Writers of historical fiction are often faced with a problem: if they include real-life people, how do they ensure that their make-believe world isn't dwarfed by truth? The question loomed large as I began reading 'The Black Tower', Louis Bayard's… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
The make-believe world of 'The Black Tower' succeeds by broadcasting larger truths that might otherwise elude us. — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
'The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
America in the 1800s isn't quite the historical mystery hotbed as the same period in the country it bested in the War of Independence,… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
While every historical era has its unique appeal as a setting for tales of crime and detection, the 19th century is exceptional - it… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
After so many attempts to mount a musical version of 'Lolita,' the project was well and truly dead by the summer of 1971. Chief… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
My one criticism of Vertigo Crime to date is that it's been a boys' club, reveling in violence that, while entertainingly lurid, lacks depth.… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
First, a confession: I liked 'The Da Vinci Code.' This news is even more of a surprise to me than it might be to… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
Having set its tonal template, Vertigo Crime laid low for a few months before starting in earnest at the beginning of 2010. — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
'The Chill,' by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi, was both a wise and nervy choice to start the year: Starr's standalone novels, such as… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
The interior nature of 'Basic Black' is central to its unfolding. Shirley Kaszenbowski, regarded from the outside, is the embodiment of the invisible woman.… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
The 'Vampire of Ropraz' claims to be based on a true story, but the name of Rosa's father matches that of a notable Swiss… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
In the summer of 1997, a little more than half a lifetime ago, I got my first proper summer job. The job, with one… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
As I considered Parker and his absurdist reflection in the Westlake-authored 'Dortmunder' novels, I wrote, 'His natural ability to observe human behavior and to… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
The abundance of Roman historical mysteries contrasts with the surprising paucity of crime novels set in classical Greece. — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
Writers of historical fiction are often faced with a problem: if they include real-life people, how do they ensure that their make-believe world isn't… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share
