Sci Fi Meets Mystery: Detecting in Future Time

In previous posts, I focused on mysteries set in past historical eras, but some mysteries leap into the future, and this marriage of science fiction with mystery has attracted best-selling authors and awards. Start with sci-fi titan Isaac Asimov, who wrote Caves of Steel back in 1953 to prove to his doubting editor that mystery and science fiction were not incompatible genres. The result: On an overpopulated future Earth, a New York City police detective, who dislikes his arrogant Spacer superiors and their robotic companions, is sent to the Outer Worlds to track down the killer of a Spacer, aided by a robot partner made in the likeness of the murder victim. The Andromeda Strain, by best-selling Michael Crichton, is a techno-thriller rather than a who-done-it, but it's a great puzzle pitting a hero bacteriologist and his flawed team in a race to decipher clues and stop a murderous alien "biological agent" released by the crash of a military satellite before they are destroyed by a quarantining nuclear blast. Meanwhile, Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman’s Union is set in a “temporary” Jewish settlement in Sitka, formed after Israel's imagined collapse in 1948 and now about to revert to Alaskan control, where homicide detective Meyer Landsman investigates the murder of his neighbor, a former chess prodigy, and runs afoul of old forces of faith and evil. The City & The City, by China Mieville, is a police procedural involving a psychic journey across borders as two detectives in neighbor cities, one in the decaying city of Beszel and one in the vibrant city of Ul Qoma, are drawn by a woman's murder into an underworld of nationalists intent on destroying the rival city and unificationists seeking to combine them. Finally, Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man won a Hugo back in 1953 yet seems strangely apropos today: In the year 2301, guns are only museum pieces, and benign telepaths sweep the minds of the populace to detect crimes before they happen, so murder is virtually impossible--until Ben Reich, a psychopathic business magnate, devises a scheme to eliminate the competition and destroy the social order. There are just too many options to note here, so check out http://best-sci-fi-books.com/23-best-science-fiction-mystery-books/

The Medieval Mystery: Death and Pageantry

The violence and pageantry of the Medieval world, from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Renaissance (5th through 15th centuries), has been a popular backdrop for fantasy and romance fiction, but murder mystery writers also like the period. Crime-solving set in castle, monastery and walled town pairs archaic suspects, such as lords, serfs, knights, maidens, monks, minstrels and lepers, with the evergreen motives for mayhem. That the quest for moral justice must navigate a feudal society torn by war, plague and intolerance enriches the plots. The literary world first embraced the Medieval mystery with Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. Young Brother William of Baskerville investigates the bizarre deaths of monks at an Italian monastery in a complex novel pitting Aristotelian logic against theology as the hero tries to decipher secret symbols and coded manuscripts. Those who find Eco's opus too philosophically dense may enjoy Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries instead, in which a 12th century Benedictine monk tackles local murders with psychological insight and primitive forensics. Other series include Caroline Roe's Isaac from Girona mysteries about the sleuthing of a blind doctor in mid-1300 Spain; Kate Sedley's Roger the Chapman mysteries featuring a peddler in Medieval England; Bernard Knight's Crowner John mysteries about a former Crusader knight serving the king's justice in 12th century England; Ian Morson's William Falconer series with crime-solving by a 13th-century Oxford University Regent Master; Philip Gooden’s Chaucer Tales, relying on Geoffrey Chaucer, future poet and diplomat, to put together the clues; and Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew mysteries, in which a teacher of medicine investigates murders in 14th-century Cambridge. Paul Doherty is another Medieval mystery leader with multiple series (Brother Athelstan mysteries for one), but try his Satan in St. Mary for a fun read about a real murder in 13th century London. If you're bored by Medieval males, check out Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mysteries, with a 7th century Irish nun as detective, or read Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death, where an ahead-of-her-time 12th century woman doctor investigates. For historical mystery options, regardless of time period: http://bestmysterybooks.com/best-historical-mystery-books.html

