Tag Archives: mystery author

Writing and Walking in Tuscany

Photos from my recent nine-mile walk to a neighboring village and back. These Etruscan trails are the same as those beloved by Leah, protagonist of my Leah Contarini Mysteries Series of Italian mysteries from Level Best Books. The first book in the series, Bitter Maremma is available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc; the second book, Death Will Find You, will be out this fall; and the third book, tentatively titled Precarious Refuge, will appear in 2023.  

From a review of Bitter Maremma:

Author Siporin’s novel works on a couple of different levels, first, as a murder mystery—and a very good one at that—and second, as a paean to the Tuscan region, its customs, culture and its colorful residents, all of which are richly drawn by the author. A far cry from the usual noir-ish streets of New York or Los Angeles, Bitter Maremma is a highly entertaining read, one that I most certainly recommend.

–Gregory Stout, author of Lost Little GirlGideon’s Ghost, and Finalist in Best First PI Novel category, 2022 Shamus Awards.

Films with a Sense of Community in a Troubled Time

As COVID 19 drives us further into isolation, I rely more and more on books, movies, and walks along the deserted trail that follows the canal. The walks clear my head and the books and movies transport me out of the house in a different way, so I can see how other storytellers are searching for meaning.  

Lately, I’ve seen two movie-series and a movie that you might like: Midnight Diner, a  Japanese anthology TV series directed by Joji Matsuoka, based on the graphic novels of Yaro Abe; The Queen’s Gambit, a U.S. miniseries based on a novel by “Walt” Stone Tevis and directed by Scott Frank; and The Life Ahead, from a novel written by Romain Gary and made into an Italian film directed by Edoardo Ponti, son of Sophia Loren, who still powerful at 86 shares the lead with Ibrahima Gueye, a very talented young actor.  

I think of these films specifically because all of them have themes of love manifested in camaraderie, community in its truest sense, and resilience in the face of hardships, and I’ve been hankering for a good shot of these things lately.  The Queen’s Gambit and The Life Ahead are hard in parts to watch, but working toward love is never easy, and all of these films pay back.

Why Read Mysteries?

Last blog, I wrote about why I write mysteries: the puzzle aspect; the chance to deal with
death, which is the center of all our maps; the opportunity to re-create geographies I’ve known and loved; the chance to live through characters that are stronger, smarter, more courageous than I am; the chance to explore my own inner world, including the darker side; and the chance, almost like a folktale, to clarify the differences between good and evil – and more: the confusion of the two.

What about you? Why do you read mysteries, or why don’t you read mysteries? If you
do, when did you start reading them? Or did you pick one up, start reading, and decide the genre’s not for you? What do mysteries offer you that other genres don’t? What subgenres (thrillers, cozies, detective novels, police procedurals, etc.) do you read? Or, what is it mysteries lack that you find in other genres? Who are your favorite writers of mysteries? Why? Who your favorite writers of other genres?

I hope you’ll send a line or two – or whole paragraphs – and tell me your thoughts on
mysteries.