The Lineup

by Philip Eliot | Jul 10, 2026 | Thriller & Suspense | 0 comments

“The best book of its kind. . . . An exciting omnibus volume. . . . delivering memorable revelations about the mystery genre and its different incarnations.” —Janet Maslin, New York TimesA 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 Precious Ramotswe? In The Lineup, some of the top mystery writers in the world tell about the genesis of their most beloved characters — or, in some cases, let their creations do the talking.”This book will delight any mystery lover.” ?Cleveland Plain Dealer”Who are more equipped to discourse on the origins, the motivations, the foibles, and the triumphs of their life’s work than some of the best-known and most successful mystery and thriller writers on the planet?” —Los Angeles Times”Tremendous fun—clever, wide-ranging, revealing, even surprising. Bet you can’t read just one.” —Raleigh News and Observer”Fiery. . . . The authors take different approaches, but all offer an opportunity to see a familiar character in a new way. . . . It’s also a great way to get a taste of some of the series you haven’t read yet.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR.org

Review “The best book of its kind…. An exciting omnibus volume that has widespread appeal and adds up to much, much more than the sum of its parts….delivering memorable revelations about the mystery genre and its different incarnations….Candor is no small part of this collection’s great value. Time and again these crime writers return to the same questions: Is your character like you? Where did the character’s name come from? How did you get published? The answers are always interesting.”?Janet Maslin, New York Times”This book will delight any mystery lover….[and] make readers return to favorite books with a fresh eye.”?Michele Ross, Cleveland Plain Dealer”The natural bridge between authorial intention and reader demand. After all, who are more equipped to discourse on the origins, the motivations, the foibles, and the triumphs of their life’s work than some of the best-known and most successful mystery and thriller writers on the planet?”?Sarah Weinman, Los Angeles Times”The ultimate How-dunit.”?Janet Maslin, The New York Times”Tremendous fun–clever, wide-ranging, revealing, even surprising. Bet you can’t read just one.”?Raleigh News and Observer”Fiery….The authors take different approaches, but all offer an opportunity to see a familiar character in a new way….It’s also a great way to get a taste of some of the series you haven’t read yet.”?Maureen Corrigan, NPR.org About the Author Otto Penzler is the proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, and the editor of many mystery anthologies, including The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, for which he won an Edgar Award. He lives in New York. From AudioFile Male English, Irish, and Scottish writers have their essays read in the rich, liquid tones of John Lee, while Justine Eyre impersonates female scribes from both sides of the Atlantic. Blessedly, she’s a talented mimic, so her Anne Perry sounds like a cheery Brit, while her Carol O’Connell is definitely from New York. Eyre’s husband, John Nelson, is stuck with standard-issue Americans, which is another way of saying English with the music washed out. It’s still a thrill, though, to get behind the curtain. We learn that Michael Connelly is afraid of tunnels. And that hero Jack Reacher got his name after Lee Child’s wife suggested that if writing didn’t pan out, the author’s height might win him a job in a supermarket, reaching for boxes on high shelves. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine