To look back over a body of work (anything more than two books!) and pick two is tough, however, because I love them all, if for different reasons.
So here are my two choices--although I don't guarantee I will make the same picks tomorrow.
AND JUSTICE THERE IS NONE. This is the 8th Duncan and Gemma book, and it was a tough one to write because some hard things happen to Duncan and Gemma. But this book was the beginning of big changes in their relationship, and those were good ones. And it was the beginning of my love affair with Notting Hill. I was steeped in the history and the atmosphere of this particular part of London, and I still adore it, so rereading this book is always a bit like going home.
And NO MARK UPON HER, #14. Well, it's Henley, and rowing, and search and rescue dogs. How could I not love this one? The research for this book was an absolute blast, and the exploration of the issues faced by my Iraq war veteran are still so relevant. This book is also the beginning of the story thread that winds through the next three books, which was a huge challenge for me, but I was so glad in the end that I followed it through.
HALLIE EPHRON: I *hate* this question! But yes, I can answer it.
I love THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN. One of the main characters, an 80-year-old woman, Mina Yetner, is simply one of the best characters I've ever written. And I love how the crash of a World War II bomber into the Empire State Building is a key part of the back story. I thought I picked the Bronx neighborhood because of its view of the Empire State Building, and then I discovered my mother was born there. Kismet.
And YOU'LL NEVER KNOW, DEAR, another one with a memorable elderly woman as one of the main characters. And, of course, the creepy dolls. And the South Carolina setting which was something I'd never done before.
INGRID THOFT: This is so hard, Debs! Each book is like a child, and I feel guilty, but here goes.
There is a soft spot in my heart for IDENTITY, the second book in the series. Its theme of identity (see how I did that?) and the questions associated with it—What makes a family? How do you make a family? Nature vs. nurture?—still resonate. The book also features some young adults who are grappling with tough questions, and it was great fun writing those characters who were on the brink of coming into their own.
My second choice is BRUTALITY, the third book in the series. I loved digging into the research on sports-related concussions and also raises questions about the cost a society is willing to pay—or have certain members pay— for sports-related entertainment. That conversation has only grown in breadth and depth since the book was published, and I love that it still feels timely.
RHYS BOWEN : I have an awful lot of children to choose from! And so hard to choose. Of course I am fonder and prouder of some books than others and I find that some books that were harder and less easy to write now seem to linger fondly in my memory. If I have to choose two one would have to be HER ROYAL SPYNESS.
It was such a risk, a different sort of genre-bending book and now after 11 years, it's still selling brilliantly. And I loved Georgie's voice from the first sentence. It's really fun to spend time with her. My other choice would have to be IN FARLEIGH FIELD. This was a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time. My publishers weren't keen. Nobody seemed enthusiastic. Lake Union gave it a chance and it has sold amazingly well, won an Agatha and a Lefty and got an Edgar nomination. It feels marvelous!
JENN McKINLAY: This is right up there with where do you get your ideas. Ugh. I had to think about this for a while. I've written over forty books and I am rather fond of them all for different reasons. There are two that stand out not as favorites so much as books that forced me to grow as a writer. READ IT AND WEEP, the fourth library lover's mystery, was the first book where a character refused to stick to the outline.
The person who was supposed to die wouldn't. Major game changer as I had to write outside of my beloved synopsis. Brutal but such a better book for it. But only for that one - I still love outlines.
BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE, the second Bluff Point rom-com, was another challenge. I turned it in Nov 1, 2016, and by Nov 8, 2016, the entire world had changed and I felt vulnerable as a woman in ways I never had before. I could no longer do to the heroine of that story what I had done. It wasn't funny anymore. I asked for the book back. My editor gave me three weeks. I ripped out and rewrote 50,000 words of a 100,000 word manuscript in those twenty-one days. The book went on win a RT Reviewer's Choice Award, but more importantly I was much happier with it. It taught me to always trust my instincts.
