—but I’ve concluded he was so adorable he couldn’t have been a stray longer than ten minutes.
We drove to Fountain Valley where he was staying with a foster family, and he came bounding to greet us. He jumped all over us and ran around the house, slobbering and sniffing and making weird noises. When he was a little calmer, we took him on our first walk, just around the block. His foster mom warned us not to take him farther than we were willing to carry him back. It was a fair warning—a few minutes in he found a shady spot on some grass and showed us the meaning of the phrase “flat basset.” That might have been the moment we fell in love.
When we went back to pick him up, he jumped right into our car and snuggled up in Matt’s lap. We decided he’d be very easy to kidnap, and would be worth less than nothing as a security dog. Still, the moved stressed him out. We spent our first two weeks as pet owners under a horrible reign of diarrhea. Over the next several months, he had both pano and major knee surgery, in addition to a series of undiagnosable stomach problems, and we were in and out of the vet every week or two. He was kind of a lemon, it turned out (our guess is that he’s a puppy mill dog, bred for maximum cuteness with no regard to health), but we’ve spent so much time and money rebuilding him that he more or less does what he’s supposed to now (sleeping, mostly, with occasional bursts of exercise).
Two years later, Duke is fifty pounds of furry basset steel, and I can’t imagine life without him. He’s almost always with me when I write, often wedging himself between me and my laptop, one big paw landing on my keyboard. I’ve had a couple days at home writing without him, and I get so bored and lonely that my boredom and loneliness become distracting. It’s possible I get more done with his big basset butt settling on or near my elbow.
One of my best friends from college told me recently that while before Duke arrived, she would have described me first and foremost as a writer, now she would say, “Oh, Steph Cha? She’s a dog mom.” I think that’s about the size of it. If anyone wants to read 10,000 more words on my hound, let me know. I can talk about this basset for days.
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The Books and Music That Have Influenced My Writing
By Victoria Houston
Issue 56
As a kid, I was a voracious reader and, like so many of us, would check out fifteen to twenty books at a time from our local children’s library—and return them in less than a week. Fully read and savored. It helped that both my parents were dedicated readers. My dad loved Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene and the outdoors writing of Robert Ruark while my mom inhaled CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN along with Thurber and other humorists—and she subscribed to the Readers Digest Condensed Books so we had plenty of books in our house. Also lots of kids. I was the oldest of eight and there was no better way to tune out the din than curling up in a corner with a book.
After charging through the traditional fare of Black Stallion, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, my mother encouraged me to read GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. With those books, I discovered you could find yourself in the stories, you could identify and wish and hope with the characters.
As a result, when writing a story today I leave room for the reader. I don’t detail absolutely everything, I give hints of how characters are responding and then I stop. I want the reader to fill in the blanks from their personal experience and I hope that drawing their own conclusions makes the book more satisfying.
I was twelve when my dad, alarmed that I was Velcroed to the entire Agatha Christie canon, recommended G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown series. Those books may seem mild today but felt very grown up and wise back then. And I learned the value of the puzzle and the mix of characters.
Soon after I ramped up my reading with GONE WITH THE WIND, which taught me the value of setting—I might be sitting on a sofa in northern Wisconsin but my head was in Tara. About this time, I qualified for the adult section of the library and was pruriently devoted to Frank Yerby’s bodice rippers until the head librarian called my mom to say I was reading indecent books. Really? I thought they were fun. While babysitting I was able to savor PEYTON PLACE, which seemed really indecent and really fun. I reread PEYTON PLACE two years ago and found it to be a well-written small town story and whatever it was that I found so sexy many years ago is tame by today’s standards. Again, the lesson learned was to trust the reader: the mind of a teenage girl brought a lot to that book that wasn’t on the page. But I also read Waugh’s VILE BODIES and Paton’s CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY—so I had a growing sense of the universes that could be caught between pages. Not always fun but riveting.
