One of the most common questions I receive about my writing
is how did I come to write a historical mystery series set in the 1930’s. People
have heard about the Depression, the Dust Bowls, soup kitchens and breadlines
and are surprised I would attempt to write a witty, sophisticated mystery
series.
The thirties were tough times. Lives, careers and hopes were
shattered by The Great Depression as unemployment soared to twenty-five percent
of the workforce.
Prohibition had proven to be a noble but failed experiment
leading to the rise of organized crime. Gangsters such as Al Capone, Bonnie
Parker and Clyde Barrow achieved wealth and notoriety.
The Great Depression caused an immense void between those
with wealth and those who struggled to find food, shelter and employment. Those
with money battled to keep their wealth and power. The void led people respond
to extreme politicians who promised to right the world’s wrong; Nazis and
Communists in Europe and America.
The public longed for heroes and found them in Cole Porter, Amelia
Earhart, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, boxers James Braddock and Joe Louis, movie
stars like William Powell, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and Shirley Temple.
In Hollywood, the thirties are now referred to as
Hollywood’s Golden Age, the rise of talking
I believe readers of historical fiction enjoy their
fictional heroes interacting with historical figures. The thirties presented a
perfect opportunity to take readers along on a journey into these fascinating
times and interesting people; the bright lights and dark alleys of New York and
the glamour and glitz of Tinsel town.
In my Jake and Laura mystery series, readers will get to
know Jake Donovan, a former detective turned mystery writer and Laura Wilson a
Broadway actress with dreams of Hollywood. And they’ll journey back to New York
City in The Yankee Club, the Golden
Age of Hollywood in All That Glitters,
and meet Amelia Earhart in the upcoming Jake and Laura mystery, Wings in the Dark.
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Michael Murphy is a full time writer and part time urban
chicken rancher in Arizona. He and his wife of over forty years recently
adopted five children.
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