The Pregnant Sleuth

LUCY BURDETTE: At the end of my 15th Key West food critic mystery, THE MANGO MURDERS, my food critic sleuth Hayley Snow turns up pregnant. I hadn’t planned this, and to be fair, neither had she. But I had the sneaking suspicion that this book would be the end of the series. If it was, what better way to go out with a flourish than with the happy news of an upcoming baby? Except, it turned out, the series didn’t end and now I was weighted down by a pregnant sleuth. Oof.

As I began writing the 16th book, A DELICIOUS DECEPTION, Hayley is struggling through the ninth month of her pregnancy. She feels the loss of her autonomy, her usual spunk, and her privacy. Everybody has an opinion about what a very pregnant sleuth should be doing, beginning very emphatically with her protective police officer husband, Nathan. Hayley is known for being hot-headed and independent, but that only goes so far as a reasonable explanation in this situation. I had to work hard to give her a case that pulled so hard on her sense of justice that it would overcome her physical and psychological worries. I hope I did her justice!

Reds, it’s a sticky wicket;  it’s a natural progression for a young woman to want a family, but this makes it hard on the author. What have you learned by writing your pregnant sleuths, or why did you decide to skip this milestone?

RHYS BOWEN: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself ‘what was I thinking’ when I got my heroines pregnant? The problem is that writing about young women in the past, when they fell in love and got married there was no birth control or at least they didn’t know about it. So pregnancies were inevitable. I remember the book in which Molly Murphy has to flee to Paris with her new baby and then has a horrible mystery to solve concerning her two friends there and every four hours she has to rush home to nurse that baby.

The problem with having a female sleuth who is also a new mother is that I have to ask myself all the time, would I put myself into danger if I was responsible for someone else’s life? And so most of Molly‘s cases since she had her first child have been ones that concerned her, her family or close friends, and which  she had a moral obligation to help solve.

At least Lady Georgie has it slightly easier as she has a nanny. Not that that was always a good thing but now she can relax a little knowing her child is in good hands.

So my advice would be if you consider giving your heroin either a baby or a dog – don’t. Readers will write and tell you if you haven’t fed the dog for 10 pages. I will certainly notice if you’ve left the baby lying in a crib for three chapters.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I decided my co-sleuth, Clare Fergusson, would get pregnant because I wanted to explore the dynamics between her and her brand-new husband, who had agreed with her they WOULDN'T have any children. It added interesting layers to her character - she was always reckless, and had to deal with the fact anything that might happen to her would also affect her unborn child. There are, of course, the physical challenges of going after bad guys when your center of gravity has shifted and it's hard to bend over! The biggest and most dynamic change was the way others saw her - a visible pregnancy makes some observers more protective, and some willing to take advantage of her supposed vulnerability. 

At the end, the real challenge of having a pregnant sleuth, as in real life, comes AFTER the baby is born and you have to deal with it!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yeah, my heroines are not pregnant. They often have children, though, their own kids but young, or a child-adjacent character like a niece. As you say, Julia, after the child is born brings its own set of challenges (like they keep needing to EAT, for gosh sake, and they can’t even DRIVE) but that’s for another blog.

HALLIE EPHRON: There’s a reason Raymond Chandler quipped: “A really good detective never gets married.” Oy, the complications of child care. Pregnancy complicates things even further. But what fun, giving your sleuth problems!!

I did it with my first standalone, NEVER TELL A LIE. Domestic suspense, of course, my sweet spot. And Ivy Rose is 9-months pregnant when a woman from her past drops in on her yard sale (Ivy is nesting!) and turns her world upside down. (Pregnant Ivy muses “A fullly pregnant belly was pretty astonishing. Right up there with a prizewinning Hubbard squash.”)

The stakes are as enormous as the sleuth’s belly.

JENN McKINLAY: LOL, Hallie! Personally, I couldn’t write about a pregnant amateur sleuth and thus opted out of doing so. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to accept that a pregnant woman or the people who love her would be okay if she and the baby were put in harm’s way because she’s nosy. It's different if she's a cop/detective where it's her job, baby or not. That being said, If anyone can pull it off, Lucy, you can! Can’t wait to read it. I did end the cupcake series with a pregnant main character but my plan if I’d written another one was to have her staff take over the sleuthy part–rather like Archie Goodwin helps Nero Wolfe (leaving him to tend his orchid babies).

DEBORAH CROMBIE: When I first started my series I gave Gemma, then a single mum, a two-year-old. I knew I wanted to write about women in the job (policing) dealing with the things real women deal with, like juggling work and child care. Then a few books later, Gemma gets pregnant and it really upsets her new-found stability. Unfortunately, she loses that baby six months into the pregnancy, possibly due to a violent encounter with a villain, and it’s very difficult for her to regroup.

But I still think a pregnant sleuth, amateur or professional, makes for great plot opportunities, and I think Rhys and Julia and Hallie have handled it really well. Lucy, I can’t wait to see how Hailey manages!

RED READERS, please weigh in with your thoughts on the pregnant sleuth. Do you enjoy this life twist in your mysteries? Why or why not?

