Actresses - Fiction; Older women - Fiction; Motion picture actors and actresses - Fiction; Private investigators - California - Los Angeles - Fiction
Ray Bradbury discusses his book, “Let’s All Kill Constance." He explains that the plot is set in 1960s Los Angeles and follows an unnamed writer who serves as the novel’s narrator. The mystery begins with a visit from an aging Hollywood...
Susan Straight discusses her novel, “The Gettin Place.” She begins by explaining that she uses the same characters in other books she has written such as, “I’ve Been In Sorrow’s Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots,” and “Blacker Than...
Americans - Italy - Fiction; Mothers and sons - Fiction; Jewish women - Fiction; War crimes - Fiction; Revenge - Fiction; Venice (Italy) - Fiction
Joseph Kanon discusses his novel, “Alibi.” He begins by explaining his own travels to Venice and how he knew he wanted to write a story about the city. He talks about Venice’s role in the Holocaust and how he incorporated that into his...
Chandler, Raymond, 1888-1959 - Relations with women; Authors, American - 20th century - Biography; Detective and mystery stories - Authorship
Judith Freeman discusses her novel, “The Long Embrace.” She begins by explaining that she read a lot of Raymond Chandler’s work in the 1980s and was fascinated by his life. She talks about Chandler’s move to Los Angeles and how he meets...
Mary Higgins Clark discusses her novel, “A Cry in the Night. “ She begins by explaining that her book is about a single mother who starts dating a wealthy and dangerous man. She talks about how she does research and gets ideas by going to...
Detective and mystery stories, English; Private investigators - England - Fiction; Watson, John H. (Fictitious character) - Fiction; Holmes, Sherlock (Fictitious character) - Fiction; Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930
Leslie Klinger discusses his work on, “The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes.” He begins by explaining his work on annotating the works of author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From there he goes on to discuss whether or not Sherlock Holmes and Dr....
Egypt - History - To 332 B.C. - Fiction; Ramses III, King of Egypt - Fiction
Brad Geagley discusses his book, “Year of the Hyenas.” He begins by discussing how the book is a murder mystery set in ancient Egypt when the kingdom was at the height of its glory and power. Geagley explains that as a backdrop for his...
Juris Jurjevics discusses his book, “The Trudeau Vector.” He begins by explaining that traditionally the Arctic is a very neutral and utopian place. However, in his book the mystery begins when several Arctic scientists are found dead and...
Ray Shannon discusses his novel, “Man Eater.” He begins by explaining how his real name is Gar Anthony Haywood, but he decided to write this book under an alias so his readers wouldn’t get confused. He says the book is about a gangster who...
Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.) - Fiction; Women composers - Fiction; Jazz musicians - Fiction; San Francisco (Calif.) - Fiction
Rupert Holmes discusses his book, "Swing: A Mystery." The story takes place in San Francisco circa 1940. All of the locations mentioned in the book were (and are) real locations. The main character is a band leader named Ray. He is involved...
Helen Hayes discusses her book, "Where the Truth Lies," written with Thomas Chastain. The book is a murder mystery and the main character is named Arthur Strickland. He is a movie producer who makes an award winning film and is then murdered on...
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Fiction; Halloween - Fiction; Cemeteries - Fiction; Screenwriters - Fiction; Motion picture industry - Fiction
Ray Bradbury discusses his book, “A Graveyard for Lunatics." He explains that the book is his second mystery novel in which he features a fictionalized version of himself as the unnamed narrator. The book is set in 1950s Hollywood where the...
Kelly, Irene (Fictitious character) - Fiction;
Women journalists - Fiction;
California - Fiction
Jan Burke discusses her novel, “Hocus.” She begins by explaining that this is another book in the series that follows Detective Irene Kelly. She talks about how there was an auction to name one of the characters in her book after a real...
Kelly, Irene (Fictitious character) - Fiction; Women journalists - Fiction; California - Fiction
Jan Burke discusses her novel, “Remember Me, Irene.” She begins by explaining that this is the fourth book in the series that follows her character Irene Kelly, a detective and writer. Martinson asks Burke to read a passage from the beginning...
Kritsick, Stephen; Veterinarians - New York (State) - New York - Biography
Dr. Stephen Kritsick discusses his book, “Creature Comforts,” which talks about issues of pets. He speaks about the differences between purebred versus mixed-breed pets. He states that mixed-breed pets tend to be more tame and healthier in...
Los Angeles (Calif.) - Fiction; Women detectives - California - Los Angeles - Fiction; Consulting firms - Fiction; Business consultants - Fiction; Sinclair, Tucker (Fictitious character) - Fiction
Patricia Smiley discusses her book, “Cover Your Assets.” She begins by detailing the plot of the novel, which is the second book in the Tucker Sinclair series. Tucker Sinclair is a Los Angeles business consultant who must solve the mysterious...
Macdonald, Ross, 1915-1983;
Novelists, American - 20th century - Biography;
Detective and mystery stories - Authorship
Tom Nolan discusses his book, “Ross MacDonald: A Biography.” He begins by explaining why he wrote on Ross Macdonald, the pen name of writer Ken Millar. He talks about Macdonald’s early life growing up with an abusive family. He describes...
Munson, Audrey;
Artists’ models - United States - Biography
Diane Rozas dsicusses her book, “American Venus.” She begins by explaining that her book is about model Audrey Munson who was a model for many painters and sculptors. She talks about how Munson’s face can be seen in many statues in New...
Joyce Harrington discusses her novels, “Family Reunion,” and “No One Knows My Name.” She begins by explaining how she got started writing murder mystery novels. She talks about submitting her short stories to magazines, and winning the...
Musicians - Fiction; Conductors (Music) - Fiction; San Francisco (Calif.) - Fiction
Peter Duchin discusses his book, “Blue Moon.” He begins by discussing his interest in mystery books and his job playing the piano and how it sparked the idea for a character that observes a murder while playing in a band at a hotel. Duchin goes...
