Your new book, THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER, involves your main character investigating a cold case for personal reasons. I love stories like that. What inspired you to write about that subject? Are you fascinated by cold cases, or true crime stories?
I am definitely fascinated by cold cases and true crime! Of course, I’m not alone in that, which explains the popularity of the genre. Cold cases are fascinating because they’re the ultimate mystery, that dangling thread that never gets pulled, the question mark that never becomes a period. The JonBenet Ramsey case comes to mind. We can’t stop wondering what happened to that beautiful little girl, we want answers, closure. We look at the pieces of that crime puzzle, analyzing each, wondering where the investigation went wrong.
In the case of THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER, I was drawn to the idea of a daughter being pulled into the case, now ice cold, that destroyed her father. Between the case - a murder and kidnapping inside a powerful and secretive New Orleans family - and my protagonist’s history with it, I had lots of good stuff work with.
In THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER, is the focus more on the mystery itself or, like the film ZODIAC, it’s more about the effect the investigation has on the investigator?
In THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER the mystery and police procedural aspects of the plot are deeply entwined with the characters and their motivations. I love exploring the “ripple in the pond” effect of crime on the lives of those it touches, and that’s what I try to do with all my books. The narrative in The Detective’s Daughter takes places in two time periods and POVs, Detective Rourke Conners in the 1990s and Detective Quinn Conners, present day. The focus of Rourke’s parts are the crime itself and how it gets inside him; Quinn’s section focuses on the cold case and the emotional fallout of her father’s fixation on it.
Although I’m more of a cozy mystery reader, your book FROM THE DEEP interests me. I love psychological suspense, and this book seems perfect for readers who enjoy that. Do you maintain the tension throughout the book? Or does it steadily increase as the story progresses?
I love ratcheting up the tension in a story and FROM THE DEEP is a great example of that. For me, that’s what addictive suspense - which is what I always aim for - has to do. I want the reader to be breathlessly flipping pages by the end because they can’t wait to learn what happens!
You write about a variety of female protagonists who are put in extremely stressful and high-pressure situations. Are there some qualities that you would say all of your female protagonists have? Are there any who stick out as favorites of yours that you’ve written?
Great observation. I used to say “I write about women who walk through fire and come out whole.” I think that’s what life is like, we face all sorts of events and situations that try us, sometimes mightily, but it’s how we come through that matters. I love my characters to beat the odds and come out stronger than they were before.
Qualities they all have? Heart. Intelligence. A strong moral compass. Determination, even when they’re afraid. And broken places that need healing.
As for favorites, after thirty-seven books it’s hard to pick—they’re all special to me.
If you had to pick only one of your books to recommend to a reader new to your novels, which book would you recommend? And why?
Again, that’s so tough—they’re all different and span several sub-genres of suspense and thrillers. For more romantic suspense THE FIRST WIFE, for psychological suspense THE LOOK-ALIKE, for woman in jeopardy FROM THE DEEP or JUSTICE FOR SARA, for investigative crime thriller THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER. I could go on, but I’ll spare you.
A few other authors I’ve interviewed have said that the types of books that they enjoy reading are not the same type they enjoy writing. Is that true for you? What are some of your favorite books? Favorite authors?
To an extent, it is true. I do enjoy reading suspense, but I love being taken away from “my work” with something totally unlike it. Right now, I’m reading the historical fiction of Beatrz Williams, which I’m finding enthralling. As for suspense, I’m loving the ladies: Alex Kava, Lisa Gardner, Lisa Unger, J.T. Ellison . . .
What are you currently working on?
I’m excited to say I’m working on a follow-up to THE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER! This time around, a convicted serial killer is convinced a copycat is about to “appropriate” his crimes—and he refuses to talk to anyone but my protagonist, Detective Quinn Conners.
From Erica Spindler, the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and The Look-Alike, comes The Detective's Daughter, a thrilling crime drama about a woman who risks everything to solve the cold case that destroyed her father-but will it destroy her as well?
New Orleans Detective Quinn Conners is haunted by her father's whiskey-soaked, last words-that he solved the Hudson murder and kidnapping. It wasn't the first time he'd made that drunken claim, and she didn't believe him. Twenty-four hours later she found him dead by his own hand.
Quinn blames the investigation for his downfall, so when a woman researching a book about the kidnapping contacts her for help, Quinn shuts her out. But an attempt on the writer's life and an anonymous message that puts her father's suicide in question convinces Quinn there's more to the writer's story.
Soon, Quinn finds herself entangled in the web of mystery surrounding Grace Hudson's disappearance and the powerful, secretive family at the heart of it. With nowhere else to turn, she immerses herself in her dad's private notes-they lead her down a dark, twisted path where nothing is as it seems and no one is above suspicion.
Too late, Quinn sees that, like her father before her, the case threatens to consume her. But turning back is not an option-she's determined to unearth the truth of whatever happened to Grace Hudson . . . even if it costs her life.
Mystery | Suspense [Self Published, On Sale: March 29, 2022, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781944323295 / ]
Erica Spindler is a
USA Today, New York Times extended, Waldenbooks and amazon.com bestseller. In 2002, her novel
BONE COLD won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. An RWA honor roll member, she received a Kiss of Death award for her novel
FORBIDDEN FRUIT and is a three- time RITA award finalist. In 1999
Publishers Weekly awarded the audio version of her novel
SHOCKING PINK a Listen-Up award, naming it one of the best audio mystery books of 1998.
Erica and her husband--a man she describes as funny, handsome and way too sassy--met in art school and have been together ever since. They have two sons, born nine and a half years apart. Erica makes her home just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, although she originally hailed from Rockford, Illinois.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy