Real Crimes to Inspire Your Next Mystery

By Jen Dodrill

 As a fellow mystery writer, I know the pain of staring at a blank page, wondering where to begin. After watching so many real-life crime stories, I’ve wondered, “What if?” What if I used an actual crime to inspire me? How could chilling, bizarre, and unsolved mysteries be turned into a piece of fiction?

 This idea is nothing new for writers. The Lindbergh kidnapping inspired Murder on the Orient Express. Psycho came out of Ed Gein’s horrific crimes. And one of my personal favorites, Jaws, was inspired by shark attacks that happened in 1916 off the New Jersey coast. I know, it’s not a mystery, but what if …?

 Typically, I write cozy mysteries, which have mild to no gore and sex. Some of these stranger-than-fiction crimes are twisted and not something that would work for a cozy. Or maybe they could. A little adaptation, some creative license, and ta-da!

 If you decide to turn a true crime into a mystery – gritty noir, cozies, or thrillers – think about these things:

·       Research the real crime and look for ways to change it for fiction

·       Consider what location/setting you want to use

·       Decide your characters’ backgrounds

·       Modify your characters' ages

·       Delve into your characters’ secrets

·       Explore the what-ifs, the twists and turns life can take

Here are five real-life cases that you can use as a springboard:

1. The Isdal Woman (Norway, 1970)

In 1970, a partially burned body of a woman was found in a remote valley in Bergen, Norway. No one knew who she was, and the items that were discovered had their labels removed. Questions: Was she a spy? A criminal? A victim of something darker? Consider setting your mystery in a small town with similar circumstances to the real crime. Maybe your protagonist is a local journalist who realizes the murdered woman wasn’t the first … or the last.

2. The Murder of Julia Wallace (Liverpool, 1931)

William Wallace received a message to meet a potential client at a fake address. When he returned home, he found his wife brutally murdered. Wallace was arrested, convicted, and then acquitted. Questions: The perfect alibi? Or, a perfect frame job? Consider incorporating modern technology into the story, such as a spoofed phone call, GPS tampering, or a deepfake alibi. Or, flip the POV—tell it from the perspective of the real killer who thinks they got away with it.

 3. The Circleville Letters (Ohio, 1970s–90s)

Residents of Circleville began receiving threatening, anonymous letters detailing their secrets. One woman’s husband died in a suspicious crash involving tampered brakes. A suspect was arrested, but the letters continued to be sent while he was in prison. Questions: Who was the letter writer? One person, or many? Secrets are often used to blackmail people—layer in modern touches, such as anonymous emails, burner phones, or deep web message boards.

 4. The Tamám Shud Case (Australia, 1948)

A man was found dead on Somerton Beach. A scrap of paper reading “Tamám Shud” (“it is ended” in Persian) was discovered in his pocket and was traced to a rare book in a stranger’s car. A phone number and a sequence of letters were found in the back of the book. Questions: Was the man a spy? Who did the phone number belong to? Think about weaving this cryptic message into your story. Your protagonist might be a cryptologist studying conspiracies.

 5. The Boy in the Box (Philadelphia, 1957)

The body of a young boy was found in a box in the woods. No one came forward to claim him. Despite facial reconstructions, national press, and decades of investigation, the case went cold until DNA matched him to a family in 2022. Still, how he died remains murky. Questions: Why was this child abandoned, and who covered it up? Consider using genealogy to identify the victim. The detective must unravel what happened and determine why an entire neighborhood kept it quiet for decades.

These ideas are narrative seeds: the strange timing, the anonymous threats, the eerie symbolism. As writers, we can ask, “What if?”

• What if the wrong person went to prison?

• What if the murder was never meant to be solved?

• What if the killer is still alive—and watching?

 In real life, crimes aren’t always solved. Closure doesn’t always happen. However, in fiction, the writer gets to decide who lives, who dies, and who pays for their actions.

 Happy plotting—and remember, truth really is stranger than fiction.

 

Bio:

Jen Dodrill is living out her dreams on the pages of her books, bringing readers compelling stories of inspiration and hope for both good and bad times. 

Her first book, Birds Alive! An Empty-nesters Cozy Mystery was released in 2024. Book #2 in the series, Where’s the Quetzal, came out in February 2025. Book #3, No Egrets, will be published in 2026. Jen has co-authored a novella collection, Trinity Sands Beach Club, with Deborah Sprinkle and Sharon H. Carpenter, which was released June 17, 2025.

For more information about Jen and her books, check out her blog: https://jendodrillwrites.com/.

 

An Interview with Author Valerie Burns by E. B. Davis

 

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder . . .

Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success, and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be better: the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.

Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.

While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.

Amazon.com

 

Icing on the Murder is Valerie Burns’s fourth book in the Baker Street Mystery series. The possible murder of Maddy’s Great-Aunt Octavia is put on the back burner while Maddy and Michael plan their wedding. Although Michael wants a smaller wedding, for the chance of getting an all-paid-for wedding with wedding planner, Serafina, Maddy enters the Bridal competition. April, the former beauty-queen sheriff, isn’t the only one lacking confidence. Maddy, it seems, needs Serafina to make all the decisions fearing she’ll make mistakes. With Michael’s standing in the community, Maddy wants perfection.

