'You collaborate with your readers'

 

“I love the fact that you collaborate with your readers when you write a book.” – Robert Crais

Born in Louisiana on this date in 1953, Crais is one of America’s best-selling crime fiction authors.  But he didn’t start writing his novels until long after he had made a name for himself as a script writer for such television shows as Hill Street Blues and Cagney and Lacey. 

 

It was in the late 1980s before he tested the bookwriting waters.  His first novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, was an instant hit and earned every award from “Best First Novel” to “Best Mystery.”  Since then he’s had 22 other bestsellers.  Among his many awards are the Ross Macdonald Literary Award for crime fiction and being named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. 

 

 In 2020 his novel Suspect was named Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade by the Barry Awards.  Perhaps his best-known novel, also made into a movie, is Hostage, often cited for its great character development.

               

“My books come to me in images,” he said about his inspiration.  “Sometimes the image is at the beginning of the book, and sometimes it's simply a flash somewhere in the middle.   

 

 “I write characters and stories that move me,” he said, “and I write from the heart.”