Like any serious writer, I read a lot. The latest from my TBR pile are mysteries by two of my favorite authors, The Big Empty by Robert Crais, and Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson. Both novels lean into themes resonating in pop culture: wildly successful young female social media influencers and serial killers. Another similarity between the books is the design aesthetic of the covers: burnt orange fading into an abrupt dark foreground, each black space presenting a relevant element to draw you further in. The curve of highway in The Big Empty, alluding to movement and isolation amid urban clutter, and in Tell Me What You Did, the voyeuristic allure of a woman's silhouette framed within a yellow window. From those junctures, however, the stories differ quite a bit.
Wilson's forte is the psychological thriller and he masterfully plucks at the narrative, driving the momentum with staccato beats that tighten the suspense with each new reveal. The protagonist, famous podcaster Poe Webb, is no angel and has plenty of skeletons in her closet, which the serial killer is keen to exploit. The ambiance is claustrophobic, and the mood stifling with menace and dread.
Crais delivers another episode in the exploits of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, two PIs digging into intrigue and murder in the sweeping landscape of Los Angeles. In this quest, the influencer is the MacGuffin who draws Cole into the crosshairs of the serial killer. The plot unravels as a good noir mystery should, through the eyes of the detective as he peels back each rotten layer of lies and misdirection. There's much that I admire about Crais' writing: his sharp turns of phrase, his ability to present characters as they collide egos, his concise descriptions of time and place that put you right in the scene.
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