 

From the start, I was dubious of Maddy’s choice of entering the contest, but in a way, Serafina’s murder took care of some of the complications with Michael that winning the event would entail. That’s callous, but once you get to know the wedding planner, you’ll probably agree.

 

Valerie has created a stressful environment at the Bridal Expo, in which a murder must be solved.  Please welcome Valerie back to WWK.                 E. B. Davis

Thank you for having me at Writers Who Kill. I’m thrilled to be back.

 

Maddy’s been in New Bison nine months. Is she jumping into another marriage too quickly?

After the first wedding debacle, Maddy realizes that she wasn’t in love with Elliot, her ex. However, Michael Portman is the real deal. Normally she struggles with making decisions, but she is learning to trust herself and to trust her heart. Choosing to marry Michael Portman is an easy decision because he’s the right one. When you know, you know.

 

After Maddy got left at the altar while being streamed live online, I was surprised she wanted a big wedding. Why does she feel the need? Is bigger better?                                                              Maddy, like many women, struggles with meeting expectations. She is in a new community. Her fiancé is a successful veterinarian, and she is now the owner of a successful bakery. A big wedding is what she thinks is expected, and she doesn’t want to disappoint. Many couples spend a ton of money on a wedding because they believe it is what is expected. In Maddy’s case, bigger isn’t better, but bigger is what she feels is expected.

 

When Maddy and Michael compromise on the wedding, why does Maddy still want Serafina as her planner? Why does Maddy have problems making decisions?

Good question. Maddy’s struggle with making decisions stems from a lack of self-confidence. She is the daughter of a navy admiral capable of making important decisions that impact millions. Her father, the admiral, loves her, but he doesn’t know how to show her (other than giving her money). Her wedding day is the most important day in her life. It’s also a day that will have a lot of attention. In her previous world as a social media influencer, she has experienced first-hand the cruelty that can be spewed by people with differing views online. Some of the comments posted by people like Brandi Denton were extremely hurtful. However, if a professional like Serafina makes the decisions, then it takes the pressure off. No one would dare criticize Serafina’s choices.

 

What is watercolor cake painting?

Watercolor cake painting is a technique for decorating cakes using edible paint or food coloring usually on fondant. Artists can then unleash their creativity. The cake becomes the canvas and the final product can be as simple or as complicated as the artist wants.

 

Why does Maddy decide to go with unconventional cakes for their booth at the Bridal Expo? What types does she choose?

Maddy owns a bakery, and she is also planning her own wedding. She has seen a lot of wedding cakes. Most are white with lots of roses and other flowers. Maddy is aware that there will be a lot of other bakers showcasing their cakes at the bridal expo. Leroy is a talented baker and cake decorator, but Maddy isn’t as skilled. What better way to stand out from the masses, than to showcase a cake that is outside of the norm which will, hopefully, appeal to couples who are not traditional.

 

Maddy was young when her mother died. Even so, she doesn’t seem to know that much about her. Why?

Maddy’s father was devastated when his wife died. He was building his career in the military while raising his daughter. Talking about his late wife only stirred up emotions he wasn’t willing (or able) to deal with. Rather than facing his grief, he buried his emotions.

 

How does Maddy know all the differences in naval uniforms back to 1949?

As a fashionista and daughter of navy admiral, she has spent her entire life surrounded by men and women in uniform. Maddy is really into clothes. Many people might not notice whether or not the women’s uniform has pockets, but someone like Maddy would. She takes her love of clothing very seriously.

 

When Maddy finds an old quilt that had been in the attic with a note attached from Great-Aunt Octavia, why does she post #FromSlave2BusinessOwner?

The quilt that Maddy finds has been handed down from generation to generation in her family. It is a part of her heritage, and she’s amazed by the journey that the quilt has undergone. Her family has come a long way. Originally created by a former slave, the quilt has now found its way into her hands, owner of Baby Cakes Bakery.

 

Did the Underground Railroad go up through Michigan to Lake Michigan? Were slaves smuggled out of the country into Canada via boats?

The underground railroad did go through Michigan and there are at least 34 confirmed locations where enslaved individuals or “freedom seekers” found shelter. Confirming the locations used for the underground railroad is often challenging, but records from white abolitionists have aided in identifying specific locations. Michigan was believed to be one of the last stops in the United States before making the trip into Canada. Slaves were transported to Canada using a variety of vessels including schooners and steamboats to cross the Detroit River, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.

 

You mentioned four types of apples harvested during September and October. Only one type, Paula Red, I’m not familiar with. But I don’t associate any of those apples as “cooking apples.” In the East, cooking apples come out in July (Early or Yellow Transparents) or August (Rambos). They are so tart you really can’t eat them fresh—they have to be cooked with sugar, which makes for a tart/sweet flavor that can’t be beat! Eating apples are harvested in September and October. Are the four types you mentioned grown mainly in the middle of the country or in Michigan? Have you worked with those apples?

