Posts Tagged: mystery novels

Great Crime Writers Create Memorable Bad Guys

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Great crime writers like James Patterson, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, and even horror writers like Stephen King draw readers into their stories by creating complex villains we love to hate. In writing my crime novels, I pay just as much attention to developing the villain (or in some cases, villains) as I do when crafting the protagonist. Both characters must have strong, complex personalities and interest the reader to the point of near obsession. If a writer can do that, he or she has pulled the reader into the dark world all thriller readers want – fast, dangerous, and with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. WHAT MAKES A GREAT VILLAIN? Not too long ago, Publishers Weekly... more

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Thrillers vs Mysteries: What’s The Difference?

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You’ve no doubt heard the terms crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers – but is there really a difference? The way books are categorized is influenced by a wide range of factors, from an author’s reputation to marketing goals to the space on a store’s shelves. However, there are definable differences between crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers – and understanding them can help you find exactly what you want to read. Crime fiction is the blanket term used to describe books that deal with any aspect of crime – including those who commit and solve it. If a book deals with detectives, police officers, lawyers, and of course, criminals, as a general rule, it’s a crime fiction... more

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Writing the JUAN DOE MURDERS: What’s Old is New, What’s New is Old

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The Juan Doe Murders by author Noreen Ayres

The Juan Doe Murders could have spun right off today’s headlines. Back in the ‘90s when I was living in Southern California, I was touched by the fate of Hispanics who arrived without, shall we say, government permission. Driving south just twenty miles from my home, I’d see highway signs with the black silhouettes of a running man and a woman just behind him grasping the hand of young child whose pigtails are flying as she seems lifted nearly off the ground; above them, the word “Caution.” The signs were to notify drivers that illegal aliens were told by their “coyotes” to jump out of vehicles near the immigration checkpoint and run across the freeway to hide in the shrubs... more

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Janet Evanovich Poised to Rule the Bestseller Lists Next Week

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Next week, New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich will release the next thriller in her bestselling Stephanie Plum series of mysteries, Top Secret Twenty One, and the newest title in the blockbuster series is poised to debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list – just like every other Stephanie Plum mystery in the last 15 years. Fans can’t get enough of the beloved bounty hunter, and those fans range from romance readers to mystery lovers to fans of crime fiction. With such a diverse audience, it’s no wonder Evanovich is one of the most successful female mystery writers in the business. One For the Money  Sparked the Plum Crazy Phenomenon Evanovich started out as... more

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Bragg: Credit Due

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Whenever long term mystery fans gather there is often talk of obscure private eye series still considered to be gems of the hardboiled genre, like Jack Lynch's Bragg novels. These long out of print, usually paperback original series, are learned about by word of mouth from one mystery fan to another. This action often causes mini-tsunamis on Internet used book sites as the new fan seeks out the titles to which they have been referred.  Tattered copies often change hands for ridiculously high prices for what are slim volumes with bad ‘70s cover art. However, it is the words between those tattered covers that keep readers rediscovering the series again and again. Other series falling... more

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