Librarian Sleuths by Shari Randall
I gathered four authors recently to chat about their mysteries, all of which feature a librarian, former librarian, or library: Allison Brook (author of the Haunted Library series); Eva Gates (author of the Lighthouse Library series); Sherry Harris (author of the Sea Glass Saloon series) and Dorothy McFalls (author of the Beloved Bookroom series). Allison, Eva, Sherry, and Dorothy talked about librarians who inspired them, the research they did on their books, and why they think librarians make great detectives. Let’s listen in on the conversation.
Tell us briefly about your librarian character and the challenges facing her.
Allison: Carrie Singleton, age thirty, is the head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge Library in Clover Ridge, Connecticut. Her job is to set up and oversee programs, classes and presentations for the library’s patrons to enjoy. As a result, Carrie meets many new people and finds herself solving murders that happen to occur.
Eva: My character is named Lucy Richardson. She’s come to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to work in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library in an attempt to flee her overcontrolling family and the marriage they have arranged for her with the son of her father’s law partner. New job, new community, new challenges. But Lucy is up to it.
Sherry: Chloe Jackson is a former Chicago children's librarian turned waitress and part owner of a bar because of a promise she made to a friend. As Chloe adapts to her life in the Florida Panhandle, she realizes that toddlers and drunks aren't that different. They both tend to give sloppy hugs and nap wherever they want. The biggest difference is Chloe never found a body while working in Chicago.
Dorothy: After her library is converted into an ultra-modern bookless library, Assistant Librarian Trudell Becket, with the help of her friends and the president of the local friends of the library organization, sets up a secret bookroom in the library’s neglected basement. All is going well, until someone starts to break into the bookroom night after night to wreak havoc.
Have you been inspired by any real-life librarians?
Allison: Yes, I was inspired by my dear friend, now retired, who set up many of the programs that Carrie oversees, among them food presentations by local chefs.
Sherry: Is there a librarian I haven't been inspired by might be the better question! Okay, there was the odd grumpy one at my college, but other than that I've found librarians to be generous with their time, suggestions, and information.
Dorothy: Goodness, yes! All through my life, but let me give you a recent example. Frankie Lea is a librarian at my local library who teaches a tai chi class at the branch. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Because of her, I included a tai chi class in this book. She also proved to be a great resource for teaching me about what happens behind the scenes in a library and sharing her experiences working at a Carnegie library.
What inspired you to make a librarian or library a character in your book?
Allison: I loved the idea of having a librarian as my sleuth because a library is a small world and the perfect setting for a cozy series. Carrie is surrounded by colleagues, family, and friends. Being head of programs and events also gives her the opportunity to meet new and interesting people.
Eva: I found instantly that having a library as a setting and a librarian as the protagonist worked really well for what I wanted to do with the Lighthouse Library series. I love books and I love book people. In each of the novels (there are nine so far), the book the Classic Novel Reading Club is reading is lightly reflected in the plot. I’ve used books as varied as Kidnapped, The House of the Seven Gables, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Doing that is great fun and it works so well with the library setting.
Sherry: I knew my series was going to be set in a bar and I tried to think of what former profession for my bar owner would be completely different. I came up with a children's librarian. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized Chloe's former life prepared her for her current one. Both jobs require dealing with people who aren't always pleasant. Librarians need to know how to defuse situations and are always helping people.
Dorothy: I wrote the Beloved Bookroom Series as a thank you and love note to libraries and librarians everywhere. I don’t think they get nearly as much appreciation as they deserve. Libraries have played an important part in my life ever since I was a little tot looking forward to her weekly visits to the bookmobile. Libraries and books have offered an escape to my sometimes chaotic life. Now that I have a child of my own, I visit my local library at least once a week. It’s a wonderful place to go to share with my daughter my love of stories as well as take part in the activities and be able to go somewhere that isn’t constantly trying to get my young daughter to buy, buy, buy.
Have you used libraries for research in writing any of your books?
Allison: Absolutely. I’m not a librarian myself, so I’ve found myself asking librarians questions regarding protocol and finances. I also read the newsletters of various libraries to see what programs they offer. I borrow some of their ideas for the patrons of my fictional Clover Ridge Library.
Sherry: I've checked out a lot of books on the history of the Florida Panhandle, which helped inspire the story for my fourth Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mystery. Also, one librarian—someone you may have heard of (and a brilliant writer) Shari Randall—has been a huge help. When I'm writing about Chloe being a children's librarian I ask, "What would Shari do?" And she always has an answer. *
*No, I did not pay Sherry Harris to say that!
Dorothy: Yes! Besides talking with the librarians at my local branch, I visited one of the oldest private libraries in the country, the Timrod Library. It’s a library that has not computerized and still relies on card catalogs and book slips. I also visited a library in the town where I grew up to interview the librarian. She provided me with some great information about the changing roles of libraries and the growing challenges librarians face today. Also, I’m lucky to have writer friends who also happen to be librarians. They are a great resource for answering quick questions on the fly. All the librarians I’ve talked with have been keen to share their stories and help me come up with clever plot twists that I would have never considered. Librarians are the best!
Do you think librarians make good detectives? Why?
Allison: I certainly do! Librarians are curious. They love to read; they love to learn. Their inquiring minds will view a mystery as a puzzle that must be solved and they'll come up with creative ways to extract the necessary information.
Eva: Librarians are the perfect amateur sleuth. Librarians are well educated and they tend to be naturally curious people. In a public library they have a public-facing job. Meaning they deal with people all day. A wide variety of people come into public libraries and in small towns in particular the library is often a center of gossip. This gives the librarian sleuth the opportunity to find out what’s going on in the community and be involved in the life of the community. The variety of people coming into the library during the day and the range of activities the library holds or sponsors provides the librarian (and her author) with an unlimited number of victims/suspects/guilty parties.
Sherry: I think librarians by nature are detectives. Whether it's tracking down a book by the color of the cover, helping someone find a book similar to another book they loved, or answering an unusual question for homework, they are always showing their resourcefulness.
Dorothy: Definitely! Librarians are passionate. Every librarian I’ve had the pleasure of meeting has been extremely smart and clever. They have an acute attention to detail and, as part of their jobs, are tuned into putting things in their proper places. As a result, a librarian would be instantly aware of clues if they showed up in places where they didn’t belong.
Connect with the Authors:
Shari Randall is the author of the Agatha Award winning Lobster Shack Mystery series. Under her pen name Meri Allen, she writes the new Ice Cream Shop Mystery series, which stars Riley Rhodes, a former librarian for the CIA. As a former librarian herself, Shari believes librarians make excellent sleuths.
Website: https://us.macmillan.com/author/sharirandall/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharirandallauthor
