Saturday, April 25, 2020
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Blog Tour for The Night Visitor
The promotion whirl for The Night Visitor, my new standalone thriller, is off and running. I'll be doing a blog tour with stops almost every weekday for the next several weeks. If you post a comment, you'll be entered into a raffle to win a free copy of The Night Visitor and a $25.00 gift card to the e-book retailer of your choice.
The Night Visitor goes on sale September 16, 2014 but you can pre-order it now, and I hope you do. Pre-orders help authors! You can pre-order it wherever e-books are sold such as Amazon.com.
The pre-release reviews of what I call my "crazy little book" on Goodreads have been amazing. I'm really excited to finally have this book in reader's hands.
You can read the first six chapters here. Just click "Read an Excerpt."
Here are the blogs that will be discussing The Night Visitor this week:
Monday 9/8 From the TBR Pile
Tuesday 9/9 Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday 9/10 No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday 9/11 Peeking Between the Pages
Friday 9/12 Bibliophilia, Please
Remember to post a comment to the raffle to win a free copy of The Night Visitor and a $25.00 gift card to the e-book retailer of your choice.
Happy reading!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Care and Feeding of Your Editor
"The Care and Feeding of Your Editor" was the panel I moderated at the 2013 California Crime Writers Conference held last June in Pasadena, California. It also describes my conundrum over how to care for my longtime editor and Manhattanite, Dana Isaacson, during his brief L.A. visit. First, the panel.
The editors were: Colleen Dunn Bates, founder and publisher of Prospect Park Books based in Pasadena, California; Annette Rogers, executive editor of Poisoned Pen Press based in Scottsdale, Arizona; Dana Isaacson, senior editor with the Random House Publishing Group who's now overseeing Alibi, RH's new eBook mystery/thriller line; and Kendel Flaum, founder and managing editor of Henery Press based in Dallas, Texas.
With three independent publishers and one huge New York publisher represented, the discussion naturally went to the advantages of "small vs. big." The independents spoke of their benefits: the personal touch, no bureaucratic decision-making process, the ability to take a chance on regional and less mainstream works, and the freedom to handcraft their lines according to personal preference without the compulsion of always chasing the next bestseller. This is not to say that they aren't concerned with the bottom line. Without the financial cushion of a big publishing house, missteps in publishing and promotion can be devastating to their business.
Dana said that there has been a shift in big publishing to focus on bestselling authors. Consolidation of major publishers and the eBook revolution have decimated the mid-list--authors who aren't consistent bestsellers. The mass market paperback format is disappearing as brick-and-mortar bookstores melt away. Readers are now avidly purchasing these mostly genre titles as eBooks. This is the market that Alibi is focusing on. Dana says that the Alibi line returns to a simpler era in publishing in that acquisition decisions aren't argued in big editorial meetings but are made by him and his boss, allowing him wide flexibility to publish books that he loves. These include my stand-alone paranormal mystery, Kiss Her for Me, which Alibi will publish in the fall of 2014, and a new book in my Nan Vining mystery series.
The panel discussion was lively and wide-ranging. Here's an overview.
"What do writers most misunderstand about the editorial process?" The editors agreed that writers don't understand that the process never ends. It doesn't end when you finish that first book, or when you finish revising your manuscript per your editor's notes, or even when your book is published because by then, you're well into your next book, or should be. Writers write and writers edit. Period.
"There was a golden age of book editors, perhaps epitomized by Maxwell Perkins who nurtured the careers of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and others, taking chaos and building a scaffold on which the writer could build a house. It's said that editors today want a manuscript to be as perfect as possible before they'll consider it. True?" The editors said the short answer is, "Yes." Smaller publishers are not flush with editorial staff. Big publishers have consolidated and cut back. Everyone is working harder than ever. No one has time to sort out a messy manuscript even if it has flashes of brilliance.
"A corollary question: will an editor dump a problematic author?" Everyone's heard stories about diva-antics on the part of certain famous authors, mostly tolerated as long as the authors' books are selling gazillions of copies. However, for the rest of us, editors don't have time for nonsense. It's a sound career strategy for an author to meet deadlines and act professionally. You don't want a reputation of needing to be "managed."
"Should crime writers worry about fitting a marketing niche when writing a book?" The editors said that writers should know what subgenre they're writing. It helps the publisher market the book and also helps your agent direct the book to the right editor.
"What about rejection? What greater purpose can it serve the writer?" It's an old saw, but the editors emphasize learning from rejection and not letting it stop you. Also, just because your book isn't right for one editor, it might be perfect for a different one. They read many fine books but there's a light that goes on when they find "the one." It's like falling in love.
Which leads me to things I love, the San Gabriel Valley (the "626" in local speak) and Los Angeles. I took Dana off the beaten path to some of my favorite places, including locations that I used in my Detective Nan Vining series. Ironically, I met Dana in 1992 at the Bouchercon conference in Pasadena. We'd just inked a contract for the first two books in my Iris Thorne series. Dana's edited six of my nine published books and we're penning a contract for two more with Alibi.
First, lunch in the "new" Chinatown at my favorite hole-in-the-wall, J & J in the city of Alhambra. J & J's juicy pork dumplings are terrific. Then a tour of Pasadena, including the Police Department, City Hall, and a couple of (fictional) murder locations in my books.
