"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."

Books figured prominently in my life from very early on. My parents lavished us with Little Golden Books and Think and Do books. But my penchant for serious reading really kicked into high gear when the bookmobile rolled into my small Midwestern town, dispensing Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden novels. This was a huge step up from the kid’s books and “readers” our teachers foisted on us in grade school. These 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.

By the time I turned 12, I had discovered James A. Michener. Tales of the South Pacific and Hawaii held me spellbound. But there was a slight problem. I wasn’t technically old enough to check out “adult” books from our small library. And so I enlisted my mom to be my foil. I’d pick out the books I wanted to read, and under the glaring eyes of the librarian, who knew darned well that they were intended for me, checked out all the adult books my heart desired.

As a freshman in high school, I was inspired by my dad’s first-hand stories about World War II. So I tackled William L. Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. As I recall, I even did a book report on that rather lengthy tome and had to swear under oath before our high school principal that, yes, I had in fact read (and understood) the entire book.

Thank goodness the book police are now a dim memory and I can indulge my tastes by reading absolutely anything I want – whether it be children’s books, YA literature, mysteries, thrillers, poetry, serious literature, or business books. And once in a while I curl up in an easy chair and journey back to Hawaii or the South Pacific by re-reading good old Michener.

Laura Childs is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named the Tea Shop Mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

This “Writers on Reading” essay was originally published in “At the Scene” enews February 2018 as a first-look exclusive to our enewsletter subscribers. For more special content available first to our enewsletter subscribers, sign up here.

The plot of this book could have come right from recent headlines—similar to the real-lfe Slenderman case involving teenagers who attacked a classmate at the behest of a fictional character,. A young girl is stabbed by her classmates as a sacrifice for “Mister Tender,” a character in a graphic novel written by the victim’s father. A decade later, she’s moved to another country and established a lonely but safe life—until she realizes that hundreds of people are still following her story, including someone who wants her dead.

Though Alice Hill survived her attack, she still suffers from fear and paranoia, which is made worse when someone claiming to be Mister Tender begins to intrude on her life, sending packages and contacting her through social media. The tension rises with each page as Alice’s stalker ups the ante, contacting her on a website dedicated to her case and offering “solutions” to problems from her past that she has kept secret. Forced to confront the fact that she can’t handle Mister Tender alone, she finally shares her story with friends and family—who may or may not have her best interests at heart.

It is almost impossible to put this book down, especially when Alice returns to England—the birthplace of everything bad in her life—to try to discover the identity of Mister Tender. While Alice is looking for closure, her investigation into her past opens up even more shocking secrets, and puts her even further at risk. At times, this book is akin to a horror movie, where you’re yelling at the actor not to open the door, even as you’re dying to see what’s behind it.

Despite all that she’s been through, Alice is a strong heroine and I found myself looking forward to the final confrontation between the victim and her nemesis. While Mister Tender may be a fictional character, the battles in this book—both mental and physical—will inspire some real thrills.

Hi Everyone,

The mystery world lost a guiding light when Sue Grafton died this past December. To make matters worse, Grafton’s iconic Alphabet Series was only one letter short of completion, after last year’s Y is for Yesterday. Still, her series stands as a towering achievement in the field and her influence will linger on for years. As Elaine Viets says in this issue, “Sue Grafton had three children and countless literary daughters.”

Another sad loss was the death of Joan Hess, author of the Maggody and Claire Malloy mystery series, in November. In addition to her enjoyable body of work, she was a prankster and a merry presence at mystery conferences, particularly Malice Domestic. She will be missed.

Happily, the mystery genre is constantly renewing itself with bright new talents. A case in point is Australian author Jane Harper, whose first book, The Dry, garnered her many fans here in North America. Her second book, Force of Nature, continues the winning streak. Craig Sisterson catches up with her in this issue.

2018 is the centennial of Mickey Spillane’s birth and Max Allan Collins and James Traylor make the case that this tough guy writer’s regular guy image has caused the magnitude of his achievement to be less appreciated than it should be.

Not every writer is content to keep the detecting on the page. Both Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, and Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, took active roles in contemporary crime cases. Gardner, in particular, made an enormous impact with his “Court of Last Resort” investigations. He helped overturn a number of wrongful convictions, and, with his panel of forensic experts, helped bring a new level of professionalism to the practice of law enforcement. Cathy Pickens discusses these intriguing cases in this issue.

Everybody plays favorites. Our critics certainly do—and they’ve rounded up their selections of 2017’s outstanding crime and mystery works for your entertainment. This is always one of my favorite articles to work on—I come away with not only new books to read but also good ideas for future articles. Let us know what you think of our picks!

No one critic can read everything in the crime genre, but Anthony Boucher certainly took a stab at it. Back in the 1940s through the 1960s, his reviews were ubiquitous—and influential. And criticism was just one facet of his huge talent. No wonder the World Mystery Convention decided to call itself Bouchercon in his honor. Read Michael Mallory’s interesting piece on this multifaceted, multigenre talent in this issue.

John Hart’s new book has two elements new to his award-winning work. He’s returned to a former character, making The Hush a sequel to 2009’s The Last Child. And he’s added an element of magical realism, new to his work. Craig Sisterson talks with Hart in this issue.

After reading a stack of books recommended by Oprah Winfrey, Karen E. Olson was ready for some strong, resilient women characters who took charge of their own lives and definitely weren’t victims. She found what she was looking for in the works of Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton, Linda Barnes, and Lillian O’Donnell. Add these influences to her own journalism background and the result are three different series, each with strong women characters. John B. Valeri talks with Olson in this issue.

Enjoy!

Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief

(Mystery Scene continues its ongoing series in which authors talk about their plots, characters, or process.)

