A VISIT WITH THE AUTHORS OF THE AGATHA NOMINATED BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVELS

by Paula Gail Benson

Annually, the Agatha awards, given at the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland, recognize excellence in traditional mysteries that have elements similar to the work of Agatha Christie. This year, the nominees in the category of Best Contemporary Novel demonstrate a significant range of investigators, settings, points of view, and place in a series. Here are the nominated books and their authors:

Connie Berry

A COLLECTION OF LIES by Connie Berry (fifth Kate Hamilton mystery, where the American antiques dealer, while on her honeymoon, follows bloodstained clues to discover the murderer of a modern-day Victorian gentleman)

A VERY WOODSY MURDER by Ellen Byron (the first Golden Motel mystery about a sitcom writer who has checked out of Hollywood to run a motel in the quaint village of Fountaingold)

THE DARK WIVES by Ann Cleeves (the eleventh novel featuring DI Vera Stanhope investigating the death of a staff member found outside his workplace, a home for troubled teens)

FONDUE OR DIE by Korina Moss (the fifth Cheese Shop mystery, where Curds & Whey owner Willa Bauer investigates the death of the organizer of a Dairy Days festival)

Gigi Pandian

A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE by Gigi Pandian (the third Secret Staircase mystery in which Tempest Rai’s home renovation company is under attack when a former client, who tried to kill his wife, blames the wife’s “accident” on faulty construction)

Each of the authors were kind enough to answer the following question:

WHAT ELEMENTS MAKE AN ENGAGING AND SUSTAINABLE MYSTERY SERIES?

Many thanks to them for some fascinating insights into their craft!

CONNIE BERRY: What a great question—and isn’t it the question every publisher, agent, and writer would like to know?

I really believe there is some undefinable magic about a series that grabs readers, pulls them in, and keeps them there. Readers want to spend time in that setting with those particular characters in order to see what in the world they’ll get up to next.

I often think of the Agatha Raisin series by the late M. C. Beaton. She broke so many of the so-called “rules” of good writing. Often, instead of showing, she told. Many of her plots were repetitive. They followed a predictable pattern. And yet I loved those books because Agatha was just so much fun. I had to know what trouble Agatha Raisin would get herself into.

With that said, I do believe there are important elements of an engaging mystery—and they aren’t mysterious: characters the reader cares about, a setting we want to spend time in, and a plot that keeps our minds engaged. We want to be surprised at the ending, and yet we want to think, “Yes, of course. I should have seen it coming.” Add in the element of a series, and I think there must be some change and growth in the main character—a multi-book arc that keeps the reader wanting more.

Ellen Byron

ELLEN BYRON: Characters, premise, and setting, but mainly characters. When I create a mystery book series, I approach it the same way I used to create pilot pitches when I wrote for television. I’d start with a premise, then create a “cast” who viewers/readers would want to engage with on a regular basis. I think there’s almost a parasocial element to an ongoing series, in the sense that readers feel like they could be friends with the characters in real life and so they want to keep up with them. I know that’s how I feel about a series where I consistently read every book in it. I’ve established a connection to the characters and can’t wait to read about their latest adventure, as well as get an update on their personal lives. If you compare your go-to TV series and book series, I think you’ll find you’re drawn to them for the same reason.

 

Ann Cleeves

ANN CLEEVES: A series always starts with place for me. I think that character and plot grow out of the landscape where the book is set. That makes the character solid and rooted and gives the story an authenticity that readers appreciate. I'm very lucky to have lived in some of the most beautiful regions of the UK - North Devon, Shetland, and my present home of Northumberland, where the Vera books are set.

KORINA MOSS: For readers to be satisfied with a mystery, it must be complex, but not confusing. More often than not, readers want to play armchair detective. The job of a mystery writer is to balance the plot so readers can follow along and try to figure it out but make it complex enough so they get it wrong. In order for readers to keep coming back to a series, a mystery must have a likable protagonist. Especially in a cozy mystery, you want to make your main series characters the kind of people your readers want to hang out with. Readers often say they continue reading my Cheese Shop Mystery series because, with each new book, it feels like they’re coming home to old friends. Cozy mysteries must have that element of comfort in them that balances the high stakes, danger, and uncertainty of the murder mystery.

Korina Moss

GIGI PANDIAN: What I love about both reading and writing series is how well I get to know the characters. The more books I write in a series, the more fun I have digging deeper into the characters. For each new book, I fill several paper notebooks before I turn to the computer, and during that time when I’m thinking about plot ideas and character development, my characters often surprise me! Just this morning, I learned that Max Liu from my Accidental Alchemist mysteries is a huge fan of Tolkien. It popped up unexpectedly, but it fits perfectly for both his personality and the plot.

If I’m always open to my characters surprising me, I know they’ll take the stories in new and unexpected directions that feel simultaneously new and similar. And that’s what we all want when we pick up a beloved series, isn’t it? To feel like we’re hanging out with old friends, but also getting an unexpected new adventure along the way.

 

Bios:

CONNIE BERRY, self-confessed history nerd and unashamed Anglophile, is the author of the USA Today best-selling Kate Hamilton Mysteries, set in the UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. Like her protagonist, Connie was raised by antiques dealers who instilled in her a passion for history, fine art, and travel. Currently president of the Guppies, Connie lives in Ohio and northern Wisconsin with her husband and adorable Shih Tzu, Emmie. Her latest novel, A Grave Deception, is coming in Fall 2025. You can sign up for her very entertaining monthly newsletter at www.connieberry.com.

ELLEN BYRON is a USA Today bestselling author. Her Cajun Country Mysteries have won multiple Agatha and Lefty awards. The first book in her new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, was nominated for Agatha and Anthony awards, and won the Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery. She writes the Catering Hall Mystery series (under the name Maria DiRico) and the Golden Motel Mysteries. She is an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. Her website is Cozy Mysteries | Ellen Byron | Author.

ANN CLEEVES is an award-winning author, best known for Vera, Shetland, and Matthew Venn. All three have been turned into successful television series. Her nominated novel, The Dark Wives, was adapted as the very last Vera drama. The Killing Stones, which takes her character Jimmy Perez from Shetland to Orkney, will be published at the end of September by Minotaur. Her website is Ann Cleeves.

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, which includes multiple Agatha Award nominated books for Best Contemporary Novel and the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead. Listed as one of USA Today’s “Best Cozy Mystery Series,” her books have also been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, and Writer’s Digest. Korina is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly #teamcheese newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

GIGI PANDIAN is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and locked-room mystery enthusiast. She writes the Secret Staircase mysteries (locked-room mysteries called “wildly entertaining” by the New York Times), the Accidental Alchemist mysteries (humorous mysteries with a touch of magic), and the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries (lighthearted adventures steeped in history). She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the backyard garden. For bookish fun, along with a free mini cookbook and free story, sign up for her email newsletter at gigipandian.com.