Music and Mystery with NPR’s Alt.Latino
My turn as a guest DJ on National Public Radio’s Alt.Latino show with host Felix Contreras has aired! Click below to listen to the show or find it here on the NPR webpage which includes expanded...
Romantic thriller with a paranormal twist hits #KindleScout
"She inherited a secret her soul doesn't know." That's the tagline on the cover of AWAKENING MACBETH, my latest romantic thriller. I want your vote Amazon's Kindle Scout program allows readers to...
5 Presidential Election Thrillers Better Than #Election2016
Exhausted by the run-up to the US presidential elections on 8 November 2016? Exchange those robo calls and campaign ads for some election thrills of the literary variety with 5 presidential election...
Book Review: Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo
For those mystery lovers who reveled in Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series, his new stand-alone novel Midnight Sun will be a bit of a surprise. Midnight Sun is easier on the blood pressure than Harry,...
“Authorize” Advice from Pulitizer Prize Author Richard Ford
Last year, I was lucky enough to attend the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival. Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford was guest speaker and winner of the 2015 F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for...
Book Review: The Blackhouse by Peter May
In The Blackhouse by Peter May, the setting is the remote, windy, and rainswept Hebrides islands off Scotland’s western coast. The murder is gruesome and mimics a recent killing in Edinburgh being...
The Importance of a Fatal Flaw
Mysteries are all about complicated people solving complicated plots. We love characters with issues—even a Fatal Flaw--that make them vulnerable and real. It’s why Spenser has his Code, why John...
Author to Author with Estelle Ryan
I've been reading Estelle Ryan's Dr. Genevieve Lenard mystery series, starting with THE GAUGUIN CONNECTION. The series is a fresh take on the usual whodunit, both in terms of style and characters....
Book Review: A Death in the Family by Michael Stanley
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by Michael Stanley is a deeply authentic visit to Botswana, hosted by Detective David “Kubu” Bengu of the country’s Criminal Investigation Division. The novel stands alone but...
Puzzles for Mystery Lovers
It's ironic perhaps, but true. Mystery lovers love a good puzzle. So I was intrigued when reader Becky A. sent me an email suggesting that the Detective Emilia Cruz covers would make...
Anne R. Allen’s Essential Tips for New Authors
Lately, several emerging authors have asked me what to focus on as they start their careers. For a pro opinion, I turned to Anne R. Allen, author of How To Be A Writer In the E-Age. Anne writes the...
A lesson in personal growth
KING PESO, the 4th Detective Emilia Cruz novel, was released on 18 August and the paperback will be released on 30 August. So far the reviews have been positive and sales encouraging. But as I...
Exclusive! First chapter of KING PESO
The countdown to KING PESO is officially on! The 4th Detective Emilia Cruz novel will be released for Kindle on 18 August and in paperback on 30 August. While you wait to see just how hot it can get...
Countdown to KING PESO, the 4th Detective Emilia Cruz novel
KING PESO, the 4th Detective Emilia Cruz novel, is all about gambling and greed.The high cost of building family and friends. How easy it is to tear them both apart.In KING PESO, Emilia is shocked...
Author to Author: DV Berkom and Carmen Amato
I love swapping ideas and stories with other mystery authors and this week I had the opportunity to chat with DV Berkom. Her Leine Basso and Kate Jones thrillers have been topping Amazon's mystery...
The Ultimate Secret to Productivity
My #1 secret to productivity isn't an app or a clock. But it works better than either. As a mystery author, I look for as productivity tips the way Detective Emilia Cruz looks for clues to solve the...
Book Review: Jihadi Apprentice by Bruns & Olson
I write mysteries and thrillers and love to read them, too. In this book review, I look at JIHADI APPRENTICE by David Bruns and J.R. Olson, a very modern thriller with an insider’s ring of...
Fiesta Stories from the Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexico
Mexico's rich culture is a big part of my Detective Emilia Cruz series set in Acapulco and inspired a new project: The Insider's Guide to the Best of Mexico. This free guide is a collection of great...
Art Stories from the Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexico
As a mystery writer, my Detective Emilia Cruz police procedural series usually explores the dark side of Mexico: cartel violence, police corruption, and missing persons. But Mexico's rich culture is...
“Relevance and immediacy:” A chat with thriller author David Bruns
The #friends section of this website is all about walking and talking with awesome mystery and thriller authors. This week I was lucky enough to catch up with David Bruns, half of a dynamic writing...
Author to Author: Jinx Schwartz and Carmen Amato
As a mystery author of books set in Mexico, I have been lucky enough to build a great network of friends with books. Mystery readers love following along with the Detective Emilia Cruz series and...
Author to Author with Penn Wallace
On real life Tell us a bit about your family. I have a rather unconventional family. My father is of Scottish heritage; my mother’s parents came from Mexico. I grew up with a foot in both worlds....
Author to Author: Robert Joe Stout and Carmen Amato
I recently had the chance to have a series of conversations with members of the Mexico Writers Facebook group. Robert Joe Stout, a prolific author, acknowledged baseball aficionado and the father of...
Friends with Books: Leigh Thelmadatter of Creative Hands of Mexico
As a mystery author of books set in Mexico, I have been lucky enough to build a great network of friends with books. Mystery readers love following along with the Detective Emilia Cruz series and...
Book Review: Bangkok Rules
Carl Engel is hardly the typical hero of a mystery series but he's the main character in BANGKOK RULES by Harlan Wolff. The mostly drunk Brit has been in Bangkok for 30 years, surviving as a fixer...
Book Review: Weapons of Mass Deception
Like spy and military thrillers? Books based on current events? Polished prose? Great plots? WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION is for you. WEAPONS is a high caliber thriller, using a very plausible Iraq War...
Book Review: The Ragman Murders
Based on a true family story, THE RAGMAN MURDERS is clearly a labor of love. The novel tells the story of two immigrant families, the Amatos and the Tassones, and the circumstances that bring them...