Even though I went through my horrible teens reading the
usual pre-college pretentious bookshelf; i.e. Naked Lunch, Henry Miller, Gravity’s Rainbow (did not finish and never will), etc. I was still addicted to a good linear narrative. When I arrived at Bennington College (on full scholarship thanks to my essay on how and why I got kicked out of high school one year but manage to graduate second in my class the next year—that’s a story for another day), I made friends with the daughter of Shirley Jackson. I had read “The Lottery” in high school, of course. But it was Jackson’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE that galvanized me. Likely changed my life. I know one thing—the nights that I was reading it I found it impossible to turn out the lights: I was terrified. Deliciously terrified. Wow, who wouldn’t want to write like that!! There’s a book to reread if you haven’t in a while. Makes vampires and zombies look like kindergartners.
Heading into adulthood, I read a great deal but the books that have stayed with me are early John Updike, specifically his Maples stories and COUPLES; and early Joan Didion, especially SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM. Those books taught me about voice—how the voice can pull you in.
But my finest teacher has been Willa Cather. O PIONEERS! and MY ANTONIA are two novels I reread every few years as reading Cather’s prose is a master class on how to write clear, contemporary fiction. Her settings in the prairies of Nebraska continue to teach me the role that landscape can play—and in my books landscape is as much a character as the humans.
And finally, I was trying to write my first mystery after publishing several non-fiction books when a friend introduced me to Sjowall and Wahloo. Wow. Again a life changer. They humanized the classic mystery for me, brought it down to the everyday. Their main characters have issues and frustrations that I could identify with—how about the detective who continually holds up the action because he’s constipated?! Humor plus good story lines plus murder. Nice mix.
While I am not a dedicated reader of poetry, I love Mary Oliver’s work. Her nature imagery is similar to what I observe here in the lakes, rivers, streams, forests and swamps of northern Wisconsin. Her language is succinct, her word choice dazzling without being pretentious. Reading her continues to inspire and improve my own writing…I hope.
To wind up, the best mystery I’ve read in recent years is Maggie O’Farrell’s AFTER YOU’D GONE. It isn’t marketed as a mystery but it is a good example that most novels are mysteries. Could not put it down.
One last note on music: I was in eighth grade when we were instructed to write a poem. I wasn’t sure where to start but I knew that my mother’s recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade always sent shivers down my back. So I turned up the record player and started to scribble as an image popped into my head: a black horse racing, racing through the night. I wanted my words to keep pace with the music. My poem won First Place in the Wisconsin State Poetry Contest for students that year. And that is when it all began.
Except…maybe not. I think it really all started because as a little kid I got my hands on GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES—not the mild versions you find today but the gory awful stories in the version edited by the Untermeyers. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the power of a terrifying tale, especially since none of us ever really grow up.
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Buzz Bin
Issue 56
BITTERSWEET (Crown) by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore is a perfect summer read. Scholarship student Mabel Dagmar is going to an exclusive East Coast school and very quickly finds herself fitting into a lifestyle she could only dream of. He is invited to spend the summer with her old moneyed roommate at the family estate. Mabel discovers that she could actually be a part of this and have this life, but she also discovers that it comes at a price that she isn’t sure she wants to pay. A bit reminiscent of the way Ross MacDonald wrote about families of privilege this was engaging and had great payoff.
Sharon Bolton returns to bookshelves everywhere with A DARK AND TWISTED TIDE (Minotaur). If you’ve yet to introduce yourself to protagonist Lacey Flint jump right in, the water is fine. Well the water’s great unless you’re the corpse Lacey find’s one summer’s morning. Lacey, now living on a houseboat and part of London’s river culture is quickly drawn into the investigation. She may have begun her career as a Marine Police but as it becomes apparent she was meant to find the body, her detective skills refuse to remain silent.
THE DIRECTIVE (Little, Brown) is Matthew Quirk’s follow up to his debut THE 500. Mike Ford is back, living a quiet life in the ’burbs, working his law degree and laying low.... Until his brother arrives in town. Threatened into planning a heist on the Federal Reserve Bank, Ford finds himself seduced by the shadier side of life. When he discovers that the evil all around is much closer to home and much larger than imagined author Quirk uses his keyboard to dazzle us with a bevy of plot twists and reveals sure to make this a favorite summer read.