Later, we headed to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East L.A. to see the dueling mariachi bands at the El Mercado de Los Angeles. We returned to the conference hotel after our only-in-L.A. experience stuffed, satiated, and slightly deaf.
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| L to R: Colleen Dunn Bates, Annette Rogers, me, Dana Isaacson, and Kendel Flaum |
Dana said that there has been a shift in big publishing to focus on bestselling authors. Consolidation of major publishers and the eBook revolution have decimated the mid-list--authors who aren't consistent bestsellers. The mass market paperback format is disappearing as brick-and-mortar bookstores melt away. Readers are now avidly purchasing these mostly genre titles as eBooks. This is the market that Alibi is focusing on. Dana says that the Alibi line returns to a simpler era in publishing in that acquisition decisions aren't argued in big editorial meetings but are made by him and his boss, allowing him wide flexibility to publish books that he loves. These include my stand-alone paranormal mystery, Kiss Her for Me, which Alibi will publish in the fall of 2014, and a new book in my Nan Vining mystery series.
The panel discussion was lively and wide-ranging. Here's an overview.
"What do writers most misunderstand about the editorial process?" The editors agreed that writers don't understand that the process never ends. It doesn't end when you finish that first book, or when you finish revising your manuscript per your editor's notes, or even when your book is published because by then, you're well into your next book, or should be. Writers write and writers edit. Period.
"There was a golden age of book editors, perhaps epitomized by Maxwell Perkins who nurtured the careers of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and others, taking chaos and building a scaffold on which the writer could build a house. It's said that editors today want a manuscript to be as perfect as possible before they'll consider it. True?" The editors said the short answer is, "Yes." Smaller publishers are not flush with editorial staff. Big publishers have consolidated and cut back. Everyone is working harder than ever. No one has time to sort out a messy manuscript even if it has flashes of brilliance.
"A corollary question: will an editor dump a problematic author?" Everyone's heard stories about diva-antics on the part of certain famous authors, mostly tolerated as long as the authors' books are selling gazillions of copies. However, for the rest of us, editors don't have time for nonsense. It's a sound career strategy for an author to meet deadlines and act professionally. You don't want a reputation of needing to be "managed."
"Should crime writers worry about fitting a marketing niche when writing a book?" The editors said that writers should know what subgenre they're writing. It helps the publisher market the book and also helps your agent direct the book to the right editor.
"What about rejection? What greater purpose can it serve the writer?" It's an old saw, but the editors emphasize learning from rejection and not letting it stop you. Also, just because your book isn't right for one editor, it might be perfect for a different one. They read many fine books but there's a light that goes on when they find "the one." It's like falling in love.
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| Dana Enjoying a Feast at J & J |
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| Dana and Me at El Mercardito Mariachi Restaurant |
Later, we headed to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East L.A. to see the dueling mariachi bands at the El Mercado de Los Angeles. We returned to the conference hotel after our only-in-L.A. experience stuffed, satiated, and slightly deaf.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Guest Blog About Pushover - Iris Thorne #5 (and Come See Me at the LA Times Festival of Books)
I'm continuing my blog series at Elizabeth White's Book Reviews about revisiting my first series, the Iris Thorne Mysteries, originally published in the 1990s and now available as e-books and trade paperbacks. This is my final post in the series as I'm discussing Pushover, the fifth and final Iris Thorne. I reflect about ending a mystery series.I'm giving away a copy of Pushover to one of the commenters, so please stop by and opine.
This Saturday, April 20, I'll be signing books at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the USC campus in Los Angeles. Here's my schedule:
Prospect Park Books - Booth 63
12:00 - 1:00
Signing Literary Pasadena -- a new anthology in which I have a story
Sisters in Crime - Booth 367
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Signing the Nan Vining Thrillers and the Iris Thorne Mysteries
See you there!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Next Big Thing
My next book is Pushover. It's the fifth in my series featuring sexy, savvy investment counselor and amateur sleuth Iris Thorne who prowls the streets of L.A. in her vintage Triumph sports car in the "greed is good" 1990s. Pushover will be out in late February 2013.
1. Where did the idea for the book come from? Mercy. Who knows where book ideas come from? When asked about where his songs come from, Willie Nelson said: "The air. The air is full of music."
2. What genre does your book fall under? Mystery/Suspense/Romance
3. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? For Iris Thorne, I'd like someone smart, sexy, and witty yet down-to-earth -- a Tea Leoni type. For her boyfriend, Garland Hughes, a younger Harrison Ford. For Iris's ex-fiance, Todd Fillinger, I see Matt Damon.4. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? Iris's ex-fiance Todd lures her to post-Soviet Moscow on a business venture and to settle personal issues, but after Todd is gunned down in front of her, Iris returns to L.A. and learns the City of Angels can be more dangerous than Moscow when Todd's dangerous legacy threatens to destroy her.
5. Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
I am represented by my longtime agent, Robin Rue at Writers House.
6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About six months. But I do many rewrites.
7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
There are influences from movies and books. It's sort of Vertigo meets The Maltese Falcon meets Bullitt.
8. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
In the late 1990s, I read a story about an American businessman who'd traveled to Moscow to pursue business ventures in the emerging Russian market. He was machine-gunned to death on a street in front of a hotel. The incident stuck with me.
9. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? I believe of my five Iris Thorne mysteries, Pushover has the most adrenaline-fueled plot. It's lean and mean.
I've tagged Petrea Burchard to talk about her Next Big Thing which she'll do on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Petrea's acting career morphed into writing with Act As If, her online humor column about the acting life. Camelot & Vine is her first novel. On January 16, check out Petrea's Next Big Thing here.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Past is Prologue
I'm blogging today at the Sirens of Suspense about how revisiting my first books, the Iris Thorne Mysteries, has informed my later works. Kindly stop by and comment, love it, etc. Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Foolproof Schemes and Foolish Dreams
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| Me and a friend on the pier in Bandon, Oregon |
I'm continuing my series of guest posts at Elizabeth A. White's Book Reviews about revisiting after 15 years my newly re-published Iris Thorne Mysteries. This time, I'm talking about my journey to Foolproof, Iris Thorne #4. Check it out to see what the computer game Doom, O.J. Simpson, Los Angeles' stairways, and an L.A. taxi driver have in common.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Talking Noir at LitFest Pasadena
UPDATE - - - LitFest RAINED OUT... As anyone who might have shown up on March 17 quickly learned.
RESCHEDULED FOR MAY 12, 2012... This will give all of you time to brush up on your L.A. Noir.
Come out to Pasadena on Saturday, March 17 for the inaugural LitFest Pasadena, Pasadena's first community-wide book festival. It's from 9:30 - 5:00 in Central Park, between Fair Oaks Avenue and Raymond Avenue, north of Del Mar Boulevard.
Come see me on the Los Angeles Noir panel at 11:30 on the Harriet Doerr stage. I'll be opining about how the City of Angels has inspired the noir tradition in the past and today with my esteemed local colleagues: Denise Hamilton, Gary Phillips, and Naomi Hirahara.
From 2:00 to 3:00, I'll be signing at the Book 'Em booth.
On Saturday, April 21, come out to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the USC Campus. From 2:00 - 4:00, I'll be signing at the Sisters in Crime booth, Section F, Booth 373. I'll also be signing at the Mystery Ink booth right next door, time to be determined.
Would love to see you!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Beware the Sophomore Jinx
I've also updated my website. It now features all my books, including my long out-of-print first series, the Iris Thorne Mysteries, which I'm starting to release for the first time ever as e-books and trade paperbacks.
The new website has its own blog, which means that I now have two blogs that I very sporadically update. I may end up abandoning this blog or letting it go fallow. I'd like to keep it active because I'm fond of many of the posts. For now anyway, me, the occasional blogger has two.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The Writer in the Mirror
The first two books in my long out-of-print Iris Thorne series--Cold Call and Slow Squeeze--have been re-edited, refurbished, and are again on sale. You can buy them for the first time ever as e-books and trade paperbacks.
The Cold Call e-book is on sale for just $.99! Buy for Kindle, Nook, or iPad.
The e-book of the second in the series, Slow Squeeze, is on sale for $2.99. Buy for Kindle, Nook, or iPad.
For print book lovers, you can ask your favorite bookseller to order the books for you or you can buy the trade paperback of Cold Call here or Slow Squeeze here.
I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting Iris Thorne as much as I had fun reconnecting with her--and with the writer I was back then when I wrote those novels.
Happy holidays to all.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Big News! Meet Iris Thorne -- Again
I'm delighted to announce that I'm re-publishing my long out-of-print first series--the Iris Thorne Mysteries--and the first book, Cold Call, is now on sale! Iris Thorne is a sassy, scrappy, and sexy Los Angeles investment counselor and amateur sleuth. The five books in the series were published by Simon and Schuster from 1993 to 1999. I'm so happy to introduce Iris to new readers and hopefully longtime friends will want to renew their acquaintance with her.
Cold Call is now available as an e-book for the first time ever and a beautiful trade paperback edition will be available soon. You can buy the e-book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Smashwords.
I'll launch the second, Slow Squeeze, in December--in time for holiday shopping! The remaining three titles--Fast Friends, Foolproof, and Pushover--will be released throughout early 2012 as both e-books and trade paperbacks. You'll be able to order the paperbacks through your local bookstore as well as via IndieBound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.
Here are the new book jackets, which I think are terrific:
A fan who posted this comment on Amazon.com gives a great overview of the series:
5.0 out of 5 stars Before "Occupy Wall Street," Iris Thorne fought the big boys in COLD CALL
Readers who have fallen in love with Dianne Emley's fantastic Nan Vining thrillers might be unaware of the really great mystery series the author wrote years earlier featuring the complex and appealing Iris Thorne.
A few stylish touches (like Iris' leaky old Triumph sportscar) add color and texture to this novel set in L.A. in the 1980s. Iris wants to make a good living in L.A.'s financial district while still doing the right thing -- a lesson in ethics some of the folks down on Wall Street still seem not to have learned even today. Maybe they should all quit their shenanigans and instead read this very entertaining novel.
A great read for mystery fans, lovers of L.A., and those who enjoy a scrappy heroine taking charge of an action-packed plot.
I do hope you'll give my Iris Thorne series a try--and maybe post a reader review as well.
It's been so rewarding for me to revisit my first books. With the distance of time, I've reread (and lightly edited) them with fresh eyes and can finally appreciate how fun they are. I have lots to say about this interesting journey, from reconnecting with that debut author I once was to embracing the self-publishing world after years of being in "big" publishing, but will hold off until my new blog is launched (I'm moving it to WordPress).
