How to Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse of Mystery & the Roller Coaster of Suspense

Description

---

Customer Reviews

Interesting...
I bought this book primarily because I'm writing an historical fantasy; whether or not there will be a murder in it...well, that remains to be seen.

My thought was that this might be able to provide me with more resources for research (the U.S. homefront during World War II), and I was right, even suggesting certain series that might be worth a look-see as to how that author dealt with how people felt during that period in time, the slang used, all the little nuances that are important to historical fiction. (Unless it's been written as pure comedy, would you really want to read something that has anachronistic dialogue? Not me. :-))

What this book won't do is give you a how-to on writing fiction. IMHO, the author wisely leaves that to others, focusing on what she said she said she would do (no tangents, here); things like primary and secondary sources of research, book titles, character names, etc.

A nice resource if writing historical fiction is your thing.

2010-08-29 (Northwestern New Jersey) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

---

killer fiction indeed
Great book, clear and to the point. Basic for all the people starting in writing seriously.

2009-08-31 | Tavo (Monterrey, Mexico) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

Fiction the only way to grow
The book how to write killer fiction is wonderful. This show me how to show what I'm writing instead of telling. It has lots of good points and I really like the book. I would recommend it to my other writer friends.

2009-08-05 | Ocean View (Otis, Oregon USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

---

How to Write Killer Fiction
I'm finally getting around to reading this book because I have a project in mind. Mystery seems like a very complex genre to write and this book serves as a great guide. Not only does the author go through how to write Mystery and Suspense, but she explains the differences between the two and between the sub genres.

Throughout the book she also uses examples from specific authors and their novels to help illustrate what she's saying. And it would probably be a very good idea for a new mystery writer to read at least a few of these books.

The author explains everything very thoroughly and gives the reader a good foundation from which to start writing. It's a wonderful book with tons of solid and useful information. I'm glad I have it and wish I'd gotten around to reading it sooner.

2008-09-22 | book crazed | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

---

Wonderful Analysis, Helpful Guide
I can't say enough about how readable and insightful this book is! Carolyn Wheat covers all aspects of plotting, characterization and fine writing, and it is a book I will be returning to again and again.

2007-11-05 (Long Island, NY USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

---

Sworn to Defend

Description

Carolyn Wheat has been praised as "a strong, smart writer" (New York Times) and "a natural storyteller" (Kirkus Reviews). In Wheat's newest legal thriller, Brooklyn lawyer Cass Jameson finally has an innocent client. But she later finds out that Keith Jernigan is guilty of a crime far worse than the robbery she proved he didn't commit--he permanently disfigured his former girlfriend by throwing corrosive acid in her face. Cass receives information indicating that Keith's ex framed him in the robbery--and that Keith is out for revenge. Meanwhile, Cass is threatened by the husband of a woman she is representing in a divorce case, and she soon realizes she is in danger of losing her career--and possibly her life. In order to protect herself, Cass must investigate two people--the husband of her new client, and the man she had sworn to defend...

---

Of all the legal eagles nesting in the thriller trees these days, Carolyn Wheat is definitely the one with the brightest feathers. Her dialogue-- in and out of court--crackles with focused energy, and her obvious knowledge of and respect for the trappings of the law immediately add verisimilitude. "If the Appellate Division, First Department, courthouse in Manhattan, where I'd taken my oath as a lawyer, was a Gothic cathedral of the law, then the Second Department was a Protestant meetinghouse," she has her alter ego, Cass Jameson, say as she approaches that Brooklyn edifice to plead a case. "Its austere lines and jewel-box proportions were in sharp contrast to the ornate, overblown style of its Manhattan counterpart, with its stained-glass dome and overpowering wood-and-brass ornamentation. This courthouse was equally dignified, but without the florid Gilded Age excess. The cloakroom didn't boast long brass pegs on which 19th Century lawyers once placed their beaver hats while addressing the court." Cass is in the building that day to defend an apparently framed client. She succeeds, unfortunately--and Keith Jernigan turns out to be a stalker who directs his dangerous attention toward Cass. But Cass's problems don't end with Jernigan. There's also a very nasty drama critic upset over Cass's handling of his wife's divorce case, and a troubled cop with a mysterious agenda. If you like your legal thrillers fresh, feisty, and grounded in reality, harvest this latest Wheat. Past crops in paperback: Troubled Waters, Where Nobody Dies, Mean Streak, Fresh Kills. --Dick Adler

---

Customer Reviews

Very enjoyable and fast paced mystery.
Brooklyn lawyer Cass Jameson gets Keith Jernigan out of jail and scheduled for a new trial. However, she begins to question whether, although innocent of the crime he was jailed for, he may be guilty of more serious crimes, and a present danger to women - including her. However, this is only the start of the serious problems Ms. Jameson will shortly face.

