Interview with Susan Furlong, author of The Killer’s Wife
Today it gives the Indie Crime Scene great pleasure to interview Susan Furlong, whose novel The Killer's Wife has its debut on July 18.
The Killer’s Wife is your twelfth novel, and a standalone book. How does that differ from writing a mystery series?
In some ways it’s easier to write a series because it allows for character growth over several books. The trick with a standalone is developing enough character depth without slowing the pace of the plot. Also, in a series, I allow some subplots to play out over several books, but in a standalone, I wrap up everything by the end of the story. Both are fun to write, just different.
Your protagonist, Kerry Grey, is an unusual heroine. She has just been released from jail where she was sent for helping her husband, a serial killer. But Kerry’s situation is not straightforward - tell us more.
Kerry’s husband escaped arrest and disappeared, leaving Kerry behind to face accessory charges. There was pressure to make an arrest, and Kerry was convicted and imprisoned on circumstantial evidence. Now she’s out of prison and wants to start her life over, but because of the sensational nature of her husband’s crimes and notoriety gained by being featured on a true crime reality series, she now has a cult following. Did she know her husband was a serial killer? Did she help him kill all those women? And does she know where he’s hiding?
Kerry, who has a young son, has been released on parole. What can you tell us about this situation and her parole officer, Adam Nash, who may have his own agenda?
Adam, a Chicago police officer, is obsessed with true crime, and becomes fascinated by an episode featuring Kerry’s husband, Lucas, who’s been dubbed the Hatchet Killer. Adam leaves his job and takes a position in Joy, Montana, where he knows Kerry will serve out her sentence on parole. Now, as her parole officer, he hopes to get enough information to find Lucas, solve the cold case, and gain notoriety.
Kerry’s husband Lucas is missing and there are signs that he may be killing again. How does Kerry handle this?
When another murder victim is found, panic erupts in town. Kerry thinks she’s being framed, but townspeople believe the new murder is tied to Kerry’s return, either she did it, or her release from prison has incited her husband and sent him on another killing spree. When her family comes under threat, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She believes she might know where Lucas is hiding, so she heads into the mountains to find him and bring him to justice.
What must Kerry do to protect herself and her son and how does she set about it?
When Kerry finds both herself and her son as the subjects of accusations and ostracization, she decides to find Lucas on her own.
This is an unconventional mystery story, written from the point of view of one of the “criminals.” What led you to take this approach?
By using the point of view of one of the criminals, I hope to give the reader more insight to the motivation behind the crimes and to provide a few twists as the story unfolds.
This is a mystery story and is also a psychological thriller. What interested you in the issues of justice and rehabilitation?
I volunteered in a medium security prison and poured a lot of what I learned from that time into Kerry’s character. It’s easy to stereotype the incarcerated, but just like any population, there are good and bad in the mix. Many of the prisoners I met truly wanted to break the cycle and make a better life for themselves. Sadly, after release, it’s difficult for them. For financial reasons, they often end up back at home, in the same circumstance and location where they committed their crimes. There’s also a psychological factor with release. One young man, who released and returned, told me that after serving seven years in prison the real world was too quiet. I’m not sure, but I think he meant that prison had become his new norm, and it was too difficult to adjust to life outside of the prison walls. I can understand how difficult that would be. Readers will see that Kerry faces this same challenge as she returns from prison.
How do you set about researching your stories, particularly those involving the police and the parole board?
I never research before I start writing the story. If I do, the research dictates too much of the plot. Usually, once I get past the midpoint, I know exactly what I don’t know. That’s when I start looking for people who can answer my questions. Over the years, I’ve built a pool of police resources that I can return to with questions, but this was the first time I needed to talk to a parole officer. I wasn’t having much luck tracking one down, but then strangely enough, I made a post on social media about one of our daughters who had graduated from high school and was pursuing a career in criminal justice. A retired New York probation officer saw the post and left an encouraging comment. I reached out to her, and she was happy to answer my questions about both parole and probation. As you can imagine, after a career in probation, she had some amazing stories. One thing that impressed me the most, was her motivation to not only keep the public safe, but to help make a difference in the lives of her clients.
Your novel Shattered Justice was a New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year. What can you tell us about that book and the series it belongs to, The Bone Gap Travellers Series?
The Bone Gap Travellers series are about Brynn Callahan, a former Marine MP and K9 handler, who returns from war, back to Tennessee and her Irish Traveller family.
The Irish Travellers are a relatively unknown subsect of our American culture. They’re endogamous, secretive, adhere to a strict cultural code of morals, and keep to themselves. After her return, Brynn struggles to fit back into her clan, but when she transitions into civilian police work, and investigates the murder of an Irish Traveller, she finds herself caught between her family and the “outside world.”
Are your novels linked by recurring themes and interests and can you talk to us about those?
My characters are ordinary people who have faced extraordinary challenges in their lives. Sometimes it’s a loss, or a trauma. They’re usually seen as odd or considered by others to be outsiders. My stories place these characters in a hotbed of conflict that presents them with both danger and a moral dilemma. There is always a point of grace in the chaos, but my characters rarely act upon it.
Under a pen name, you contribute to the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea series. What can you tell us about that?
The Novel Idea mysteries are a book-themed cozy series set in a “bookish” hamlet in the Carolina mountains. Cozy readers loved the series, and it hit the New York Times bestseller list under the penname Lucy Arlington. This is where it gets confusing. Lucy Arlington was really the pen name for two authors, Ellery Adams and Sylvia May. They created the characters, setting, and wrote the first three books before taking on other writing projects. I was hired to write the fourth and fifth book in the series under the same pen name. It was difficult to learn the characters and mimic the writing style but writing as Lucy Arlington gave me a foot in the door with the publisher and led to my own cozy series, The Georgia Peach mysteries.
Now that The Killer’s Wife is ready for publication, have you any new books or projects in the pipeline?
My inspirational romance, Deception Island, is scheduled to release in May of 2024. I’m also working on proposals for a darkish mystery series and another standalone psychological suspense.
The Bone Gap Travellers Series grew out of your interest in Irish Travellers. What prompted you to write about them?
In 2013, a tornado hit in our area and destroyed several homes. We were lucky, we only had minor damage. But since the damage was so extensive in our area, reconstruction crews couldn’t keep up and subcontractors were hired. Travellers often go to areas affected by natural disasters and seek extra work. A family came to our house for repairs. They were close-knit and spoke a language that I’d never heard, but later learned was a form of Irish Cant. While the adults worked, their young son hung out in our family room watching television. He eventually told me stories about his family and their travels. I was fascinated by their culture and knew that I had to write about them.
What inspired you to write the story of Kerry Grey?
Kerry morphed out of several things. My time volunteering in prisons and my own fascination with true crime. I’ve always wondered about serial killers, what motivates them and how do they keep their killing a secret, especially from the one person who is supposed to know them best – their spouse. And wouldn’t it be horrible to find out that your husband/wife was a serial killer? Or do the spouses know? Are they in denial? Do they enable the killings? So many questions …
What do you love to read yourself and are there any shows you watch?
I don’t watch a lot of television, but I read mysteries of all kinds. Right now, I’m finishing A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller. I’m also reading How to Solve a Cold Case by Michael Arntfield.
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About Susan Furlong:
Susan Furlong is the author of several mysteries including the acclaimed Bone Gap Travellers series, and SHATTERED JUSTICE, a New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year. She also contributes, under a penname, to the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea series. Her eleventh novel, What They Don't Know, was released in May 2022. She resides in Illinois with her husband and children.
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