As far as a new Nan Vining and other books, I've been very busy behind the scenes on a couple of projects. I don't like talking about works-in-progress. I'm superstitious that way. I hope to reveal details about new books soon. I'm also updating my Website, long in need of an overhaul. My gorgeous new site should be up in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, you have restored, refreshed Iris Thorne to keep you company, and she's good company indeed.
Cold Call is now available as an e-book for the first time ever and a beautiful trade paperback edition will be available soon. You can buy the e-book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Smashwords.
I'll launch the second, Slow Squeeze, in December--in time for holiday shopping! The remaining three titles--Fast Friends, Foolproof, and Pushover--will be released throughout early 2012 as both e-books and trade paperbacks. You'll be able to order the paperbacks through your local bookstore as well as via IndieBound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.
Here are the new book jackets, which I think are terrific:
A fan who posted this comment on Amazon.com gives a great overview of the series:
5.0 out of 5 stars Before "Occupy Wall Street," Iris Thorne fought the big boys in COLD CALL
Readers who have fallen in love with Dianne Emley's fantastic Nan Vining thrillers might be unaware of the really great mystery series the author wrote years earlier featuring the complex and appealing Iris Thorne.
A few stylish touches (like Iris' leaky old Triumph sportscar) add color and texture to this novel set in L.A. in the 1980s. Iris wants to make a good living in L.A.'s financial district while still doing the right thing -- a lesson in ethics some of the folks down on Wall Street still seem not to have learned even today. Maybe they should all quit their shenanigans and instead read this very entertaining novel.
A great read for mystery fans, lovers of L.A., and those who enjoy a scrappy heroine taking charge of an action-packed plot.
I do hope you'll give my Iris Thorne series a try--and maybe post a reader review as well.
It's been so rewarding for me to revisit my first books. With the distance of time, I've reread (and lightly edited) them with fresh eyes and can finally appreciate how fun they are. I have lots to say about this interesting journey, from reconnecting with that debut author I once was to embracing the self-publishing world after years of being in "big" publishing, but will hold off until my new blog is launched (I'm moving it to WordPress).
As far as a new Nan Vining and other books, I've been very busy behind the scenes on a couple of projects. I don't like talking about works-in-progress. I'm superstitious that way. I hope to reveal details about new books soon. I'm also updating my Website, long in need of an overhaul. My gorgeous new site should be up in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, you have restored, refreshed Iris Thorne to keep you company, and she's good company indeed.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
New French Edition of A VIF
Just out, the French pocket edition of CUT TO THE QUICK. Presenting A VIF -- published by Belfond Noir. C'est trop beau! Thank you, Belfond!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Detective Kilcoyne Part 3 -- Cold Case of a Murdered L.A. Sheriff's Deputy
Here's the third installment of Detective Dennis Kilcoyne's, LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division, talk given at the California Crime Writer's Conference in June 2011.
Kilcoyne described investigating in 1998 a then thirteen-year-old unsolved murder of L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy George Arthur. In 1985, Arthur was a sergeant assigned to the Men's Central Jail near East Los Angeles. One night, Arthur had completed his shift and was driving home in his 1979 Chevrolet van when, after a struggle, he was shot and killed by someone who had hidden in the van's back seat. The murder was originally thought to have been a car accident until the autopsy revealed four .25 caliber slugs in Arthur's skull. Some witnesses saw one man limping from the scene. Other witnesses saw two men leaving the scene. Specks of DNA gathered from the van's windshield were believed to belong to the killer who was likely injured in the crash.
LAPD was in charge of the investigation as the murder occurred in the city. A joint task force was created with the L.A. Sheriff's Department. Investigators focused on Arthur's work, believing he was targeted by gangs from his jail duties and prior years as a gang officer. There were several suspects, but a case couldn't be made. None of the suspects' DNA matched the samples from the windshield. The case went cold.
In 1998, Kilcoyne was assigned to lead a task force with both RHD detectives and Sheriff's investigators, all of whom were new to the case in order to look at the investigation with fresh eyes.
Kilcoyne spoke to our group about investigative tunnel vision, in this situation stemming from the fact that the victim was an off-duty cop. "Cops throw up blinders. It's white hat versus black hat, but we forget that cops have personal lives." The task force began examining Arthur's private life, just like they would any other homicide victim.
At the time of his murder, Arthur was separated from his wife who was also a sheriff's deputy. The separation was amicable and they'd both been dating other people. In 1985, Arthur's wife had expressed to investigators her suspicions about a sheriff's deputy she'd been dating named Ted Kirby. She said that Kirby was possessive and had stalked her. After Arthur's murder, she'd seen Kirby with a bandaged head and knee.
Kilcoyne said that Arthur's wife was young and very attractive and the investigators had blown off her concerns. As he put it, they told the grieving widow at the reception following the memorial service, "Very nice, sweetheart, now get me another beer."
Kilcoyne and the task force began gathering DNA samples from all the people Arthur and his wife had dated during their separation. Kirby wouldn't provide his without a warrant. Kirby had moved to Spokane, Washington and the investigators travelled there, obtaining their warrant.
