Edgar Allan Poe, considered the Father of the mystery genre is one of my favorite authors. His first mystery The Murders in the Rue Morgue is the book where he introduced Detective D. Auguste Dupin.
He continued to use Detective Dupin in The Mystery of Marie Roget, and The Purloined Letter. But more importantly, he shifted the focus from the situation to the study of the criminals the motivation?
Understanding motivation is the reason I write the mysteries.
If I were to write my top ten favorite mysteries. I’d have to start with Poe’s three, from there I’d move on to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Series, and then the Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
To pick just one is near impossible and if you add to that the fact that Gone with the Wind is one of my favorite books. It doesn’t add up because GWTW isn’t a mystery. Unless you consider the fact that this book covered several decades, had numerous plot twists, (OMG how much does this woman (Scarlet) have to overcome. I mean wasn’t that the mystery – a dilemma.). Besides, it was superbly written. To me, that’s what puts it up there with some of the best stories ever told. It kept me turning the page. I’ve always admired the author; Margaret Mitchell and I aspire to write such a tale!
Getting back to motivation, when I wrote Cypress, Like the Tree, it was important that the motive was clear, but it was also crucial that there be several suspects.
Here’s an excerpt for your enjoyment:
“Then tell me, Mata Hari.” Cypress leaned even closer. “If you didn’t convince one of these men to kill the bastard, which one do you think did it?”
I sucked the wetness from my finger, brought the glass to my lips, and gazed into his dark brown eyes. I couldn’t believe what he was saying, and yet…. I shook my head dismissively. “No, that doesn’t make any sense. Why would any of those men kill Bill? They don’t even know me.”
He sat back in his chair. “Maybe they do. Maybe they don’t. But I’d bet my last dollar it’s one of them. That is if it isn’t you.” He stood. “Whether you did it, or one of your admirers did it for you, I promise I will get to the bottom of it.”
“You’re wrong.” I faced him. “You’re wrong about me, and them. Have you investigated his girlfriends? Maybe there’s a jealous husband or boyfriend.”
“We’re checking, but I’ve talked to all these men, and they all said your husband deserved to die.”
***
I hope you’ve got your copy of Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime and if not just leave a comment telling us what your favorite mystery is along with your email address, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime. You’re choice of paperback or eBook. Good luck!
To read more about Edgar Allan Poe go HERE!
If you'd like to win a copy of
Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime
let me know in the comments what your favorite genre is? Or who your favorite mystery author is?
And don't miss the Tote Giveway!
