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Victoria Thompson | No Romance in Mysteries?
June 15, 2015
The latest Gaslight Mystery is MURDER ON AMSTERDAM
AVENUE, and it’s the one readers have been waiting for! Frank and Sarah
finally get married. Of course they solve a mystery first and it’s a dandy, but
then they finally do tie the knot.
What took them so long? The answer is that I had been a romance writer for 20
books before I switched to mystery. When I switched, everyone told me (and
told me!) that mystery readers don’t like romance in their mysteries. My
editor and my agent and other mystery writers all warned me. This is why I put
so many barriers between Frank and Sarah. They could never get together, so I
made it impossible for them to get together.
Then a strange thing happened. I started getting fan letters. They would say
something nice about the book and oh, by the way, when are Frank and Sarah
going to get together?” Everyone wanted to know about a romance between Frank
and Sarah. So obviously, mystery readers don’t mind a little romance in their
mysteries at all! And after fifteen years of keeping them apart, the fans were
getting angry! So I knew something had to happen. The problem was that I’d put
up so many barriers between them, I couldn’t figure out how to get them married
without ruining the series. Fortunately, one of my writer friends, who had
never read a single one of the books, came up with the perfect solution, which
I won’t mention in case somebody hasn’t read that book yet.
Fans are already asking if this is the end of the series, and the answer is:
Not at all! In fact, the next two books are already written, and I’m
contracted for at least one more after that. Frank and Sarah will keep solving
mysteries as long as readers keep buying the books. GIVEAWAY
What I want to know now is, were all those people right or wrong to warn me
against putting a romance in my mysteries? Tell me your opinions below and be
entered for a chance to win a copy of MURDER ON
AMSTERDAM AVENUE!
Victoria Thompson writes the Agatha and Edgar® Nominated Gaslight Mystery
Series, set in turn-of-the-century New York City featuring midwife Sarah
Brandt. The 17th book in the series is MURDER ON AMSTERDAM AVENUE. She also
contributed to the award winning MANY GENRES/ONE CRAFT.
Victoria teaches in the Seton Hill University MFA program in writing popular
fiction.
She lives in Central PA with her husband and a very spoiled little dog.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime.
Website | Facebook
In this Gaslight Mystery from the national bestselling author of
MURDER IN MURRAY HILL, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy
investigate foul play in the secretive high-society world of nineteenth-century
New York City…
In the midst of Sarah and Frank’s wedding preparations, Sarah accompanies
her mother on a condolence call to the Upper West Side, where Charles Fairfax,
the son of family friends, has died unexpectedly after suffering from a
mysterious disease. It is a tragic and all too common story—or so it seems.
Charles’s father asks to speak with Sarah privately. He believes his son was
poisoned and would like Sarah and Frank to look into the matter with the utmost
discretion.
Putting their own personal affairs on hold, Sarah and Frank soon learn that not
everyone wants to know more about Charles’s death, particularly if he was
murdered. As they unravel secrets that reach back to the War Between the
States, they also discover that they are in the company of a very present
danger…
Comments
43 comments posted.
Re: Victoria Thompson | No Romance in Mysteries?
I think that some romance is ok in historical mysteries--
however, I'm glad that you made us wait for a long time !!!
(Gail Malane 6:20pm June 14, 2015)
I learned long ago that there are authors and there are readers...as much as I
would love to have written your series since it has so many varied parts I enjoy
I am a reader. Your genre is not what I usually read, but your skill puts you
above the others. To answer the question...the romance fits perfectly in your
books...you have done it very well.
(Maureen Tuohy 7:06pm June 14, 2015)
I love this series and the romance between Sarah and Frank is just the
icing on the cake! Fits in beautifully with the story line.
(Margie Jarrett 7:08pm June 14, 2015)
I just recently found you! I am starting at the very beginning
of the series and loving every minute.
(Sandra Muncy 7:33pm June 14, 2015)
I love the interaction between Sarah and Frank. It's so sweet and I'm really looking forward to whatever adventures they encounter as a married couple. I also am looking forward to see what develops between Gino and Maeve. Keep on writing! I look for to each of your books with great anticipation.
(Bev McKay 8:06pm June 14, 2015)
I'm not sure where your editor or agent got the impression that mystery
lovers don't want romance. Bring it on! Truly enjoy the series and looking
forward to the new book.
(Sandra Piester 9:45pm June 14, 2015)
I like a little Romance or the possibility of it.Perhaps like Jessica and Seth in Murder She Wrote but I don't like them to get together for a long...long...time.
Marilyn [email protected]
(Marilyn Watson 1:07am June 15, 2015)
A little romance never hurt anybody except when it becomes the
story line and pushes the mystery in the background.
(Dagmar Finch 4:05am June 15, 2015)
I love romance in my mysteries, but sometimes when the couple gets
together, you realize they were more interesting while they were apart (not in
this case though!)
(Nikki Fournier 5:49am June 15, 2015)
Romance in a mystery adds the mystique to the novel and
contributes to my enjoyment.
(Sharon Berger 10:55am June 15, 2015)
I like your books and the romance is one of the best parts
(Carol Ballard 12:06pm June 15, 2015)
I love, love romance in a mystery. It makes the story much more
interesting
(Shirley Younger 12:31pm June 15, 2015)
I love all your Gaslight books. I always read them first and sadly too
quickly.