Meanwhile, the focus on Kirby had led certain investigators to believe that Arthur's wife was somehow involved in his murder which Kilcoyne said made no sense. But the talk had upset Arthur's wife to the point that she called Kilcoyne at home one Sunday morning to ask if he was going to arrest her.
He asked, "Do I need to arrest you?"
"No."
"Then I won't arrest you. Besides, it's Sunday and I don't like to arrest people on Sundays."
After Kirby's DNA was found to match the samples from the van's windshield, Kilcoyne and his team returned to Spokane to arrest him, only to learn from his wife that a week before, Kirby had put his wedding ring on the kitchen table, had walked out the door, and had disappeared. Kirby's house backed up to a U.S. Park Service forest. It was June, but there was still snow on the ground. Kilcoyne wanted to walk around the forest and have a look, but the local cops said that he'd need to get a warrant to conduct a search on federal land, which would take weeks. The LAPD detectives went home.
Over a month later, a couple of reporters from a local news station decided to enter the forest behind Kirby's house to have a look around. They climbed over a wire fence and had walked about fifty feet when one guy said, "There he is." His colleagues thought he was kidding. "No, seriously. He's right there." Kirby's body was leaning against a boulder. He'd shot himself in the head.
Here's a July 15, 1999 L.A. Times article about Ted Kirby's remains being found and the unanswered questions that still remain.
Solving the Arthur case gave the LAPD and the LAPD's Scientific Investigation Division a lift after the battering they'd endured resulting from the O.J. Simpson double homicide investigation.
In the next installment, Kilcoyne reveals surprising details about the O.J. case.
Kilcoyne described investigating in 1998 a then thirteen-year-old unsolved murder of L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy George Arthur. In 1985, Arthur was a sergeant assigned to the Men's Central Jail near East Los Angeles. One night, Arthur had completed his shift and was driving home in his 1979 Chevrolet van when, after a struggle, he was shot and killed by someone who had hidden in the van's back seat. The murder was originally thought to have been a car accident until the autopsy revealed four .25 caliber slugs in Arthur's skull. Some witnesses saw one man limping from the scene. Other witnesses saw two men leaving the scene. Specks of DNA gathered from the van's windshield were believed to belong to the killer who was likely injured in the crash.
LAPD was in charge of the investigation as the murder occurred in the city. A joint task force was created with the L.A. Sheriff's Department. Investigators focused on Arthur's work, believing he was targeted by gangs from his jail duties and prior years as a gang officer. There were several suspects, but a case couldn't be made. None of the suspects' DNA matched the samples from the windshield. The case went cold.
In 1998, Kilcoyne was assigned to lead a task force with both RHD detectives and Sheriff's investigators, all of whom were new to the case in order to look at the investigation with fresh eyes.
Kilcoyne spoke to our group about investigative tunnel vision, in this situation stemming from the fact that the victim was an off-duty cop. "Cops throw up blinders. It's white hat versus black hat, but we forget that cops have personal lives." The task force began examining Arthur's private life, just like they would any other homicide victim.
At the time of his murder, Arthur was separated from his wife who was also a sheriff's deputy. The separation was amicable and they'd both been dating other people. In 1985, Arthur's wife had expressed to investigators her suspicions about a sheriff's deputy she'd been dating named Ted Kirby. She said that Kirby was possessive and had stalked her. After Arthur's murder, she'd seen Kirby with a bandaged head and knee.
Kilcoyne said that Arthur's wife was young and very attractive and the investigators had blown off her concerns. As he put it, they told the grieving widow at the reception following the memorial service, "Very nice, sweetheart, now get me another beer."
Kilcoyne and the task force began gathering DNA samples from all the people Arthur and his wife had dated during their separation. Kirby wouldn't provide his without a warrant. Kirby had moved to Spokane, Washington and the investigators travelled there, obtaining their warrant.
Meanwhile, the focus on Kirby had led certain investigators to believe that Arthur's wife was somehow involved in his murder which Kilcoyne said made no sense. But the talk had upset Arthur's wife to the point that she called Kilcoyne at home one Sunday morning to ask if he was going to arrest her.
He asked, "Do I need to arrest you?"
"No."
"Then I won't arrest you. Besides, it's Sunday and I don't like to arrest people on Sundays."
After Kirby's DNA was found to match the samples from the van's windshield, Kilcoyne and his team returned to Spokane to arrest him, only to learn from his wife that a week before, Kirby had put his wedding ring on the kitchen table, had walked out the door, and had disappeared. Kirby's house backed up to a U.S. Park Service forest. It was June, but there was still snow on the ground. Kilcoyne wanted to walk around the forest and have a look, but the local cops said that he'd need to get a warrant to conduct a search on federal land, which would take weeks. The LAPD detectives went home.
Over a month later, a couple of reporters from a local news station decided to enter the forest behind Kirby's house to have a look around. They climbed over a wire fence and had walked about fifty feet when one guy said, "There he is." His colleagues thought he was kidding. "No, seriously. He's right there." Kirby's body was leaning against a boulder. He'd shot himself in the head.
Here's a July 15, 1999 L.A. Times article about Ted Kirby's remains being found and the unanswered questions that still remain.
Solving the Arthur case gave the LAPD and the LAPD's Scientific Investigation Division a lift after the battering they'd endured resulting from the O.J. Simpson double homicide investigation.
