Bill Crider

Bill Crider is the author of more than seventy novels, including the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. He is the winner of the Anthony Award and has been nominated for both the Shamus and Edgar Awards.

From his Q & A with Larry D. Sweazy:

Do you feel like you ever have to defend yourself for writing genre fiction?

Never. It’s what I like to read, and it’s what I like to write. I’ve never even thought about a defense, though maybe I should. I do have a Ph.D. in English, so I’ve read and studied a lot of great literary fiction. On the other hand, I wrote my dissertation on private-eye fiction, and I never felt a need to defend myself for doing that, either.

Why do you write mysteries?

As I said above, mysteries are what I like to read, and when I started to write, it seemed like the natural thing to do. I’ve written a lot of westerns, though, and some horror novels. And a few kids’ books. I like to write all those things, but I keep coming back to the mysteries.

What was the last good western you read?

I liked Redemption, Kansas, by James Reasoner a lot. I read...[read on]

Read the Page 69 Test entries for Crider's A Mammoth Murder, Murder Among the OWLS, Of All Sad Words, Murder in Four Parts,  and Murder in the Air as well as an excellent write-up about Dan Rhodes on the big screen at "My Book, The Movie."

Also see Steve Hockensmith's Q & A with Bill Crider.

Visit Bill Crider's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue