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A review by emjay2021
Private Investigations: Mystery Writers on the Secrets, Riddles, and Wonders in Their Lives by Victoria Zackheim
4.0
Thank you to the publisher, Seal Press, for a review copy (via Edelweiss+) in exchange for an honest review. A version of this review is also on my blog and on the Edelweiss+ site.
I really enjoyed this collection of essays. I've been a fairly avid mystery reader for a big chunk of my life, since high school, and I've made my way through plenty of detective series by a wide range of authors. I do look for intriguing plots, but equally important are the quality of the prose and the complexity of character development.
So I was particularly interested to read what various authors had to say about mysteries and writing. Pleasingly, they each interpreted the assignment a little differently. Some wrote about a mystery in their own life; some wrote about a family mystery; others wrote about the mysteries of the creative process itself. I enjoyed reading the wide range of responses.
As with any essay collection by various authors, I connected with some more than with others. Particular standouts, because of both the subject matter and the writing style, were Connie May Fowler's searing essay about childhood abuse, childlessness, illness, and healing; Steph Cha's electrifying account of stalking and harassment; Sulari Gentill's essay about a family mystery in her birthplace, Sri Lanka; Asuma Zehanat Khan's musings about her Pashtun family's past; the mystery of Caroline Leavitt's disappearing voice; and finally, an amusing and spooky tale by Kristin Lepionska about a haunted apartment. If I had to choose just one as the absolute best, it would be Steph Cha's, but it's got stiff competition from the others.
Even the ones that weren't particular standouts for me were, in general, entertaining and engaging. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes personal essays and memoirs, whether or not you like to read mystery novels.
I really enjoyed this collection of essays. I've been a fairly avid mystery reader for a big chunk of my life, since high school, and I've made my way through plenty of detective series by a wide range of authors. I do look for intriguing plots, but equally important are the quality of the prose and the complexity of character development.
So I was particularly interested to read what various authors had to say about mysteries and writing. Pleasingly, they each interpreted the assignment a little differently. Some wrote about a mystery in their own life; some wrote about a family mystery; others wrote about the mysteries of the creative process itself. I enjoyed reading the wide range of responses.
As with any essay collection by various authors, I connected with some more than with others. Particular standouts, because of both the subject matter and the writing style, were Connie May Fowler's searing essay about childhood abuse, childlessness, illness, and healing; Steph Cha's electrifying account of stalking and harassment; Sulari Gentill's essay about a family mystery in her birthplace, Sri Lanka; Asuma Zehanat Khan's musings about her Pashtun family's past; the mystery of Caroline Leavitt's disappearing voice; and finally, an amusing and spooky tale by Kristin Lepionska about a haunted apartment. If I had to choose just one as the absolute best, it would be Steph Cha's, but it's got stiff competition from the others.
Even the ones that weren't particular standouts for me were, in general, entertaining and engaging. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes personal essays and memoirs, whether or not you like to read mystery novels.