with Ellen Larson
We are delighted to welcome mystery author Ellen Larson to Omnimystery News today.
Ellen's new novel, In Retrospect (Five Star; December 2013 hardcover and ebook formats), is a good old-fashioned whodunit set in a compelling post-apocalyptic future.
We asked Ellen to tell us a little more about how she created a vision for the future, for which she writes, "Beware the Simple Solution".
— ♦ —
Photo provided courtesy of
Ellen Larson
Plausibility is a fundamental element in all literature, but it presents specific challenges in murder mysteries. Top of the list is this well known issue: Unless her protagonist is a professional, either detective or law enforcement, the mystery writer must deal with the recurring question of how and why her sleuth is investigating the crime. The Miss Marple-style investigator has been overdone, and the hobbyist sleuth does not work at all in modern society. Individuals may plausibly get involved with a murder in their immediate circle, but that is a bust if you want your sleuth to star in a series. Likewise, the sleuth who investigates because she is suspected of the crime is both overdone and unsuitable in a series. But unless the writer is herself a member of law enforcement, having a professional sleuth involves extensive research and the constant threat of getting it wrong.
With In Retrospect, I avoided this sticky wicket by setting my murder mystery in the far future, by which time, one can assume, the activities of the professional investigator would be unrecognizable. This was a natural choice for me; I've always imagined a time when investigative tools would be foolproof. Lie detectors that are infallible. Accurate analysis of brain function and dysfunction. Investigators who must themselves pass lie detector tests and brain analysis to avoid corruption. In this book, I use time travel as the ultimate investigative tool; a time machine that can take you back to the scene of the crime to observe the event.
Thus Merit Rafi, my professional sleuth, became a Forensic Retrospector. Over many years, she has been attuned to "flex," as the folks in the future call time travel. If the case is suitable — say a murder, a theft, or any crime that can be witnessed — she flexes back to observe the crime from the safety of the time continuum. Simple, right?
Merit herself makes light of her job:
I'm not what you'd call the academic type. I do forensic retrospectography, not historic. No need for memorization. Flex. Collect observational evidence. Reflex. Throw the bad guy in the pokey. Easy.
Of course, there is such a thing as "too easy." One expects a challenge in a murder mystery, not to mention some mystery in a whodunit. It hardly needs saying that conflicts and obstacles will arise.
As it happens, the premise of In Retrospect is that Merit is being forced to flex by the victors of a recent war, who now occupy her nation. Thus (for starters) the simple solution is stymied by her moral dilemma: to flex for her enemies — something she considers a betrayal of the sisterhood of Retrospectors — or suffer the consequences. Add to the mix the fact that the victim, General Zane, is the man who betrayed Merit's people; and the man assigned to oversee the preparations for the flex is her ex-lover, now working for her enemies. Caught in a web of uncertainty and self-doubt, Merit remains on the sidelines, a silent observer, putting off her decision as long as possible.
And yet … as she watches, Merit cannot help but exercise her investigative skills. For in fact, Merit is fully trained in 34th century criminology. She finds a carved wooden disk upon which is carved an ancient symbol of justice: the set of scales. She identifies three suspects: the ex-resistance op who was once sent on a mission to assassinate Zane; her new boss, the Marshall, who is making a play for political power by pushing the use of flex, even though he knows Merit is not stable; and Zane's assistant, a one-time scholar who despised the General for his lack of conviction. But as the time nears for the flex, Merit realizes that no one hated Zane as much as she:
They had played her beautifully, all of them, each for their own purpose. She had tried to outwit them; to keep her thoughts and turbulent feelings hidden, but she had never stood a chance … Betraying her while pretending to care, while praising her for her ideals. Just like Omari Zane.
An icy anger coalesced out of the darkness and took possession of her. Zane. Father figure. Hero. Betrayer. If he had stayed true they might have won the war, or at least made a better peace. But he had murdered his own, then signed away their rights, just to buy an immediate ceasefire. None of this would be happening but for Zane's act of betrayal — not of her, she was unimportant, but of her people … If he were not already dead she would have made it her final mission in life to kill him herself. It was a shame she would never know who had done it, so that she could have expressed her thanks. At least she knew — had always known — why he had been killed. There was only one reason kill a traitor: for his treachery.
In Retrospect: a good old-fashioned whodunit set in a post-apocalyptic microcosm.
— ♦ —
In 1989, Ellen Larson left her 100 acre horse farm in upstate New York and headed overseas in search of adventure. In 1991 she landed in Cairo, Egypt, where she worked as a language editor and publications consultant, working in the field of economic development for NGOs such as USAID, CGIAR, and the World Bank.
Larson returned home in 2005 — home being an antique trailer situated deep in the woods of her beloved farm. Her writing, whether mainstream, mystery, or science fiction, borrows heavily from the themes of classical mythology and features heroic protagonists who experience fast-paced adventures and testing situations that are never ever black and white. Larson holds a BA in English from Windham College and an MA in Humanities from California State University.
For more information about the author and her work, please visit her website at EllenLarson.com. You can also find more information about the book at InRetrospect.com.
— ♦ —
In Retrospect
Ellen Larson
A Futuristic Mystery Thriller
Former elite operative Merit Rafi suffered during her imprisonment at the end of a devastating war, but the ultimate torment is being forced to investigate a murder she would gladly have committed herself.
In the year 3324 the Rasakans have attacked the technologically superior Oku. The war is a stalemate until the Oku commander, General Zane, abruptly surrenders. Merit, a staunch member of the Oku resistance, fights on, but she and her comrades are soon captured. An uneasy peace ensues, but the Rasakans conspire to gain control of the prized Oku time-travel technology.
When Zane is murdered, the Rasakans exert control over Merit, the last person on Earth capable of Forensic Retrospection.
