Introducing mystery lovers' favorite crime-fighting duo
Reviewer Paula Martinac Interviews Erica Obey, Author of The Brooklyn North Murder
One part murder, a handful of credible culprits, and a dash of vengeance—does such a boilerplate formula exist for writing a great mystery novel? Based on the number of uninspired mysteries written every year, all too many writers seem to think so. But discerning readers won’t be fooled.
In the January/February 2023 issue of Foreword, we recently discovered a mystery novelist who deserves to be mentioned alongside some of the best working the genre today.
Her name is Erica Obey, author of The Brooklyn North Murder, which earned that sparkling review by Paula Martinac. Always curious to hear from a professional sleuth writer, we were excited to connect Erica and Paula for the following interview.
Enjoy.
In your cozy mystery, The Brooklyn North Murder, the amateur detective, Dr. Mary Watson, is a research librarian at fictional De Sales College. What makes a librarian a good choice for a sleuth?
Like it or not, we are all living in the information age, and librarians are its unsung heroes. I was never a librarian, but I did teach college-level classes in research methods, and I always included a library session on finding information and, more importantly, evaluating its quality. It’s no coincidence that I also taught college-level classes in mystery fiction, because these research skills are also what makes a good detective. Doyle, with all his AI flamboyance, is not a good detective. Mary is, and I hope their relationship gives the reader a light-hearted view of this very important issue.
How did you decide on the rural setting of the Hudson Valley? What attributes made the sleepy college town of Morgansburg your choice for these characters and this plot? Were you thinking of any place(s) in particular when you created the college and town?
When I moved to Woodstock for the first time, it felt like I was coming home. And maybe I always was here. One of the things I love most about the Hudson Valley is how it preserves its history in its buildings, its landscape, and its people. Or, as the more mystically-minded up here would put it, the bounds between past and present are very thin in the Catskills. The Brooklyn North Murder is as much a love letter to the region’s past and present as it is detective fiction. Of course, all names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
For your sidekick, you chose an artificial intelligence bot with the mischievous name of Doyle. Dr. Mary Watson, his creator, programmed Doyle to analyze the plots of classic crime stories, unaware he would one day help solve real-life mysteries. How did you decide to make Doyle an AI character? What were the rewards and challenges of creating a character who exists only on the protagonist’s phone?
Doyle arose from my frustration with the common assumption that mystery writing is easy because it’s all a formula. Yes, there are certain expectations when you’re writing a mystery novel, but as Robert Frost said of formal verse, “It’s like playing tennis with a net.” There are rules in the mystery genre, but there is also room for much more. So when I decided to create a detective series that played with the “rules” of detective fiction, an AI program, which can only work from the formulas it is given, was the natural choice.
Once I got to that point, writing Doyle was easy, since I usually hear a character’s speech patterns before I know anything else about them. And Great Sleuths have some of the most distinctive speech patterns out there. Since The Brooklyn North Murder is rooted in S.S. van Dine’s novel The Dragon Murder Case, I picked up a lot of the patterns of his insufferable detective, Philo Vance, who holds forth on everything from the right way to mix a moraine cooler to breeding champion Scottish terriers.
Doyle possesses a vast store of knowledge about crime stories, but he also knows where to find just about any piece of information Dr. Watson needs. What level of computer geek are you? How much research was required to make the technology parts of the novel convincing?
I’m not a computer geek, but I did begin my writing career as a tech writer, so I’m at home in the cyber world. And I am married to an internet developer, which always helps. But, frankly, the more you know, the less impressive you find internet crime. Most hacks are still incredibly simple, involving either massive data crunching or social engineering. And those of us who have fought our way through online menus know how genuinely stupid most AI programs are. So Doyle is definitely a fantasy about how cool I really wish things were. In the meantime, don’t use your kids’ DOB or your pet’s name as a password, and you’ll have your own cyber-fortress.
There’s a lot of humor in The Brooklyn North Murder, especially in the snappy dialogue between Dr. Watson and Doyle. Talk about why humor was an important element for you to weave into the story.
