Boston Book Festival 2017

In the world of crime fiction, almost anyone can be a detective or end up in a situation that requires some serious sleuthing. Six authors whose detectives cover a spectrum of professions and backgrounds reveal how they adapt their characters’ particular skills to solving mysteries. In his latest mystery, The Right Side, Peter Abrahams (writing as Spencer Quinn) shows how a wounded veteran finds redemption—and a canine companion—while searching for a missing girl. Avid outdoorsman Ray Anderson sets his Awol thrillers (most recently Sierra) on America’s long-distance hiking trails. Edith Maxwell’s unconventional sleuth is a Quaker midwife, featured most recently in Called to Justice. Joanna Schaffhausen is a scientific editor by day, but her forthcoming award-winning thriller The Vanishing Season centers on a small-town cop who also happens to be the sole survivor of a serial killer. Dave Zeltserman’s protagonist in Small Crimes is also a cop—one whose past corruption and violence leave him with something to prove, especially to himself. And Hallie Ephron’s most recent suspense novel, You’ll Never Know, Dear, offers a very personal sort of investigation, as a family wrestles with a mystery in its midst. Get ready to marvel at the creativity of these mystery writers during this interactive session; with assistance from the audience, they’ll also create some new sleuths with unusual occupations. This session is sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America–New England chapter and hosted by its president, Mo Walsh.