James Hayman, author of the McCabe and Savage series sits down with Fresh Fiction
to talk about murder, history, and the lingering question "Will they or won't
they."
Jen: Hi, James! Thank you so much for joining us on Fresh Fiction. THE GIRL IN THE
GLASS is the fourth McCabe and Savage Thriller. I particularly love that
the story alternates between the 1904 murder of Aimée Whitby and the 2012 murder
of Veronica Aimée Whitby. What inspired you to tell these two connected stories?
James: I’ve always wanted to try my hand at writing historical fiction.
But, at the same time, I wanted to keep the McCabe and
Savage series going beyond the three books I’d already written. The
solution was to tell a tale of two copycat murders of two physically identical
women that take place in the same Portland family 108 years apart.
I was initially nervous about being able to tie the two stories together in a
logical and coherent way that would both involve and excite readers but I think,
with THE GIRL
IN THE GLASS, I’ve managed to do that.
Jen: Your cast of suspects and periphery are always so interesting and I’m
left wondering what their futures would hold; like the intern Dean Scott and
salutatorian Aman Anbessa. Are there any characters you’ve written that you hope
you’ll get to meet again in a future McCabe and Savage thriller?
James: It’s certainly possible. Both Scott and Anbessa are loosely based
on real people I’ve met in Portland and might consider bringing back in future
books. I’ve actively thought about writing a McCabe and
Savage thriller set among the large African and Muslim populations that
have emerged in Portland––once an almost exclusively white city––over the last
ten or fifteen years. Other characters who might reappear include Whitby
Engineering’s security chief Charles Kraft and possibly McCabe’s former
girlfriend Kyra Erikson.
Jen: As a fan of the series, I like the underlying romantic tension
between McCabe and Maggie (Savage). It’s built on a deep respect and trust in
each other. In THE GIRL IN THE GLASS, there is a possibility that this hint
of romantic interest could finally develop into something real. Do you know if
McCabe and Maggie will see their way to each other or does the growth and changes
in their relationship surprise you as you write the each book in the series?
James: It’s a bit of a conundrum. I think the romantic tension you’re
referring to, the question of “will they or won’t they,” is one of the things
readers really enjoy about the series. I worry that if they ever do get together
and become lovers that element might become less compelling.
There’s also another problem I should mention. I happen to have a major crush on
Maggie myself and I could become extremely jealous if McCabe ever became her
lover. So jealous I might even kill him off and then, sadly, find myself without
a hero.
Jen: What is the last book you read that you loved and why?
James: I’ve recently enjoyed two books that, by total coincidence, tell
very similar stories. Mary Kubica’s THE GOOD GIRL and Maine writer Bill Roorbach’s THE REMEDY FOR
LOVE. Each examines how love develops between two very different people who,
not quite accidentally, find themselves stranded together in remote cabins in
cold northern locations. Northern Minnesota in Kubica’s book. Northwestern Maine
in Roorbach’s. Both books are beautifully written. Both sets of characters are
wonderfully developed. Quite by accident, I read them one after the other and in
retrospect I’m glad I did. It was fascinating to see how two different writers,
both very talented, handled what in many ways was the same story.
Jen: Can you give us a hint at what we can look forward to in the next McCabe and
Savage novel?
James: The next book, as yet untitled, tells the story of a young,
arrogant and very successful Wall Street banker whose body is found, in a
Portland park. On his chest the killer has left a handwritten sign that reads
“Rapists get what rapists deserve.”
Jen: I can't wait to read what happens and what McCabe and Maggie learn!
Thank you!
GIVEAWAY
What do you think? Do you love the "will they or won't they" romantic tension?
Leave a comment below and be entered for a chance to win a digital copy of THE GIRL IN THE
GLASS.
Me and Mike McCabe: A Short Bio of the author and his hero.
Like McCabe, I'm a native New Yorker. He was born in the Bronx. Hayman was born
in Brooklyn. We both grew up in the city. He dropped out of NYU Film School and
joined the NYPD, rising through the ranks to become the top homicide cop at the
Midtown North Precinct. I graduated from Brown and joined a major New York ad
agency, rising through the ranks to become creative director on accounts like the
US Army, Procter & Gamble, and Lincoln/Mercury.
We both married beautiful brunettes. McCabe’s wife, Sandy dumped him to marry a
rich investment banker who had “no interest in raising other people’s children.”
My wife, Jeanne, though often given good reason to leave me in the lurch, has
stuck it out through thick and thin and is still my wife. She is also my best
friend, my most attentive reader and a perceptive critic.
Both McCabe and I eventually left New York for Portland, Maine. I arrived in
August 2001, shortly before the 9/11 attacks, in search of the right place to
begin a new career as a fiction writer. He came to town a year later, to escape a
dark secret in his past and to find a safe place to raise his teenage daughter,
Casey.
There are other similarities between us. We both love good Scotch whiskey, old
movie trivia and the New York Giants. And we both live with and love women who
are talented artists.
There are also quite a few differences. McCabe’s a lot braver than me. He’s a
better shot. He likes boxing. He doesn’t throw up at autopsies. And he’s far more
likely to take risks. McCabe’s favorite Portland bar, Tallulah’s, is, sadly, a
figment of my imagination. My favorite Portland bars are all very real.
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Two identical women.
Two identical murders. Two lives brutally cut short
108 years apart
June 1904
Aimée Garnier Whitby, a beautiful French artist and wife of one of Maine's
richest and most powerful men, is found near death on the Whitby family's private
summer island, the letter "A" mysteriously carved into her chest.
June 2012
Veronica Aimée Whitby, the eighteen-year-old descendant and virtual double of the
first Aimée, becomes the victim of a near perfect copycat murder. With another
beautiful, promising young Whitby woman slain, the media begin to swarm and
pressure builds for Mike McCabe and Maggie Savage to bring the killer quickly to
justice. But the key to solving Aimée's death just might have been buried with
her beautiful ancestor.
The latest McCabe and Savage thriller from USA Today bestselling author James
Hayman is a crackling, twisty novel of suspense, perfect for fans of J.A. Jance
and John Sandford.
I do like the "will they or won't they" in a story. It isn't fun reading a book where
you know how it is going to end...I would rather be surprised.
(Jackie Wisherd 3:59pm September 7, 2015)
The will the-won't they works for several books, but after a time, you begin to
wonder if they really are interested in each other. I think some would become of
the question and might give up on the series. For me, as long as the stories are
interesting, I'll keep reading.
(Patricia Barraclough 10:57pm September 7, 2015)
I think the plot is intriguing, but I do not wish to get an ecopy as I do not own a
ereader.
(Diane McMahon 12:45pm September 8, 2015)
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