Jan Merete is one of Soho Press’s newer writers. Her sophomore outing A FEW DROPS OF BLOOD is on shelves now. Captain Natalia Monte is a high profile police officer in the Naples force. She is assigned to investigate the murder of two men found in a Countess’s garden and quickly realizes the sleazier side of Naples Art world is involved. The weaving of Naples history and current political and social climate is woven into well done police procedural. Looks like I’ll be visiting Naples on an annual basis.
Antonio Hill brings back Inspector Salgado in THE GOOD SUICIDES (Crown) once again promising to keep readers on the edge of their seats. After a cosmetics company has a retreat which is one of the fun new things companies do to make people feel like team members the people that were there each get strange emails and then start killing themselves. Salgado is deep into the case that is shaking more than just the corporate folks in Barcelona. The suspense in this book is beautifully laid out and watching as Salgado works his way through the case is pure joy and the reason we read mysteries.
FACEOFF (Simon & Schuster) is a collection of short stories that should be read by any and all Thriller fans and dabblers. David Baldacci has collected and edited an amazing collection of short stories that feature not one but two of the genre’s favorite characters. In a stroke of genius this collection of stories features 11 short stories written by 22 of our favorite authors. Opening with Michael Connelly’s Bosch and Dennis Lehane’s Kenzie joining forces to look for a missing child, each story is a gem. It’s impossible to pick a favorite and was such a pleasure to be introduced to the two characters I’d never read before. This book is dedicated to David Morrell and Gayle Lynds for everything they have done for the Thriller community. It is a fitting tribute.
Bliss is a new Scott Phillips novel. In HOP ALLEY (Counterpoint Press), Phillips delivers another snapshot of history as seen through the life and times of photographer Bill Ogden. Set in the Denver of 1878 this slim volume will delight returning readers with a missing piece of Ogden’s history. New readers have a wonderful place to jump into the wonderful settings only Phillip’s can deliver and a wordcraft that makes all of his novels MUST reads.
Debut novel THE INTERN’S HANDBOOK (Simon and Schuster) by Shane Kuhn is just the kind of book we love to read. Fast paced, some great humor thrown in and characters that are a little bit out of step. John Lago is an assassin who pulls off his jobs by being a faceless intern, access and invisibility both working for him. But he’s reached the age that he will start to stick out as it is a young person’s game. He takes on one last job and along the way runs into a complication of a woman he might be falling for but also works for the FBI. Really looking forward to the next book by this new author. On our short list for best debut of the year.
With all the popularity and interest in Sherlock Holmes peaking again this release is perfectly timed. THE LEGEND OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (Lanternfish Press) collects11 stories of the famous detective starting the case that ended Moriarty. The rest are all post Moriarty and take Holmes from 1894 to 1914. If you are digging the Holmes stuff on TV and on the big screen you need to read these.
Remember this name. Jonathan Wood. The name of th
e book is NO HERO (Titan Books) and two sequels YESTERDAY’S HERO & ANTI-HERO are already on the docket. Protagonist Arthur Wallace is minding his own business, solving another murder when lo and behold, tentacles appear on the corpse. And we’re off. Arthur becomes a member of the secret government Agency MI37 fighting evil from another dimension. Full of one liners and humorous plotting that will have you queuing up Ghostbusters and Men in Black on your Netflix, this is one of those light hearted readable paperbacks that goes down so well on a trip or of a weekend. Bonus points for all the movie references.
Wallace Stroby doesn’t pull any punches in his latest, SHOOT THE WOMAN FIRST. It’s a high stacks game with Crissa Stone, professional thief, on the run from bad cops and drug dealers after pulling off a heist that ends up going south. Great action and a story that moves like a TransAm on nitro this book is impossible to put down. Stroby is one of the new kings of hard boiled fiction.
STAY DEAD (Thomas and Mercer) from Anne Frasier is out now. The book opens with Elise Sandburg recovering from last year’s STAY DEAD. Elise rests at her deceased aunt Anastasia’s plantation sorting through feelings about her job an d her partner, David. The Organ Thief is still out there, Aunt Anastasia may not be dead, and trouble seems to be finding her. It’s time to get back to work. Frasier’s mix of Police Procedural and the local culture with her engaging heroine makes this series one to be read!