The four types of apples mentioned in Icing on the Murder were: Honeycrisp, Red Paula, McIntosh, and Red Delicious. All four of these apples are grown in Michigan. To my knowledge, none are so tart that they can’t be used in baking. Red Paula apples are available after late August, while the other three are available starting in early September to late September. I LOVE Honeycrisp and Red Delicious apples.

 

Is Daisy Baby’s sister?

Daisy isn’t Baby’s sister. They are not related, but have become good friends.

 

Are you sure God is in Las Vegas?

I’m pretty sure God is everywhere, including Vegas. Las Vegas is called the “wedding capital of the world,” so I’m going to assume that God is present for those nuptials.

Why does black icing take so long to make?

Black icing takes a long time to make because of the volume needed for cakes and also to get the deep color.  It often requires time for the colors to oxidizes so that you get the black color as opposed to gray or brown.

 

Was the story about the hair coloring fiasco during the pandemic true?

Sadly, yes.

 

How does Maddy afford a $70,000 Rivian SUV?

Maddy inherited a bakery and a house from her great aunt Octavia. She got money from the insurance company after the bakery fire. She gets money for stud fees for Baby. Plus, she has expanded the bakery’s scope with baking classes and social media marketing. Plus, she was a successful social media influencer before moving to New Bison. Social media influencers with over one million followers can make anywhere from 5K to 25K per sponsored post.

 

How is police jurisdiction determined? The Expo is in New Bison, so April should be in charge. But the Expo is in the Native American-owned Casino. If the suspect is not a tribal member, then what? It’s Federal? But the FBI doesn’t solve murder cases, they are thrown back to the local police. Why does Trooper Bob, who is a state policeman and not a fan of Maddy, show up?

The question of jurisdiction where Native American land is concerned is a tricky one. By law, the FBI is responsible for investigating violent crimes on Native land. Under normal circumstances, the case with a non-native victim and non-native subject would be investigated by the State (in my case, Trooper Bob). According to the FBI Agent that I contacted, the jurisdiction is “sticky” because the victim and the subject have not been identified. In cases like this, the FBI would work together with the Tribal Officer and the state police. This makes things easier when the case goes to prosecution.

 

Baby has a date with a Grand Champion Mastiff? Maddy is loaning out Baby for stud fees? Is he in demand?

Baby is a champion show dog. His official name is Champion Crooner Ol’ Blue Eyes, One for My Baby. His call name (i.e. Nickname) is Baby. She makes quite a bit on stud fees.

 

The best collard greens I ever had were at a wedding! They were small cut and not mushy. How do Dru Ann and Sister Sylvia make them?

I asked Sister Sylvia and Dru Ann to share their recipe, but they refused. Actually, they said, they “would, but then they would have to kill me.” I can say, that their collards are cut small with pork and a bit of a kick from red pepper flakes. Sorry.

 

Now that Maddy and the team solved the murder, what’s next?

Social media queen-turned-small-town baker Maddy Montgomery, her feisty friends, and her faithful English mastiff know you have to break a few eggs to solve a murder. . .

 

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

 

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

 

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly relocated from New York doesn’t know the sweet, memory-challenged Hannah the way the locals do—and the evidence seems open-and-shut as an oven. Now, with her sous-sleuths the Baker Street Irregulars, the bride-to-be is busy digging into Dorothy’s past to catch a killer before she cuts the cake . . .

Love. It’s a Crime.

By Annie R. McEwen

“And what do all the great words come to in the end, but that? I love you—I am at rest with you—I have come home.”  Lord Peter Wimsey, speaking to Harriet Vane, in Dorothy Sayers’s Busman's Honeymoon

It’s news to nobody that genres overlap. My favorite genre is a layer cake: historical romantic suspense. I like to read it; I love to write it. Maybe getting romance all up in suspense’s face seems natural to me because I’ve had some success with it, most recently in my four-book Victorian noir series The Corset Girls, published by Bloodhound Books (UK). The series delivers eight working class characters: four women from a bespoke corset salon and the four men who love them. Of the men, three are former members of London’s most notorious criminal gang, the Jacks, and the fourth is a Royal Navy deserter and spy.

In Book One of the series, Unlaced, protagonist Michael ‘Kell’ Kelly torments himself with dark memories of his lawless past.

“Six years in the gang. For him, they’d started with outrage. Outrage at being left to hold together a family with no wage earner except him. At his older sister Con, for running away with some man because she figured nothing could be worse than Whitechapel, then disappearing so completely that she hadn’t been heard from since. At foul water and disease that took two of his younger siblings, a boy and a girl, and no money for help that might have saved them. At crooked coppers, leaking roofs, putrid air, no coal, and streets so low and squalid that the thieves robbed each other because no one else had anything to steal.

After the outrage, it was just rage. The Jacks fueled that. Rage that was pure, white-hot, useful after a fashion in his new profession, the profession they all shared. The things they’d done, the things he’d done … At what point had the leg-breaking and skull-cracking become a sick sort of normal? A day on the docks. A shift in the factory.”

Bad enough that he has to live with his violent history, but when Kell falls for an innocent corset girl, Jillian Morehouse, he confronts an impossible choice. Bury his gang past under half-truths and lies? Or disclose the horrors that might drive away the woman he loves?

“How could he tell her what he was? How could he not?

Jillian, I’m a killer.

They all were, the Jacks. They weren’t cold-blooded assassins; they hadn’t taken contracts to end lives. But they had ended them. Defending themselves, defending their gains, defending the hellish patch of ground they held. In dustups, one on one, threats answered, revenge gone too far. In street brawls, in gang wars.

Jillian, I have to tell you about my past.

In his mind, Kell heard himself say the words. But his mouth was sealed and that shamed him almost as much as the truth he couldn’t bring out.”

So, what about you? Do you enjoy a little love with your crime? A lot? Can you point out any books you read and liked—or didn’t—because of the romance? Examples of slow burns, fast falls, bad boys, femmes fatales, broken hearts, cold hearts, or none at all?

Share below! Let’s talk about when love is, or isn’t, a crime.

And to read The Corset Girls, Unlaced, click here. Book Two of the series, Unbound, launches August 6, 2025.

A career historian, Annie R McEwen has lived in six countries and under every roof from a canvas tent to a Georgian Era manor house. She writes historical romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical fiction. Annie is published by Bloodhound Books (UK), Harbor Lane Books (US), The Wild Rose Press, and Rowan Prose Publishing. When she’s not in her 1920s bungalow in Florida, Annie lives, writes, and explores castles in Wales.

Winner of the 2022 Page Turners Writing Award (Romance Category), Annie garnered both a First and Second Place 2022 RTTA (Romance Through the Ages Award), the 2023 MAGGIE Award, and the 2023 Daphne du Maurier Award. She was a Finalist for the 2024 Page Turners Writing Award and Shortlisted for a Writer’s Mentorship Award. Annie’s short fiction appears in numerous anthologies. Sign up for her monthly, mad, merry little newsletter for updates on where love and crime take her: https://www.anniermcewen.com/contact

Perspective by Nancy L. Eady

One day, I was driving to work, approaching a gas station built of beige cinder block, when I noticed a huge gallon of milk floating over the store. That’s not something you see every day, and I’m afraid I spent more time staring at it than paying attention to my driving. I had to slam on the brakes when my attention suddenly switched to the car in front of me. Avoiding a collision, I switched my attention back to the floating gallon of milk, which is when I realized the gallon of milk adorned the side of a straight truck that was on a street behind the station, but just high enough to create the illusion of the floating milk jug.

This weekend, while driving down the interstate, I saw ahead of me in the distance a huge black rectangle with flashing yellow lights driving down the road. I puzzled over what kind of construction project would need a road sign quite that big until I drew close to the rectangle. That’s when I discovered that instead of a huge road sign, the big black rectangles were monster size tires so big that four of them not only filled but overlapped the trailer of an eighteen wheeler, and the blinking lights were of the pilot car traveling behind it. 

In a more serious incident from my teenage years, one fall Saturday afternoon I was standing on our deck in Northern Virginia admiring the gorgeous color in the surrounding trees when I heard an odd sound that reminded me of whale song. Floating across the hills, the sound, which repeated, was both eerie and beautiful. Until something in my mind clicked and, to my horror, I realized what I was hearing was a dog yowling while he was being beaten. I rushed inside and told my mom. Someone in the neighborhood reported the man, and ultimately the situation was resolved. I never heard the sound again, for which I was grateful. 

What changed with each situation was my perspective. When my perspective changed, my understanding increased. In a well-crafted mystery, we attempt to do the same thing for our readers—present them with one picture or sequence of events that looks like one thing, only to have that picture change to something else once all the clues have been found and the truth obtained by our intrepid sleuths. The movie The Sixth Sense was like that; I didn’t see the twist until the very end of the movie. Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd also handled the switch well; again, it wasn’t until the very end of the novel that I finally understood the entire picture that had been drawn. 

What perspective switches have you used in your own mysteries? What mysteries have you read that do a good job managing a switch of perspective at the end? 

It Never Gets Old by Annette Dashofy

While I have sixteen published novels under my belt, I know we have other Writers Who Kill here who have me beat. But I think this topic rings true for all of us. Seeing our covers for the first time—whether we’ve been working with a cover artist on our own or are at the mercy of a traditional publisher’s whims—is magical, no matter how many times we’ve gone through it.

 As many of you know, I’ve been waiting for over a year to see the cover art for the third Detective Honeywell Mystery. Originally, the book was supposed to come out last December. When no cover was forthcoming even as late as November, I got a little anxious and may have been a bit demanding in an email to my publisher. Only then did I learn they’d decided to push back the release until “later in 2025.” Eventually, I was given a new date. The third book was now coming in November with the fourth one following in December. In dribs and drabs, I was informed of the titles and the back cover copy. 

And finally, I got a glimpse of the covers.

These are my seventeenth and eighteenth novels, so you’d think seeing new cover art would be old hat by now. It’s not. 

Early in my publishing career, I was always worried about what they’d look like. The email would hit my inbox, and I’d cringe. Would I love the new cover or hate it? Or maybe even worse, feel meh? Without naming names, my reactions to a lot of those early covers fit into those last two categories. 

Lately, though, I’ve been thrilled with the artwork. All four of the Detective Honeywell Mysteries are with a UK imprint of HarperCollins, and while the delays may have made me crazy, they do know how to produce gorgeous covers. All is forgiven!

 

When I first spotted The Devil Comes Calling and No Stone Left Unturned on the booksellers’ websites, I was as giddy as a kid at Christmas. Yes, there was some squealing, jumping up and down, and hand clapping. Suddenly, it felt real. 

Sidenote: This is good, considering I’m 50K words into the fifth Honeywell Mystery! Having numbers 3 and 4 solidly in the pipeline gives me motivation to finish number 5. 

Fellow Writers Who Kill, what have your cover art experiences been like? Do you still get excited when you see the next one? 

And readers, do these covers entice you to want to know more? (You can find the back cover copy on my website). It’s okay if they don’t. My skin is thick, and I know not everyone likes the same thing. 

Bookends and Beach Reads

By Kait Carson

Okay, anyone humming Simon and Garfunkel right now—you’re outed as being over ahem, a certain age. Not that I would know, mind you. Never heard of them myself—is that my nose that’s growing?

This is the time of the year when every newspaper, webpage, and magazine has a ‘top beach books of 2025’ list. Tables jam bookstore entrances touting best summer reads generally accompanied by poster featuring stylized beach scenes. Print ads offer popular books for your consideration. After a while, the ‘professional’ lists look alike.

The big publishing houses have the bucks and marketing staff to flog their offerings, but there are so many more books available that deserve recognition. It’s a long-held principle that the crying baby gets fed. So let’s make some noise for the little guy. Here’s my list, in no particular order, of the best five books I’ve read this summer.

Someone is Out There, by Kaye George. Darla Taylor is doing her best to  lead a quiet life and failing miserably. The only constants in her life are her dog, Moose, her best friend Gin, her career as a nurse, and her handicapped mother. Of those, only the dog can be relied on. 

The tension ratchets up with each turn of the page. It's the kind of book that keeps you awake nights and when you do manage to turn out the lights, haunts your sleep. George is known as a cozy writer, and this novel is her debut thriller. This book was a surprise, and I hope it's followed by more in the same genre. 

Demons and Ramen, by A.M. Loweecey. I hope this will be a series. As you may be able to tell from the title, it is laugh out loud funny, but it also explores serious issues. Yes, it's a book of exorcism and possession and a love story of sorts between a priest on hiatus and a thousand-year-old shapeshifter, but it's hysterical. And bittersweet. Denis Kaine, the priest exorcist, is on a quest to discover why his brother, Xavier, died. The Kaine twins were an unbeatable exorcist tag team. Now Denis is a solo act, and he needs to prove that Xavier didn't die by suicide, but that there was more to his death. Loweecey’s writing is clear and crisp. I didn’t want to put it down.

 

Shattered Sight, by Liz Milliron. This is the first of a new series by Milliron and it’s wonderful. Set in Niagara Falls, New York, the legendary tourist attraction does double duty as a backdrop and a character. As the book opens, Jackson Davis is returning to work as a detective following a lengthy medical leave. No sooner is he through the door than he’s presented with a rookie partner and a new case. The death of a woman with everything to live for but whose secrets swirl like the currents of the river that swallowed her. Is it murder or suicide? The higher ups at Niagara PD are on the fence. The clock is ticking. Jackson’s career may hang in the balance.

 Milliron deftly takes us on a deep dive into the psyche of a man struggling to overcome his own demons, reclaim his life, and do the right thing. It’s a compassionate and heartfelt book, and I’m looking forward to the second installment.

A Poisonous Palate, by Lucy Burdette. A beach read set at the beach. This is the fourteenth book in the Key West Food Critic mystery series. All the books are worth the read, but this one appealed to me on a personal level. The book alternates between Big Pine Key in 1978 and the current day. It also includes mention of two of my favorite lower Keys restaurants: No Name Pub, and The Square Grouper. Catherine Davitt approaches Haley to help solve the 1978 disappearance of her friend from a hippie camp. Catherine and Veronica had sought refuge from their Michigan lives in the laid-back Keys and joined a loosely organized commune. Veronica disappeared on the night before the authorities destroyed the commune. Almost fifty years later, many of the former members are still in the Keys. As Haley interviews the survivors, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the mystery solved. This was an ending I didn’t see coming and a villain I never would have guessed. A fun read, and a wonderful trip down memory lane. 

