It's a Mystery

One of the great things about Harlequin Intrigue is the wide variety of mystery and suspense stories available in the line.  From intricate puzzles to action-filled chases, gothics to police procedurals, murder mysteries to secret agent stories, just about any type of suspense tale you can think of can be found in Intrigue, and always with that added emotional element of a great romance and the guaranteed happy ending.  That variety is something I loved (and still do) about the line as a reader, and I definitely love the opportunities it offers me as a writer.

As originally planned, each of my STRANGER books was intended to be my take on one of my favorite mystery or suspense storylines.  STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT was my attempt at a cross-country chase, with the hero and heroine on the run--and on the road--with the bad guys in hot pursuit.  I've always loved gaslighting stories, and decided to try one of my own, which led to BEAUTIFUL STRANGER.  

The third book was originally intended to be a mystery with a group of characters trapped in an isolated location with a killer among them, while the fourth was going to be an international adventure, both of which are story types I really enjoy.  For various reasons, I couldn't get the stories to work within the STRANGER series and had to come up with new ideas, though I'd still like to write those stories as unrelated books someday.  In the meantime, I used my interest in writing a creepy cult story to come up with A STRANGER'S BABY (which went through so many changes it ended up not being about a cult at all!), and while book four isn't an international adventure, I did take my interest in international elements, Washington, D.C., and intrigue involving diplomats/embassies to develop TRUSTING A STRANGER, coming in November. (I just got the cover--what do you think?)

 

The book I’m working on now, the final STRANGER book, is a combination of the small town murder mystery, a spooky old house story, and a decades-old unsolved crime, all themes I greatly enjoy.

And after that?  Who knows?  The possibilities are virtually endless.  I can’t wait to find out myself!

What about you?  What are your favorite types of mystery and suspense plots and themes, especially for romantic suspense?  Let me know, and one commenter who posts today (August 6) will win a copy of one book of their choice from my backlist.

Kerry Connor
www.kerryconnor.com