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Here’s the premise: two sixteen-year-olds, best buddies, are out camping alone in local woods when they stumble across a body in a shallow grave. First off, they recognize the victim. Second, one finds something near the grave that could tie one or both of their fathers to the scene. He pockets the evidence and doesn’t tell his friend. Now, both boys have some serious thinking to do and decisions to make. That was the kernel of a story which I’ve now turned into my latest nov

A couple of years ago I published a short story in Mystery Tribune magazine called "Shooting the Breeze." It's a tale about two retiree neighbours during a downtown Providence heatwave in 1963, sweltering away in folding chairs and smoking cigarettes. Just making conversation. But the acerbic banter might just point to something a little bit darker lurking beneath the surface. Head on over to the online magazine, pull up a seat next to Harry, and have a read for free.

Readers find sociopaths in novels compelling for many reasons, not least of which is that they are exciting to read about. After all, they're usually unpredictable, never boring, and often quite humorous. Probably the best example is Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley , a novel that spawned an entire series about a sociopath underdog who literally gets away with murder. And more than once. While we may not exactly root for Tom Ripley evading justice, we're fascinate

Some of you may have noticed a few recent Facebook posts of mine mentioning my latest book addiction: the novels of Raymond Chandler. Chandler’s works were something I’d always just taken for granted. I knew who he was and I’d seen  The Big Sleep (1946)  with Bogart as the iconic private eye Philip Marlowe. But I’d never actually picked up and read one of his novels. Hard-boiled detective fiction was for the movies and TV. I never had the inclination to read any pulp fiction.