1--What is the title of your latest release?
FAIR HAVEN
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Fair Haven: A picturesque riverside town. A safe, friendly place. And then, one summer afternoon in 1994, Sally Ann Shaffer is electrocuted in her hot tub. Who did it? One of her many lovers? Her husband? A thief? A jealous colleague at her tennis club? The town is suddenly embroiled in suspicion, interpersonal conflict, blackmail, fraud, and murder.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Fair Haven is a town near me, plus I loved the idea of murder and intrigue taking place in such a safe place. A bit of authorial irony.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely. Chris Clarke shares many of my interests: photography, cooking, opera, sailing. We would have a great time together, and I believe readers will like this talented woman.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Handsome, artistic, brave
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I hadn’t realized how old the Lenni Lenape Indian settlement in Fair Haven was. Very surprising! The area was carbon-dated using oyster middens.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both. I often re-read (and edit) whatever I wrote the day before, in part to delve into the plot again and in part to clean up any large errors. I go through the ms. about 30-40 times before I submit it to my publisher.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Because of a medical situation, my diet is now very restricted so I can no longer eat or drink what I used to enjoy. Before, however, I loved raw oysters, duck, prosecco, and a from-scratch Caesar salad with anchovies.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My office is also a guest room, but it’s primarily a work space, with a wall of bookcases near my desktop and paintings and photographs hanging on all the walls. Piles of my books rest on a dresser. A crowded room but quiet. My previous office looked out on the ocean, but I find this space less distracting.
10--Who is an author you admire?
In mystery, favorites are Patricia Highsmith (an early influence), Kate Atkinson (a brilliant plotter, wry, smart), Jo Nesbo, and Mari Hannah. In the literary arena, Virginia Woolf—no competition.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I was deeply influenced by Patricia Highsmith’s psychological suspense novels and how she concentrates on sociopaths like Tom Ripley. I’ve always been fascinated with psychology, so her “heroes” have inspired me to create some of my own bad guys, such as in my recent novel, Jack & I, about a boy with dissociative identity disorder—the “alter” is very much a sociopath who constantly battles the “host.” A novel told in two parts: the host in first person and the alter in third person.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Fair Haven is my 15th published novel, but receiving an acceptance never grows old. My publisher, Andrew May at Spectrum Books in London, is a wonderful guy and an enthusiastic partner.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Murder mysteries/crime fiction. Of late: Scandi-noir titles.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Lawrence of Arabia
15--What is your favorite season?
summer
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Usually with friends, either at a restaurant or by their swimming pool.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Love Acorn and BritBox detective series…just finished Missing You by Harlan Coben, who always writes a good mystery. The Diplomat was also fine.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Thai
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I tend to work all day, every day, so evenings are my only free time. After dinner, I watch films streaming and then read for half an hour before bed.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Two books are under contract. Contrary: Stories and a Play will appear in mid-May and includes 21 stories—15 of which have appeared in literary journals—and my first stage play, Duet, which is drama about a client/therapist relationship, one that deals with disability. After this, a revised version of my first novel, Jenny Kidd, will be published in October. Set in Venice, this book is definitely sympathetic to Patricia Highsmith’s work. It’s evocative, with large doses of intrigue, sex, and psychological complexity. Jenny is a young artist who comes to Venice to be free of her tyrannical father and to create a professional portfolio. When she meets a countess at a masked ball, her life turns bizarre.
A picturesque riverside town. A safe, serene, friendly place. And then, one sunny summer afternoon in 1994, Sally Ann Shaffer is electrocuted in her hot tub. Who did it? One of her many lovers? Her husband? A thief? A jealous colleague at her tennis club? Fair Haven is suddenly embroiled in suspicion, interpersonal conflict, blackmail, financial fraud, and murder.
Fair Haven shares sympathies with the British crime drama, Midsomer Murders, because of its small-town setting and its diverse cast, any of whom could be the killer (except Cagney, the beagle, who leavens the plot). The primary characters include Chris Clarke, who is hired to photograph the crime scene and is involved with Kate Morgan, a woman fighting for custody of her son (Kate has a past history with Sally Ann Shaffer); the police chief, Ray Mackie, an experienced cop who must step aside in the homicide investigation in favor of Vincent Rivera, his nephew (Rivera reports to the Major Crimes Bureau and the county prosecutor’s office). Other important players are Fair Haven’s detective, David DeMarco, who is coordinating the local police effort; Harry Fallon, Kate Morgan’s drunken ex-husband and a long-time lover of Sally Ann; and R.J. Baines, a realtor who is hiding her lesbianism and her affair with the deceased. The relationships between these characters, as well as with a tennis pro, husband, priest, and a financial fraudster), provide rich opportunities for intrigue and moments of quiet humor.
Mystery | Thriller Crime [Spectrum Books, On Sale: April 12, 2025, e-Book , / ]
Laury A. Egan is the author of The Outcast Oracle, Jenny Kidd, and Fog and Other Stories. Her poetry has been issued in three limited-edition collections: Snow, Shadow, a Stranger; Beneath the Lion’s Paw; and The Sea & Beyond. She lives on the coast of New Jersey.
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