Ed Lynskey's Blog: Cracked Rearview Mirror - Posts Tagged "good-stuff"

The short answer is because it's the first genre I read as a kid. You alway fall the hardest for your first love. I devoured books on the Hardy boys, the Three Investigators, the Happy Hollisters, though I never became Nancy Drew fan. I don't remember why. She was always trim and attractive on the front covers.

Conflict always makes for the best plots, and crime fiction has all that and more. Plus there are a lot of top-notch titles getting published right now. Stuart Neville is one author to watch. Plus my old standbys like Bill Pronzini and Ed Gorman are going stronger than ever. I'm itching to dive into Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played With Fire. But this blog is about the why, not the who.

Look, when I start a good crime fiction title, and get wrapped up in it, the time just flies by. That's when I'm transported. And that's where every reader yearns to be. I just finished up the new George Pelecanos title The Cut and I had to chill out for a bit before trying to fall asleep. Wow. My heart pounded, my blood raced. I kid you not. So, what better reason do I cite for why I read crime fiction?

Happy reading to you and yours!

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey
Author of Lake Charles
"Definitely recommend you take a fictional journey to Lake Charles."
Elizabeth A. White's Musings of an All Purpose Monkey

I'm not sure I know just why I do. I started out by writing in several genres, but the past few years have seen my writing funneled almost exclusively to crime fiction. I can put my finger on a few things. The conflict of good v. evil in the world intrigues me.

I like to root for the good guy or the underdog. I like to believe at least in the possibility of redemption. I like how the bad guy gets his comeuppance or just desserts. I like how ordinary people do extraordinary feats when the chips are down.

But most of all, I'm relieved, even grateful, the crime I write about only exists in the fictional world of my creation. If that makes me a big liar, I can live with that sin okay enough.

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey
Author of Ask the Dice , a hit man crime novel set in Washington, D.C.