(Jan Wasserman 12:34pm June 15, 2015)
I love a good romance in a mystery as it gives the story another dimension
(Jean Benedict 1:10pm June 15, 2015)
I love the Frank and Sarah mysteries. they have the perfect amount of romance to the mystery. Please, keep writing them. I would like to see how things go for them in their marriage, in the private detective work, and in the romance between Gino and Maeve. Thank you so much for this series.
(Deborah Carter 1:33pm June 15, 2015)
A little romance does not hurt.
(Marissa Yip-Young 1:42pm June 15, 2015)
I have read all your Gaslight books & enjoyed them immensely. I look forward your new books with great anticipation. Thanks so much for so many hours of pleasurable reading.
(Rosemary Espinosa 1:43pm June 15, 2015)
The romance between Frank and Sarah definitely adds to the mystery of the books in general. Their romance has a bit of mystery of it's own. I also detect a smattering of dry comedy in the Gaslight books, which I also find very appealing. Don't change a thing. The stories get better and better. Thanks.
(Ellie Marsh 1:59pm June 15, 2015)
My daughter and I have read all of the Gaslight mysteries. As soon as they come out, we are right there. We were both getting tired of the obstacles you put in the way of Sarah and Frank. A little romance never hurt a mystery. We are ready for the next one.
GwenNeumann
(Gwen Neumann 2:58pm June 15, 2015)
I love your books and am happy that Frank and Sarah are getting married.
(Linda Wilmoth 3:51pm June 15, 2015)
I love your Gaslight series and also like a little romance sprinkled in
(Phyllis Gossel 4:26pm June 15, 2015)
If it works with the mystery.
(MaryEllen Hanneman 5:33pm June 15, 2015)
I like a little romance in my mysteries.
(Sue Farrell 6:07pm June 15, 2015)
Mixing romance and mystery makes a good story.
(Charline Bonham 6:15pm June 15, 2015)
I'm so glad you listened to the people who told you to
include romance in the Gaslight Mysteries. It adds
another aspect to the series that makes me want to keep
reading! I just finished reading Murder in Murray Hill
and I loved it! I can't wait for Frank and Sarah to get
married finally!
(Danielle Deskevich 8:27pm June 15, 2015)
Romance and mystery? Yes. I just watched Hart to Hart a short
time ago on TV.
(Leona Olson 10:32pm June 15, 2015)
Yes , I always like a romance somewhere in the book I am reading . That makes it a more interesting story to me .
(Joan Thrasher 10:55am June 16, 2015)
My favorite type of book is not a "mystery" but a book about PEOPLE solving a mystery, and people, at least the type of people worth making into protagonists, seldom navigate life for long without at least a dash of romance. I only discovered this series last week and am currently reading book 6, I think. To me, the whole series is the story of Sarah and Frank and how they solve mysteries together, and the books are really just chapters. Their relationship, and how it evolves and affects each of them is central to how they work together. I don't even remember individual titles because it is just one long story to me. And just to be clear, it is a fascinating, thoroughly enjoyable story!
(Michele Propst 12:02pm June 16, 2015)
This novel looks so interesting! I love a combination of Romance and Mystery - thank you so much!
(Susan Patterson 12:24pm June 16, 2015)
In your Gaslight mysteries I absolutely adore the wee bit of romance you've put in the stories and do believe it should be continue! I LOVE this series and eagerly wait for each new one to come out --- thanks for writing for us!
(Lynn Demsky 12:59pm June 16, 2015)
Love the Gaslight series and Sarah's and Frank's relationship
adds to the story.
(Mary C 6:06pm June 16, 2015)
Romance in a mystery is never wrong. It's like following two story lines at once.
(L Folstad 7:21pm June 16, 2015)
I think a little romance helps make a mystery more
interesting, as long as the romance doesn't overshadow the
mystery part of the story.
(Janice Santillo 1:58pm June 17, 2015)
I like when romance is mixed into the mystery, it adds to the story.
(Jean Patton 2:46pm June 17, 2015)
Already interested in this who donnit. Thanks for this
opportunity.
(Nancy Luebke 5:16pm June 17, 2015)
I like a little romance in a mystery. It makes me care
about the protagonists more and gets me more involved in
the story.
(Irene Menge 9:01pm June 17, 2015)
I think the developing romance between Sarah and Frank is a natural progression and I would have expected it at some point. I think the pace was perfect and the resolution of the social distinctions was brilliant. I tend to identify with Frank as I was in a similar social situation - marrying above my class so I certainly understand some of his concerns as the relationship becomes more personal. Ms. Thompson has illustrated both sides exceptionally well. I am also wondering if there will be a romance between Maeve and Donatelli. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next volume in the series.
(Paul Sayles 2:09am June 18, 2015)
I love mystery books. I am new to your books.
(Hillary Kaltenbach 8:03am June 18, 2015)
A little romance makes the story more interesting.
(Linda Harrison 8:50am June 18, 2015)
I love a good romantic mystery!
(Maria Proctor 12:17pm June 18, 2015)
I prefer having romance mixed in with a good mystery. It make the book more interesting. Thanks for the chance to win MURDER ON AMSTERDAM AVENUE.
(Anna Speed 12:47pm June 18, 2015)
Romance allows for full development of a character's personality and engagement by the reader. Personally I like it.
(Jane Goldsmith 2:14pm June 18, 2015)
You were not wrong. I am a die hard mystery lover but I love a
little romance too!
(Denise Austin 11:52pm June 18, 2015)
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