This a face-paced story with new twists, plot developments, and surprises in every chapter. The novel is hard to put down, and as you approach its end, it's almost impossible to do so. The solution of the mysteries, there are some minor subplots, may prove surprising, and the quite sudden and unexpected resolution of Kate's nightmarish problems may remind one a bit of the sudden resolution in the last paragraph of Poe's "Pit and the Pendulum"

Along the way, one learns a bit about Japanese antiques (netsuke, sagemono collections, choba dansu, etc.), darkroom techniques (now disappearing in these days of digital photography), and the religious practices of New York's Crown Heights Hasidic Community

If you like to be kept completely in the dark about later plot issues, please skip the next paragraph until after you read the book, and go directly to the conclusion below. However, if you don't mind some minor discussion of plot issues, or you have already read the book and are looking at other reviews - read on.

With this mystery there are some minor discrepancies, e.g., at the end of Chapter 19 Cass tells us that she is looking at a photograph, not at the image, but at the angle it was taken. As an avid photographer, Ms. Jameson should certainly have been able to distinguish the differences in perspective and depth of field between a wide-angle and telephoto lens. This novel clearly demonstrates Ms. Wheat's superb ability as a story teller and writer, while it concurrently reveals a slight weakness in developing a flawless mystery resolution.

In conclusion, this is an interesting action-filled story whose twenty-five chapters will keep your attention from start to finish, which, in spite of some minor weaknesses, is highly recommended.

2007-01-12 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

---

Another fascinating legal thrillerby the great Ms.Wheat
At the Appellate level, Brooklyn attorney Cass Jamison proves that her client Keith Jernigan could not have committed the robbery that he was previously convicted of, thus obtaining freedom for the innocent man. Subsequently, Cass gets embroiled in a divorce case when her tenant Nellis Cartwright wants her previous settlement with her former spouse, Grant Eddongton, re-negotiated because she insists her attorney, a friend of Cass, botched up the case.

Keith reappears in Cass' life when the son of her secretary is arrested after forming a friendship with the man. Cass suspects that Keith had something to do with the arrest and begins to investigate the man. She learns that though he was framed for the robbery count that she got him acquitted on, he threw acid into the face of a former girlfriend. When Nellis is shot in her office, Cass thinks that she might have been the intended target and wonders if she is again going to on guard until she gets some answers.

SWORN TO DEFEND is a great 250 page mystery novel that fans will swear is one of the best fictions pieces of the year due to an intriguing twist on the story line in which the client is innocent of the charges, but culpable for a more devastating crime. However, the final few pages seem as if Carolyn Wheat needed an upbeat-like ending for a climax, which thankfully fails to take away from a greatand fast-paced tour of Brooklyn that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Fans of urban legal procedurals need to read this novel and Cass' previous two stories (DEAD MAN'S THOUGHTS and MEAN STREAK) for some of the best the crime genre has to offer.

Harriet Klausner

1998-06-21 | Helpful Votes: 8 | Rating: 5

---

Dead Man's Thoughts

Description

Seeking solace from her tough career with a lover and fellow lawyer, Cass Jameson is horrified when Nathan is killed, until she meets the suspect and begins to wonder if she knew everything there was to know about Nathan. Reprint. K. LJ. AB.

---

Customer Reviews

WONDERFUL book, part of a PHENOMENAL series
Although I have read -- and enjoyed -- virtually every book in every series by the most famous female mystery writers, Carolyn Wheat unequivocally remains my favorite.

This series is about a Legal Aid attorney named Cass Jameson. As such, it introduces fascinating glimpses into seldom-seen areas of the legal system -- along with providing excellent mysteries.

The books are all very well-written, fast-moving, and entertaining. I cannot sufficiently recommend them. IMHO, this is the best mystery series available.

1998-07-24 | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 5

---

Outdoor Cooking With Fire

Description

Follow 4 Texas trail blazers through 20 years of fabulous adventures. You will cook over an open fire in Dutch ovens, go fishing and hiking, and camp out while exploring the great outdoors in the beautiful and historic American Southwest. Learn what to take, how to pack your gear, where to go and exactly how to cook wonderful meals outdoors with the more than 100 recipes in Outdoor Cooking With Fire, while having a genuine adventure you will remember for years.

---

Where Nobody Dies (Cass Jameson Legal Mysteries)

Description

Cass Jameson must defend former rival Brad Ritchie when he is framed for the murder of his wife, a situation that is complicated when Cass learns about the victim's unsavory dealings throughout half of Brooklyn. Reprint. NYT. K. AB.

