by Sarah Erwin

This week we are featuring our second LGBTQ+ author for Pride, Anne Laughlin. We have a review of her latest book and an interesting interview with Anne. While we cover LGBTQIA authors throughout the year, we make a special effort to feature them during Pride month. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Clean Kill by Anne Laughlin
Review by Sarah Erwin

Clean Kill is the first book in a new series by Anne Laughlin, and I am already looking forward to reading more. I inhaled this gripping book in under 24 hours.

Nicky Sullivan is the resident manager of a sober living home in Chicago. Previously, she served as homicide detective until alcohol took over her life, and she quit her job after a fatal shooting that also injured a young girl. Nicky works hard to stay sober, take care of her residents, point them in the right direction, and deal with her absolutely awful boss.

Money goes missing from the petty cash and AA meeting box from the home, and Nicky’s boss insists Nicky investigate and pin this on one of the residents. As a result, a resident is kicked out of the house, only to be found murdered not long after. Nicky is devastated, but the situation turns worse when more women – each newly relapsed and with a connection to Nicky – are found murdered. Nicky reaches out to her former partner, Detective Quinn and Quinn, Nicky and Quinn’s new partner Detective Parker begin to investigate.

From page one I was absolutely hooked on this story, and I could not put it down. It’s suspenseful, and the threat of a serial killer who seemed to get braver and braver felt like a ticking time bomb. I’m surprised my kindle didn’t overheat by how quickly I was tapping the pages. No part of this story was slow, and the action built at such a fast pace.

In addition to a solid plot, the well defined characters made the story. Nicky was so real to me–I could feel her struggles and the guilt she felt for both her past and the current trouble. She was trying so hard, and I admired and liked her so much. I rooted for her to find justice and some peace. I am so happy there is a promising love interest/relationship for her – she deserves this happiness so much.

A strong start to a new suspenseful series. I’m looking forward to reading more about Nicky.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Interview with Anne Laughlin:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Anne: My first novel was published in 2008 and I’d taken up writing not long before that. I was fifty years old when I wrote my first story, a late bloomer to be sure.

KRL: Tell us a little about that first book?

Anne: Sometimes Quickly came out in 2008 through a publisher that subsequently went out of business. The rights to it are now with my current publisher, Bold Strokes Books. It’s the story of a woman twenty years into recovery who is still haunted by her drinking past. There’s a significant romantic plot as well.

Anne Laughlin

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Anne: All of my published work has been in the crime genre. They’re all stand-alone novels that take on various sub-genres like police procedural, private detective, even a sleuthing college dean. I’m currently writing something that is a big departure for me–a historical thriller set in 1929 and 1933 Berlin. I’ve got a good third draft done, with a few more drafts to come. I’m really enjoying writing it.

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Anne: Clean Kill is set in a sober living house on the north side of Chicago. Ten newly sober, highly vulnerable women live there. The resident manager of the house is Nicky Sullivan, my main character. The setting was very deliberate–I wanted to explore how devastating addiction can be and how tenuous it is trying to stay sober. The house is its own community, a sort of closed society, which is something I’ve always been interested in writing about.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Anne: I always hope my books are entertaining, but I try to go a little deeper by carefully developing my characters and giving the reader the feeling they really know them. In Clean Kill I have some clear themes of recovery, redemption, and courage. Hopefully the reader comes away with the feeling they just had an immersive read.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

Anne: I’m pretty religious about writing every day. If I’m drafting a novel, I’ll often give myself word count goals each days and write at least until I meet that number. I probably write 2-3 hours each day, but there are fallow times as well. Like now when I’m waiting for feedback from my writing group.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

Anne: I like to write around 7:00 am. I’m a very early riser.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Anne: I’m a recent convert to outlining an entire book before I start writing. It proved invaluable while writing the Berlin novel. But for my other books I’d say I was in between being an outliner and a seat of your pants writer. I would plot six or seven scenes ahead of time and advance the plot that way.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning? Do you feel you faced any special challenges to getting publisher being an LGBTQIA author?

Anne: There’s no question having queer main characters puts an obstacle in the way to mainstream publishing, even though agents and editors are now saying they want more LGBTQA material. I don’t believe the publishing industry thinks queer books will sell well, so whatever enthusiasm they have at present, the number of queer books actually published remains minuscule. Still, there’s no denying the climate is much more hospitable now than in earlier decades. Hopefully, that won’t be a flash in the pan.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Anne: I once had a New York literary agent who put my book A Date to Die out for submission. When she got rejections from nine of the imprints she sent the manuscript to, she dumped me. It was a devastating shock at the time. I felt we were still a long way from exhausting places to send it.

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

Anne: I’m currently working on the fourth draft of a historical thriller, which is a departure for me. I’m so excited about the book and hope to write two follow up novels. I also plan to write another Nicky Sullivan mystery to continue on the series from Clean Kill.

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

Anne: Jane Austen and Edith Wharton for the classics, Jean Redmann and Val McDermid for mysteries, and Claire Keegan and Elizabeth Strout for contemporary literary masters.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Anne:The Berlin book I’m now working on took a ton of research, all of which I enjoyed. There’s no lack of material on pre-War Germany, so though extensive, the research was pretty straightforward. The Acquittal, an earlier novel of mine, featured a protagonist suffering from bi-polar disorder. I did a lot of research on that, both books and articles and interviews with psychiatrists. There’s something in every book that needs to be researched.

KRL: What do you like to read?

Anne: I read mostly literary fiction but also enjoy mysteries, of course. Recently I read a few fantasy books to see what the genre was all about. I enjoyed them until I hit a wall and couldn’t read any more fantasy. I read extensively and books of all sorts pass through my hands.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

Anne: We just finished Baby Reindeer, which I loved. We like lots of British shows, psychological thrillers, and the occasional reality show. I don’t know why, but I’m a big fan of Alone. I love watching people dropped into the middle of nowhere and figuring out how to survive in the wilderness. My favorite recent movies are Anatomy of a Fall and Zone of Interest.

KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Anne: Take writing classes. I think this helps with thinking like a writer and, of course, learning the craft of writing. My second bit of advice is to keep your butt in the chair. Absolutely nothing gets done unless you sit down and write. Sometimes I have no idea what to write about until I’m at my desk and the ideas start to flow. Don’t leave the chair until something happens, no matter how small.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Anne: I volunteer as an adult literacy teacher in Chicago. I teach a writing class and tutor a student one-on-one, and I love every minute of it.

KRL: Do you have any pets?

Anne: My wife and I have two spoiled cats.

KRL: Is there anything you would like to add, and where can our readers find you online?

Anne: My website is www.annelaughlinwriter.com and I’d love to hear from anyone who contacts me there. I can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/annelaughlin or Instagram at instagram.com/laughlin.anne

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

If you are looking for more great LGBTQIA mysteries to read, be sure to check out our Queer Mystery Coming Attractions column each month!

To enter to win a copy of Clean Kill, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “clean” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 22, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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