Blue Murder Stories

The Queen of Suspense

Christina thought she heard a faint noise from outside, something stepping up the path and around the house perhaps, before she realised her concentration had broken and tried to sound as if she hadn't heard only half of the question.

'Oh—well...' she said back into the phone, with a tone as if to sound as if she had only been stuck in thought. 'What I was trying to do with this book was really just to shine a light on what so many women are going through these days, you know.'

The voice on the line agreed in a way that would be audible through the radio dials. 'And with marriage today seen as such a prison, no wonder it has become the next field of play for crime fiction,' he said spryly, teeing his interview up for another soundbyte.

'Absolutely,' Christina said with clear agreeance in her voice, 'I was very conscious of that fact—you know, people have been comparing me to so many of the great, quote-unquote, female crime writers, and well...all I can say is that with marriage the battleground that it is, no wonder women have come to such an understanding of crime.'

The interviewer hummed in deep agreement. Christina imagined however many thousands of drivetime radio listeners listening did as well. 'In that vein, I understand that you and your husband are separated, Ms Courtland. Factoring that in, how much truth would you say can be found in your book Arbitration?'

'Well, of course I think that every piece of fiction is autobiographical to some degree, no matter what genre it might be in...'

'Was your husband as resentful toward you as the character in your book was to his wife?'

Christina almost laughed but held it down, knowing how it would sound in response to a question like that. It would strike the wrong tone for an author, as Jean had told her—authors are inspiring, she said, not vindictive. It's their books that are vindictive.

'Well,' Christina said finally, 'these things happen among creative types, especially those who happen to be married, I guess. My husband and I... Well, I certainly think that success can change things in dynamics like that. He was a struggling writer as well, and I can't help that I managed to sell something like Arbitration and for it to be getting as popular as it is. People can become resentful of each other in situations like that. Especially if they feel they deserve it more than others.'

The interview ended soon after that, and Christina tried not to rush the send-off being given to her before she hung up and went to the window to look down at the garden below. There was no one around the front porch, or where she could see up the side path. She narrowed her look, brushed it off, and checked the time. The radio interview had run a little long—the book launch was only two hours away now.

She shut her curtains and went to shower, wash her skin, pluck her brows. It was while she was sitting at her vanity mirror and starting on her makeup that Jean called her, ostensibly for a final check-up but really to do what she had been doing since their publicity sprawl had begun and remind her of how important the night's book launch event is.

'And your influences, be sure you don't forget to talk about them,' Jean said after Christina clarified that she was only dressing now, and would be leaving soon to make it before any of the major publishing figures would arrive.

'All I've been doing is mentioning my influences in every damn interview so far,' Christina said, 'people are going to think I'm vain.'

'Crime readers like to hear the names of other crime writers. It tells them what to like.'

'Okay, okay...'

'Remember what I've been telling you as your own little personal Svengali of the murder-book business: you're the new Queen of Suspense. Now you have to make people believe it.'