Maine Crime Writers

It is frequently said that if you want to be an author, you need to be a reader. That’s certainly true for the MCW Team. And of course, summer is supposed to be a time for lots of reading. If you’ve seen our postings, you know many of us are doing a lot of driving and promoting, but we’re still reading. For this month’s group post, we’re each sharing one really good book we’ve recently read.

Kate Flora: I confess that I didn’t read my book. I listened to the audio book while I was doing some of that driving to libraries. The Maine Turnpike is a lot more bearable when someone is reading to me. My choice for one great book is Ann Patchett’s Whistler. For a writer like me, whose books are usually linear, it was interesting to “read” a book that has flashbacks and time shifts, as this one does. But from the moment that the narrator, Daphne, encounters her first stepfather, Eddie, in a museum, I was hooked. Probably in part because from the moment she starts telling the story of their car accident on a winter’s night when she was nine, and how she and Eddie handle it, I was hooked. It was so interesting to find a work of fiction not in the crime genre that made me lean in because I had to know what would happen. So, when you’re not reading one of our books, I urge you to give it a try.

Matt Cost: I just finished You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner. Read it. You won’t be sorry. The book weaves a tale that goes back 300 years and then 30 years and then to the present day, around and around again as the ties between these time periods tighten. The tension ratchets up higher and higher in this small New Hampshire town as it is discovered that the past cannot be buried, even in an old, covered-up well. It will seep out and taint the present, and sometimes what is needed is a dog to set things right, if it’s not too late. The characters are wonderful, and the mystery is better. Give it a shot. You won’t be sorry.

Gabriela Stiteler: I’ve read a number of great books this summer, but the standout for me is SMALL MERCIES by Denis Lehane. Set in Boston in the summer of 1974 against the backdrop of bussing and school integration, the story mostly follows Mary Pat, a tough Southie mother in search of her missing daughter. While plot and setting are important, it’s the characters that drive the story. Mary Pat’s arc, which is at times painful, is rendered with real care and compassion. While gritty and dealing with relevant issues (racism, brokenness, community-sanctioned violence), Lehane somehow manages to communicate a real faith in the capacity of people to learn, grow, and change. I read the book and then immediately listened to the audiobook and would recommend both. Lehane has indicated that this may be his last novel, and if that is true, it’s a heck of a way to go out.

Allison Keeton: I always have a few books going at once, mainly because I read one in my hand, and I listen to another in the car or when I walk. In paperback, I’m finishing up Massachusetts author Dennis Pierce’s Swinging for Power, a well-written, fast-paced story of a newspaper journalist–turned-investigator (out of necessity, given the changing media landscape). I recommend it! I just picked up Body in the Blueberry Barrens by Maine author Claire Ackroyd on Saturday at a book fair. I’m excited to start that. Audio-wise, I just finished, when driving to and from the book fair, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, short stories about a misbehaving almost ninety-year-old woman, by Swedish author Helene Tursten. It’s a quick but enjoyable listen. I’m just glad that Maud, the octogenarian, doesn’t know me. On Sunday, I started The Queens of Poisons by Robert Thorogood on my afternoon walk. It’s book three in the Marlow series. I hate to say I was lukewarm about book two, but I’m hopeful I will like book three as much as book one. And yes, I use the Kindle app, but mainly for cookbooks. Milk Street’s Shorts is up on it now.

John Clark:I’m offering a trio, all set in Maine. I discovered Everyone Knows But You last summer at the Peavey Memorial Library book sale. This summer, I bought the second one  We Can’t Help You and read it in one evening. I got via interlibrary loan,  Big Money, Small Town yesterday and read it last night. All are written by Thomas Ricks and have Ryan Tapia as the protagonist. I will tell you that it took the second book to appreciate the author’s style, but after I started that one, I was hooked.