---

Customer Reviews

ok, almost nobody dies
so you can't have a murder mystery without at least one death, but it's nice to read a mystery that is intelligent, enjoyable, has realistic characters, and takes place in my neighborhood. the only problem i had with it was that i ended up reading it in one sitting and now i have to find another one.

2000-05-30 | jessica-bklyn | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

---

WONDERFUL book, part of a PHENOMENAL series
Although I have read -- and enjoyed -- virtually every book in every series by the most famous female mystery writers, Carolyn Wheat unequivocally remains my favorite.

This series is about a Legal Aid attorney named Cass Jameson. As such, it introduces fascinating glimpses into seldom-seen areas of the legal system -- along with providing excellent mysteries. This is one series I buy in hardcover as soon as each book is published.

The books are all very well-written, fast-moving, and entertaining. I cannot sufficiently recommend them. IMHO, this is the best mystery series available.

1998-08-13 | Helpful Votes: 12 | Rating: 5

---

Women Before the Bench

Description

This ingenious anthology of legal drama and suspense features all-new tories by some of the top writers in the field, featuring:
Perri O'Shaughnessy
Margaret Maron
Margaret Coel
Jonnie Jacobs
Taffy Cannon
Michael A. Kahn
Claire Youmans
Rochelle Krich
Carroll Lachnit
Sarah Caudwell
Terry Devane
Nora DeLoach
Carolyn Wheat

---

Customer Reviews

Best from women legal authors
All 13 stories feature women protagonists - be they lawyers or judges, & 11 are written by women. For most of this genre's history (even until the 50s) women lawyers were sidelined by their male counterparts, & "thought unfitted for trial work and suited only for matrimonial cases or backroom fields as estates and trusts" (Time Magazine, 1964 - quoted in the Introduction by Linda Fairstein.)

Same was the scenario in the legal thriller world. Save for a Sara Woods or a Sarah Caudwell, the presence of women writers in the genre was almost nil & there were none to challenge the supremacy of authors like Erle Stanley Gardner, Auchincloss or George Higgins. However, since the 90s when Grisham, Turow, Martini & Richard North Patterson began to rule the genre, there has also been a strong & effective representation by women authors like Lisa Scottoline, O'Shaughnessy, Lisa Mason, Lia Matera & many others who have carved their own niche.

Women Before the Bench is proof of the success these authors have achieved. Perri O'Shaughnessy's Juggernaut features her series protagonist, Nina Reilly who investigates a supposed car accident, & Michael A. Kahn's amusing Strange Bedfellows are the highlights of the first part titled The Civil Wars.

Rochelle Krich's Yow Win Some is the better of the two stories featured in the second part titled The Prosecutors, & is a good story centered on a drunk driving case. British author Sarah Caudwell's The Triumph of Eve & Margaret Maron's Mixed Blessings are the other better stories in the collection.

So how did I find the collection? For one thing, it offers variety & includes stories on civil law, family law as well as criminal law, & in that sense it is an anthology worth its name.

The Editor has done a great job in selecting stories told from different viewpoints, that of the Prosecutor, the Defender & the Judge. I had one major regret, however, no story from Lisa Scottoline, aka "the female Grisham" - the most popular of woman legal authors, & in that respect, this anthology is incomplete.

All in all, Women Before the Bench is proof of the success the women legalists have achieved, but it cannot be called a "testament" of their success.

2002-02-12 (Trivandrum, Kerala, India) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 3

---

A Wonderful Collection!
A great collection of legal tales by fine writers of the genre. I enjoyed each story and recommend this as a nice book to curl up for some delicious mysteries!

From R. Barri Flowers, the author of the legal thrillers, DAMNING EVIDENCE, POSITIVE I.D., and JUSTICE SERVED.

2001-03-30 | Author of thriller novel, STATE'S EVIDENCE and Amazon Shorts, "Ripper Part 1," "Deception Part 1," and "The Phone Call" (Pacific Northwest) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 4

---

A stunning anthology
This collection of thirteen short stories centers on female attorneys as the stars of each tale working a wide variety of cases in diverse settings that run the sub-genre's gamut. The authors are a who's who of the legal procedural sub-genre and though mostly female, not totally. Each contributor insured that the tale was top quality (or perhaps the editor separated the chaff from the wheat) and fun to read regardless of the gender of the audience. Some of the lead characters are so good, readers will hope to see them reappear in a full-length novel. WOMEN BEFORE THE BENCH shows we've come a long way in the law and literature.

Harriet Klausner

2001-02-15 | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 5

---