I was impressed by Graff’s attention to detail during the police procedural scenes. The technicalities of crime scene investigation and forensics are well described, without delving into gruesome details, as fits the cozy genre.

Besides technology, what are the main differences from the thrillers of the 50s, 60s, and 70s with today's bestsellers?

The funny thing about history is that for all the reports of the standard mores of behavior, there were always outliers, women who explored Africa, who went on hunger strikes, who spied for the government.

Short stories are challenging because you always have to think up a new beginning, a new character, a new plot. Novels are slightly easier as you have something that you settle in with -- something larger to explore and study.

Here’s to letting the characters take the lead! You never know what will happen.

Read widely and extensively. Good writing should inspire you.

The Dame Was Trouble is noir at its best - and the women are in charge.

Levison skilfully depicts the nostalgia of summers spent by the lake, and juxtaposes this with the horror of murder. Drawing a connection between the recent crime and her family’s experiences in the Holocaust, *The Crate* is a sensitive portrayal of the effects of violence and the importance of remembrance.

Over the years we have noticed trends in what is being published in the mystery genre. Some years we seem to have an abundance of books around the theme of kidnappings, other years it is psychological thrillers or serial killers. Police procedurals and historical mysteries continue to be huge sellers.