August | 2023 | Austin Mystery Writers

AND THE GRANDE DAMES OF MYSTERY

Reprint by Francine Paino AKA F. Della Notte

Originally submitted in 2021, I thought the s tory of the grand old men and women of mystery was worth a reprint. At the end, I have added three books not on the original list, presenting additional feisty, not-to-be ignored, seniors who make their way through crimes – sometimes committing them.

Overall, fiction provides a brief respite from the realities in our lives. In those few precious hours of distraction, we shut off the conscious minds’ worries and efforts to find solutions to problems or imagine worst-case scenarios. In real-life crises, the subconscious must see an issue with fresh eyes and a different perspective, perhaps even finding a new approach. The most popular category for that escape in the U.S., as revealed by Nielson Bookscan Services, is the mystery/thriller/crime novels, which beat all others by two to one. But if we seek to escape from real-life problems, why is this genre more popular than romance or comedy?

Explanations are offered everywhere, even in psychology periodicals. One reason for the popularity of murder, mayhem, and crime is that they allow a safe way to immerse oneself in high drama without the destructive aftermath touching the reader in reality. Another is that it is exciting to be emotionally flung about as if on an amusement park ride. Then there is the experience of entering the criminal’s mind—oh, horror—something we don’t get to see in real life—at least not before the evil deed is done. Readers can also figure out, see, or at least suspect what will happen before it happens, and hopefully, by the end, there is the satisfaction of Yes. Makes sense. It was in the clues all along. Most often, that is not the case in real life. These reasons help explain why this genre is the most popular, but why are stories with elderly sleuths so well-liked?

Unlike the many Mediterranean, Native American Indian, and Asian cultures, and despite the growing economic difficulties and stresses on those societies’ families, their elderly are respected; their knowledge and wisdom are put to good use, whereas in the U.S., youth has become a preoccupation. It has the mind of younger people so entrapped in worrying about maintaining youthful looks that they often miss the grace, wisdom, and knowledge acquired with age and experience.

Aging in a culture that puts enormous emphasis on being young or appearing youthful creates a constant struggle for those susceptible to that fetish. Yet,—interest in stories employing older people in mysteries is widespread – even among the more youthful readers.

In mystery fiction, older protagonists have already made the mistakes that younger detectives haven’t yet experienced. Whether professional or amateur, senior detectives see the world through more experienced and seasoned eyes. Thus, their mistakes are different and perhaps even more enjoyable.

Neha Patel, writing for Book Riot, suggests several mystery thriller books starring older women, starting with the Grande Dame of Mystery, Miss Marple, who at age 70 solved the first of her 13 mysteries in Murder at the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie.

Before She Was Helen, by Caroline B. Cooney, explores the dangers of confronting your own past life.

In Three Things About Elsie, by Joanna Cannon, the sleuth is 84 years old, and in Partners In Crime, by Gallagher Gray, Lil is a feisty woman of 84 who considers herself “84-years-young,” and has a love of playing detective and Bloody Marys. (My kinda-gal!)

A metaphysical mystery/thriller, Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh, has a 72-year-old widow coming across a haunting. The only clue is a note saying, “Her name was Magda.”

Writing for Early Bird Books, Paul Wargelin offers a list of feisty, intelligent, and frequently underestimated amateur sleuths over 60, beginning with Grey Mask, by Patricia Wentworth, about a retired governess. Written two years before Agatha Christie’s first Miss Marple novel, Ms. Wentworth went on to write 32 Miss Silver mysteries.

In Tish Plays the Game, by Mary Roberts Rinehart, Tish Carberry isn’t suited for retirement activities, preferring to use her idle hands and mind to solve mysteries.

Stephanie Matteson’s Murder at the Spa introduces Charlotte Graham, a successful actress who, after four decades of screen and stage success, takes on the role of a sleuth in real life.

“Does age really bring wisdom?” asks Rochelle Melander. She writes, “Recent studies affirm this adage. Older adults…recover quickly after making mistakes and use their brains more efficiently than younger adults.” In Melander’s article Crime Fiction: Savvy Sleuths Over 50, she offers some fascinating crime stories featuring elderly sleuths.

Celine, by Peter Heller. Celine is an artist and P.I. in her late 60s. In Rage Against the Dying, by Becky Masterman, a 59-year-old ex-FBI agent is haunted by the unsolved murder of her protégé. After an attempt on her life, she needs to unearth the truth.

Not to be accused of gender discrimination, here are two books starring elderly gentlemen. Don’t Ever Get Old, by Daniel Friedman, is about an 87-year-old retired Memphis police officer, Buck Schatz, who learns that a Nazi officer who’d tortured him might still be alive with a stash of hidden gold. He teams up with his grandson, and they get more than they bargained for.

Summer of the Big Bachi, by Naomi Hirahara, is set in L.A. and Hiroshima. Japanese-American gardener Mas Arai, age 69, is hiding a secret. He faces bachi—the spirit of retribution when a stranger asks about his old gambling buddy Joji Haneda. Joji is murdered, and Mas must try to make things right.

Perhaps one of the qualities that fascinate readers, and they may not even realize it, is that often the elderly almost disappear, even standing in plain sight. They are overlooked, leaving them free to move about, observe, listen, eavesdrop, and study circumstances without anyone realizing what they’re doing.

These, and many other senior Grande Dames and Grands Hommes of mystery, show how being older does not mean life stops. There is still inquisitiveness, a desire for adventure, and the need to use one’s brain. There are still mysteries and crimes to be solved—they do it with humor, grace, and aplomb.

Grab a bunch and enjoy!

PS: Add to the original list:

Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, series, featuring the senior citizens of a retirement home.

