Sara Blaedel

Sara Blædel’s latest novel to this the US is The Killing Forest.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

What am I reading?

Everything! Well, almost.

I have had a passionate relationship with crime fiction ever since I was a child and my mother told me stories; ever since I started reading Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, and ever since I found out that I was pretty good at imagining scary things. Nature equipped me with a terrible curiosity, a murderous fantasy world, empathy, and a desire to investigate human relationships. Especially, that is, when they go awry, or when there is more at stake than simply the color of wallpaper.

I read a lot of non-fiction, all the more when I am researching for my books. My protagonist, Louise Rick, is a police detective, and it is imperative to me that all the forensic details and procedurals I include are captured authentically and factually. As a storyteller, the best compliment I ever got came from a Detective Inspector in Chief who, during an interview on stage, in front of an audience, turned to me and said, “Sara, you would think that you actually work here.” Of course, that made me very happy.

I am addicted to beautiful cookbooks. Yes – I read them. Cover to cover. Not always because I am preparing to whip something up and looking for instructions, but just for the fun and wonder of it.

I also thoroughly enjoy reading novels driven by characters and human stories. These elements are super important to me whether the genre is crime or broader fiction. I love when the author digs deeply and tells a story that she/he is passionate about and thinks is important. And I love a good laugh as well. Thank you, Maria Semple and Jonathan Tropper.

What I don’t read: Romance and comics. Their absences are flaws on my bookshelf.

Visit Sara Blaedel's website.

--Marshal Zeringue