First and ‘Last’
Old Lyme author Luanne Rice presents her first thriller with ‘Last Day’
In the opening chapter of a new thriller, the corpse of a pregnant woman, owner of a renowned art gallery in a postcard village on the Connecticut shore, is discovered on the bedroom floor in her stylish home. Her neck is purple with signs of strangulation; her face is heavily bruised; and her head split open.
Will it take John Rebus to find the killer? Is this the apocryphal Kinsey Millhone “Z is for ...” novel? Or maybe you’re peeking at an excerpt from the next Tana French mystery? None of the above. Welcome to page 7 of “Last Day,” the newest (and presumptive) bestseller from Old Lyme novelist Luanne Rice. Yes, THAT Luanne Rice. Over the course of three dozen adult and young adult novels, Rice has become internationally famous for her heartful literary explorations of the family dynamic, with particular regard to the relationship between sisters. That’s still the case with “Last Day” — only now one of the siblings, Beth, happens to start the book dead. It’s up to her sister and best friend, Kate, to overcome personal grief, soothe Beth’s teenage daughter Sam, and help figure out the identity of the killer. Compounding the tragedy is that, as children, Beth and Kate, along with their mother, were abducted and locked in a basement as part of the theft of a valuable painting. Worse, their mother died during the incident.
If this sounds like a hell of a great read, we’re proud that Rice will celebrate “Last Day” as the guest of honor at 2 p.m. Saturday in Mystic’s Bank Square Books. It’s the inaugural gathering of “Read of the Day,” The Day’s new regional book club in partnership with Bank Square Books, and I will lead a Q&A and discussion with Rice about the book and her career. On a roughly monthly basis, “Read of the Day” will feature touring authors in conversation with Day writers, and the reading public is cordially invited to take part in the fun. Watch for a new podcast as well as regular updates on upcoming events.
In “Last Day,” Kate quickly learns there are plenty of suspects, from Beth’s ne’erdo-well/playboy husband Pete to Jed, a mysterious and kind artist who’s also an ex-con. Fortunately, Kate, who has never emotionally recovered from the childhood tragedy, can herself rely on friends for support: Lulu and Scotty, the two women who round out a tightknit and lifelong group of pals with Beth and Kate.
For someone writing what is marketed as “a first thriller,” Rice takes to this whodunit stuff in wonderfully crafty fashion. There’s also romantic subterfuge, plenty of richly evoked and familiar scenery, some twisty and hidden agendas from principal characters — and authorial inspiriation from sordid reality.
Earlier this week, Rice answered questions about the book and in anticipation of Saturday’s “Read of the Day” event.
Q: As if to emphasize the felonious theme of “Last Day,” the book is coming out from Thomas & Mercer, a renowned publisher of mystery and thriller fiction. It begs the question: Why did it occur to you, after three-dozen books, to write a crime novel?
A: The truth is, even though this is the first time I’ve written a novel billed as a thriller, a lot of my books have covered crime and the dark side of love and of family life. Even my last Young Adult novel, “Pretend She’s Here,” was about a woman so twisted with grief she kidnapped her dead daughter’s best friend. “Little Night” was about a woman just getting out of prison for killing her sister’s abusive husband, and “The Perfect Summer” was about a woman who learns, only after her husband’s death, that he had a secret life that included bank embezzlement. In fact, that’s the novel that introduced me to an FBI agent who’s been a great help in writing about investigations.
Q: “Last Day” was inspired by a real-life murder that took place locally, right?
A: Yes. It’s based on a murder that affected my family. It took place in Niantic in 1985. Ed Sherman was convicted of killing his wife Ellen, and my husband and stepdaughter were witnesses at his trial. I wanted to write about a small town, and the shock of a neighbor — someone you think you know — being capable of premeditated murder.
Q: Sherman had a history of violence towards women which, as you said, played a big part in your book “Little Night.” But it’s also a significant theme in “Last Day.”
A: I’m an advocate for victims, especially those affected by emotional and verbal abuse. Law enforcement and the courts have been slow to recognize how serious that is, but awareness is growing. On the day Fotis Dulos was arrested for the murder of his estranged wife, Jennifer, I was moved to see Connecticut State Police wearing purple ties and ribbons to spotlight domestic violence. (EDITOR’S NOTE: On the day of this interview, Dulos attempted to commit suicide.)
Q: Considering it’s the first novel wherein you had to devise but also solve a crime, you did a great job with the red herrings and misleading clues. Did you know the ID of the killer before you started or did the solution occur to you as you wrote?
A: I never know the ending of my novels, so in this case, I had no idea who killed Beth. The characters always tell me what I need to know, if I listen carefully. My grandfather was captain of detectives in Hartford, and I think that got me started on wanting to solve crimes. I loved Nancy Drew as a kid and
have always enjoyed suspense novels. I’m writing another one now.
Q: One of the many compelling aspects of “Last Day” is that it’s a veritable mini-lesson in the region’s art history. What was the local painting tradition that made you want to use it prominently in the story — and am I right in thinking that Beth’s art gallery is based on the Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme?
A: My mother was an artist, and several times each summer we would go to the Florence Griswold house — before it was a musem — to learn about American Impressionism and why the artists were attracted to Old Lyme. At Connecticut College, I majored in history of art and studied studio art with the great artist Maureen McCabe.
And, yes, the Cooley Gallery inspired the gallery in the book. It’s an art lover’s dream, and I still stop in every week to visit works by artists of the Old Lyme Colony or American Impressionists.
Q. Let’s extrapolate. It’s not just the local art scene you reference. I had a lot of fun counting all the local businesses and lore and scenery that pop up in “Last Day.” It’s almost like you wrote the book as a love ballad to the whole region.
A: True! I still own our family house in Old Lyme and, no matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always considered it home. I’ve set many of my novels in a fictional version of the town and still consider it the most inspiring place I know. I fell in love with New London while a student at Conn College — for its history, its maritime heritage, the Coast Guard, the ghost of Eugene O’Neill, the wonderful Lyman Allyn Museum, and let’s not forget the Dutch Tavern. For a while I lived on Bank Street, across the street from the Custom House, which is where I set Kate’s apartment in the book. It was fun to revisit all of these places while I wrote. Great memories. miles toward downtown Mystic.
I again was reminded how lucky kayakers are in southeastern Connecticut to be surrounded by so much natural beauty and to have so many choices of paddling destinations. (Well, the Turks and Caicos might be a bit of a stretch).
Normally, we would have put in at Esker Point Beach in Noank, but that would have committed us to battling rough seas in the sound. A launch site between Jupiter and Avery points presented a similar dilemma. Other worthy alternatives — Barn Island in Stonington or Great Island in Old Lyme — would have given us the option of ducking into sheltered waters – Little Narragansett Bay to the east or the Connecticut River to the west, but both involved longer drives.
Robin suggested a closer and calmer option: Williams Park Beach behind the Mystic YMCA off Masons Island Road.
Surfing a few modest waves off Enders Island quickened our pulses slightly, as did mild chop and a moderately tricky current beneath the Masons Island Road causeway. A few waves also kicked up around Murphy Point, but otherwise, tranquility prevailed.
I think even Phil would have enjoyed himself.