A good mystery unspools much like the weaving of a spider’s web: gradually yet consistently, appearing haphazard in the opening stages, and culminating in a dazzling whole that ties together all loose ends in supremely satisfying fashion. The genre that achieved its modern manifestation in the work of Edgar Allen Poe has introduced the world to some of the most famous fictional characters in literature, from Sherlock Holmes to Hercule Poirot. An absorbing mystery’s twists and turns keep the reader hooked. When the climactic discovery is made, jaws drop as it upends expectations. Yet, if readers flip back, they notice the subtle hints dropped that, while initially hovering on the periphery of their attention, now make the conclusion appear all but inevitable. In our monthly meeting on April 12th, Cara Black will guide us through the writing of a mystery.
Cara Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 books in the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series, which is set in Paris. Her most recent novel, Three Hours in Paris, has been described as a “taut, smart, heart-in-throat page-turner worthy of the most discerning reader of John le Carre, Daniel Silva, or Alan Furst.” Cara has received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, a Washington Post Book World Book of the Year citation, the Médaille de la Ville de Paris—the Paris City Medal, which is awarded in recognition of contribution to international culture—and invitations to be the Guest of Honor at conferences such as the Paris Polar Crime Festival and Left Coast Crime. With more than 400,000 books in print, the Aimée Leduc series has been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew. Cara has lived in the Bay Area since the age of 5.
When: Monday, April 12th at 7pm
Where: Zoom – Members will be receiving an email with the Zoom invite
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