Meet Father Nunzio Maratea Among characters in my engaging new novel, She Knew Too Much, is Father Nunzio Maratea, a priest from rural south Italy mistakenly called to Rome to serve in a coveted post that requires experience and political savvy. Alas, he has neither.

Authors of spy thrillers have their work cut out for them—creating plausible plots in an era of near-universal electronic surveillance and cameras, facial recognition and gait analysis. Yet, they keep turning out riveting stories. Some of the best listed. vweisfeld.com?p=11704

When the worst moments of your life become fodder for a TV true-crime drama, yes, there’s bound to be trouble. The disappearance of Francie Farrow devastated three families. Now it’s all coming back. Lori Roy’s The Final Episode: a truly suspenseful page-turner. vweisfeld.com?p=11699

When the worst moments of your life become fodder for a TV true-crime drama, yes, there’s bound to be trouble. The disappearance of Francie Farrow devastated three families. Now it’s all coming back. Lori Roy’s The Final Episode: a truly suspenseful page-turner. vweisfeld.com?p=11699

If you carry an idea to its possible endpoint, you end up with situations like those Portland police encounter in this crime story for our times. But the murderer isn’t the only one with problems; the detectives face moral quandaries of their own. Excellent, timely story. vweisfeld.com?p=11686

Love Golden Age detective stories? Then George Street Playhouse’s current production, An Old-Fashioned Family Murder, is for you! Starring Sally Struthers, who’s still involved in doings that are All in the Family. vweisfeld.com?p=11665 #theater #mystery

Writers hook readers by their style. Everyone has one, for better or worse. But writers don’t do all of the work in matters like recognizing irony or understanding emotion; readers are participants in the experience too. vweisfeld.com?p=11660 #writing #writingfiction

An investigative reporter wanders very much into trouble when he tries to uncover a murderer. Was it because of his questions about a sketchy resort? His affair with the dead man’s wife? A literary thriller. @DominicStansberry vweisfeld.com?p=11653 #crimefiction #thriller

If you’re going to feel sorry for a part of speech, adverbs would be it. They lend themselves to criticism and bad puns, and some just don’t know their place. vweisfeld.com?p=11644 #writing #crimewriter

The new movie One Battle After Another is controversial, and viewers argue about what it “means,” but it’s solid entertainment. Draw your own conclusions. One thing’s for sure: It won’t leave you indifferent! Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro are great! vweisfeld.com?p=11648

TV writers-turned-authors know how to tell an exciting story—no commercial breaks, either, in the novel format! In this one, a true-crime showrunner finds that a murder 20 years before was just the beginning. vweisfeld.com?p=11639

Two Presidents who fought for their country honored via a historic battlefield and, by contrast, a bucolic farm. More tidbits of history punctuating our family driving trips! vweisfeld.com?p=11617

“John ate the chicken.” The conventional order of sentence parts is so ingrained we don’t even notice it—until it goes wrong: “The chicken ate John.” But what about a string of adjectives to describe this truck? Do you know the rule for ordering them? Check it out! vweisfeld.com?p=11612

Take a break from angsty psychological thrillers and enjoy the thrill of the chase in this clever genre mashup from Nee and Rozan. vweisfeld.com?p=11601

We no longer have a media environment that supports community cohesion. This affects everything, even how we write about the world. vweisfeld.com?p=11596

Writing exactly what you mean and meaning exactly what you write. Modifiers can sharpen the fictional world. vweisfeld.com?p=11592

Wm Stage’s new crime thriller is full of colorful characters who live in a St. Louis with as many currents as the mighty Mississippi that flows through it. The hero isn’t a cop, but people are not happy to see him on their doorsteps. vweisfeld.com?p=11587

Can the big bundle of ideas and quirky characters and detailed settings and riveting plot and subplots your story embraces be summed up in a couple of words? Titles are tricky! vweisfeld.com?p=11573

Modifiers give your work specificity, helping readers understand exactly what you mean, but you don’t want too much of a good thing. Stick to the significant. vweisfeld.com?p=11568

This over-the-top horror tale, larded with humor, already feels like a movie (and will be one). Winifred Notty brings chaos onto the Victorian-era household where she poses as a nanny, and several in the family pretty much deserve what they get. vweisfeld.com?p=11565

How your tv landscape is changing and some of our favorite streams. Yours? vweisfeld.com?p=11560

