I have loved mysteries since I first read ‘Nancy Drew.’ Who didn’t like the girl sleuth and her buddies ‘The Hardy Boys?’
Since my parents liked authors like Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, Louis L’ Amour and Perry Mason I have always loved the chase to catch the bad guy or girl.
We have in our area award winning authors who write who-done-its and true crime non-fiction. Here are a few ‘Misters In Crime’ to be followed next month with a column of ‘Sisters In Crime.’
Brian Forschner – Did you know we had a serial killer in Dayton? Brian was doing genealogy on his family and he knew his great aunt had died at a young age. So, he went to the Dayton paper to look up her obituary and found she had been murdered.
He tells about following all the leads and came to the conclusion of who the killer was. The Dayton Police Department agrees he may have solved these cold case murders. His book ‘Cold Serial – The Jack the Strangler Murders’ is a true crime to shiver your bones.
Greg Enslen – a Northern Miami Valley writer, his Frank Harper detective mysteries are so good. Lots of landmarks are mentioned in all five books such as the Salem Mall, Tipp City Roller Mills and local areas we all haunted when we were kids.
It is a trip down memory lane just to read this series. Frank Harper is a bulldog detective. He never lets go of a good lead but that almost gets him killed. If you like Lee Child’s ‘Jack Reacher’ you will like this series.
Randy Overbeck – writes about history true crimes along the Chesapeake. The crimes might be real but Randy puts his own spin on the characters and solves the mystery for us. Each one is different and unique and having been an educator he keeps the history setting authentic and interesting. The small college towns along the Chesapeake are a beautiful setting and he’s very good at describing the area.
Tim Smith – Tim Smith’s action spy novels have the mystery but they also have a romantic ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ connection between two agents who are supposed to be retired. Nick Seven and his female partner have bought a beach bar down on the islands and have plans to retire there but old enemies are still looking for them.
His other series features Vic Fallon who is a retired police officer who takes on cases to help and always runs into a beautiful woman who is too friendly that he must determine if she’s guilty of a crime or not.
Good mysteries for all if you are a budding writer and would like to talk to any of these authors they will be at New & Olde Pages Book Shoppe on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 2-4 p.m. You can ask questions about how they got started, to who their
publishers are and about any other writing techniques they use. They will be happy to answer your questions.
Reach New and Olde Pages Book Shoppe at (937) 832-3022. It is located at 856 Union Blvd., Englewood, across the street from Kroger. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
