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Lots of fun! Each author chose very different ways to write about how their primary characters were born/evolved, grew, interacted with others and so on. The book also had the benefit, for me, of introducing me to some writers and characters whom I'd not encountered before. Great last-thing-at-night reading.
The essays in this collection are written by well-known crime fiction and mystery authors. They tell us how they created the main character that made them famous through either informational essays or short stories that give back story on the characters' history. Some authors' contributions just fell flat for me. I believe this is just because I wasn't interested in the character and series those authors had created. Overall, however, I enjoyed reading this and found it very interesting. I mean,...
Anyone who loves mystery series books will like this. Otto Penzler is not only an author and editor, but also the owner of Mysterious Bookshop in NYC. In his introduction, Mr. Penzler talks candidly about the financial problems his bookstore (as most independent bookstores) was having and how, as a promotional tool to bring clients in, he contacted authors he knew to provide small "profiles" about their signature characters. The Lineup is the collection of the character sketches, from some of my...
A great recurring character in a series you love becomes an old friend. You learn about their strange quirks and their haunted pasts and root for them every time they face danger. But where do some of the most fascinating sleuths in the mystery and thriller world really come from? What was the real-life location that inspired Michael Connelly to make Harry Bosch a Vietnam vet tunnel rat? Why is Jack Reacher a drifter? How did a brief encounter in Botswana inspire Alexander McCall Smith to create...
This book was an excellent find and most enjoyable. Otto Penzler has persuaded some of the top mystery writers in the world to write about how their main characters were arrived at. Some write in an autobiographical style whilst others create a short story letting their characters tell the story in different ways. The authors include Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Colin Dexter, Robert B. Parker, Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and others so a good selection. Lots of ideas for se...
An excellent collection of essays/interviews. Penzler did a terrific job.
What an absolute delight! Twenty-two of our best English speaking mystery writers accepted Penzler's invitation to pen a short piece on his/her most celebrated detective. Do read Penzler's intro to find out why. Some of my favorites made the list but there are others I haven't read. Some of the latter made the cut with me based on their submissions, others didn't. The only entry I thought about skipping entirely turned out to be one of the most interesting--Rambo, no less. The joy of this collec...
I guess a summary of the book is all in the title. Great mystery writers including Jonathan Kellerman, Michael Connolly, Jeffrey Deaver and Alexander McCall Smith tell the stories of how their characters came to life. Some authors tell a straight narrative, others create a short story and a couple conduct interviews with their characters. It makes for an interesting bit of insight into the writers' minds and you'll learn some info about these characters that you didn't know. Enjoyable.
Otto Penzler was a great editor, helming many compilations over his illustrious career. At first this seemed like a great listen when I discovered it on my library’s digital platform but came to quickly realize there are not that many female authors and no authors of color. Disappointing.
For mystery thriller fans alike whether it be Ken Bruen and his character, Jack Taylor or Jonathan Kellerman and his character Alex Delaware, then you will enjoy The Lineup. Edited by Otto Penzler. This book lets readers into the minds of crime writers. The authors share the back ground story about how they developed their characters, why they became authors, and even share some about their next book. I enjoyed reading about Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor. It made him more interesting to me and now I w...
This was a very entertaining collection of biographies. The breadth of different detectives and the style of the bios was wonderful. Also, it also gave me ideas for new books to read. I had never thought of reading the Judith Kellerman books, for example. It is a lot of fun and I recommend it to any mystery series fan.
How was your favorite detective or police officer created? Learn the scoop on a variety of authors and their main series characters. I loved the chapters by Lee Child on Jack Reacher, Michael Connelly on Harry Bosch, and Colin Dexter on Inspector Morse. I learned all kinds of fascinating things. For example, did you know that as long as Dexter lives, he has a contract clause stipulating that no one but the late John Thaw may portray Inspector Morse? Everyone who enjoys mystery fiction should pic...
From my book blog www.JetBlackDragonfly.blogspot.comThe Lineup is a gem of a book for mystery fans. Edited by Otto Penzler, it features the World's greatest crime writers telling in their own words how they created their famous detectives. There is a wide range of detective styles represented, and I found it interesting to read about the ones I knew, as well as discover new authors. Even hearing from some authors I don't like was interesting. Didn't make me want to read them again (!) but I resp...
Have a listen and learn about some of the characters.
