First published 2001
This anthology brings together diverse works from crime journalist turned novelist Edna Buchanan. The collection opens with six magazine articles that showcase her investigative reporting background. Eight short stories follow, each demonstrating her skill at crafting tight narratives around criminal cases and their human consequences. Readers also get an intimate look at Buchanan's creative process through a revealing interview where she discusses her transition from newsroom to fiction writing. The volume concludes with opening chapters from two unpublished novels, offering glimpses into longer works that never reached completion. Throughout these varied pieces, Buchanan's distinctive voice emerges. Her years covering Miami's crime beat infuse every story with authentic detail about police procedures, forensic evidence, and the psychology of both criminals and victims. The collection reveals an author who understands that the most compelling mysteries arise not from elaborate puzzles but from the complex motivations that drive ordinary people to extraordinary acts.
Genres: short-stories, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, fast-paced, intimate
Tropes: complex-motivations, ordinary-people, psychological-thriller
Setting: Miami
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
Paperback · Albin Michel