Book 3

What stands out are the following: The author knows Maine well, even though he sometimes plays fast and loose with geography (notably how he describes several towns’ proximity to Moody’s Diner), his plots are multilayered, the action fast, and he leaves the reader with no illusions about his opinion regarding the current political climate as well as how deep in you know what we are thanks to greedy oligarchs.

Book 2

Book one deals with Ryan, at that point an FBI agent who is grieving the loss of his wife and children killed by a drunk driver. His new assignment in Bangor starts with a murky homicide that involves Native Americans and the closed society of a Maine fishing village.

Book two expands his involvement with Native Americans in Maine, a lover who runs for governor and some supernatural elements

Book one

Book three is grimmer than the first two, involves an out-of-state mining company bullying poor Mainers in three small towns. It’s bloody as all get out and has a dreary, but fully understandable conclusion. All three are fast and highly engrossing reads.

I first met Bruce Robert Coffin at Crime Bake a few years back and I’ve been lucky enough to bump into him a number of times since. There are a few things that stand out to me about Bruce. First, he’s a really funny guy. Not only does he have a lot of great stories, he knows how to tell them. In person. To a crowd. On the spot. There’s a gift there. Second, he takes writing seriously. He is deeply reflective about his practice and the business of writing. He reads deeply and widely. He asks questions. He writes in both short and long form. As a result, he’s a great person to go to for advice or with a question. Third, he listens. I think this may be a superpower many writers have but it is a real gift when that listening is turned to you. Whenever I see Bruce, he asks about that last project, pays attention to recent successes, and is genuinely supportive part of this wonderful crime writing community.

Last winter, Bruce, Jule, Matt, Ryan, and I all met up at the Great Lost Bear in Portland to connect on our writing. It was great. He was telling me about the Detective Justice series and lately it’s been everywhere. Most recently, Bruce was honored with the Silver Falchion for Best Book by an Attending Author at Killer Nashville.

With his latest book, DARK HARBOR, hitting a bookstore near you, I asked if he could take a minute to share a little about his latest series. It’s getting a lot of buzz, for good reason.

Welcome back our old friend Maine Crime Writers contributor, Bruce Robert Coffin.

GS: Firstly, congrats on your recent success with your Detective Justice series. This follows the success of your Detective Byron series and the Turner and Mosley Files, co-written by Lyndee Walker. The series centers on Detective Brock Justice and his rookie partner Detective Chloe Wright. In the first book, CRIMSON THAW, Justice has been exiled to Major Crime Unit – North for crossing the thin blue line. How did this series come to be? I’d love to know a little about your journey to writing this series.

BRC: Thank you, Gabi. I am so grateful to see both existing and new readers embracing the Justice novels. And I certainly never imagined Crimson Thaw being a finalist for the Anthony Award and the Barry Award!

Brock Justice might never have happened were it not for my partnering with LynDee Walker. LynDee and I had already completed the first book in the Turner and Mosley Files series and were busy writing the second when Paula Munier, my literary agent, reached out to me about the possibility of creating a new police procedural series for Severn River Publishing. At first I was reluctant to commit to anything new as I was already working under a four book contract, but it didn’t take long before the ideas began coming fast and furious and I knew I wanted to get started on the Justice books. I spent a few days working out the series and the storyline for the first novel and then Paula forwarded everything to the publisher, a few weeks later we were under contract for four novels. Since that time the series has been expanded and there will be at least eight Justice books.

GS: I’d love for you to share a little with readers about your latest release, DARK HARBOR. What is the newest Detective Justice about? What surprised you when you were writing it? 

BRC: One of the wonderful things about writing a series featuring a Maine state police detective is that it allows me the creative freedom to set the murder investigations anywhere in the state. This is a big departure from my Byron novels, set in Portland, Maine, as John Byron was a municipal detective which meant the crime always had to originate in Portland.

