>I’m Just Glad to Be Here, Happy to Be Alive*

>Some people seem to have the ability to be positive and very much alive, for lack of a better word, no matter what the circumstances. They have a spark of life that many people call joie de vivre, and they savor whatever life has to offer. They can bring zest and an upbeat outlook to lots of different situations, even if they’re not always cheerful, so it’s no wonder that others are often attracted to them. Characters with a zest for life can also add much to crime fiction. Novels featuring a murder investigation focus, of course, on the tragedy of murder, so a character with a love of life can add a welcome positive touch to a novel or series. Of course, there’s always the risk that such a character can come across as too naïve or too cheerful, both of which can be off-putting. But a well-written character with a zest for life can be a refreshing addition to a story.

Agatha Christie’s novels feature several characters like this, who just enjoy being alive. In Dumb Witness (AKA Poirot Loses a Client), for instance, we meet Theresa Arundell. She’s the niece of Miss Emily Arundell, who dies of what seems at first to be liver failure. When it turns out that Miss Arundell was murdered, Theresa is one of the suspects, and she is a logical possibility. Theresa is very fond of living, and her tastes are expensive. She wants everything that’s coming to her, and she doesn’t want to wait for it. So when she finds out that her aunt left her considerable fortune to her companion, Wilhelmina Lawson, Theresa is incensed and tries everything she can think of to break the will. Not everyone in the village approves of Theresa’s fast lifestyle, but she’s got panache, and her strength of personality is undeniable. Despite what she herself admits as selfishness, Theresa Arundell is also rather a sympathetic character.

In Christie’s The Hollow (AKA Murder After Hours), Poirot investigates the shooting death of Dr. John Christow, a successful Harley Street specialist. Christow, too, loves being alive. In fact, that’s one of his most appealing qualities. He’s hardly perfect; he’s not exactly been faithful to his wife, he’s fond of being in charge, and he prefers to be the center of attention. And yet, one finds him sympathetic, because he’s also devoted to his work, he’s not malicious and he takes a genuine joy in life. Poirot himself notes this “aliveness” when he arrives on the murder scene. When he gets there, Christow’s just been shot, and hasn’t yet died. Poirot arrives just in time to hear Christow utter his last word, and he notices just how aware and how very much alive Christow seems to be. In fact, Christow’s mistress, Henrietta Savernake, comments on the irony that:

“John, who was so alive, is dead.”

In the end, Poirot and Inspector Grange find out who murdered Christow and why.

In Ellery Queen’s The Origin of Evil, Queen has rented a home near Hollywood as a sanctuary, so he can write. His plans are interrupted by nineteen-year-old Lauren Hill, who visits Queen to ask his help. Her father, Leander Hill, suddenly died of heart failure, and Lauren thinks his death was deliberate. Before he died, he’d received the grisly gift of a dead dog, with a cryptic message saying more was to come. Hill’s partner, Roger Priam, has also received cryptic notes and “gifts.” Queen reluctantly agrees to ask some questions, if only to placate his guest. When he interviews Roger Priam, though, Queen finds him inexplicably reluctant to discuss the matter. Without help from Priam, Queen knows it’ll be hard to get any evidence of who’s behind what seems to be a bizarre campaign of terror. He’s about ready to give up, but Lauren Hill is not. She has a real zest for life and willingness to go to whatever effort is needed to solve the crime. In fact, she energizes Queen to look further into the matter. In the end, Queen finds out what the meaning is behind the messages and “gifts,” and figures out why Leander Hill was killed.

In Martin Edwards’ The Serpent Pool, we meet Fern Larter, an Inspector with the Cumbria Constabulary. She’s a friend of DCI Hannah Scarlett, who leads the Cold Case Review Team. Larter and her team are investigating two bizarre deaths; book collector George Saffell and attorney Stuart Wagg have both been murdered in unusual ways, and Larter believes they’re connected. So does Scarlett, who believes those deaths are connected to the six-year-old drowning death of Bethany Friend. The two friends pool their resources and, with help from Oxford historian Daniel Kind, solve the murders. Fern Larter’s character adds humor and zest to the story; she’s plain-spoken, upbeat and not one to be dictated to. She enjoys her food – especially if it’s not a part of the Constabulary’s Healthy Eating Initiative – and she’s eager for Scarlett to move on with her own life and find some happiness of her own.

And then there’s Lula, who works with Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. She’s a former prostitute who now works at the same bail bond agency that employs Plum. She was originally hired to do secretarial and clerical work, but she goes out on plenty of cases, too. Lula is always willing to go on an adventure, especially if there’s food involved, and she’s fearless. She’s had her share of what people call “hard knocks,” but she’s got plenty of zest, her own style, and lots of energy and love of life.

In Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who Went Into the Closet, newspaper columnist Jim Qwilleran has rented a mansion in downtown Pickax for the winter months, since his own home is hard to heat and difficult to get to during the winter. The home became vacant when its wealthy former owner, Euponia Gage, decided to retire and move to Florida. Then, Euphonia Gage suddenly dies in what looks like a successful suicide attempt. Her grandson is baffled by the suicide, since she seemed to have had no reason to kill herself. When another death occurs, Qwilleran is sure that something sinister is going on, and begins to investigate. In the course of his investigation, he meets Celia Robinson, a cheerful, zesty Florida retiree who lives in Euhponia Gage’s retirement community. Celia is distressed, of course, by Euphonia Gage’s death, but she’s eager to investigate, and gladly becomes a “secret agent.” Later, she moves to Pickax to be near her grandson, who lives there, and her energy and love for life pepper several of Braun’s novels.

In Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, one of the important “regular” characters is Mma. Silvia Potokwane. She runs the local orphanage, and is a passionate protector of and advocate for the children under her care. She’s a good friend of Mma. Precious Ramotswe, McCall Smith’s sleuth, and the two very much enjoy their time together. Mma. Potokwane has lots of energy and zest for life, and isn’t afraid to use it to get what she thinks “her” children need, even if that means “bullying” others. She also has a spark of creativity and humor. When things get difficult, Mma. Potokwane isn’t one to throw up her hands and admit defeat. Rather, she makes do with what’s available, and tries every solution she can think of when what’s available isn’t enough. Her passion for life adds a lot of fun and energy to the series.

Sometimes, it’s the sleuth who has that love for life. We see that in Andrea Camilleri’s Salvo Montalbano. He’s sometimes bad-tempered, but despite the sadness and death he sees, he enjoys being alive. He loves good food, he enjoys his relationship with his lover, Livia Burlando, and he pursues his cases with zest and energy. This doesn’t mean, of course, that he’s always cheerful, but he does have joie de vivre.

Jonathan Gash’s Lovejoy is also fond of life. He’s an East Anglia antiques dealer with an uncanny sense of whether or not a supposed antique is genuine. He’s also got a real sense of what something is worth. Lovejoy doesn’t always walk the “straight and narrow” path; in fact, he’s sometimes unscrupulous. But he has a love of being alive, of a fine antique, and of adventure. Oh, and there are women, too…

A character who truly loves being alive – who has that “spark” – can add energy and sometimes humor to what might otherwise be a dark story. That trait alone can make such a character memorable and welcome. Who are your favorite characters with joie de vivre?

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from The Traveling Wilburys’ End of the Line.

>The Theme of Murder…

>One of the very noticeable developments in crime fiction in the last decades has been what I’ll call “themed” crime fiction. I’m not talking here of larger themes such as holidays, nor am I talking about sub-genres of crime fiction, such as noir, spy thrillers, cozies or police procedurals. I’m referring here to mystery novels that are centered on a topic, such as, medicine, sports, or specialized areas like wine-making. Themed crime fiction has the advantage of drawing those who might not otherwise be interested in mysteries towards the larger genre. It also allows crime fiction fans to learn something about an interesting topic. There are, of course, distinct disadvantages, too. For instance, themed crime fiction can turn away potential readers (e.g. “I’m not interested in football; why would I read a football mystery?”). There’s also a delicate balance required for a themed novel. The focus in a well-written crime fiction novel is on the mystery – the crime at the center of the story – and on the characters involved in it. Too much deviation into, say, the intricacies of a toxicity study (for medical-themed novels) or the details of a wine-tasting event (for vineyard-centered novels) can take the focus away from what’s supposed to be the main idea of a crime fiction novel – the mystery itself. That said, though, themed crime fiction has become increasingly popular, and has meant that many talented writers have been able to reach new mystery fans.

One of the best known themes for crime fiction is the medical theme. I discussed this particular kind of theme in a post from last month, so I’m not going to repeat myself here. Suffice it to say, though, that authors such as Robin Cook and Michael Palmer have made the hospital and doctor’s office some of the most popular settings in crime fiction. Authors such as Kathy Reichs have also popularized medical mysteries (although some say that novels about forensic medicine may deserve their own category). But that theme didn’t start with those authors. Thomas Scortia and Frank Robinson’s 1978 novel, The Nightmare Factor had a chilling medical theme, an deliberate epidemic of a virulent and highly contagious strain of influenza. Even earlier, series such as Helen Wells’ and Julie Campbell Tatham’s Cherry Ames series for younger readers focused on medical settings.

