Not a Hard-Boiled Police Procedural nor a Cozy
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| Marilyn in a pensive pose. Perhaps she's thinking up another murder? |
So where does the Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series fall into a genre slot? That’s a good question with not an easy answer.
One reviewer described the series as, “Think Ed McBain’s 87th precinct series mellowed out in a California beach town”
Another said, “Meredith does an outstanding job of showing the family stresses inherent in police work. Woven among the interactions you’ll find a taut suspense story, a touching family saga, a police procedural and a love story.”
I know that neither really answers the question I posed in the beginning, but it might give you some insight into what kind of tale I like to write. Because it is a mystery and a police procedural, there will always be more than one crime—and usually at least one murder. The reader will follow along with the detectives as they collect clues and interview people. At the same time, the reader will learn about what is going on in the private lives of the men and women who work for the Rocky Bluff P.D.
It’s not hardboiled because I don’t do what I’d call detailed descriptions of the gory details and my detectives don’t use any bad language. Oh, they might, but I don’t quote them. The readers can add that in their minds if they so desire.
The books aren’t cozies either for a number of reasons: The sleuths are professionals. I haven’t put a cat into a single book, and most cozies have cats. It’s not that I don’t like cats, we have two inside cats and a whole bunch of feral cats that people have dropped off and hubby feeds.
So maybe you should try one and see if you can come up with a name for the kind of genre they belong in. (And by the way, though the characters’ lives continue from book to book, I write each one as a stand-alone.)
Thanks for hosting me today, Jackie.
Marilyn aka F. M. Meredith
- Click on the image to buy!
Blurb for the latest RBPD mystery, Murder in the Worst Degree: The body that washes up on the beach leads Detectives Milligan and Zachary on a murder investigation that includes the victim’s family members, his housekeeper, three long-time friends, and a mystery woman.
Bio: F. M. Meredith aka Marilyn Meredith is the author of over 35 published books. She enjoys writing about police officers and their families and how what happens on the job affects the family and vice versa. Having several members of her own family involved in law enforcement, as well as many friends, she’s witnessed some of this first-hand.
Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com/
Contest:
Once again I am offering the opportunity to have your name used for a character in a book if you comment on the most blogs during this tour for Murder in the Worst Degree.
Tomorrow you can find me visiting at http://thebookconnection.blogspot.com/
