To start things off we're talking with best-selling author Bryon Quertermous, the author of "Howard's Heart." It's a fantastically weird tale of crime, in which an Uber driver/detective gets involved in the tumultuous personal life of one of his passengers, a possibly psychic man named Howard Howard. We also talk about co-writing with Stuart Woods, switching things up with a mystery cozy after writing too many "angry" books, and the surprising hot tub encounter that inspired his story.
When you're done listening -- or if you just want look for what to read next -- the books mentioned in the interview are linked to below.
Jackpot is the book Quertermous co-authored with Stuart Woods. It's the third entry in the Teddy Fay series, but I jumped in blind and read it without any confusion. Intrigue, espionage, crime and hijacked drones all feature in this Macau-based adventure.
Request a copy through the library's catalog here.
The Dominick Prince series, about a young mystery writer who gets involved in kidnapping and crime are Bryon's earlier books. They start off as dark comedy but get angrier as they go on. (There's also a second book in the series which is sadly not in print.)
Request a physical copy of Murder Boy here or an ebook through Hoopla here. Trigger Switch is only available as a physical item.
The Carlotta Carlyle series by Linda Barnes is a great fit for you if wanted to follow up on the thread of uber-driver detective in "Howard's Heart." Set in Boston in the 80s, Carlotta Carlyle is a cabbie who uncovers crime in the mold of Kinsey Millhone and V. I. Warshawski. This the first book in a storied series, so if you enjoy it, you've got plenty more where that came from.
Finally, if you enjoyed the gritty Detroit setting of "Howard's Heart" you can't beat Stephen Mack Jones. August Snow won the Hammett Prize for crime fiction as well the Nero Award for first novel. There are four books in this series so far, but this is where you should begin.
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