On the psychological trend in mystery novels
As if the nursing profession isn’t hard enough, the iCu nurse in mary kubica’s new mystery, “she’s not sorry,” unwittingly puts herself and her daughter in danger by becoming close to a patient. this is the best-selling mystery writer’s ninth novel. kubica will discuss her book with fellow mystery writer Hank phillippi Ryan at 7 p.m. on tuesday, April 2, at An unlikely story.
BOOKS: what are you reading?
KUBICA: i have an advance copy of Heather gudenkauf ’s “everyone is watching.” it’s fantastic. it’s about a reality tv show in the vein of “big brother.” once the contestants gather in this house, some dark things start happening. it’s quite a page-turner.
BOOKS: How much of your reading is mysteries?
KUBICA: the vast majority. it’s my favorite genre to read, and i get a lot of requests to blurb other authors’ books. sometimes when i’m knee deep in the writing process, i’ll go to historical fiction, which is a close second favorite genre. i used to teach high school history, so history is a love of mine.
BOOKS: who are your all-time favorite mystery authors?
KUBICA: Ruth ware is one. s.J. watson’s “before i go to sleep” is another favorite. Heather gudenkauf, wendy walker, kimberly McCREIGHT. there are so many incredible authors who have inspired my own writing.
BOOKS: do you make a point of reading female authors?
KUBICA: i read a lot of female authors but it isn’t necessarily intentional. the mystery genre has gone towards domestic and psychological suspense, and that seems to be where so many women writers have entered this genre. i also find women authors are bringing so many rich characters to the page. that pulls me so much more into a book.
BOOKS: what will make you put a mystery down?
‘There are so many incredible authors who have inspired my own writing.’
KUBICA: i struggle with one-dimensional characters. for example, a character who is a total psychopath will turn me off a little bit. i like rich, authentic characters who are well developed. some authors focus everything on the story’s pacing. that bothers me.
BOOKS: What’s the last book you read with rich characters?
KUBICA: Alice feeney has written many that i love, including the ones in “Rock paper scissors.” it’s a husband and wife. You sink right into the mystery of the story but also into their relationship.
BOOKS: do you have favorite historical fiction authors?
KUBICA: one of my all-time favorites is kristin Hannah’s “the nightingale.” i listened to that on audio. it was the kind of book where i couldn’t get out of the car because i was crying too hard. the story of two women during World War ii is so transporting and eye-opening.
BOOKS: Are there other books that have made you cry?
KUBICA: plenty. i cried at the end of Maggie o’farrell’s “the Hand that first Held Mine,” when all the pieces come together and the title makes sense.
BOOKS: do books ever make you angry?
KUBICA: gillian flynn’s “gone girl” did for sure. Any of these endings where you’re like, “i read this far and this is how it’s gonna end?” sometimes the author leaves it a little open-ended on purpose but i’m the kind of person who needs to know what happened.
BOOKS: How often do you listen to audio books?
KUBICA: i do all my pleasure reading in audio. i never knew if i had the focus for audio books. A friend recommended that i start with a podcast. i had no problem paying attention to that, so i transitioned from that to audio books.
BOOKS: Any advice for getting started with audio books?
KUBICA: You need a little time to get used to the narrator’s voice and to get situated in the story. listen to the first few chapters in one session. then you can listen in smaller chunks. You will also find your favorite narrators. Julia Whelan is one of my ultimate narrators. she does a lot of kristin Hannah’s books. she also did Jandy nelson’s “i’ll give You the sun,” which is more YA. i wouldn’t have listened to that if Whelan hadn’t read it. these narrators can lead you to new books.