DARK HARBOR involves a break-in to the seaside mansion of Granville Warren, a well-to-do businessman, on Sols Cliff in Bar Harbor. Granville and his very young third wife return home from a day sailing around Frenchman Bay and the surrounding area of Acadia, to discover the break-in still in progress. The resulting mayhem leaves Granville and one of the burglars dead, but as you might imagine nothing is ever what it seems.

GS: One of the things that stands out to me about this series is the setting. From Blue Hill to Moosehead Lake to Bar Harbor, Detective Justice finds himself in communities known for their beauty. But in typical Bruce Robert Coffin style, there is always something a little rotten below the surface. When writing, how do you decide where to set the stories? Does the setting come first or the idea for the plot? In what ways does this compare to your experiences with your other series?

BRC: Truthfully, this newly acquired autonomy makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I’m reveling in the ability to place my stories anywhere I choose. And you’re right, Maine is such a beautiful and sparsely inhabited state that it lends itself perfectly to the juxtaposition of placing a fictional murder in an idyllic setting. And not only setting, the changing seasons come into play, too. I’m currently writing FREEZE POINT, the fourth book in the series, which takes place in Presque Isle during a nor’easter. To answer your question, I normally think of plot first then try to decide the best locale and time of year to set it.

GS: Last year I moderated a panel where Lori Rader-Day, Edwin Hill, and Carolyn Wilkins shared their reflections about themes. They all said that the themes of their stories emerge organically through the process of writing the story itself. Somebody mentioned this idea of a having a core story – or ideas they come back repeatedly. When you look at your body of work, are there any themes that repeat?

BRC: Sounds like a fascinating panel! I write most of my novels around a central theme. I find that having that theme in mind before writing the story allows me to stay on course and not stray off on some tangent, as writers are wont to do. LOL

As for repeating themes, yeah, I guess I tend to revisit those. I hadn’t really given it too much thought until you asked, but looking back I have explored themes more than once. I think most writers naturally gravitate toward those themes that we find the most interesting. And let’s face it, the human condition is ripe with stories that revolve around its best and worst attributes.

GS: In addition to being a writer, you are also a retired police detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement. I’d love to hear about how skills and knowledge from your lived experience help you not only think about what to write, but inform your practice of writing and research.

BRC: Coming directly from a field in which finding answers and being able to document those answers was the sole focus has helped me immeasurably. Writing a cohesive and chronological story is something that every police investigator must learn. I had no idea that those very same traits would lend themselves so well to writing novels, but they have. Red herrings and unreliable characters came naturally during my real life investigations, so I have had a lot of experience from which to draw, allowing me to use them to the greatest effect in my fictional worlds. The other ingredient that adds so much is my knowledge of the emotional toll the job takes on real life investigators. I try and use emotion whenever possible to pull the reader into the story and get them to feel what my characters feel.

GS: You first started writing on this blog when you were pretty early in your career. What are some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

BRC: I did, indeed. I think my first contributions to this blog were a year before my first novel was published. At that point I had no idea how little I knew about the publishing business, and probably still don’t. But I knew I loved writing and spending time with my “imaginary friends” and that hasn’t changed at all. Which may be the most important lesson. Never stop writing. Never stop creating. This business, like any other, can be daunting at the best of times, there are so many things to worry about, things that will require large blocks of your time and will wear you down if you let them. Never lose sight of the most important things, the writing, the creating. Tess Gerritsen told me when I first started to play the long game. “Being a novelist is a marathon not a sprint.” As I sit here writing the manuscript for my thirteenth novel, I’d say Tess was spot on.

GS: What are you reading, watching, listening to now? Any recommendations?

BRC: I’m currently doing some reading to prepare for my Bouchercon panels, one of which I will be moderating. My pile consists of THE RED SCARE MURDERS by Con Lehane, NO HIGHER GROUND by Nicole Brooks, STATES OF GRACE by Mandy Miller, and Karen Dionne’s THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER (which I’m reading for the second time around, it’s so good!). I’m also on the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original finalists panel with James L’Etoile, Lina Chern, Tracy Clark, and Heather Levy, so I’m reading each of their nominated books too!

