William Deverell on how to write Crime Mystery Novels
b'
William Deverell, has been widely hailed as Canada\\u2019s greatest \\u2018literary mystery\\u2019 writer. This from his website:
"Deverell worked as a journalist for seven years, with Canadian Press Montreal, the Vancouver Sun and the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, where he was night city editor while at the University of Saskatchewan law school and editor of the student newspaper.
As a member of the British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon Bars, he was counsel in more than a thousand criminal cases, including thirty murder trials, either as defender or prosecutor. He is a founding director, former president, now honorary director of the B. C. Civil Liberties Association.
His first novel, Needles, won the $50,000 Seal Prize in l979 and the Book of the Year Award in l98l. His subsequent novels include High Crimes, Mecca,The Dance of Shiva, Platinum Blues, Mindfield, Kill All the Lawyers, Street Legal \\u2013 the Betrayal, and he is author of the true crime book A Life on Trial \\u2013 The Case of Robert Frisbee, based on a notorious murder trial which he defended\\u2026Trial of Passion won Canada\\u2019s 1997 Arthur Ellis prize in crime writing, and the Dashiell Hammett award for literary excellence in crime writing in North America. "
Our conversation explores Deverell\\u2019s oeuvre in light of the question: How to write a great crime novel? Humour, complex characters, contentious relationships and appropriate use of \\u2018the clock\\u2019 all feature prominently in Deverell\\u2019s work, and contribute to what makes it award winning. \\xa0
Twenty odd years ago my wife and I rented a cottage perched at the edge of the Rideau River for a weekend getaway. I cracked Deverell\\u2019s Dance of the Shiva shortly after arriving. Couldn\\u2019t get away from it. Couldn\\u2019t put it down. After finishing it, couldn\\u2019t understand why Deverell wasn\\u2019t as popular as Turow, Cornwell, Ellroy or Rendell. Still can\\u2019t.\\xa0
'