Another popular theme in crime fiction is sports. Sports and crime fiction “fit” together, possibly because sports can be very, very competitive; this allows for many believable motives for murder. Sports also attract gambling, and the win-at-any-cost thinking of some in sports also leads to drug (ab)use, and those also make for compelling plots and believable motives for all kinds of crime. Dick Francis’ Sid Halley novels, for instance, take place in the world of horse racing. Halley is a former champion jockey, but, due to an injury, can no longer ride. So he’s become a private investigator who specializes in solving mysteries related to racetracks, stables and horses.

More recently, Michael Balkind’s mysteries give us a look at the world of professional golf. Balkind’s novels focus on PGA champion Reid Clark, who’s got a reputation for being difficult, although he is at the top of his career. He works with his business partner, friend and agent, Buck Green and investigator Jay Scott. In Dead Ball, for instance, Scott helps Clark and Green investigate the murder of Clark’s best friend, Bob Thomas, who’s found dead on the grounds of AllSport, a large golfing complex he helped to create in New York’s Catskill Mountains. AllSport’s purpose among other things, is to introduce golf to inner-city young people, but when Thomas’ body is found, the facility is locked down until Clark, Scott and Green can find out who murdered Bob Thomas.

Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series is another example of a sports-themed series. Bolitar is a former college basketball star, whose dreams of a professional basketball career ended when he suffered a knee injury. After getting his law degree, Bolitar became a sports agent. Now one of the more sought-after agents in the business, Bolitar frequently gets involved in his clients’ lives. That includes clients who are mixed up in crime. In Coben’s Bolitar novels, the reader goes beyond the basketball court, and gets a look at merchandising, betting, drug abuse, and some of the other less-than-desirable aspects of the world of sports.

Another very popular theme in today’ crime fiction is what I’ll refer to as specialized themes. These are novels that are centered on a particular kind of business, art, craft or skill. One of them is wine-making. Ellen Crosby’s Wine Country Mystery series, for instance, gives readers an “inside look” at the operation of a Blue Ridge Mountains, Virgnia, winery. The winery is owned and operated by Lucie Montgomery, who had been living in the South of France, but was suddenly called on to run the business when her father, who’d owned the winery, died mysteriously. Michele Scott’s Wine Lover’s Mystery series also focuses on making wine and wine pairings, and allows readers to see the inner workings of a large Napa Valley winery, where her sleuth, Nikki Sands, is the wine manager at Malveaux Estates Winery.

Another “specialized” kind of mystery features antiques, antique dealing and antique shops. Jonathan Gash’s Lovejoy series is an interesting example of how the antiques trade can lend itself to a crime fiction plot. Lovejoy is an East Anglia antiques dealer who’s rather shady and sometimes unscrupulous. He’s got an almost extrasensory perception, though, when it comes to telling whether something is a genuine, valuable antique or part of a scam. In especially the earlier Lovejoy novels, readers learn the “ins and outs” of the antiques industry, and Lovejoy himself is an interesting sleuth, since he doesn’t exactly keep to the “straight and narrow” path.

A lighter series of novels about antiques is Jane K. Cleland’s Josie Prescott novels. Prescott is an antiques appraiser and dealer Originally with Frisco’s, a large New York auction house, Prescott left the firm when her employer was caught in a price-fixing scam, and returned to her native New England. Now, she works as an appraiser in Rocky Point, New Hampshire. Through Prescott, readers get an “inside look” at bidding wars, antique scams, and other realities of the antique world.

There are many, many other themed novels, too, that feature weaving, knitting, fishing, veterinary medicine and many other choices. The one topic you’ll notice that I haven’t mentioned here is food. That’s because there are so many food-related mystery novels that they deserve their own discussion (my post on this topic from November is here). There’s no doubt, though, that cooking, catering, baking and other food-related business lend themselves to crime fiction, too.

Themed mysteries often appeal to those who might not otherwise enjoy crime fiction. In that sense, they broaden the genre’s audience. They also can provide interesting information, and they often take place in interesting contexts. On the other hand, themed mysteries can focus a story too far away from the center of any good crime fiction novel – the mystery plot itself. What’s your view? Do you enjoy themed novels? What themes do you read if you do?

*Note – You’ll notice that I didn’t mention Agatha Christie’s novels at all in this post. That’s because her novels arguably focused more on situations, characters, relationships and interactions more than on particular themes. We could argue, though, that some of her novels, such as Death in the Clouds (AKA Death in the Air), Murder on the Orient Express (AKA Murder in the Calais Coach), and The Mystery of the Blue Train (among others) were centered on the theme of traveling. Other novels she wrote could be grouped around other themes. But they’re not tightly related within themes, so I didn’t include them. But I couldn’t let a post go by without discussing Christie’s work. : ).