Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Chester Campbell: Writing the private eye novel

Today, I'm pleased to turn the posting-podium over to Chester Campbell. Chester has written four books in the Greg McKenzie Mystery Series featuring a retired Air Force investigator and his wife. Just released by Night Shadows Press, The Surest Poison is the first book in his Sid Chance Mystery Series. Currently secretary of the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Chester lives in Madison, TN with his wife, Sarah, and an 11-year-old grandson. Take it away, Chester!
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The Private Eye Novel has been a favorite of American reading audiences since back in the thirties. Its early popularity grew out of such characters as Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer, and John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee. Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon has become an American fiction classic. There is no shortage of definitions for the detectives who populate these stories. Probably the most definitive is the one used by the Private Eye Writers of America in picking winners for its annual Shamus Awards.

They define a “private eye” as any mystery protagonist who is a professional investigator, but not a police officer or government agent.

I had no idea of creating a PI when I started writing about Greg McKenzie, a retired Air Force OSI agent, the protagonist of my first four mystery novels. In fact, I wasn’t even thinking series. The first book involved a hostage taking, and I wanted a character with investigative experience who would have all the tools he needed to compete with the bad guys and rescue his wife. While working on that story, I consulted with the Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Special Investigations at Arnold Air Force Base.

It wasn’t until the end of the second book that I realized Greg and his wife were perfectly suited to get into the private investigation business. The last two books have dealt with cases they took on with unexpected results. A few reviewers referred to the books as cozies, though I didn’t see them that way.

If you’ve never been in law enforcement, how do you learn the basics of writing about private investigators? It helps if you’ve been a newspaper reporter. They use some of the same techniques as detectives. Also you read a lot about PIs, both in fiction and fact. I have two books about private investigation written by two working pros I know personally.

I was surprised when I got a review of the third Greg McKenzie book that started out, “If you’re interested in seeing how a real private detective works try Chester Campbell’s Deadly Illusions.”

That was only topped by a review of the fourth book that began, "The Marathon Murders is a skillfully woven tale that shows detective fiction wannabes how it’s supposed to be done.”

Although I enjoyed penning the exploits of Greg and Jill McKenzie, I wanted to try my hand at a more gritty private eye story. So I conjured up Sidney Lanier (Sid) Chance, a Green Beret in Vietnam, a National Parks ranger for 19 years, and a small town police chief for another 10. He left the NPS after being shot and quit his police job over false accusations of bribery.

Sid is the protagonist in The Surest Poison, first book in the new series. Apparently I succeeded in telling a more hard-boiled tale since one reviewer said I was channeling my love for the written word “into the kind of fiction writing that those with a penchant for Lawrence Block can enjoy.” If you don’t know Larry Block, he writes really hard-boiled stuff and is one of Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Masters.

So what’s the secret to writing believable private eyes? In my view it’s keeping your detective’s eyes and ears tuned to pick up any lead, whether it be a phone call, a scrap of paper found at a crime scene, a casual observation by a witness, and following it wherever the trail takes him. And you’d better obstruct the trail with plenty of boulders and booby traps.

The early PIs were strictly loners, but as the twentieth century wound down, it became popular to give private investigators sidekicks. Jasmine (Jaz) LeMieux fills the spot for Sid Chance, though she’s not like any sidekick I’ve encountered before. She’s rich, being majority owner and board chairman of a chain of truck stops, but followed a pretty weird path in getting there. After quitting college over a disagreement with her basketball coach, she served in the Air Force Security Police, was a professional boxer, and worked as a Metro Nashville policewoman.

Barbara Norville, in her book Writing the Modern Mystery, says “the primary attribute of the private eye is his unique sense of justice, and this is the theme of all private eye novels.” I agree, and it’s the raison d’etre for my PIs. As we learn about Sid Chance, “the possibility of taking a twisted situation and making things right was the lure that kept him in the business.”
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Today’s visit is part of Chester's Blog Book Tour for The Surest Poison. He will give away several copies of his books during the tour, which runs through May 1. Leave a comment here and you may be a winner in the contest. For more details go to his Mystery Mania blog.

21 comments:

Chester Campbell said...

Thanks for having me, Ann. Glad to be here.

Ann Parker said...

Glad to host you, Chester! So ... does this mean you're writing two series at the same time?

Camille Minichino said...

Thanks Ann and Chester for the insight into the "new" PI -- not necessarily one who keeps a bottle of scotch in his desk!

I hope the tour goes well, Chester.

Chester Campbell said...

Thanks, Camille. Nope, no Scotch in the drawer. He will have a beer with the poker club, though.

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed reading the comments. Interesting information about the PIs
The books sound great and I have added them to my TBR list.
JOYE
JWIsleyATaol.com

Beth Groundwater said...

For those interested in learning more about how PIs work, I recommend the following classes:
http://www.highlandsinvestigations.com/piclass/

Colleen and Shaun have their own PI firm as well as teach classes about it. I've taken one of their classes, and they know of what they speak and present it well. And thank you, Chester, for your informative post!

Unknown said...

Chester, you do it so well you make it seem effortless.

Chester Campbell said...

Thanks, Beth, that PI class sounds interesting. I'll have to check into it.

I'm glad it sounds effortless, Ben. I've been losing sleep trying to get all these blogs written.

Ann Parker said...

Well it's great fun to read about PIs then and now. I have a soft spot for Sam Spade (or maybe it's just the way Bogart played him!).
Yes, blog book tours are a lot of writing!
Where will you be next, Chester, and what topic are you covering?

Jean Henry Mead said...

I enjoyed your McKenzie series and look forward to the new one, Chester.

Enid Wilson said...

I always thought being PI can be a very boring job, waiting for the inflamous moments all the time. But your book seems to shed a different light

Jina Bacarr said...

I believe we need stories like yours more than ever in a world overrun with technology. Sid Chance sounds like the kind of PI who relies more on his human instincts than on his BlackBerry.

KK Brees said...

I can't wait to read this. Chester, you've done yeoman work!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Thanks Ann and Chester for the interesting blog on PIs. I write cozies, but enjoy all mystery genres. PIs seem to share a trait with amateur sleuths in cozies--an eye for detail that's vital in uncovering clues! Thanks for the post.
http://www.mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/

Ann Parker said...

Hello all, and welcome!
Thanks for stopping by to read Chester's blog on the PI novel!

Greg said...

The Private investigator profession is very challenging.. I highly appreciate this writer. Can you tell me the price of the novel? ~ Greg from www.auscovertinvestigations.com.au

Anne said...

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Shane said...

Thanks, Chester What a fantastic post! Conducting investigations may face challenges in interviewing witnesses.... Thank you for this post!

Shane said...

I would like to thank you for this great article! I'm a private investigator and I know how challenging it is.

If you have any questions about the profession, feel free to contact me anytime.

Thanks, Shane from private investigator

Vaugh Jude said...

Thanks for sharing, Chester! You're the best!

I love this post. I have to say that I've always been a little fuzzy on the details of conducting investigations, but your post really cleared it up for me. I especially liked how you pointed out that conducting investigations may face challenges in interviewing witnesses. Thank you for this post!

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Tatiana said...

I absolutely love your article! I'm a private investigator myself, and I know how hard it can be to make a living at this career.

If you have any questions about the profession, or just want to chat, feel free to reach out anytime—I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks so much, Shane from Private Investigator Sydney
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