Always You and Me, by Dani Atkins. Romances are my secret pleasure and this one does not disappoint. Besides, they are always great beach reads. This friends to enemies to lovers second chance romance had me sobbing. Lili and Josh meet as pre-teen next-door neighbors. Josh carries the baggage of his past life as a badly treated foster child. When he and his foster family move away, the pair vow to keep in touch, but, well, life. Although they touch base from time to time, it’s always as friends. When Lili meets Adam, she falls hard. The relationship pushes Josh to declare his love on the eve of Lili and Adam’s wedding. Harsh words are involved and the two resolve never to speak again. Until Adam begs Lili on his deathbed to get in touch with Josh. That’s as far as I can go without the risk of spoilers, but I loved this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

 What’s in your beach bag this summer?

 Kait Carson writes the Hayden Kent Mysteries set in the Fabulous Florida Keys and is at work on a new mystery set in her adopted state of Maine. Her short fiction has been nationally published in the Trues and Woman’s World magazines. Her short fiction has appeared in the Silver Falchion Award nominated Seventh Guppy Anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker and her nonfiction essay was included in the Agatha Award-winning book Writing the Cozy Mystery. She is a former President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, a member of Sisters in Crime, and Guppies. Visit her website at www.kaitcarson.com.

 

 

How Many Books Do You Read At Once? by Nancy L. Eady

One of the many things that drives Archie Goodwin crazy about Nero Wolfe is his reading more than one book at a time. Normally I’m Team Archie all the way, but here, I sympathize with Mr. Wolfe, because at latest count, I have at least four books I’m reading now. 

First, I am working my way back through Bobbi Holmes’ Haunting Danielle series on my Kindle. That is my fun read; I read the series at lunch and if I am at home with free time. I finish one of those books every two days. When I finish the series, I’ll pick something else. It might be something I already have on Kindle, or I might start something new. It just depends on what I feel like. 

Second, I am reading a (very thick paperback) biography of Winston Churchill written by Andrew Roberts called, originally enough, Churchill. I manage two or three pages of it a day during the ten to fifteen minutes I spend waiting for the dogs to finish eating, go outside and come back in. Having started it about two weeks ago, I’ve completed Chapter One. It’s a little dangerous for me to read because when I get too interested and forget myself, I end up being late for work. But it’s better than just sitting and being bored or, even worse, emptying the dishwasher or cleaning the kitchen. (My family probably disagrees on this point.) 

My third book is the Bible. This year’s edition is the Women’s Bible, New King James Version. I have a schedule that will let me finish the entire book in one year. It varies between two and four chapters a night with readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament. For those of you unfamiliar with the book, the Old Testament is a lot longer than the New. For example, I am going through the book of Psalms (Old Testament) and will finish it in September. I will finish the book of Acts (New Testament) next week. I switch yearly between a Bible that lets me read it in the Old/New format and a Bible that is arranged chronologically. Parts of the chronological arrangement are based on an educated guess by the editors, but it provides a different perspective.  

My fourth book is called Miracles by C.S. Lewis. I read it on those nights when I am not too tired after reading my Bible to conquer a chapter. I don’t know when I will finish it, but I read an entire chapter at once when I read it. The book before that was by Lee Strobel, although I don’t recall the name. 

So tell me, are you in the Archie Goodwin or Nero Wolfe school of reading? When is your favorite time to read? (I think just about any time is a good time to read, but other people may have different ideas.) Do you read more than one book at a time? Do you have a favorite time for reading?

Is Your Bad Guy Too Bad? by Connie Berry

 

I was invited to Zoom-in to a book club a couple of years ago. They’d read one of my books that month and wanted to meet the author. One question surprised me and made me think. In the book they’d read, I’d set up some red herrings that pointed for a time to a likeable character as the killer. A member of the book club said, “I really thought (s)he might be guilty. I was so upset I almost stopped reading.”

Fortunately, she didn’t stop reading. But the question made me think about bad guys in crime fiction. How bad should they be? Is it a mistake to make them too bad or too likeable?

The first thing to say is, if there is a correct answer to this question, I don’t have it. What I do have are a few thoughts.

New authors are frequently told to create fully rounded characters. Our protagonists aren’t perfect. They have faults, flaws, fears, and failings like all people—or should have. These human imperfections make them characters readers can identify with. Faults can deepen the backstory, ramp up tension, create opportunities for change and growth, and create interest.

But how about our bad guys? Nobody (or almost nobody) is completely bad without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Well, maybe there are such people (Hitler comes to mind), but they are so unique that they become literal icons of evil. With the possible exception of some international thrillers, few mysteries feature bad guys that awful.

So, do we humanize the killer?  Does he save a litter of abandoned kittens or send a portion of his ill-gotten gains to a charity for the homeless? How much is too much? How can you make your bad guy human and yet deserving of his fate?

