Maisie Dobbs entered domestic service in 1910 at thirteen, working for Lady Rowan Compton. When her remarkable intelligence is discovered by her employer, Maisie becomes the pupil of Maurice Blanche, a learned friend of the Comptons. In 1929, following an apprenticeship with Blanche, Maisie hangs out her shingle: "M. Dobbs, trade and personal investigations." She soon becomes enmeshed in a mystery surrounding The Retreat, a reclusive community of...

#1 New York Times–bestselling authors: Get to know the ruthless, mysterious FBI agent, "one of thrillerdom's most exciting and intriguing series leads" (Booklist). Acclaimed as "a modern-day Sherlock Holmes" (Associated Press) with a brilliant mind, a cultured manner, and a dark edge, Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast has calmly looked evil in the face throughout the long-running series that includes such novels as The Cabinet of Curiosities-named...

The Pulitzer Prize–winning, New York Times–bestselling author describes how he created his popular veteran sniper.
Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Bob Lee Swagger debuted in Stephen Hunter's military action thriller Point of Impact in 1993. The book was the first of many adventures for the fictional sniper and inspired a hit-movie, as well as a television series. But what led to the invention of such a character?
In...

The bestselling author shares how he developed his celebrated sleuth, a Nottingham detective akin to Jim Rockford but dressed like Columbo. In 1989, Lonely Hearts, a police procedural by John Harvey, introduced Det. Insp. Charlie Resnick to the world. The book was followed by a series and went on to be named one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Last Century by the Times. But how did the sandwich-loving policeman and jazz aficionado come to be?...

The New York Times–bestselling author tells the story of how he created his popular San Francisco sleuth. In 1989, everyman Dismas Hardy debuted in John Lescroart's mystery, Dead Irish. It's a story millions of readers have enjoyed, along with other entries in the New York Times–bestselling series. But a tale they may not know is how Lescroat invented the ex-Marine, ex-cop, and ex-lawyer turned sleuth. In this brief autobiographical essay,...

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author brings you into the world of the LAPD's Harry Bosch, and the history that shaped him. In this short work, Michael Connelly delves into the origins of his famed police detective,-how he faced down the horrors of his childhood (a background story that was based on the life of another renowned crime writer); his past as a tunnel rat in Vietnam; and why jazz is his soundtrack. Connelly also shares the story...

The international-bestselling author answers readers' questions and discusses the origins of the Oxford inspector with a penchant for classical music. In 1975, Inspector Morse debuted, working to solve the case of a murdered hitchhiker in Colin Dexter's Last Bus to Woodstock. The book led to a multimillion-bestselling mystery series and a television show that spawned a spinoff and a prequel. But how did the beloved DCI from Oxford come to be exactly? In...

A portrait of the PI from the Shamus Award winner who created him: "They don't come much tougher than Ken Bruen's Irish roughneck, Jack Taylor." -The New York Times Book Review In this short work, Edgar Award finalist Ken Bruen-"a Celtic Dashiell Hammett"-takes us deeper into his character Jack Taylor, formerly of Ireland's police force, the Garda Síochána, now a living-on-the-edge private detective (The Philadelphia Inquirer). "Jack, as ja...

The New York Times–bestselling author tells the story behind Inspector Rebus, the hard-edged Edinburgh cop and "superbly drawn character" (The Times, London). In this short work, Edgar and Diamond Dagger Award winner Ian Rankin delves into DI John Rebus's origins as a character, as well as his own origins as a writer. While author and character share a love of literature and a deep affection for Scotland's capital city, they differ in other...

The New York Times–bestselling author's "engaging cop hero" finds himself on the other side of the interview room in this revealing short story (Publishers Weekly). After twenty-seven years on the force, Lt. Lou Boldt is suddenly seated at a table being grilled as part of an internal investigation. They want him to talk about what happened with ten grand in cash in the evidence room. As the pressure mounts and Boldt leads his interrogators...