by Elizabeth Wilkerson
The Physics of Crime Fiction
I recently read an article in the New York Times that explored the question: why do people make music? Across time and across cultures, people have felt the urge to make music. But why?
It made me wonder, why do people write crime fiction? And why do people read it? Writing crime fiction is a creative process, but so is reading it. A reader becomes a co-creator, imagining and bringing to life the world the writer initially put on paper.
A reader’s interpretation changes the writer’s work, much like how quantum physicists say that merely observing a subatomic particle alters its state.
I write crime fiction because I want an HEA ending—a “happily ever after,” as they say in romance novel land. In my world as a crime fiction writer, an HEA ending means morality trumps a broken criminal justice system, the real bad guys get what’s coming to them, and wrongs are righted.
Some people read crime fiction because they want titillation, a thrill, to step into a world they don’t know but can enjoy safely from a distance, in the same way they might play a game of Grand Theft Auto in their suburban living room.
A writer’s work presents a jumping-off point—a framework for readers to interpret based on the reader’s perspective, viewpoint, and biases. Can two people read the same book and perceive it the same way?
When I heard that Peter Jackson was making The Lord of the Rings into a movie, I thought, “Oh no, he’s going to ruin the books!” Thankfully, he didn’t. And when I heard that Spielberg was turning Ready Player One into a film, I had the same fear, but this time it was warranted. Spielberg’s on-screen dystopian landscape was nothing like what I had envisioned while reading the book.
I realized that everyone has a unique interpretation of every book. The reader is a creator along with the author. Like subatomic particles, crime fiction stories are changed every time they’re read because of the reader’s outlook. The reader is a co-creator, who, hand-in-hand with the author, brings a story to life.
Authors are often asked, “What was your inspiration for writing the story?” Now, I ask you: “What is your inspiration for reading the story?”
Blast the air conditioning and crank up the fans – summer’s sizzling with these hot new releases from Crime Writers of Color!
Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts
Release Date: July 16, 2024, Minotaur
African American private eye Vandy Myrick uncovers shocking truths about her New Jersey hometown and her own family when she investigates a racially charged homicide.
A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns
Release Date: July 23, 2024, Kensington
Maddy’s social media success has attracted her nemesis, Brandy Denton, to New Bison, Michigan. When Brandy is murdered after arguing with Maddy, she must figure out who else had a reason to want Brandy dead.
A Dream in the Dark by Robert Justice
Release Date: July 23, 2024, Crooked Lane Books
A Dream in the Dark is a crime novel about Moses King, an innocent man convicted because the victim, Claudette Cooper, had a dream that he was the perpetrator—her dream is now his nightmare. Their fate is in the hands of Liza Brown, a woman determined to rescue others from a justice system that failed her father, and Eli Stone, an angry, grieving man.
Lakeside Secrets by K.D. Richards
Release Date: July 23, 2024, Harlequin Intrigue
Twenty years ago, trauma and injury stole Karine Eloi’s memories of her mother’s murder. Now she’s back home, teaming up with her best friend, Omar Monroe, to uncover the truth. But the townspeople refuse to spill their secrets, leaving Karine’s life in danger. Omar will risk everything to prevent the woman he’s always had feelings for from becoming the victim of another unsolved murder.
Havoc by Deborah J Ledford
Release Date: July 30, 2024, Thomas & Mercer
In this tightly paced sequel to Redemption, Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran joins the Taos Pueblo tribal police department to uncover a member of her community’s murder…and the conspiracy behind it.
Your Dark Secrets by Elle Marr
Release Date: July 30, 2024, Hyperion Avenue
An LA PR exec and her private investigator ex uncover a dangerous conspiracy led by the world’s most powerful people, whose deadly sights are now set on them.
Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe
Release Date: August 1, 2024, Thomas & Mercer
She left home as the local pariah at 22, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past?and a new danger in town that no one seems to believe exists but her.
Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
Release Date: August 13, 2024, Bantam
When a young woman is found dead on her college campus, her sister doesn’t believe it was an accident—and her search for answers leads her closer to home than she ever would have imagined.
The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee
Release Date: August 27, 2024, CamCat Books
Memory is Copeland-Stark’s business. Yet after months of memory reconsolidation treatments, Hope Nakano still has no idea what happened to her lost year or the life she was beginning to build with Luke. Each procedure surfaces fragmented clues which erode Hope’s trust in her own memories. And as inconsistencies mount, her search for answers reveals a much larger secret Copeland-Stark is determined to protect. But everyone has secrets to protect, including Hope.
Retrograde Flaw by Raquel Byrnes, Brian Shea
Release Date: September 17, 2024, Severn River Publishing
In a world of high-tech deceit, where memories are weapons and truth is a fragile illusion, Detective Morgan Reed must decipher his own past to survive.
Don’t miss CWOC’s Coming Attractions column every quarter, and Mystery and Queer Coming Attractions every month–all can be found in our Coming Attractions section.
Click on this link to take you to Mysterious Galaxy’s website where you can purchase many of these books & a portion will go to help support KRL:
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