Writers have always told tales about death and murder, lost girls and brave cops. Crime fiction, though… That genre winked at me. Beckoned me to come closer, to stay a while. Crime fiction promised that it would thrill me more than thrillers, woo me more than romance, help me tell a truth just like those found in histories and biographies. I fell for crime fiction. Hard. Why? Lemme tell you.

Trail of Echoes

Trail of Echoes

  1. I can talk social Issues without being preachy. All good mysteries attack a problem. In my newest Detective Elouise Norton novel Trail of Echoes, Lou confronts the hastened sexuality of teen girls, bullying, murder, classism, racism, gentrification and the rush to judgement. And have the opportunity to do this without telling the reader what she's doing wrong. A spoonful of sugar, as Mary Poppins sang.
  2. Even I wanna know whodunit. I like puzzles and discovering why we do the things we do. Murder, marriage, friendship, political affiliations - humans are strange creatures, worthy of being captured for eternity on page. True story: my sister is a teacher, One year, she had a student named Enchantress. Yeah. Why did her mother name her baby that? What type of life will a young girl have with a name like that? What type of decisions will she make? Who will she meet and will make assumptions about this girl named Enchantress? Will I see her on the six o'clock news one day? I'm sure to write about her.
  3. Call me an avenger. Someone has to get back at the bad guys, the bullies, the jerks, the ones who take advantage of old people, the ones who hunt and hurt our girls. A mystery starts out with the bad (a murder) and in my series, too many people can be monsters. But Lou never lets go -her nickname is 'Lockjaw.' Through Lou Norton, I can tackle issues that frustrate and scare me, that leave me hopeless in real life. Through crime fiction, the good find justice, even for a moment.
  4. Ooh, research. I like reading and discovery. Writing crime and mystery means talking to the experts: cops, fire fighters, forensic investigators, reporters, insurance claims adjusters, teachers, attorneys… I now have license to be nosy, to read endlessly, watch documentaries, attend conferences, surf the Web, ask questions, eavesdrop, and subscribe to as many magazines as I want. Because I need to know. My publishers are paying me to know. Awesome!
  5. Hanging out with the writers. Mystery and crime writers are the most interesting people. And we're all so supportive of each other, always talking each other up, sharing stories and advice on which weapon to use and which poisons the coroner does not screen. We're fans of each other's work, super-geeks fascinated by bad things together. Crime writers - they're my people.
  6. I can be me. Crime fiction lets me use gutter language while crafting a poetic paragraph. Uplifting and funny in one chapter, cynical and 'abandon hope' in the next. Contradictions abound because I am a contradiction. I can be whoever I want, writing about whoever I want, in any fashion I want. Freedom-it's what all writers want.
  7. I like my imaginary friends. I've discovered more Lou Norton with each book. She's funny, vulnerable, driven, principled, often disappointed in others, often disappointing others. She's real. I want to watch Star Wars with her, eat popcorn and drink a great Cabernet Sauvignon with her. And the people surrounding Lou? I like them, too. Well, not the murderers. Her friends are a hoot and I like exploring their lives, too. They change-no one is the same in Trail of Echoes as they were in Land of Shadows.
  8. A tourist in my hometown. Many people think they know Los Angeles. I've lived here all my life and I don't know all of this city. Mystery lets me discover not just the places we all see on television - Hollywood, Beverly Hills, wherever the Kardashians are - but neighborhoods without TMZ cameras or the Kardashians. Alleys and liquor stores. Restaurants that serve authentic chicken and waffles, where the tables are a little sticky and the waitresses need attitude adjustments. The reader rides shotgun as I navigate the endless highways, often stuck in traffic, but that's okay because Kendrick Lamar's on the stereo and look over there! A famous LAPD car chase. Just another day in Los Angeles.
  9. Revenge. That girl who bullied me that summer? The ones who thought they were cooler and prettier than me? The teacher who thought my writing was too dark? Call me petty but revenge is best served in a book.
  10. Crime fiction fans are loyal. Mystery and crime fiction readers are incredibly supportive and tremendously enthusiastic. They read everything we write and show up to bookstores and conferences just to say, 'Hi!' They write wonderful emails and Facebook posts about your books, evangelizing your series better than your loved ones. They make dolls of your characters (yes, I have a Lou Norton doll, complete with a tiny police badge). They remember you. And I love them for that.

Rachel Howzell Hall is the author of the newly-released Trail of Echoes in the Detective Elouise Norton series published by Titan Publishing.