Victorian Mysteries Debut Modern Crime-Solving

Looking to escape back in time with your next mystery? England's Victorian era is a favorite setting because it can combine old-fashioned moral certitudes with relatively modern crime-solving thanks to the era's policing and forensic science advances. Indeed, the Victorian period ushered in the first true detective fiction, such as Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes tales, and Edgar Allan Poe's three seminal detective stories (The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget and The Purloined Letter). If you want to sample other British Victorian mystery masters, try Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, unique for its contemporary portrait of a daring, ruthless woman. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu was famed for his Victorian Gothic mysteries, and a good example is Uncle Silas about a sinister uncle threatening a plucky heroine. But many modern writers are carrying on the Victorian mystery tradition--sometimes borrowing from the masters. For example, a series by Laurie R. King pairs an aging Sherlock Holmes with clever teen Mary Russell, starting with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Lynn Shepherd's The Solitary House has two Charles Maddoxes, a private detective and his "thief taker"great uncle, solving a mystery involving the cast of Dickens' Bleak House. Meanwhile, The Asylum by John Harwood is inspired by Wilkie's structure and atmosphere as a young woman awakens in an asylum under a name she denies and repudiated by relatives. Among the modern Victorian-era mystery series are those penned by Anne Perry, with The Cater Street Hangman as the first entry of her popular Thomas Pitt London mysteries. While "Victorian" connotes England, the same time period has inspired great mysteries set in the U.S. One of the best is Caleb Carr's The Alienist about 1896 child mutilation murders in New York, with an investigative team made up of a New York Times crime reporter,  his "alienist" (psychologist) friend, and then NYC Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt. Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series also is set in Victorian-era New York but is notable for its female sleuth, midwife Sarah Brandt, first introduced in Murder on Astor Place. For more Victorian mystery ideas: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/56604-victorian-crimes-mysteries-2013.html

Peculiar Politics: Liar, Liar and Polls on Fire

In the current presidential race, charges of "liar" are being tossed back and forth by just about everyone. Journalistic fact-checkers don't seem to have much impact, probably because people distrust the media more than the politicians (a recent Pew Research Center survey found 65% of the public hold a negative view of the media). My only consolation is that by watching the endless debates and town halls, I will have a chance to hone my skills at detecting liars from a bevy of sources. I revisited lie-detection research I did back in 2014 and added some new input. My first task was to accept that I am pretty bad at deception detection; most of us have only slightly better than a 50-50 chance of spotting a liar. Second, I had to junk popular "tells" as unreliable; the nervous guy who can't make eye contact isn't necessarily a liar; liars can be glib and engage in more eye contact to sell their stories (watch those politicians ace closeups and sound bites). Researchers suggest some slightly more reliable clues to deceit: a slight shrug, usually of one shoulder, coinciding with a verbal statement of confidence is one example, or a slight head shake "no" when saying "yes." Also, beware the smile that does not include the eyes; if the eyes don't simultaneously narrow and produce crow's feet, that flash of white teeth is not an authentic expression of pleasure or good will. And it's been shown that the nose heats up while lying, so watch for a tell-tale Pinocchio nose rub! If I can detect the biggest political liar, I may even get ahead of the pundits in predicting the winner--because in this peculiar election season, there is an inverse relationship between honesty and success. For example, nonpartisan PolitiFact rated the truthfulness of presidential candidates before the Iowa caucuses, and Donald Trump led the pack in falsehoods (78% mostly false statements all the way to pants-on-fire lies), followed by Ted Cruz (68%) and Marco Rubio in third. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were running close, with Bernie at 29% false statements and Hillary at 26% untrue. Now look at the primary results, polls and projections since then. What does it mean? Is there so much anger at the political system that we prefer "authentic" emotions to "establishment" facts? Do we think the world is now a game of liar's poker, and we need to elect the best liar to win? I hope Honest Abe Lincoln and "I cannot tell a lie" George Washington wouldn't run at the bottom of the polls today! For more about political lying: http://whowhatwhy.org/2016/02/01/a-winning-gop-formula-lie-more-do-better/

Mr. and Mrs. Malaprop on the Campaign Trail

I've noticed that American presidential campaigns generate a bumper crop of malapropisms, verbal mistakes named for Mrs. Malaprop, a comedic 18th century play character who tended to use an incorrect word in place of one with a similar sound. Mrs. Malaprop would urge "illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory" when she meant "obliterate," for example, and compared someone to "an allegory on the banks of the Nile" instead of an alligator. The malapropism tendency is fairly common and certainly has not been cured by 21st century sophistication. Examples include using "for all intensive purposes" in place of "for all intents and purposes," and "he supposably said" instead of the correct "he supposedly said." I heard a recent passionate declaration that "his claim doesn't jive with the facts," which would mean his claim can't engage in hip dance or talk but not the intended "his claim doesn't jibe with the facts," meaning a claim not agreeing with the facts. The famous and powerful are not immune. Former President George W. Bush was Mr. Malaprop, delivering gems such as "We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile." I wince when I hear malapropisms continue to fly from the mouths of today's presidential hopefuls and TV commentators. Social media is especially littered with these faux pas. For example, GOP candidate Ben Carson called Sharia Law "a central tenant of Islam" when he meant "tenet," and Republican contender Marco Rubio repeated the debate phrase “Let’s dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing,” when he probably meant to use "dispense with." GOP hopeful Jeb Bush may have inherited a bit of brother George's language tangling, saying in his kick-off foreign policy speech that immigration should be “a catalytic converter for sustained economic growth" (meaning "catalyst," Jeb?), and explaining to an interviewer the difficulties of criticizing brother George when “I have to do the Heisman on my brother"--likely a reference to the throat-clearing Heimlich not the football trophy. For amusing malapropisms, see: http://www.fun-with-words.com/malapropisms.html

