Michelle Gagnon

Michelle Gagnon's debut thriller The Tunnels was published in the United States and Australia, and was an IMBA bestseller. Described as "Silence of the Lambs meets The Wicker Man," the story involves a series of ritualized murders in the abandoned tunnel system beneath a university.

The following book in the series, Boneyard, depicts a cat and mouse game between dueling serial killers in the Berkshires.

From a Q & A at Gagnon's website:

Q: How did you come up with the title Boneyard?

A: While researching serial killers, I read a few books on Ted Bundy (if you ever want to catch some strange looks, spend an hour in the OB's office eight months pregnant, highlighting passages of a book on raising serial killers. The receptionist quickly learned to move me to the front of the line so I wouldn't disturb the other expectant mothers). One of the books referenced a nickname given to the location where they found the remains of Bundy's earliest victims; they called it a "boneyard." The minute I saw that I thought, Dang, that's a great title.

Q: Why serial killers?

A: Now that I've written two books centered on serial killers, I guess I do seem a little obsessed! I think that when it comes down to it, crimes of passion or for money are sadly things that most people can relate to. We've all experienced those intense emotions, or have been in a difficult situation, so that sort of homicide makes sense to us (though it's obviously still tragic). But for someone to snatch a total stranger, torture and then kill them—that's [read on].

Visit Michelle Gagnon's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Tunnels.

--Marshal Zeringue