Knowing there are always exceptions to the rule, here are my thoughts:

1. Bad guys are usually self-deceived.

Very few people believe they are horrible human beings. They think they have good reasons for doing what they’re doing—getting revenge, for example, or making up for what they see as life’s unfairness. They got a raw deal. They deserve more than life has given them. One way to humanize a bad guy is to show his actions, however evil, as understandable and acceptable to himself: “I have good reasons for doing what I’m doing.”

2. Bad guys can actually have good reasons for doing bad things.

I just watched an episode of a crime drama on TV in which the killer did what she did to protect someone she loved. Maybe someone is holding her child hostage or he’s a victim of blackmail. If his secret is made public, innocent people would be harmed. Yes, he must be stopped, but his downfall leads to the real bad guys behind the scenes.

3. Bad guys might be the victims of circumstances.

In real life, people can start down a wrong path in life because of events not in their control—inherent deficits, an evil environment, the bad choices of others, adverse conditions, poverty. But you don’t want your bad guy to be a complete victim. In that case, bringing him to justice won’t feel like a satisfying resolution. If your bad guy is the victim of circumstances, give him at least one moment when he is forced to make a choice: “Do I continue down this path, or do I stop right now and choose another path?” Most readers of crime fiction like an ending with order restored and justice prevailing.

4. Bad guys can be mentally off-kilter.

This one can easily be overdone. Creating a scenario where insanity is the only motivation for evil is a cop-out. Even if your bad guy is mentally ill, he should have believable reasons for his actions, and his illness should be understandable and realistic. An interesting resource for mental disorders and phobias is the DSM Guide (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders), found in most libraries. You can also consult online websites such as www.psychiatryonline.org. If you’re going to use a mental disorder, at least make it interesting and believable.

5. Bad guys can sometimes be redeemed.

There’s always hope, right? If your bad guy has a really pathetic backstory or is the victim of circumstances, readers will agree he must be punished, but they will also accept and applaud his redemption at the end—even if it comes too late to save him.

Those are my thoughts on the characters we love to hate.

What are your thoughts?

Can a bad guy be too bad to be believable?

An Interview With Kait Carson

by Grace Topping

Anyone who has entered the world of writing and publishing can speak of the highs and lows of living in that world. Kait Carson, a member of our Writers Who Kill group, has gained a wealth of experience writing and publishing novels, short stories, and magazine articles. It was a pleasure interviewing her about her breadth of experience both as a writer and publisher. Her Hayden Kent Mystery Series also incorporates her adventures as a certified scuba diver.

Death by Blue Water: Underwater, no one hears your screams 

Paralegal Hayden Kent knows first-hand that life in the Florida Keys can change from perfect to perilous in a heartbeat. When she discovers a man’s body tangled in an anchor line one hundred and twenty feet beneath the sea, she thinks she is witness to a tragic accident. When the victim is revealed to be the brother of the man who recently jilted her, she becomes the prime suspect, and she has no alibi. As the evidence against her mounts, she joins forces with Officer Janice Kirby. Together, they uncover long hidden secrets, a web of lies, and criminal activity at the highest levels. Trapped in a deadly chase, Hayden follows clues underwater and through gorgeous tropical settings, desperately fighting for her life and freedom.

                                                                        www.kaitcarson.com

 

Welcome, Kait. 

 

 

How long have you been writing, and have you always written mysteries?

 

This is actually a more difficult question than it should be. I have to say all my life. My earliest writing memories are in the second grade. We were assigned to write a poem to teach us rhymes. The two lines I remember foreshadowed my career as a mystery writer. They were "Pop, Pop, Pop. Here comes a cop." 

 

I somehow snagged an agent when I was thirteen and wrote teen drama stories. Back then, magazines like Ingenue and Seventeen published fiction. Life got in the way after high school, and I paused my writing career until the 1990s when I began writing novels. The earliest were romances, set in the Caribbean and Florida. I pull them out from under my bed occasionally. Since then, it’s been mysteries all the way. 

 

Your books have been published traditionally and you have also self-published. Please tell us about your experience with traditional publishing. Would you go that route again?

 

Interesting question, as I am currently querying small presses with the first book in the Maine Lodge series. 

 

I was fortunate to sign with a small press during their start-up years. It was a heady experience, and I learned a lot. Editing, cover design, proofing, printing, and production are all handled by the publisher. That’s an amazing benefit. Marketing, however, is left to the author. That surprised me. I wasn’t prepared for it. It was quite the learning curve, but paid dividends for my self-publishing journey. It was an interesting experience, and I miss the deadlines!

 

What has your experience with self-publishing been like?

 

I enjoy it. There’s a sense of satisfaction in personally handling all aspects of your publishing life. Self-publishing also gives you the freedom to pivot, which you don’t have in traditional publishing. It’s a lot more work, but I’m fortunate to have a great team to assist me. 

 

What would you recommend to a writer who is considering self-publishing?

