Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
I have a couple of live events to tell you about, and a personal share… Catch Me In-Person… — At Printers Row Lit Fest this Saturday (only); if you’re in the Chicago area, please come on down. You can find me at the Chicago Writers Association booth (Tent “F” on Dearborn). I’ll also be on … Read more
I did something REALLY stupid the other day, and it’s taken me a few days to get up the nerve to admit it. A good friend of mine works at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. We decided to have lunch, and he emailed where I should park to meet him. I’ve been to the Zoo … Read more
It’s been a week or so, but I’m still thinking about Nik Wallenda’s stunning feat. Talk about a thriller where your heart leaps into your throat, your blood pressure shoots through the roof, and you can’t sit still for more than a second! How can anyone walk a tightrope across the Chicago River without a … Read more
The Rouses were the model suburban family. Father Bruce, a self-made man who built his fortune starting with a couple of gas stations and expanded into cable TV and real estate, built a 13 room mansion in Libertyville, an affluent suburb on Chicago’s North Shore. Wife Darlene was a member of all the right clubs … Read more
My most recent blogpost was about the shooting in Northfield at rapper Chief Keef’s house. And while we still don’t know a lot of details about the incident, I made some comments about the Northfield police that were—well— kind of smart-ass. And inaccurate. And because I really admire and like Bill Lustig, Northfield’s current Police … Read more
For the 28 years I’ve lived in Northfield on the North Shore of Chicago, it’s been a quiet place. The village doesn’t have the cachet of Winnetka, the opulence of Lake Forest, or the population density of Evanston and Skokie (although most would say that’s a good thing). With the Forest Preserve on one side, … Read more
I was at a Christmas party two years ago at which WGN news anchor Steve Sanders was also a guest. We started to chat, and when he found out I was a crime writer he told me he had a story for me. Those words are like catnip for a kitten — I’m a sucker for a … Read more
I was thrilled to get this review of Havana Lost in today’s Chicago Tribune… in Rick Kogan’s Literary Saloon. Btw, the photo was taken at 90 Miles, Chicago’s best Cuban restaurant, in front of a mural depicting the restaurant owners in Havana Vieja. If they could go back. Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of the new … Read more
This is a reprint of an essay that appears in the current Mystery Readers’ Journal, Fall edition, which is all about Chicago. The magazine also includes essays by nearly two dozen other Chicago authors, including Marcus Sakey, Michael Sherer, Jack Fredrickson, Sheldon Siegel, and others. For more, check it out here. Um… actually that’s a … Read more
Well, it’s done! The book trailer… that is. Take a look — I think it rocks, but, of course, I may be somewhat biased. What do you think? It was produced and edited by Jacqui Wedewer.