Back in the 1990s, I wrote a Christmas story, a short story featuring my first series detective Harry Devlin. Fast forward to this year, and I was approached by Otto Penzler, owner of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop and head of the Mysterious Press, to write another. For thirty years, Otto has been commissioning writers to produce a Christmas story which he then presents as a free gift to customers of the shop in the run-up to Christmas.
As I mentioned on Monday, in the context of School of Hard Knox, I'm always very grateful for such invitations. The roll-call of authors who have written in this particular Christmas series is quite something: names like Donald E. Westlake, Ed McBain, Andrew Klavan, Mary Higgins Clark, Laura Lippman, and Jeffrey Deaver. Otto's only requirements are that the story should be set at the festive season and that the shop should be mentioned in some way.
Happily, an idea soon came to me. The result was End Game, and in many ways, it's a quintessentially British story, despite the reference to New York. There are various ingredients - Christmas, a ghost story by the fireside, and something to do with crime - and I enjoyed writing it. Just as important, Otto was happy with the result.
And just the other day I received the happy news that Otto is planning an anthology of these Christmas stories, which will include End Game. Another cause for festive celebration!
2 comments:
George Locke did similar using little known short stories by various writers. Incidentally End Game is the title of a book by Richard F Stewart. Its a survey of the endings of Charles Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood. Overlooked as a crime novel. Wishing you a peaceful Christmas.
I didn't know George ever did that. Were they officially published? Dick Stewart was a great guy, whom I enjoyed visiting to look at his stock of books. I have an inscribed copy of End Game and also his enjoyable if ultra-discursive And Always a Detective. Like George, he's sadly missed. All the best to you for Christmas and thanks for keeping in touch.
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