I picked up The Stranger Beside Me at a garage sale in the spring of 1983. Thirteen years old, I was deep in my V. C. Andrews phase and searching for books that awoke that same forbidden thrill.
Hi there, reader! 2019 has been an incredible year for new crime fiction. From debut authors to returning favorites, serial killer thrillers to psychological suspense, this year has offered up a little something for everyone. I’m thrilled to share with Criminal Element readers my picks for the Best Crime Books of 2019 by Month—aka my…
Every holiday season, I get bombarded with messages from friends and fans telling me they’re dying to buy me a crime-fiction-related present but aren’t sure what to get such an accomplished author…
Film is a medium of two senses: sight and sound. We can’t touch the people or objects depicted, we can’t smell or taste them. But horror? Horror involves all the senses.
Ever read a book and think, “Wow, I wish there was a movie of this”?
I’ve always loved thrillers and science fiction stories, especially those that occur in the near-future rather than hundreds or thousands of years from now. As I worked on my latest novel Synapse, I ended up thinking a lot about my favorite near-future films, especially thrillers. Here is a list of my top eighteen (with a…
When you tell people you are writing (or aspire to write) crime fiction, many of them will tell you, “Don’t quit your day job.” Don’t listen to them. You should totally quit your day job. And then get a much better one—one that’s ideally suited to you becoming a successful crime novelist. You see, most…
My love of both humor and illicit behavior started at a very young age, ignited by watching my two older brothers try to kill one another over the rights to whatever toy came in the box of Trix breakfast cereal my mother had just bought. Silly rabbit, bloodlust is for kids. As I grew up,…
There’s something inherently interesting about a mystery set on an island. There are those that are set on small islands: ones that are remote, wind-swept, and hopefully facing a devastating storm. The threat of isolation without the possibility of outside assistance makes for great storytelling. Then there are the ones that explore those tiny close-knit…
Most of my favorite stories, whether written or on the big screen, have one thing in common: it’s difficult to put them in a box. Shamelessly borrowing tropes from multiple genres and subverting expected plot structures serves to expand our understanding of how narrative works. As a result, suspense is even more suspenseful for being…