You’ll be able to read about Hayley’s adventures in this delicate condition beginning July 14. Please pre-order here! 

Or join me at RJ Julia booksellers on July 14 at 6:30 in Madison CT. You can also order a signed copy at the store. 203-245-3959

Revealing Our Musical Crushes

 LUCY BURDETTE: A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated music Sunday at our church. Our music director is incredible, and he’s infused amazing life into the choirs. Plus he’s a fantastic organist, and tons of fun besides. He often brings in guest musicians for special occasions. I read in the Sunday bulletin that the drummer he’d engaged to play for us tours with Mickey Dolenz and the Monkees.

This was such a blast from the past! Mickey Dolenz was my very first crush. Somehow, I persuaded my parents to let me attend a Monkees concert when I turned 13. My first (terrible) short story was about a jilted teenager who runs up the steps of the Hatteras lighthouse and finds Mickey Dolenz at the top! Trust me, if that had really happened, onlookers would have witnessed a major freak out. Apparently, Mickey and the Monkees band are still touring and this visiting drummer was going out on the road with them in several weeks. I introduced myself and asked him to say hello from Roberta.😂

So Reds, there is the question for the day. What do you remember about your first musical crush? How old were you and what drew you to him or her? Are they still alive and kicking? If you didn’t have a crush (really?), what was your first concert?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: That’s an easy one, Lucy! I was eleven when the Beatles hit the US airwaves. I fell madly in love with Paul McCartney and I have to say I never recovered. Paul just turned 84 on June 18th (of course I know his birthday) and he’s still adorable and is still performing and still writing great music. His new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, is terrific. I did the Beatles tour in Liverpool a couple of years ago with my pal Kate Charles and now I know the places he’s singing about.

And the first concert was The Beatles, in Dallas. We had seats on the 12th row, can you believe it? Of course you couldn’t hear them for the screaming, but it was still a life-marking experience. I’ve seen McCartney live twice over the years since, and they were the most joyous concerts  vvvI’ve ever attended. We love you, Paul!!

LUCY: So jealous of that concert Debs–Paul was my guy as well:)

RHYS BOWEN: In school my friends were all into Elvis in a big way. We’d listen to Heartbreak Hotel and they’d all swoon. Not me. There was something about his looks I didn’t like. I think my first crush was Gordon McCrea in Oklahoma and Carousel. I had the records of both and played them non stop. But when the Beatles came along— well, who wouldn’t love them?

JENN McKINLAY: First crush was Shawn Cassidy! He had a singing career, I guess, but I crushed on him because he played Joe Hardy on The Hardy Boys Mysteries every Sunday night! This is likely where my love of amateur sleuths began. My first concert was RUSH in the New Haven Coliseum! We all packed into a friend’s ancient Datsun B210 and drove 45 minutes to get there. No cell phones, GPS, or AAA. Can’t believe we survived – LOL. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: My first musical crush..well, definitely not Elvis, I agree, Rhys, there was just no spark for me. But oh, absolutely, the Beatles. I sobbed, watching them on Ed Sullivan, and I was the vice-president of the Midwest Chapter of the National Beatles Fan Cluub. It was an actual thing! Paul, and John, oh, they were so cute, and so talented! I saw them at the Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and fairly levitated. Was that my first concert? No, I’m sure I went to many with my music critic (for the Chicago Daily News)  father –I do remember having a huge crush on Roddy McDowell who I saw playing Mordred in the musical Camelot, gosh, that was in 196-something?(The bad-boy thing, I guess. I never liked Lancelot.)  But the Beatles was the first concert on my own, and soon after that  I was all about Paul Simon. Still am. 

HALLIE EPHRON: My first concert was at the Hollywood Bowl: Joan Baez with an unknown rumpled male singer. She was terrific. He mumbled his way through a set and I, with my great prescience about musical talent, wrote Bob Dylan off as a never-gonna-be.

I’m a big baby when it comes to crowds, so concerts have never been my thing. If that weren’t the case I’d have haunted Paul Simon. Also Buddy Holly. Also LIttle Richard. Hmmm, also Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash.  

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Jenn, my sister and I were absolute devotees of THE HARDY BOYS, and agreed she would get Shaun Cassidy and I could have Parker Stevenson. I understand he’s Episcopalian, so maybe I’ll run into him in a church one day…? Both those men have aged VERY nicely.

My first strictly musical crush was - don’t laugh - Barry Manilow. No, the fact he played with Bette Midler in the Baths did not tip me off. He came to Syracuse for a concert and my BFF and I got tickets. My first show, and WOW it was so good. I’m happy he’s out and proud and living his best life, and I’m happy to have listened to “Barry Manilow II” and “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling” so many times I had to replace my record player’s needle.

PS, Lucy, my Monkee was Peter Tork. Somewhere out there, there’s got to be a personality quiz that reveals who you are based on which of the Monkees or Beatles you crushed on! 

LUCY: I’d be surprised if that quiz doesn’t exist Julia! Red readers, tell us about your first musical crush…

The Agony or Joy of Anticipation.