LUCY BURDETTE: Agreed, this is hard. I'm leaning toward my second Key West book, DEATH IN FOUR COURSES, and number 4, MURDER WITH GANACHE. The first book in the series is very challenging in some ways--it felt as though I hadn't quite figured out Hayley Snow's voice and persona, nor her supporting cast. But by the time DIFC came along, Hayley's mother had made her presence known, and so had Miss Gloria, and Eric. And besides, the research for that book involved attending the Key West literary seminar for which the topic was food writing. It was heaven!
Likewise, MURDER WITH GANACHE has a special place in my heart be cause it broke with one powerful cozy convention--that is, drop a body early. If a murder doesn't occur in the first chapter or first 30 pages, you're doing something wrong. Well, NO. Other things I loved about this book were working in material from the Key West Citizens Police Academy, and this kind of review from the Florida Weekly, that helped me feel as though I was doing something quite right:
"Lucy Burdette gives depth to this book by dissecting the modern family in all its divorce, remarry, reshape, share kids, make nice, stay enraged, give up, try again glory and gloom. Hayley’s caring yet determined nature often provides the healing salve that lowers the anxiety level and heals torn relationships. The author’s background as a clinical psychologist clearly enriches her handling of this material. The constant charms in the Key West Food Critic Mystery books are, as one might expect, the attention to Key West and the attention to food — as nourishment, me delight, art, business and social lubricant."
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well, here's the thing--what a treat to be able to make such a choice! I'm still thrilled that I get to do what I do, and that people read my books. Thank you!
So with that said, I have to pick PRIME TIME as one of them--my very first novel, my very first experience with it--I still remember perfectly the goosebumps I had when I thought of the plot (secret messages in computer spam!) and what a joy it was to quite the first Charlotte McNally story. ( would have done a few tiny things differently now, now that I know more (!!) but I adore the book, it's still a terrific story, if I do say so, and it still holds up very nicely! It won the Agatha for Best First Novel, and I am still getting royalty checks for it. So that's pretty great.
My second choice is easy, too: TRUST ME. My newest book, a psychological standalone (my first standalone!) comes out August 28, and has already been named a BookBub Best Thriller of Summer 2018. Yay! Two strong women face off in a psychological cat and mouse game to prove their truth about a terrible crime--but which one's the cat and which one's the mouse? (I dare you to find the liar!) And, hurray, Forge is so excited, they are offering the first five chapters free on Amazon! Click here to make sure you get one .
And whoo: Publishers Weekly just called it intriguing, twisty, sinister, satisfying and revealing!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I've had my two favorites for some time; until I write something that pleases me better, they'll stay.
One: Out of the Deep I Cry. The third in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series, this has been my only (to date?) Edgar Award nominee. It was the first book I wrote with a non-linear storyline - you know, one where the tale begins at the beginning and progresses in chronological fashion to the end. Instead, one strand of the story begins in the 1960s and moves backward in the past, while another, in the present day, moves forward. I enjoyed the challenge of making everything come together at the climax.
But the most important reason I love Out of the Deep I Cry is because it was the first novel where I really dug deep into my own emotions and fears. It resulted in what I consider my most moving, emotionally honest book.
Two: One Was a Soldier. This was another structural writing challenge. The first half of the book is a series of flashbacks by no less than eight point-of-view characters, each one framed by a present-day group therapy session. Getting each of the timelines to wind up in the same place was a real writer's education.
The other reason I love One Was A Soldier is reader reaction. It's the story of several National Guardsmen who have come back to their small home town after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Most Americans today don't know, personally, anyone who has served in the military once you get past Great-granddad in WWII. So I take it as an enormous compliment when readers tell me they feel as if they've connected to veterans after reading my book - or that they understand their own service member better after reading it.
DEBS: This was such fun! Some of these I would have guessed, but others not. And so interesting to see why we like particular books.
Jenn, I can't believe you did that sort of rewrite in that amount of time. We are in awe. You get our Wonder Woman award today!!!
Readers, any picks? Or comments on why certain books stand out for you? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
