Question:

I am sometimes asked: Why do you write murder mysteries? Why do you choose to write about death? Why do you focus on dead people?

Answer:

The question reveals a misunderstanding. Murder mysteries are not about the dead. They are about the living.

First, the victim. How did she live? What led to her being murdered?

Then, the murderer. How did he live? What led him to commit the ultimate crime?

And also the other people, the victim’s friends, family, and associates, the witnesses. How did they live? How are they living and coping now in the aftermath of death? What could have caused them to be suspects?

And then, of course, the police, the detective, the amateur sleuth. What motivated them to so passionately seek justice, truth, and understanding?

Life is a serious matter, and the reality of death brings into focus the value of life. Murder mysteries might ask how someone died. But the answer is often in how that person lived and in how other people lived. Murder mysteries are not written for dead people (the dead don’t buy books), but for living people—to offer them understanding and wisdom.

Note:

I called the murderer “he.” There is truth there. Most murderers are men (about 90% worldwide). “I called the murder victim “she.” There is less truth there. Contrary to popular opinion, most murder victims are men, not women—75% in Canada, 82% in the United States.