J.J. Hensley, left, is a former police officer and former special agent with the U.S. Secret Service. He is the author of the novels Resolve, Measure Twice, and Chalk’s Outline. Hensley graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Administration of Justice and has a M.S. degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia Southern University. His first novel, Resolve, was a Thriller Award finalist for best first novel. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime.

Here, Hensley lets his character, former Pittsburgh narcotics detective Trevor Galloway, talk about his latest adventures in Bolt Action Remedy.

In Bolt Action Remedy, Galloway has been hired to look into the year-old homicide of a prominent businessman who was gunned down on his estate in Central Pennsylvania.

Hensley swears Galloway has mellowed.

Galloway’s attitude
I used to have a temper. Not the kind of temper that caused me to lose control because of some minor slight, but more of the kind where I’d snap after absorbing a string of difficulties as if enduring Chinese water torture.

Insults would drip against my psyche, one at a time, with the relentless rhythm of life. I’d suffer in near silence. I’d suffer and reveal nothing—until it was too much. Then you’d see my temper. That’s what got me kicked out of the Virginia Military Institute my first year, when I was still a “Rat.” But over time I mellowed and the anger I seemed to always keep caged became drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

Now I’m working a cold case and my stoic demeanor and calm temperament are assets I can use. Even when I was a narcotics detective in Pittsburgh, I could stay unemotional and logically solve the puzzles that presented themselves as case files on my desk.

Some of the other cops kept their distance from me, not knowing how to take my dispassionate calculating nature. But for most of my time with the PD, they all respected my abilities and loyalty. That changed when I was abducted by a drug gang, tortured for weeks, and turned into an addict.

Don’t get me wrong. Nobody in the department blamed me for being taken captive.

No. It was when it became known I told my captors the details of ongoing narcotics operations and the identities of confidential informants that the narrative surrounding Detective Trevor Galloway changed.

I mean, I can’t blame the department for forcing me out after I was rescued. It was logical on their part and—justifiable or not—there was bound to be lingering resentment against me. Of course I didn’t ask to be kidnapped, tormented, and turned into a strung-out zombie. The brass should have recognized that fact and backed me. My own goddamned unit could have supported me, rather than shot sideway glances my direction. Any one of them would have broken quicker than I did, so who the hell are they to judge?

But, I suppose it’s understandable.

After the department pushed me away, I picked up a gig working for the District Attorney’s Office. It seemed like everything was going to be all right and my life was going to be back on track.

Then an assistant DA asked me to perjure myself and when I refused, he attacked my credibility and discussed my addiction issues in open court.

I have to admit to not handling that well and I was terminated from that position. They had to let me go. They had no choice in the matter. Of course it was the DA who was dirty and all I was doing was conducting myself honorably, and the fact that I only broke the liar’s nose is a testament to my self-control!

But hitting him left them no choice in the matter. And if they had even known that I sometimes see things—and people—who aren’t there, they would have gotten rid of me even sooner.

So, I suppose it was understandable.

Fortunately, all of that is behind me and now I have this new case to occupy my time. It’s an interesting case. Peter Lanskard, who owned a company called Mountain Resource Solutions, was murdered on his snow-covered estate in Central Pennsylvania.

The fact he was murdered isn’t really extraordinary, because he had some enemies. However, the sniper who got him skied into position, took an amazing shot, and skied away at a breakneck pace. That’s right—skied. At first I was surprised the year-old case hadn’t been solved. There could only be so many people with those skills who were connected to Lanskard.

But small-town police departments have their limitations and I assumed Washaway Township was no different. However, when I met the police chief at the original crime scene, I could tell she was no joke. Then the chief took me to the property adjacent to the Lanskard estate. That’s when I saw the problem. Peter Lanskard’s land backed up to a biathlon training camp where everyone can ski and shoot.

So here I am looking for a needle in a stack of needles and it seems nobody wants to talk to me. I stick out like a sore thumb in this town and nearly everyone wants me gone. These aren’t the city streets to which I’m accustomed and I can feel the resentment of the townspeople pressing in on me from all sides. And I’m being hunted. Or, at least I think I’m being hunted. A man called the Lithuanian is stalking me and he’s out for blood.

If he’s real.

I’m losing my bearings and I’m starting to feel the old itch in my veins that only the needle can scratch. It feels like everyone is against me and someone wants me dead. I came here as a favor and I didn’t even ask for this case. Just like I didn’t ask to be brutalized, or pumped full of heroin, or forced out of police work! I just want to solve my damn puzzles.

But, it’s okay.

I’ve mellowed.

Irish human rights attorney Steve Cavanagh cements his status as a terrific new voice in legal thriller writing with his sophomore novel featuring con man turned criminal attorney Eddie Flynn. Cavanagh’s blend of courtroom twists and out-of-court action shakes up standard tropes and has real freshness.

After surviving having a bomb strapped to him by a Russian mobster in The Defense, Flynn is now pressured by the FBI to convince David Child, a man charged with murder, to hire him, then arm-twist the accused into taking a deal in order to help bring down prestigious New York law firm Harland & Sinton. The FBI says the firm has been operating a massive global fraud, which is about to boil over.

The catches are many. Child is a major client of the firm, which has its hooks in him and is unlikely to let go, considering the threat he could pose to its plans. The FBI hoists a sword of Damocles above Flynn’s wife Christine, who works at the firm and signed documents as a naive young attorney that could put her in prison. Then there’s the fact that Flynn starts to believe that Child might be innocent of murder.

But the FBI wants Child to plead guilty, and is happy to strong-arm Flynn.

Cavanagh has a particular talent for escalating tension, and Eddie Flynn is a terrific creation well worth following. There are shades of Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller, but Flynn is also a unique character all his own. The Plea is a propulsive read that’ll have you soldered to your seat as the pages whir by.