Some Murder Mysteries Inspire Historic Change

In a previous post, I talked about the new fascination with "true crime," and I think it's only fair here to acknowledge the positive side to our lurid interest. Some murders not only inspire fictional bestsellers and highly rated television shows, they generate lasting legal and social change. For example, the public outcry after the 1964 New York murder of Kitty Genovese, stabbed to death in front of her apartment while 37 witnesses watched and did not intervene or call police, led to the development of the current 911 system. After the 1981 Florida abduction and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh, his parents John and Reve Walsh established the pioneer Adam Walsh Outreach Center for Missing Children, launching a national movement that led to the Missing Children's Act to add missing children to the FBI's National Crime Information Center database in 1982 and creation of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 1984. When 12-year-old Polly Klaas was kidnapped from her home in Petaluma, CA, in 1993, and later found murdered by a parolee with a history of abducting and raping women, public outrage backed a “three strikes” ballot initiative mandating an automatic 25 years to life sentence for three-time felons. The California’s state legislature was inspired to pass a three-strikes version of its own, and by 1999, 24 states as well as the federal government had enacted some type of three-strikes law. But here's a favorite history-making murder: In 1799, Gulielma “Elma” Sands left her Manhattan boarding house and vanished, until her body turned up in the Manhattan Well. Amid wide publicity, fellow boarder and lover Levi Weeks was put on trial for the crime. It was not only New York’s first scandalous murder mystery, it was the first "dream team" defense: Levi's well-off brother hired two founding fathers, former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and future Vice President Aaron Burr, along with future Supreme Court Justice Harry Livingston to defend Levi. The defense created a reasonable doubt strategy--presenting alternative suspects and theories (including suicide), attacking the victim's character, establishing Levi's alibi and planting doubts about prosecution witnesses--that would inspire future defense lawyers. And it was the young nation's first recorded criminal trial, as the court clerk transcribed into the wee hours, when exhausted jurors decided "not guilty." To read about more surprising murders that made history, go to http://listverse.com/2015/03/22/10-murder-mysteries-that-made-history/

Our Obsession With True Crime Tales

True crime stories, especially those focused on possible miscarriages of justice, are making their own headlines right now, and I admit to binging on Netflix's controversial "Making a Murderer," which raises questions of official misconduct in the murder convictions of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey; the "Serial" podcast about Adnan Syed's 15-year-old murder conviction, which helped win him a hearing to seek a new trial; and now the FX miniseries about the O.J. Simpson case. Add in the growing number of TV true-crime series and fictionalized crime shows, and you may see a new addiction to televised reality mayhem. True-crime writing, on the other hand, is an old genre, littered with both lurid hack jobs and Pulitzer Prize-worthy insight. On the list of must-reads, I would recommend Pulitzer-winning The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer about murderer Gary Gilmore's life and death; Edgar Award-winning The Devil in the White City, in which Erik Larson chillingly parallels a 1893 Chicago World's Fair architect building the fair's White City with serial murderer H.H. Holmes building a murder castle; Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi's famed take on the Manson murders; The Onion Field, LAPD veteran Joseph Wambaugh's gripping tale of a policeman murdered in a Bakersfield onion field and its aftermath; In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary exploration of the tragic intersection of two killers and a rural Kansas family; Homicide by David Simon, creator of "The Wire," about real detectives on the mean streets of Baltimore; and Mind Hunter by John Douglas, the eminent FBI profiler's exploration of twisted criminal minds. All have had tremendous impact. But before you jump into the grim details, you may want to ask yourself why you can't resist peeking at gory crime scenes and disturbed minds. See if you recognize yourself in these theories about our true-crime obsession by best-selling authors, journalists, psychologists, sociologists, movie directors and more: http://www.hopesandfears.com/hopes/now/question/216997-why-are-people-obsessed-with-true-crime