In the next installment, Kilcoyne reveals surprising details about the O.J. case.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Detective Kilcoyne Part 2: The Golay and Rutterschmidt Case Continued
This is a continuation ofDetective Dennis Kilcoyne's, LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division, talk given at the California Crime Writer's Conference in June 2011. Part 1 is here.
Kilcoyne had more to say about investigating the "Black Widows": Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt.
When the day came to apprehend the girls, Rutterschmidt's arrest went smoothly. Kilcoyne was concerned about taking down "the mastermind" Golay and planned for every eventuality. Kilcoyne had a video crew on-scene because he wanted a record if Golay accused the cops of wrongdoing.
I did some research and the book was likely The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. Truly, you can't make this stuff up.
After they pulled Golay, then 74, out of the house and she was standing on the sidewalk in her see-through nightie, handcuffed, Kilcoyne had a chance to razz the FBI agent whose eyes dropped when looking at Golay. "Caught you looking, Opie. Got it on tape."
Kilcoyne had more to say about investigating the "Black Widows": Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt.
The women, both in their seventies, had taken out multiple life insurance policies on homeless men whom they later murdered, staging the crimes to look like hit-and-run accidents. They collected millions. Kilcoyne said that Golay was financially well-off, owning several properties and living in an upscale home in Santa Monica. Rutterschmidt however lived in a small apartment in Hollywood and struggled to keep up with Golay's lifestyle. Rutterschmidt had a goal of getting enough money to move to Canada and start a business. When asked what Golay's motive was, Kilcoyne said he didn't know.
Because "the girls" were charged with mail fraud from mailing forged life insurance policies, federal crimes were involved and an FBI agent was assigned to work the case with Kilcoyne. The push-pull between municipal cops and G-men treading the same turf that's a crime novel staple apparently has a basis in reality. Kilcoyne poked fun at his FBI cohort, describing him as a guileless redhead from the Midwest whom the LAPD RHD team nicknamed "Opie."
Golay's home was a fortress with high walls. On the arrest night, a team rapeled over them and onto Golay's property. 
Golay was home alone, reading on a couch in her living room, wearing a flimsy nightgown. Kilcoyne remembered seeing a single book on her coffee table. The book jacket was creepy, with eyes looking out. He said the title was something about "the sociopath inside" and pointed at the audience and said, "Probably one of you guys wrote it."
Golay was home alone, reading on a couch in her living room, wearing a flimsy nightgown. Kilcoyne remembered seeing a single book on her coffee table. The book jacket was creepy, with eyes looking out. He said the title was something about "the sociopath inside" and pointed at the audience and said, "Probably one of you guys wrote it."I did some research and the book was likely The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. Truly, you can't make this stuff up.
After they pulled Golay, then 74, out of the house and she was standing on the sidewalk in her see-through nightie, handcuffed, Kilcoyne had a chance to razz the FBI agent whose eyes dropped when looking at Golay. "Caught you looking, Opie. Got it on tape."
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Cop Talk - Detective Dennis Kilcoyne Part 1
I'm just getting around to posting my notes from the great California Crime Writer's Conference that was held in Pasadena in June 2011. I pulled together most of the speakers for the "Matters of Crime" track. Luck shone upon us as we had a terrific line-up. I'm going to post a series of excerpts from the notes I took during the sessions. Here's the first.
We were very honored to have Detective Dennis Kilcoyne of the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division speak to us. RHD is the elite investigative team within the LAPD which handles the most challenging cases in the city--challenging either because of their complexity or their celebrity component.
Detective Kilcoyne is one of the RHD's top investigators. Notable cases he's worked include: the double murder involving O.J. Simpson, the Ennis Cosby murder, the Bank of America shootout in North Hollywood, the Doris Duke death investigation, several murders of police officers both on and off duty, the killer grannies who insured and then murdered homeless men, dubbed “the Black Widows,” the case involving serial murderer Lonnie Franklin, dubbed the “Grim Sleeper,” and more recently, the savage beating of the Giants fan at Dodger Stadium.
Detective Kilcoyne has served as the president of the California Homicide Investigators Association for the past six years.
We crime writers were rapt as Detective Kilcoyne described some of his most notable cases, dropping insider details. He talked at length about the "black widows": Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt. Golay and Rutterschmidt were longtime friends in their seventies, glamourous party "girls" who were sort of low-rent Gabor sisters. They took out multiple life insurance policies on homeless men, naming themselves as the beneficiaries, put the men up in cheap apartments and took care of them until two years had passed. After two years, under California law, it's difficult for insurance companies to contest life insurance policy benefits. So when the victim's time was up (literally), "the girls" gave him a cocktail of booze and ground up prescription drugs, laid him in an alley, and ran over him with a 1999 Mercury Sable. They were convicted of murdering two men and are serving consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Kilcoyne says they still don't know who was driving the car used to run over the men.
Kilcoyne described Golay at "the brains of the operation" and "the most evil person I've come across in thirty-five years" in law enforcement. "The girls" became volunteers at a large church in Hollywood that feeds the homeless. While appearing altruistic, they were in fact "shopping" for victims.
