I’ve spent many a night huddled in my rocking chair with a murder mystery held steady under the lamp. Why did I keep reading? It might have something to do with the Zeigarnik Effect, which is defined thusly: The tendency for people to remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. In writing, this… Continue reading Bluma Zeigarnik, Ernest Hemingway, and the Murder Mystery
I've been hard at work editing my 7th book, The Architecture of Murder. It's a collection of four stories. They are all nearing final edits. I might be releasing this thing very soon, so watch this space! Here is an update.1. KILLER PETEI finished a 3rd edit of this on Tuesday. The final step will… Continue reading It’s Almost There
The Carny Murders is finished. It leans toward horror noir, so it's less rigorous than the detective stories, but that was always my intention. I knew this would stand out, both stylistically and thematically. It was a lot of fun to write--there's not a single character to root for. I have absolutely no idea how… Continue reading March 22nd Update
I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be included in Crippen & Landru's upcoming anthology ALL THE CRIME IN THE WORLD: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles from Across the Globe. As you can see in the above image, the cast is absolutely stacked. It's an honor to be included. It was almost four years ago… Continue reading Coming Soon…
I took a little break before starting The Carny Murders. I have finished Act I and with the exception of a few narrative hiccups/hiccoughs, I'm confident in the direction of Act 2. If you haven't been keeping track, this is story number 4 of my second collection. It is a detective-less horror mystery that still… Continue reading March 9th Update
James Scott Byrnside 