RHYS BOWEN: How  many of you have enjoyed The Other Bennet Sister? I am. In fact I don’t think I’ve been invested in a series since Downton Abbey. Maybe it’s because I’m a huge Jane Austen fan and whoever wrote this has given it the exact feel of the Austen novels, and many similar scenes (when Mary faints and Tom Hayward sits outside her room is a replay of Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon). So even if she has borrowed heavily from the original, nevertheless it’s enjoyable. Mary is such an identifiable character–unsure of herself, feeling lesser than her sisters, awkward in company.  I’m sure today we’d suggest she might be on the spectrum!

One of the things I’ve enjoyed is having to wait a week for the next episode. Every week Britox tries to tempt me. Upgrade to Premium and you can binge the whole series. Very tempting BUT the wait and the anticipation is one of the things I’m really enjoying. Thinking “In three days I get to see another episode.”

I’ve always been a person who loves anticipation. I spent my childhood telling myself : In a month it will be my birthday/Christmas/Vacation. Counting down to the event made it even more delicious. I suppose I grew up in the lean years after WW2 when treats were few and far between. Turkey, tangerines, nuts only at Christmas. Ice cream occasionally in summer. And the going without made the treat even sweeter.

My daughters went to an expensive private school where most of the girls were richer than we were. They had a snack bar where the girls could buy treats. Clare’s friend Sabrina had money for an ice cream every day.  I could just about afford to give Clare money for an ice cream on Fridays. “Sabrina has one every day,” Clare pointed out.  “Do you think they are as special to her as they are to you?” I asked. “You look forward to Friday, don’t you?”

        She thought about this and agreed.

And so I am still one who enjoys the anticipation. In two months I’ll be flying to England…That’s why it has been hard during the last couple of years. With John’s declining health I had to cancel so many things at the last minute that I did not dare to look forward too much. Now I can again. And it’s great.

What about you, Reds. Do you binge whenever you can? Do you find yourself counting down to big events?

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m an anticipator too, Rhys. I love planning vacations way ahead and figuring out where we’ll eat and where we’ll go. I had a sister-in-law who loved to travel but never made reservations ahead of time and couldn’t imagine why I was wasting my time. I’m sure I do miss out on some spontaneous decisions, but the anticipation is truly one of my greatest pleasures! And ps, I do not binge either:). 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, this is so fascinating. I love anticipating! But I’ve never really thought about it.  Counting down, yes, absolutely. And when the thing happens, it’s over, you know? In the anticipation part, absolutely anything is still possible. 

And during anticipation, there is still time to get ready–oh, I’ll think, plenty of time to pack/write/plan/prepare. I love it.

And yes, in TV, I definitely do not mind waiting for the next episode. It gives us time to discuss and predict! 

HALLIE EPHRON: What an interesting question. Jerry was a great travel planner and what I loved was NOT knowing a thing about where we were going or what we were going to do until we got there. I didn’t even want to see pictures. 

I think he’d have liked me to have been more onboard with the planning, right up until I started having opinions. 

He never took me somewhere I wouldn’t have wanted to go. And seeing without knowing what was coming next was a special pleasure.

JENN McKINLAY: I’m not a binger. I prefer to watch one episode at a time – good thing because I’m always on deadline and couldn’t binge if I wanted to. I do like anticipation but then I also find it comes with anxiety. Example: Anticipation: I’m really excited to go to (insert place). Anxiety: What if the hotel loses your reservation? I never used to feel like this. I think it’s a post-Covid thing where everything was cattywumpus all the time. When the anxiety spikes, I have to remind myself that everything goes my way, and it usually does, even if it’s not how I expected it to go. 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I love anticipation, although this winter was SO long in New England I went past anticipating spring to getting ready to ask to speak to the manager…

We’ve talked about the pleasant anticipation of watching streaming shows the new old-fashioned way, but my mind goes to books! Is there anything more delicious that learning one of your favorite authors has a book coming out, with the date set, and getting to pre-order it. Back in the day, you had to show up at the local bookstore, but now, of course, it pops up in your e-reader or arrives on your doorstep like a present. 

Youngest taught me the Dutch have a word, Voorpret, which describes the feeling of excitement and anticipation you experience when you’re getting ready to go out. I wish I had known the word back in my single days, when one of the best parts about going out with girlfriends or on a date was the sense of anticipation while picking out an outfit, putting on my face, and dancing around my room to Duran Duran. So much voorpret!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am definitely an anticipator. I was the kid who didn't want to open Christmas presents early, and even on Christmas morning would save mine until everyone else had opened theirs. I think planning trips is half the fun–although I am open to a little bit of travel spontaneity. Like Julia, I love pre-ordering and looking forward to books, and I am happy to watch TV shows once a week. Of course, Rick is just the opposite, and doesn't want to start a series until every episode has dropped.

RHYS: I'm anticipating lots of things at the. moment. All good things: a week in San Diego, England and Scotland at the end of September, oh... and my new stand alone, THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN, comes out on August 4. 

Who else is good at anticipating? Who hates it?