Kilcoyne says the girls were at first at a federal prison because they were arrested for mail fraud, a federal crime, which gave the LAPD time to put together the murder case. Kilcoyne said the federal prison was like "a country club" where the girls enjoyed playing cards and the other prisoners treated them like celebrities. This did not sit well with Kilcoyne. Finally, he was able to move them to an L.A. jail and he picked what he thought was the worst one: the 77th Street Jail in South Central L.A.
He told a funny story about transporting Golay to that jail. He was driving his RHD sedan and Golay was in the back seat with a detective. It was a hot day in the middle of rush hour and he took the surface streets through residential neighborhoods. He was traveling around 20 miles per hour when a football got away from some kids and flew into the street. He couldn't dodge it, so he ran over it. It went "ka-thump... ka-thump" beneath the wheels and shot up behind the car. After it made the noise, he turned to look at Golay and said, "Sound familiar, Helen?"
She replied, "That's not funny, Dennis."
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| Me and Detective Dennis Kilcoyne |
Detective Kilcoyne is one of the RHD's top investigators. Notable cases he's worked include: the double murder involving O.J. Simpson, the Ennis Cosby murder, the Bank of America shootout in North Hollywood, the Doris Duke death investigation, several murders of police officers both on and off duty, the killer grannies who insured and then murdered homeless men, dubbed “the Black Widows,” the case involving serial murderer Lonnie Franklin, dubbed the “Grim Sleeper,” and more recently, the savage beating of the Giants fan at Dodger Stadium.
Detective Kilcoyne has served as the president of the California Homicide Investigators Association for the past six years.
We crime writers were rapt as Detective Kilcoyne described some of his most notable cases, dropping insider details. He talked at length about the "black widows": Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt. Golay and Rutterschmidt were longtime friends in their seventies, glamourous party "girls" who were sort of low-rent Gabor sisters. They took out multiple life insurance policies on homeless men, naming themselves as the beneficiaries, put the men up in cheap apartments and took care of them until two years had passed. After two years, under California law, it's difficult for insurance companies to contest life insurance policy benefits. So when the victim's time was up (literally), "the girls" gave him a cocktail of booze and ground up prescription drugs, laid him in an alley, and ran over him with a 1999 Mercury Sable. They were convicted of murdering two men and are serving consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Kilcoyne says they still don't know who was driving the car used to run over the men.
Kilcoyne described Golay at "the brains of the operation" and "the most evil person I've come across in thirty-five years" in law enforcement. "The girls" became volunteers at a large church in Hollywood that feeds the homeless. While appearing altruistic, they were in fact "shopping" for victims.
Kilcoyne says the girls were at first at a federal prison because they were arrested for mail fraud, a federal crime, which gave the LAPD time to put together the murder case. Kilcoyne said the federal prison was like "a country club" where the girls enjoyed playing cards and the other prisoners treated them like celebrities. This did not sit well with Kilcoyne. Finally, he was able to move them to an L.A. jail and he picked what he thought was the worst one: the 77th Street Jail in South Central L.A.
He told a funny story about transporting Golay to that jail. He was driving his RHD sedan and Golay was in the back seat with a detective. It was a hot day in the middle of rush hour and he took the surface streets through residential neighborhoods. He was traveling around 20 miles per hour when a football got away from some kids and flew into the street. He couldn't dodge it, so he ran over it. It went "ka-thump... ka-thump" beneath the wheels and shot up behind the car. After it made the noise, he turned to look at Golay and said, "Sound familiar, Helen?"
She replied, "That's not funny, Dennis."
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Research and the California Crime Writer's Conference
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The conference is June 11 and 12 at the Hilton in Pasadena, CA. Some of my "real world" law and order friends will be presenting as I organized most of the Forensics track.
On Saturday, June 11, I'll be introducing these great sessions:
Money Matters - Fraud & Scams with Detective Joseph Allard, Pasadena PD
Homicide 101 - with LAPD Detective Dennis Kilcoyne, Robbery/Homicide Division. Detective Kilcoyne has worked on many notable homicide cases including O.J. Simpson and Ennis Cosby. He headed the task force that nabbed the notorious "Grim Sleeper" serial killer.
On Sunday, June 12, I'll be "in conversation with" these accomplished women:
See You in Court - L.A. Superior Court Judge and former L.A. Deputy D.A. Karla Kerlin discusses being on both sides of the bench.
Women in Blue - What it's like to be a woman on the force. Margaret York, ret. LAPD Deputy Chief and Kathleen McChesney, PhD, first F.B.I. Executive Assistant Director.
Also on Sunday, I'm introducing this session:
Use of Force - Methodology, training, tactics and equipment with Sergeant Eduardo Calatayud, Pasadena PD
There will also be sessions on writing, marketing, and publishing your book. The conference is only held every two years. I think the programming this year is spectacular. Have you signed up?
Friday, April 29, 2011
LA Times Book Fest and Reality
I had hoped to get some writing done and I did, working with great focus every morning. I had felt as if I was circling a rat's maze with the plot of the new book and the change of scenery was just what I needed to see things from a new perspective. Perhaps a change of scenery might work for you, too, if you find yourself maze-bound in a story you're working on. Something as simple as taking your work to a park or a cafe might do the trick. I'm going to try this from time to time.
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| On Kaanapali Beach. Yes, UCLA Bruins... I am holding a USC Trojans visor. Don't ask. |
The L.A. Times Festival of Books is this weekend. I will be signing there Saturday, April 30:
12:00 - 1:00 Mystery Ink, Booth 370
2:00 - 4:00 Sisters in Crime, Booth 373
If you're around, come by!