My current audiobook is FOX CREEK by William Kent Krueger.

GS: Thank you so much, Bruce! It’s always a pleasure to hear what you have going on and I can’t wait to see the next Detective Justice book.

You find find Bruce in person here in the great state of Maine at any of the following events:

• 8/29 1-3pm signing at Sherman’s Bookstore in Windham
• 9/12 11-1pm signing at Letterpress Books in Windham
• 10/21 – 10/25 Bouchercon in Calgary
• 11/17 6-7pm Kennebunk Free Library

DARK HARBOR – book #3 of Detective Justice series, published by Severn River Publishing

With intricate plotting reminiscent of Craig Johnson’s Longmire and the relentless, atmospheric tension of C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett, Bruce Robert Coffin delivers another gripping Detective Justice novel that cuts straight to the bone.

One dead millionaire, one dead intruder, and a detective whose only path forward means exposing the secrets of Bar Harbor’s wealthy elite.

HERE.

Bruce Robert Coffin is an award-winning and international bestselling novelist and short story writer. A retired police detective sergeant, Bruce is the author of the Detective Byron Mysteries, the Detective Justice Mysteries, and co-author of the Turner and Mosley Files (with LynDee Walker). His Anthony Award nominated short fiction has been published in more than a dozen anthologies including Best American Mystery Stories, 2016.

Winner of Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Awards for Best Procedural, and Best Investigator, and the Maine Literary Award for Best Crime Fiction, Bruce has also been a finalist for the Agatha, Barry, and Anthony Awards. His short fiction appears in more than sixteen anthologies including Best American Mystery Stories, 2016.

Bruce is represented by Paula Munier at Talcott Notch Literary Services. He lives and writes in Maine.

What in life has driven me to want to be a writer? What were the influences that made me want to sit in a dark corner of my house and kill people? What terrible decisions did I make in my life to take me down this path? These are the questions posed to me by my therapist, sometimes known as Saint and other times just plain called Danger.

To answer these nefarious questions, we have to meander back to eight-year-old Matt and the story of the blind pony he rode into a swimming pool by mistake. No, that is probably a story about his stunted personal life and unrelated to writing mysteries and thrillers, where people walk razor-thin paths to stay alive, stop the villains, solve the mystery, and save the day. That attempt of eight-year-old Matt, due to a surprise ambush by a chicken, was far from saving the day, but it was a bit of an eye-opener and spurred many new swimming pool signs being put up in Ohio saying No Blind Ponies in the Deep End.

The love of mysteries began with either the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. I’m not sure which one came first, sort of like that chicken and egg thing.

The Hardy Boys is where I first realized the local police were bumblers and that private investigators, curious sleuths, or even a couple of high school boys were needed if any crimes were ever going to get solved. I also realized that boys are smarter than their fathers, aunts are always fussy, everybody has a friend with an endless appetite, and in fiction, even the oldest, most beat-up jalopy can outrace the fanciest sports car.

Which came first? The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew? The Hardy Boys book series debuted in 1927, while Nancy Drew made her first appearance a few years later in 1930. Edward Stratemeyer of the Stratemeyer Syndicate created both characters. Needless to say, Nancy had a similar ‘oh shucks’ father, a blue roadster, and countless skills such as being fluent in multiple languages, the ability to pilot planes, paint like a pro, and being proficient in judo—all by the age of eighteen.

Other favorites included Encyclopedia Brown, a young whiz of a detective who proves bullies can be outsmarted, girls can be badass tough, adults are useless, and criminals can be bluffed. The Great Brain, aka Tom Dennis Fitzgerald, taught me that the protagonist can be flawed as he cons the neighborhood kids out of their money in between solving crimes. And, of course, adults are useless. I never realized then that I, too, was destined to grow up useless.

