The Storytellers: Straight Talk from the World’s Most Acclaimed Suspense and Thriller Authors

Psychiatrist and thriller writer Rubinstein (the Mad Dog Trilogy) collects more than 40 interviews with suspense and thriller writers in this fresh compendium of “candid thoughts, opinions, inspirations, frustrations, backstories, and... sources of creativity.” Among the writers dispensing wisdom are Catherine Coulter, who declares writing “doesn’t get easier,” and Lee Child, who advises “it’s not the writer who decides whether a character is cool.” A common theme is an author’s commitment to an “imagined reader” they hope to entertain: Denis Lehane, for example, views writing a book as an “intimate” conversation with a reader. Patricia Cornwell, meanwhile, relishes a memory of no one showing up at a bookstore reading of her first Kay Scarpetta novel, Postmortem. Ernest Hemingway is an oft-cited source of inspiration and fantasy dinner party invite, though Ken Follett answers that he’d invite Marilyn Monroe, and Kathy Reichs would invite Woody Allen and Jesus. Particularly revelatory are the authors’ anecdotes about their previous jobs—as reporters, psychiatrists, veterinarians, and lawyers—and the range of perspectives makes for a breezy introduction to the writing game. Thriller writers—and fans curious about the process—are in for a treat. Agent: Shane Salerno, the Story Factory. (July)