From Scotland, to Pennsylvania...Lin Anderson!
Author Lin Anderson, part founder of Bloody Scotland, gives a talk and does a partial reading of her latest novel.
When mystery author James McCrone asked us about doing an event with mystery author Lin Anderson, we were ecstatic to host her for a talk on her latest novel, The Party House. To find out more about this standalone novel, check out the following book blurb from the back of the book:
A deeply atmospheric psychological thriller set in the Scottish Highlands, The Party House by Lin Anderson is a standalone novel perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware. From the author of The Wild Coast.
Devastated by a recent pandemic brought in by outsiders, the villagers of Blackrig in the Scottish Highlands are outraged when they find that the nearby estate plans to reopen its luxury ‘party house’ to tourists.
As animosity sparks in the community, a group of locals take action. By the end of the night, the house hot tub has been smashed to pieces. In the ensuing chaos, the body of a young woman is found in the foundations.
Seventeen-year-old Ailsa Cummings went missing five years ago, never to be seen again. Until now.
The excavation of Ailsa’s remains reignites old suspicions towards the men of this small community, including Greg, the estate’s gamekeeper. He is loath to discuss old wounds, but Greg's new lover, Joanne, is frightened by his reaction to the missing girl’s discovery. Joanne begins to doubt how well she knows this new man in her life. Then again, he’s not the only one with secrets in their volatile relationship . . .
From talking in regards to differences between Scotland and America, to talks of camping on private farmlands in her novel, The Wild Coast, Lin Anderson had a captive audience during her presentation, where she gave us the background story behind her main character, a forensic scientist named Rhona MacLeod.
At the time that she was deciding upon her heroine, she had no prior knowledge of forensics. While her father was a detective, he wouldn't discuss much of his cases with her or her sisters, and ended up going into the field of math teaching. Upon beginning her researching journey into the world of forensics, she discovered an accidental blessing in the fact that the job takes the person wherever the crime scene is. Such freedoms create a great perimeters for allowing side characters to change, settings to be fresh, and plots to vary.
The inspiration behind The Wild Coast came from a camping trip that she took with her husband after the pandemic, and an observation of mostly women staying in many single tents along the sandy coast. She wondered what it would be like to be out on the road by yourself...perhaps on the run from a dire situation?
Taking her method of writing what frightens her, as a way of facing it head on, Lin Anderson starts out with what is in her head and leads on from there. And while her mother said she had to much imagination, her long list of books are a great testament to her wish of telling stories.
Once again, a big thanks to the author herself, Lin Anderson, for stopping on by during her brief stay in the United States and we are looking forward to seeing where her novels take her next!
If you weren't able to attend our event, or if you are looking for more books by her, our shop has some signed books in stock to meet all your gifting and buying needs. Until next time, enjoy your latest read!
Author Lynn Anderson signing books for the shop's stock.
Comments