Of Two Minds
Two Spellbounders in one Spotlight
Ed.: Spellbound Mystery Magazine has sent Duane Lindsay and Peter Bartram on special assignment. They’re working on a story that brings two of their characters together for a bit of crime solving. And plenty of mischief-making! We’ll be sharing that with you soon. So while they’re out, I thought I’d offer my take on two of my fellow Spellbounders.
Peter Bartram
The smooth style and sharp storytelling in Peter’s Headline Hero series evolved from his 50-year-long career as reporter, writer, and editor on newspapers and magazines in and around London. From door-stepping for quotes to writing serious editorials, from chasing stories in locations as diverse as 700-feet down a coal mine to a courtier’s chambers at Buckingham Palace, Peter has done it all. That means when his lead character, crime reporter Colin Crampton, finds himself in unusual situations, Peter knows exactly what he’s writing about.
Read Peter’s reviews and you’ll notice the setting always gets high marks. If you’ve ever been to Brighton, England, you’ll know why. I visited there several decades ago, and I can still feel the thrill of standing on Brighton’s famed Palace Pier and throwing money at a “coin pusher machine” that beguiled with layers upon layers of coins I was certain were just about to pay out. (My friend had to pull me away from their allure.) And Brighton’s Royal Pavilion? Kind of beautiful, kind of kitschy, and definitely unforgettable.
Colin and Peter hit all the cool spots in town, introducing us to famous and infamous places in the seaside city as Colin works his magic on a breaking story. (Back in the ‘60s when “breaking story” really meant something … not just click bait on the internet.)
Peter has a droll sense of humor (the Brits do that so well!), and, not surprisingly, so does Colin. He first made the literary scene in 2015 in Headline Murder, Book 1 in the Headline Hero series. During the last 10 years, Colin has been a busy chap. He now features in 10 full-length novels, a trilogy of novellas, a stand-alone novella, and a book of short stories. And later this year, he’ll appear in his eleventh novel.
The series includes The Mother’s Day Mystery (Book 6). That’s the one in which Colin and his girlfriend, Shirley Goldsmith, flirt with danger as they investigate a killing. They encounter a crazy hippie commune and a chemistry teacher with an unusual late-night hobby. And that's before they tangle with the mothers …
“I've always said that if Colin wasn't a journo, he'd make a really good copper. These books are a delight to read. Colin has a wonderful array
of one-liners which always raise a titter.”
Here’s a handy list of all of Peter’s books.
Duane Lindsay
Duane owns a creative streak that just won’t stop. I’ve heard him tell of waking in the night with a storyline he had to jot down. Never mind it was 2:18am—creative ideas are ephemeral and not the least bit concerned about the time of day. Or night. Devotion like this to the creative life takes its toll the next day, but the satisfaction of snaring that slippery inspiration is worth it. Must be similar to how Duane’s Lou Fleener Private Eye feels when he nabs the bad guy.
If you do any kind of writing—work-related, nonfiction, fiction, poetry—you know the feeling of grabbing elusive ideas and fleshing them out. We owe a lot to our subconscious brain, which does some of the heavy lifting for us. If we surrender to not knowing exactly where the story or report or article is going next and sleep on it, nine times out of 10 our subconscious comes up with better stuff than our conscious brains could do, even after 10 cups of coffee.
In addition to Lou Fleener Private Eye (first in that series is Missing Amanda), Duane has created two other series—The Grifter’s Daughter and The Morgans. The grifters get up to no good, but for good reasons. Same with the Morgans—two everyday people making sure bad guys get their just deserts. Or as Duane puts it, the Morgans “have discovered their inner badasses.” It takes storytelling chops to make all that come together. But somehow Duane gets his readers rooting for these fascinating characters cooking up cons or revving up revenge, all very tongue-in-cheek.
Like in The Truth Lies, Book 4 in the Grifter’s Daughter series, when Dani Silver pulls a jailbreak to get her favorite brother out of prison. Oh, and make a little money while she’s at it. This elaborate caper comes complete with the twists and turns of a classic heist thriller.
“As usual, the ever-inventive Lindsay pulls off a wild thriller that balances between frightening and hilarious. Fans of intricate, witty capers
like the Ocean’s movies will love this rollicking tale.”
Here’s a handy list of all of Duane’s books.
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