Mystery writing heroes by Vivian Zabel

Since another icon of the mystery genre has left our world, I decided to honor some of the mystery writing heroes who directly or indirectly affected my writing: Phyllis A. Whitney; Mary Stewart; Tony Hillerman; and Robert B. Parker. Three have died, and one still lives but no longer writes.

Phyllis A. Whitney passed away on February 8, 2008 at the age of 104. For more than 80 years, she wove her storytelling magic — in her lifetime garnering numerous awards and worldwide acclaim for her books. A winner of the prestigious Grand Master award for lifetime achievement from the Mystery Writers of America, and an author the New York Times once called the "Queen of the American Gothics," Phyllis A. Whitney was and remains one of my favorite mystery and romantic suspense writers. Reading her books during my teens and adult years had an impact on my writing.

"It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whether of different races, or religions, or even in the same family I tried in my books... to deal with the subject of understanding the other fellow."
-- Phyllis A. Whitney

Mary Stewart published about one book a year from 1955 until 1980, each becoming a best seller. She was at the height of her popularity in the 1960s and 1970s when many of her suspense and romantic novels were translated into many languages. I read every one of her books I could lay hands on during the same years I read Phyllis Whitney's.

Stewart is considered one of the founders of the romantic suspense sub-genre, blending romance novels and mystery. The author has lived for many years in Scotland, where she divides her time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.

Mary Stewart has always been hesitant to categorize her novels, uncomfortable naming them thrillers, mysteries, or romances. She says, "I'd rather just say that I write novels, fast-moving stories that entertain. To my mind there are really only two kinds of novels, badly written and well written. Beyond that, you cannot categorize...Can't I say that I just write stories? 'Storyteller' is an old and honorable title, and I'd like to lay claim to it."

Anthony "Tony" Grove Hillerman was born on 27 May 1925, the youngest of the three children of August Alfred and Lucy Grove Hillerman. The Hillermans farmed and ran the crossroads store in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma. Even though Tony was originally from Oklahoma, I never had the opportunity to meet him in person until the Red Dirt Book Festival, October 2003, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I attended all his sessions, stood in line to get my books autographed, and listened as he spoke at the banquet. Several times he visited with me during the course of the two-day festival. A friendly and gracious man, he signed one of my books with a personal message, giving me a keepsake that I will forever treasure.

One thing he shared with us that weekend, some people around him in the publishing business considered him a prude because he didn’t include sexual scenes. One person told him the closest he came to sexual tension was to have a man and woman shake hands.

Many people have written about Tony over the years, and since his death, but one article that best explains his books is an article by the author himself: “Behind the Books” by Tony Hillerman. I advise anyone and everyone read that essay.

Anthony Grove Hillerman, writer, born May 27 1925; died October 26 2008.

Then earlier this week, the world learned we lost another leading mystery writer: Robert B. Parker. I blogged about him on Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap Tuesday, right after I heard about his death.

Robert Parker revitalized and brought life back to the hard-boiled mysteries. I've read most his books, and I enjoyed some more than others. I'm a fan of Spenser (loved Hawk) and Jesse Stone, and always will be.

Yes, we still have some marvelous models to follow as we write mysteries, such as Carolyn Hart, Jordan Dane, Tess Gerritsen, William Bernhardt, and many more, but those we've lost will remain as pioneers in our craft.

Vivian Zabel
Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap
4RV Publishing

How Could I Forget? Part II

Boy, the gaps I'm discovering in my memory is kind of scary. Gaping holes, more like. So many authors whose books influenced me have been lost in the mists of time in my brain and it's only through the better memories of other writers that I've been reminded of their existence. And these are authors with large bodies of work, most of which I made an effort to track down once I got a taste for their writing. Some were good, some were bad, some were filled with cliches and some were always witty, original and fun. Some ended up as fodder for the scripts we used in Murder for Hire (the actual mystery oriented theatrical group which led to the murderous impulses later benevolently channeled into MURDER FOR HIRE: The Peruvian Pigeon). All had a part in shaping the type of stuff I would continue read and then later write.

Victoria Holt. Dorothy Eden. Phyllis A. Whitney. Mary Stewart. The grand dames of gothic and romantic suspense. Worlds populated by disturbed children, odd nannies, bitchy rivals, and emotionally unavailable, sometimes borderline sociopathic heroes.

Mary Stewart had less of the above elements than the others. To me she was more of a Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters with less humor inherent in the narrative. And her Merlin trilogy xremains high on my list of favorite books ever. Ever read AIRS ABOVE GROUND? The scene where the heroine is being chased around the parapets of a castle by the villain (who happens to be an acrobat) is one of my favorite suspenseful pursuit scenes ever.

Phyllis A. Whitney I remember with fondness and exasperation. She definitely was queen of the troubled child and bitchy rivals. I ate these books up as a kid and young teenager. She also wrote mysteries for young adults like THE TREMBLING HILLS. I made it a point to hunt down all of her books.

Victoria Holt was another favorite author, but I remember thinking she wasn't very good even as I read her books one after another. They were fun - THE SHIVERING SANDS was a particular favorite 'cause it had quicksand in it and I've always been morbidly attracted to natural disasters and deathtraps - but they seemed lacking in emotion. That being said, HERE LIES OUR SOVEREIGN LORD, written under her Jean Plaidy nom de plume is one of my favorite books ever. It's the story of Nell Gwyn, the orange girl who won the heart of King Charles II, and I read and reread this book over and over again.

Dorothy Eden wrote one of my favorite gothics ever: RAVENSCROFT. Set in Victorian England, it starts with two sisters, Bella and Lally, recently orphaned who run afoul of a ring of white slavers in London and are rescued by Guy, a handsome aristocrat who wants to use them as a cause to help his bid for a seat on Parliament. He ends up forced to marry Bella (Lally is his first choice as she is the eldest and of a more biddable temperament than the fiery Bella) when tongues start wagging and his plan backfires, a marriage that initially brings happiness to either partner. Lally suffers a nervous breakdown, the slavers want revenge, and gothic hijinks ensue. Loved this book. I read others by Dorothy Eden, but this was the standout.

Another author, one who never reached the level of fame she deserves, is Marlys Millhiser. WILLING HOSTAGE is another one of those books I've read multiple times. WILLING HOSTAGE has my favorite hero, Glade Wyndham (it sounds like an air freshener, thinks heroine Leah Harper) who is not only sexy, dangerous, and environmentally conscientious, but a cat lover. He kidnaps Leah, mistaking her for an operative on his trail, leading her and a fat Siamese cat named Goodyear, through rugged wilderness trying to escape the bad guys. No more details 'cause if you haven't read this, I don't want to spoil the read. Some of her other books, THE MIRROR, MICHAEL'S WIFE and NELLA WAITS, are equally engrossing and she also has a relatively recent mystery series with somewhat psychic heroine, Charlie Greene. If you haven't heard of Marlys Millhiser, look for her books. She's definitely worth it.

Sigh. Writing this has caused a massive blast of nostalgia here. I think a trip to the library or used bookstore is in order 'cause most of these books are no longer available new. They're worth the trip.