Catherine Ingel-Sundberg’s, The Little Old Lady who Broke All the Rules, starring 79-year-old Martha Anderson and her four oldest friends, self-dubbed, the league of pensioners.

Robert Thorogood’s, The Marlow Murder Club, headed up by feisty 77-year-old, Judith Potts.

by Laura Oles

As a writer, I sometimes find myself struggling through periods of being stuck and working my way out of it. Like that character I locked in the trunk of a car (I’m sorry I did that to you, but I knew you’d escape somehow), I’m having to rethink my tactics.

One of my most effective methods of getting unstuck no longer works. My first line of defense, until recently, was to take my Labrador Retriever for a good long walk. I’d bounce ideas off her and she’d pretend to listen as she considered whether she could catch a nearby deer, road runner or squirrel (no, no and no). My sweet pup has recently left this world, and her absence in conjunction with the triple digit Texas heat has meant my walks just aren’t as appealing as they once were.

The truth is that we all get stuck. Sometimes we get in our own way. Thankfully, there are strategies to get out.

In a recent episode of Hidden Brain, a podcast hosted by Shankar Vedantam, Shankar interviews psychologist Adam Alter about how musicians, writers and other professionals dig themselves out of their performance holes. The epic writers block that plagues George R. R. Martin is discussed, and Martin himself has said of the increasing gaps between each book, “I’ve had dark nights of the soul where I’ve pounded my head against the keyboard and said, ‘God, will I ever finish this?’”

I’m scared, George. If you can’t do it, what hope do I have?

Thankfully, Shanker and Dr. Alter have some solid strategies to offer. For example, Dr. Alter explains how an experiment from behaviorist Clark Hull might help someone struggling with stagnation. The experiment involved mice. I know, I know. How can mice running through mazes help with writer’s block?

Hear them out.

In the beginning of the experiment, the mice moved slowly at first in the maze and then sped up again. Once the goal came into view—exiting the maze–the mice moved more quickly. Dr. Hall labeled this the Goal Gradient. When the end is in sight, the pace picks up. This theory has since been further researched to expose a U-shaped motivation arc. We may start off on a project quickly and then slow down in the middle. Then our pace picks up at the and of a project. Quick. Slow. Quick. Take the example of being in the messy middle of a novel. Too far away from the excitement of beginning a new project and too far away to see the end. It’s like being in the center of the ocean when we’re far away from shore but we can’t see the destination yet.

And there we tread water.

STUCK.

So, how do we combat this?

CREATE SUBGOALS

Dr. Alter uses this technique in his own writing. He recommends taking a large goal, such as writing a novel, and breaking it into smaller sub goals such as completing a scene, writing one chapter, or choosing a small word count to start. “The nice thing about writing a book is that it’s broken naturally into chapters, so already you’ve shrunk those middles down.” He further explains that you can take one subset and further divide it. “I’ve used the tactic of every hundred words when I’m struggling more…I find that I’m shrinking and expanding constantly as I’m writing a book.”

USE A TIMER

Dr. Alter sets a timer for a single minute for those times when he’s struggling with a particularly difficult aspect of writing. The idea is to just get back into the rhythm of writing, and each minute will lead to five minutes and then ten. “Each minute is its own goal, its own victory.”

A deadline, a timeline or some other small constraint can push us through our own block. Constraints can bring freedom. And then a breakthrough.

BATTLING PERFECTIONISM

We’re often our own worst enemy.

Musician Jeff Tweedy, front man of Wilco, has described in significant detail his own experiences with writer’s block. One thing he battles the most is perfectionism.

“Perfectionism is paralyzing because what perfectionism signals to you is that unless you produce perfection, you’re failing. The feedback you’re getting is negative feedback and it’s demotivating.”

I feel so seen right now.

But you didn’t fail.

Tweedy says that he battles perfectionism by pouring out the bad material. “Imagine that your ideas are liquids sitting one on top of the other in your head, you’ve got to pour out the bad stuff.” This works because the expectation is that, of course, some of the work each day is mediocre. It’s part of the process but you’re “getting rid of the bad stuff so the good stuff can emerge.”

IT’S NOT JUST YOU

If you’re scrolling through social media and getting the impression that your other author friends are all killing it while you struggle to get five hundred words down, it can feel very lonely. But, chances are all the seats are full on the struggle bus.

“Researchers have found that many of us have a tendency to focus on our own struggles while imagining that others have it easy,” Shankar says. The research shows that most people are stuck sometimes and believe they are the only ones experiencing it. “It’s hidden from view, and it feels lonely,” Dr. Alter says. Psychologists call this “pluralistic ignorance.” The concept centers around the idea that we all walk around thinking a similar thing but believe we’re the only one thinking these thoughts.

Social media can keep us connected but it’s often a highlight reel—it’s usually the very best news each person in your feed has to share. We don’t see the long bouts of struggle, the everyday challenges, the mundane aspects of the creative process. So, while we root for those who have good news to share, we can also remember that there’s much more to their stories.

This Hidden Brain podcast episode covers additional topics, including the deeper issues of how our mind keeps us trapped in certain behaviors. I highly recommend giving it a listen the next time you’re feeling at odds with your creativity. I’m sure I’ll listen to it multiple times, maybe even on a long walk when that time returns.

Getting stuck isn’t some sort of failure or an indication that talent lacks. It happens to many of us. I wish I had a magic potion to share that would banish writer’s block forever. I’d send bottles to all my writer friends with free refills for life.

What I can offer, though, is encouragement, support, and a link to a fantastic podcast episode.

Laura Oles is the Agatha-nominated and award-winning author of the Jamie Rush mystery series. Her work has appeared in crime fiction anthologies, consumer magazines and business publications. She loves road trips, bookstores and any outdoor activity that doesn’t involve running.

YOU 2.0: How to Break Out of a Rut