Mary, welcome! Thanks for joining us.
THE SEVENTH VICTIM is
your latest suspense novel. Will you tell us a bit about it?
The story begins as Texas Ranger James Beck returns to duty after three
weeks on administrative leave, earned by his refusal to drop his investigation
of the politically well–connected suspect he believed killed
ten–year–old Misty Gray. He's soon on the scene of another murder.
This one sets off alarms when Beck notices the similarities between it and the
unsolved case of six women killed in Seattle. All blonde, the victims were
strangled, wore white dresses, and each had a penny in her hand. The seventh
victim survived.
I also introduce Lara Church, who's recently returned to the Austin area,
having inherited her grandmother's house, where she'd spent all of her
childhood summers. She had plans to sell it but hasn't been able to do so. It's
too nice to be back and settled in among comforting memories. Lara's been on
the run for seven years, rarely staying in one place long, never expecting to
again have a home, and having given up hope of regaining memories of the night
she escaped death at the hands of the Seattle Strangler.
When Beck shows up demanding her help, she refuses. She's tried desperately
to
recall that night. Now that she has a chance at a normal life, she's determined
not to be dragged back to the hellish world of shrinks and crime scene
photos.
Why Austin?
Austin is the state capitol, a university town and site of the central
office of the Texas Rangers, which means my investigators have access to
sophisticated forensic science. It's home to musicians and artists, so it's a
perfect place for Lara to try to make a go of her photography. It's rich in
history and San Antonio and the Hill Country, which are very different from
Austin, are close. I also have the freedom to move between them if needed to
advance the plot or just to change up the setting a bit if I want.
Plus, Texas has hundreds and hundreds of lonely open miles with lots of places
for a killer to roam. I also liked contrasting Austin against Seattle, home to
detective Mike Raines. Whereas Seattle is known for cold dreary days so Austin
is known for hot, dry sunshine. Raines underscores the differences between
these cities as he searches Austin for a "good" cup of coffee and complains
about the dry heat.
Is it common for a victim of a violent crime to have memory lapses,
confusion, or even amnesia about the event the way Lara does?
Memory lapses can happen in the case of a concussion. While I was working on
the details of THE SEVENTH
VICTIM and trying to figure out how Lara could have lost her memory, I met
a young lacrosse player who talked about a head injury he'd suffered. He said
he couldn't remember the three days before the injury. Memory loss and
concussion do occur. Once I was sure of that, this critical plot point fell
into place.
Why does Lara use such an old fashioned camera? Is it something contemporary
artists use today?
You still see modern artists using this method of photography. It was most
common during the Civil War. It's very hands–on and requires a great deal
of attention and introspection. Lara uses a bellows camera, with glass
negatives that must be prepared one at a time. It's called wet plate
photography. It takes a skilled hand to prepare the negatives with silver
nitrate and it takes lots of patience to take the images. I think the images
are beautifully moody and rich.
In THE SEVENTH
VICTIM, the police had never found the Seattle Strangler, even though it
was seven years later. Are there a lot of open cases with suspected serial
killers that have never been solved?
I think there are quite a few open murder cases out there. The Seattle
Strangler killed women who worked the streets, who are at a very high risk for
violence. Their cases often aren't high profile and don't always get the
attention of very overworked detectives.
What makes a killer a serial killer?
I don't think anyone really has the answer to that. Some are driven by evil
whereas others see themselves on a righteous mission. It's something I think
about a lot when I craft killers.
How hard is it to introduce a romantic relationship amid the violence?
The relationship for me starts the moment the hero and heroine first see
each other. Its not love at first sight but there is a tension between the
characters that doesn't exist anywhere else in the book. And as the plot
deepens and the romance grows, I like it best when the romance and the mystery
are at cross–purposes. Each adds conflict to the other. As the killer
grows more violent and the love between the hero and heroine grows, the danger
jumps, as do the stakes.
What I love about romantic suspense is that solving the suspense gives the
reader a sense of justice whereas the romance leaves the reader with hope that
in the end good wins over evil.
What do you need to know when you begin a new suspense novel?
I always start with motivation. The killer's motivation is the most
important to me because he is the driver of the story. If not for him, the hero
and heroine might not ever meet. Why does the killer do what he does? It colors
so much of the story. And then I turn to the hero and heroine. Once I know
their strengths and weaknesses then I can turn the killer loose.
Your recent novels have been set in your home state of
Virginia––in fact six of them, three in Richmond and three in
Alexandria. Are you just tired of your home state?
LOL. No. I love Virginia but I've turned six different serial killers lose
in the commonwealth and it's time to give the good folks of Virginia a break.
Plus, setting is a character in my mind. Setting literally sets the stage and
drives so many elements of the book. It was time for a new setting to change
things up a bit.
You've been getting very strong reviews for your novels over the past several
years. Does this go to your head? How does it affect the way you write or your
intuition about what readers would like to see?
The reviews have been great compliments and I appreciate them all, but I
don't dwell on them. In fact, I only worry about the story that's in front of
me right now. I'm always trying to raise the bar and find new ways to surprise
my reader.
What's next?
NO ESCAPE comes out in November 2013 and I put the Rangers to
work again in that one, as I do in a third Texas based romantic suspense, which
is finished but doesn't have a title yet. I'm working on a new book right now
a romantic suspense and loving every minute of
it.
www.maryburton.com
Mary
Burton Facebook Fan Page
www.kensingtonbooks.com
THE SEVENTH VICTIM by Mary
Burton
Zebra Books/Mass Market
Original/Fiction
February 2013/On Sale 1-29-13/$7.99 ($8.99
Canada) 978-1420125054, Ebook 978-1420139066
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