The simple answer is that I hate self-importance, and I can’t help poking fun at it when I see it. But I think the larger answer is that humor is an optimistic genre, and I am basically an optimistic person. Dystopias are too easy to write, especially given the events of the past several years.
When many readers think of the Golden Age of mysteries, the names Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton often spring to mind first. Your novel focuses more on John Dickson Carr. Who are your favorite classic mystery authors and why? How closely did you follow S. S. Van Dine’s 1928 article, “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories,” in writing The Brooklyn North Murder?
Van Dine’s Twenty Rules are actually the inspiration for The Brooklyn North Murder. That does not mean I think he’s a good mystery writer. In fact, The Dragon Murder Case, which features prominently in The Brooklyn North Murder, is one of the worst detective stories ever written. But Tsvetan Todorov used Van Dine’s Twenty Rules as the basis for his article “The Typology of Detective Fiction,” which is arguably the driving force behind this entire series. And Van Dine’s detective, Philo Vance, is a wonderful model for creating an obnoxious Great Detective. On the other hand, I was relieved to discover that John Dickson Carr, who is the mystery writer I most admire, had tackled the same impossible crime as Van Dine did, and came up with a much better solution. No spoilers, but the solution to my puzzle owes as much to Carr as Van Dine.
You juggle numerous threads in the novel in addition to the central murder, from computer hacking to military special ops to financial misdeeds to hints of romance. Are you a plotter or a discovery writer, and how did you keep a rein on all the pieces? Without revealing spoilers, which parts of the story did you know from the start, and which, if any, surprised you?
For sanity’s sake, I am a plotter rather than a pantser (as in “seat of the pantser”). I’m a research junkie, which means I am always uncovering interesting rabbit holes to wander down. So I need a very tight, very technical main plot to keep me on track. And even with that discipline and the best of intentions, I still get myself in trouble. Standard writing advice is to put everything you have in a book, but in my case, I believe there’s an Erica Obey corollary that says, “Cut three subplots and step away from the manuscript now.”
What’s next for you? Will there be a second Watson and Doyle installment?
Oh, yes. And a third and a fourth. A sequel, The DeCoverley Riddle, is already in the works. No spoilers, but as the title suggests, it features Mack Byrne, former commando and Mary’s love-interest, getting roped into English country dancing. Come on, you want to know what kind of hurt he can put on a Jane Austen Ball, don’t you?
THE BROOKLYN NORTH MURDER
Walrus Publishing (Jan 17, 2023)
In Erica Obey’s clever cozy mystery novel The Brooklyn North Murder, a librarian teams up with her AI invention to solve a murder in a sleepy college town.
Mary Watson is a reference librarian in the rural Hudson Valley, where she uses her computer smarts to generate an AI bot, Doyle. She programs Doyle to write detective novels by analyzing the plots of classic crime stories. When an investor who’s taken an interest in Mary’s tech skills vanishes from a public event, she and Doyle make the ideal sleuths to determine what happened to him. In the process, Mary risks being implicated in massive data breaches, financial fraud, and a murder cover-up—unless she and Doyle can outwit the actual culprit.
Mary is a memorable heroine, and Doyle complements her well. Modeled on a 1930s sleuth, Philo Vance, Doyle is a stylish dandy who engages in entertaining banter with his creator. The image of Mary appearing to argue with her phone in public places never gets old. What’s more, the pair share a palpable affection for one another that is explained in a flashback to Mary’s unhappy childhood. And a campus security officer is a worthy source of support: he, too, engages with Doyle, in addition to introducing elements of danger and romance to Mary’s tale.
After the murder occurs at the book’s midpoint, however, the mystery stumbles, and the “who” in whodunit volleys between two credible suspects. And although the book’s use of detective plots is original and imaginative, the more obscure stories it references will spark recognition in only the most devout mystery fans.
The Brooklyn North Murder introduces an outstanding pair of amateur sleuths in a librarian and her classic mystery-versed AI.
Reviewed by Paula Martinac January / February 2023
Paula Martinac