Louis L’Amour. These are the preteen years. Every book I could get my hands on. This is the tough, smart, loner with nothing to lose who just wants to be left alone, but the baddies refuse, or want what he has, or are jealous that the women look his way. It is all about the underdog, unwavering principles, and the importance of kin. Lee Child took a page from L’Amour to create Reacher, a wandering hero who comes into town with no baggage, no permanent address, a strict moral code—and proceeds to kick ass on the baddies.

High school for me was all about sports, and I may have temporarily forgotten how to read. I believe I began my relationship with Robert Parker during that time, though, and thus discovered that men can cook, be faithful, wisecrack, and that it is good to have a friend who can kick some serious ass.

College was about getting my work done so I could party. I did play on an intramural basketball and softball team that was pretty good our freshman year but got progressively worse each year after. I did get pretty good at playing quarters, poker, and eating late-night hot dogs.

But then come the Carl Hiaasen years. Humor in mysteries. Colorful characters. Saving the environment, fighting against corporate greed, being wild and zany. Mysteries can have ferocious humor, eccentric kooky protagonists, and despicable villains. Game on.

Carl tag-teamed with Elmore Leonard in the 90s to cement this concept for me: mysteries can be sharp, funny, and cool, and characters can have snappy, realistic dialogue.

That, in a nutshell, is my formation as a writer. In two words. Bad Monkey. Write on!

About the Author

Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014, he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.

Cost has published six books in the Mainely Mystery series, starting with Mainely Power. He has also published six books in the Clay Wolfe Trap series, starting with Wolfe Trap. There are two books in the Brooklyn 8 Ballo series, starting with Velma Gone Awry. For historical novels, Cost has published At Every Hazard and its sequel, Love in a Time of Hate, as well as I am Cuba. The Not So Merry Adventures of Max Creed began a new series this past April. The second book in the chronicles, EveryThing vs. Max Creed, is now out.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. Cost now spends his days at the computer, writing.

By the time this appears, the word will be out, so I think it’s safe to write about in advance. Anne and I have sold our house in Cape Elizabeth and are moving on to the next (smaller) residence of our lives. We will miss our grand backyard and the sun porch, which has been the scene of many great get-together.

One of the great memories of this house that we will take with us is the more-or-less semi-annual crime writer potlucks it’s hosted. Can’t remember when we started doing them but they’ve always been a terrific way to get all our semi-introverted writer friends all in one place and celebrate, talk about the work, complain about publishers and editors, etc., etc.

The Crime Writer potluck rules are simple: bring enough of your dish for everyone and only bring something  you like. That lack of guidance has not made for any memorable lacuna in the ultimate meal. At worst, we’ve wound up with too much dessert. Too much dessert. Boo hoo.

We held the last potluck in this house a week ago Saturday night. I hope you can see from some of the pictures below what it looks like when people who kill people for fun and profit party. Kate Flora often says one of the reason crime writers are so nice is that we work out all our aggressions on the page. Poets, on the other hand. Whooo, can they be nasty.

Wide shot of the crew

Looks as if Gabi’s husband James is telling me something frightening

The irrepressible Julia Spencer-Fleming starts the party

Diane and Barbara and half of Brenda

Bill and all of Brenda taking a breather

Gayle and John (slyly smiling)

Chris and Katrina contemplating the universe

Gayle, Julia, and the fabulous Jule Selbo sharing secrets

Bill’s antique store find and our new mascot

Also in attendance but seen only in the group photos, Jule Selbo’s  podcast-slinging spouse, Mark Winkworth and the extremely talented Gabriela Stiteler.

I would be remiss not to mention the fact that Sept 1 at 6 PM, I will be launching the second Ardmore Theberge novel, Hard as a Headstone, and the reissue (also by Islandport Press) of the revised version of The Last Altruist. Would be delighted to see you there. Gabi Stiteler will be holding my conversational feet to the fire and there will be cake. I’m also launching a series of library and bookstore events through the fall. It’s gonna be a hella busy Fall.