When people ask, what’s that book about?, they’re usually asking about plot. What a book is About and what it Means are two different things. Meaning creeps in while authors are occupied elsewhere. So says George Saunders. vweisfeld.com?p=11557

Does your character walk or sashay into a room? Does he limp down the alley or scuttle? Colorful verbs do a lot of work for you. Part 4 of a series. vweisfeld.com?p=11551

Scott Turow’s new crime mystery Presumed Guilty has some fine courtroom scenes, but, overall, was too much of a good thing for me. vweisfeld.com?p=11548

What if your jewelry was so valuable you have to loan it to a museum because you can’t afford the insurance on it! Oh, the trials of the royalty! vweisfeld.com?p=11543

George Saunders—teacher, author, Booker Prize-winner—has a lot of useful insights for authors. I don’t expect ever to reach his literary stratosphere, but he’s a good beacon to keep in my sights. vweisfeld.com?p=11539

To write a powerful story, enlist the aid of strong verbs. Wring every bit of energy out of them. vweisfeld.com?p=11536

In search of a spy thriller with more than the typical smarts? David McCloskey is filling the vacancy left by John Le Carre in fine style! Moscow is dangerous, but the alligator farm is REALLY chilling. vweisfeld.com?p=11533

Will this movie ticket be tax-deductible? In his influential crime film Heat, Michael Mann expertly manages multiple streams of subtext. These layers add much to the power of his story. vweisfeld.com?p=11518

My short story about a mysterious museum no one would ever revisit leads off the latest horror antholozine Soul Scream, edited by Chris Ryan. Don’t usually read horror? Me neither, but this collection touches a lot of genre bases with a big helping of imagination. vweisfeld.com?p=11514

“Every Word’s a Choice”—Part 2 talks about using effective nouns to establish a relationship with readers. vweisfeld.com?p=11501

Finding the best words to tell your story is a path with many steps. This is the start of a series based on a talk I recently gave at writers’ conference. Hope it is interesting and useful. Enjoy! vweisfeld.com?p=11484

Memoir, family history, travelog, coming of age story, and culinary adventure by AJ Sidransky. This story has it all, and written, most meaningfully, from the heart. I loved this! vweisfeld.com?p=11497

Historical crime fiction is popular at the moment! Here we step back to 1920s London for a mystery with Judge Dee crimefictionlover.com/2025/04/the-... The Railway Conspiracy by John Shen Yen Nee and @sjrozan.bsky.social reviewed! Review by @vickiweisfeld.bsky.social

New today - Big Bad Wool by German author Leonie Swann is out in English and here's our review 🇩🇪: crimefictionlover.com/2025/05/big-... What a yarn this is! It's wool worth it! 🐑🐺 Review by @vickiweisfeld.bsky.social ⚡️📚💙

New today - The Lizard by Domenic Stansberry reviewed crimefictionlover.com/2025/05/the-... A slow-burn noir mystery with a claustrophobic atmosphere, beautiful prose and a gradually growing sense of peril. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by @vickiweisfeld.bsky.social

New today: A Molotkov delivers an excellent read that is, sadly, very of the moment. Read our review of A Bag Full of Stones to find out more. crimefictionlover.com/2025/06/a-ba... Review by @vickiweisfeld.bsky.social

New today - it's a trip down to Sayulita, the Mexican surf resort, with Luke Fischer as he seeks out a missing teen and uncovers... from @cterlson.bsky.social crimefictionlover.com/2025/06/sayu... Review by @vickiweisfeld.bsky.social

The Final Episode by Lori Roy is out today, and here's our review: crimefictionlover.com/2025/06/the-... Could the cold case disappearance of Francie Farrow in Florida finally be solved by a true crime TV show? Find out more about this fantastic read, reviewed by @vickiweisfeld.bsky.social

What’s in a name? A lot, it turns out. Where did your family’s surnames originate, and what do they mean? Now you can find out. vweisfeld.com?p=11492

Crime novelists think about why deadly crimes occur, and a new book describes how most of society’s interventions—notably, the criminal justice system—is not designed to address the biggest contributor to homicide rates: the “heat of the moment” crime. vweisfeld.com?p=11488

Finding the best words to tell your story is a path with many steps. This is the start of a series based on a talk I recently gave at writers’ conference. Hope it is interesting and useful. Enjoy! vweisfeld.com?p=11484

Five recent mystery/crime/thriller novels that focus on the dark side of vacation spots and the perils of travel. The kinds of trouble these characters get into, they may make you glad to stay home! vweisfeld.com?p=11479