Historical Mysteries set in the 1930’s

Inspired by The Thin Man movies

Even before the release of my Prohibition-era historical mystery, The Yankee Club, several readers asked why I’d set a mystery in the 1930’s. There are five major reasons I chose to set my Jake and Laura mystery series in the 1930’s, so I thought I’d share them with you.

The Golden Age of Mysteries.

The 1920’s and the 30’s are considered the Golden Age of Mysteries. Famous authors who wrote during this era include. Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Rex Stout and Dorothy L. Sayers to name a few. With my Jake and Laura series, I have my own style of writing. I’m trying not to copy them, but to pay tribute to the timeless classics they wrote.

The comparisons between the thirties and the world today.

The thirties brought the world a devastating economic disaster, the Great Depression. Banks closed, homes were repossessed, millions lost their jobs and the gap between the haves and have nots increased. In the early part of this century were flirted with another Depression, banks closed, homes were repossessed, unemployment reached post-Depression highs and the gap has widened between the haves and have nots. The Jake and Laura series is a mystery series, not a political statement, but readers can’t escape the comparisons between then and now.

Intriguing Historical figures.

The thirties brought fascinating historical figures in politics, entertainment, sports and yes, crime. With Laura, a famous Broadway actress and Jake a successful mystery writer, they interact from time to time with friends from these fields and they drop by from time to time enhancing scenes and the stories; Cole Porter, Babe Ruth, Louella Parsons, to name a few. As a writer it was fun and a challenge to determine which of these characters are inherent to the stories.

The Influence of The Thin Man Movies.

William Powell, Myrna Loy, Asta

I loved Dashiell Hammett’s The Thin Man, but it’s William Powell and Myrna Loy who inspired me to create a couple in love and investigating crime. I hope my series contains a smattering of sophistication, suspense and humor.

Noir Fiction. I’m a fan of hard-boiled detective novels and noir films and novels. I love heroes like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. The Jake and Laura novels are not classic, there’s too much humor and romance to fit that mold, but that was my intent, noir with a few laughs thrown in.

Whether you’ve read The Yankee Club, or plan to read All That Glitters, I hope this has helped explain how writing these novels came about.