 

Learn everything you can about the process before you attempt it. There are multiple classes available online, and some of the best are available through Sisters in Crime and Guppies. When you self-publish, writing’s the easy part. It’s more than loading an epub or print file to Amazon or Draft2Digital. 

 

The short story market seems to be growing. Have you written many? Do you find writing short easier or harder?

 

I love to see the short story market growing. It’s fun to take a break from the marathon of writing a novel with a short story sprint. It’s almost as if shorts use a different part of the creative brain. I’m always on the lookout for themed anthologies. It’s fun to experiment with different voices and subgenres and see where they take you. As for easy or hard, it depends. The long form is easier, but the short is very satisfying. 

 

You’ve written for magazines. Please tell us about that. Is there still a market for writers wanting to submit to magazines?

 

Oh, I miss the "Trues." True Confessions, True Experience, True Story. They were wonderful venues for a writer and a great way to break into the market. Alas, they have been gone for more than ten years now. Paid markets are scarce, but they do exist. Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen magazines are two of the best known. There’s also Woman’s World, which buys both short mysteries and romances. Anyone who is interested in writing for magazines might consider joining the Short Mystery Fiction Society on groups.io. They sponsor the annual Derringer Awards. Guppies also has an active short mystery subgroup. 

 

In your Hayden Kent series, Hayden is a scuba diver. The diving scenes are so realistic. Are you an experienced diver yourself?

 

Thank you, Grace. I certified as a diver in 1971. Hard to believe, but true. Diving has been a major influence on the Hayden Kent books. The premise for Death by Blue Water came to me during a dive on a deep wreck near Marathon, Florida. The wreck sits upright in 130 feet of water. I was looking into the wheelhouse when I heard the bong of a goliath grouper, and a plastic bag floated in front of me. My heart stuttered. For a brief instant, the floating bag looked like a hand, and Death by Blue Water was born.

 

You’ve lived in a number of locations, including Florida and Maine. Does where you live influence what you write?

 

Great question. I thought it did, but it doesn’t. When I moved to Maine, I immediately changed writing venues to pay homage to my woodland home and wrote the first of the Maine Lodge Mysteries. Then the tropics called me home, and I’m hard at work writing the Southernmost Secrets Mysteries and continuing the Hayden Kent series.

 

Are any of your characters a bit like you?

 

Yes. Hayden Kent is clearly a case of write what you know. She’s an avid scuba diver and a paralegal. The first of the Kent books was written in 2007/2008. That was the year that my part of Maine experienced snowfall totals in excess of two hundred inches. I was definitely Florida dreaming, and I wrote parts of myself into the story.

 

What is happening to your Catherine Swope series? Anything?

 

Ah, that’s a cautionary tale. The Swope series was not quite ready for prime time, but I wasn’t a seasoned enough writer to realize that. I have removed them from sale with the intention of rewriting and releasing them in the future. There’s much to be said for experience. 

 

Do you plot or just wing it?

 

LOL. I so try to be a plotter. I even bought Plotrr software. I envy plotters. They have a roadmap. As for me, I’m a bit of both. I sketch what I consider to be the five key scenes, often write the full climax scene, and then it’s off to the races. I use a program called Scrivener for drafting. It has a sidebar for notes which I use to bullet point the key points of each chapter. It helps keep me from falling down too many rabbit holes.

 

Living in a remote section of Maine, how do you stay connected to other writers? Or is that important?

 

Oh, yes. Very important. I call it the blessing of the Internet. My key connections have come from Sisters in Crime. Especially the Guppy chapter. It’s important to find your group and to develop a trusted team. 

 

What do you wish you could tell your younger self starting out as a writer?

 

Don’t be in such a rush. Slow down, get it right. 

 

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned since you started writing?

 

The value of a team. Without trusted feedback, it’s impossible to learn or grow. 

 

What are you working on now?

 

Death by Deception, the fourth of the Hayden Kent series. It’s a bit of a change for Hayden as it introduces her love interest. We’ll see where it goes. I’m also knee deep in querying small presses for No Return, the first of the Maine Lodge series.

 

Thanks so much for interviewing me, Grace. It’s been both fun and insightful. 

 

Thank you, Kait. 

 

 

To learn more about Kait Carson and her books, visit www.kaitcarson.com

 

Bio:

Kait Carson writes the Hayden Kent Mysteries set in the Fabulous Florida Keys and is at work on a new mystery set in her adopted state of Maine. Her short fiction has been nationally published in True Romance, True Confessions, True Story, True Experience, and Woman’s World magazines, and in the Falchion Finalist Seventh Guppy Anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker. She is a former President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, a member of Sisters in Crime, Guppies, and of Sisters in Crime New England. Visit her website at www.kaitcarson.com. While you’re there, sign up for her newsletter and receive a yummy, authentic, key lime pie recipe.

 

Like her protagonists, Kait is an accomplished SCUBA diver, hiker, and critter lover. She lives with her husband, four rescue cats and flock of conures in the Crown of Maine where long, dark, nights give birth to flights of fictional fantasies. Oh, yes, Kait loves the color blue!