Tonight, Friday, April 29, Mystery Writers of America, Southern California chapter is sponsoring a pre-festival party at from 6:00 - 9:00 at Skylight Books. There will be free eats and drinks, and lots of writers and readers. It's open to the public. This is the first time Skylight Books is hosting this party. It was always packed and big fun at its previous venue, our dearly departed The Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. Again, if you're around, come by!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Vive la France! French Edition of Nan Vining #3
You can order it through Amazon France here.
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| French edition of The Deepest Cut |
Here's the Belfond edition of the first Nan Vining: The First Cut. The French title means: "An Echo in the Night." Order it here.
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| French editon of The First Cut |
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| French edition of Cut to the Quick. |
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tucson Festival of Books -- March 2011
I love this festival. This year was its third and it just keeps getting better but still keeps its fun unpretentious soul. One of my best friends and her family live in Tucson, so I've gotten to know and love the city over the years. What a pleasure to see good friends.
My husband and I drove from the L.A. area. It's a seven to eight hour drive, mostly through desert. I love desert landscapes. Maybe it's because I was born and raised in Southern California, but the desert resonates with me.
So, some photos of a great event. The first three photos were taken by Leslie Pape. I snapped the last four.
The "Blood and Guts--Violence in Crime Fiction" panel with L to R: Zoe Sharp, Cara Black, me, and Rebecca Cantrell
"The Seamy Side of Paradise: California Crime" with L to R: Thomas Perry, me, and T. Jefferson Parker.
"Against the Odds: Women in Jeopardy" with L to R: Juliet Blackwell, Wendy Corsi Staub, me, and Libby Fischer Hellman.
At the festival, an unintentionally funny display about the perils of drinking and driving.
Morning hike in Ventana Canyon. Cottontails, pheasants, bird songs, fresh air, and solitude.
On the drive home. Outside Quartzsite, AZ.
Heading home, westbound on I-10. "Prisoner of the white lines on the freeway..."
My husband and I drove from the L.A. area. It's a seven to eight hour drive, mostly through desert. I love desert landscapes. Maybe it's because I was born and raised in Southern California, but the desert resonates with me.
So, some photos of a great event. The first three photos were taken by Leslie Pape. I snapped the last four.
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The "Blood and Guts--Violence in Crime Fiction" panel with L to R: Zoe Sharp, Cara Black, me, and Rebecca Cantrell
"The Seamy Side of Paradise: California Crime" with L to R: Thomas Perry, me, and T. Jefferson Parker. 
"Against the Odds: Women in Jeopardy" with L to R: Juliet Blackwell, Wendy Corsi Staub, me, and Libby Fischer Hellman.
At the festival, an unintentionally funny display about the perils of drinking and driving.
Morning hike in Ventana Canyon. Cottontails, pheasants, bird songs, fresh air, and solitude.
On the drive home. Outside Quartzsite, AZ. 
Heading home, westbound on I-10. "Prisoner of the white lines on the freeway..."Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tucson Festival of Books March 12 -13
This weekend, I'll be at the Tucson Festival of Books on the campus of the University of Arizona. This is such a great festival. So much fun. Come on out. It's springtime in the desert. It's going to be sunny with temperatures in the 80s. Did someone say "sleeveless"?
Here's where I'll be during the festival.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
10:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Signing – Desert Sleuths Sisters in Crime - Booth 109 in West Mall
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Signing - Clues Unlimited – Booth in Central Mall
2:30 p.m. Panel followed by book signing until 4:00 p.m.
Blood and Guts: Violence in Crime Fiction
With Rebecca Cantrell and Cara Black. Moderator – Zoe Sharp
Venue: Integrated Learning Center, Room 140
Sunday, March 13, 2011
10:00 a.m. Panel
Against the Odds: Women in Jeopardy - MODERATING
Libby Hellmann, Wendi Corsi Staub, and Juliet Blackwell
Venue: Student Union - Tucson Room
1:00 p.m. Panel followed by book signing until 2:30 p.m.
The Seamy Side of Paradise: California Crime
With Thomas Perry and T. Jefferson Parker.
Moderator - Patrick Milliken from the Poisoned Pen
Venue: Integrated Learning Center - Room 120
Here's where I'll be during the festival.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
10:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Signing – Desert Sleuths Sisters in Crime - Booth 109 in West Mall
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Signing - Clues Unlimited – Booth in Central Mall
2:30 p.m. Panel followed by book signing until 4:00 p.m.
Blood and Guts: Violence in Crime Fiction
With Rebecca Cantrell and Cara Black. Moderator – Zoe Sharp
Venue: Integrated Learning Center, Room 140
Sunday, March 13, 2011
10:00 a.m. Panel
Against the Odds: Women in Jeopardy - MODERATING
Libby Hellmann, Wendi Corsi Staub, and Juliet Blackwell
Venue: Student Union - Tucson Room
1:00 p.m. Panel followed by book signing until 2:30 p.m.
The Seamy Side of Paradise: California Crime
With Thomas Perry and T. Jefferson Parker.
Moderator - Patrick Milliken from the Poisoned Pen
Venue: Integrated Learning Center - Room 120
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