Crime stories contain so many fun and disturbing elements. They’re puzzles, adrenaline rushes, mind games, and mazes. They tap into those worse case scenarios that both repel and attract its reader. And at its center is a hero, who, though often flawed, possesses the skills to bring justice to the horrors that others inflict.
Laurie Stevens’ Gabriel McRay series is a delightful addition to the crime genre. I was provided a copy of Book 4 of the series, In Twilight’s Hush, marking my introduction to the series and its hero. While it took me a few chapters in the beginning to catch up to the events that unfolded previously in McRay’s story, I soon found myself on track and invested in its story, its characters, and its voice. Below is my review of In Twilight’s Hush followed by an interview with Laurie Stevens.
In Twilight’s Hush plot summary
Gabriel McRay is assigned to investigate a cold case from the late 1980’s which involves the disappearance of a teenage girl who went missing and appeared to vanish into thin air. He’s offered support in chasing down his leads from famous TV psychic Carmen Jenette.
To say that McRay is put off by the supernatural assistance is an understatement, until he sees away to make Jenette useful in the investigation. During their partnership, McRay grows more open to the possible authenticity of Jenette’s gift – and his own. In the meantime, Jenette finds herself the victim of a stalker and attacker who is attempting to stop her from meddling in the case.
Added to his plate is McRay’s engagement to medical examiner Ming Li. Upon meeting Li’s parents, McRay begins to feel the pressure of not only the wedding but the idea of marriage in general. The unsettling similarities between his fiancé and her overbearing father and his future father-in-law’s mistrust of McRay’s professionally violent past prods at old wounds that he retreats to therapy to help him resolve before it tears a hole through his mental state, and his approaching marriage.
The story
I like that In Twilight’s Hush is a straightforward mystery with a simple premise, clues, and a concentrated yet twisting path to the finish line. Stevens lays the pieces out neatly and fills them in slowly and evenly, juggling all of the moving parts that make up this multilayered story. Its resolution is clear and concise without being predictable or simply packaged.
The characters
Detective stories tend to put the hero’s characterization on the back burner, relying on hokey stereotypes in order to give them any type of depth or backstory. Though I was new to the series, I quickly found McRay to be a complex character who is more than just his badge. He’s moral, though he has a temper that gets in his way when confronted with the wrong person. He’s hardened though kind to the right people.
There’s a sadness and shame McRay suppresses yet uses to motivate his desire to solve crimes. He’s articulate, though brusque. These qualities both help and hurt him in both his work and relationships. But through it all, you can see him trying, and you see how the work he’s done in therapy is starting to pay off to his benefit.
Li, on the other hand, is an equally passionate and temperamental individual who more easily gets away with her temper tantrums and is better able to separate her work life from her home life. She’s the perfect compliment to McRay and more than the whiny fiancé who demands his attention and his opinion on centerpieces and wedding favors. Yet, her enthusiasm for their wedding planning is no match for Gabriel’s reluctance, and the opposing opinions create a rift between the two, causing tensions to balloon over them, threatening to pop, making their relationship just as suspenseful as the case that McRay is trying to solve.
The supernatural
The psychic medium element is what attracted me to this story. While I love grounded crime stories, I was curious to see how the supernatural could play into this case. As hoped, this element added to the story without overwhelming it.
What helps is that Carmen Jenette is more than a talking crystal ball. She gets her own subplot full of peril and the inability to always see and interpret the danger that looms around her. It doesn’t discredit her ability but rather makes it easier to understand in terms of how it is based on feeling over fact.
To keep Gabriel from looking too much like the skeptic, Stevens throws in the added element of Jenette’s ego getting the better of her. Jenette is never afraid to ask to broadcast elements of the case on her TV show or to make herself look good by sharing the information that she has gathered from her gift.
At the same time, her persona allows people to open up to her. And McRay uses this to his advantage, making her just as, if not more useful in the investigation.
The writing
What I like about Stevens’ narration is that it doesn’t try to take on the stereotypical cop voice. She remembers to vividly paint a picture of the scene as well as provide deep inner-monologues from the characters and drive the story forward, kicking up the pacing when the action hits.
There is still your standard police dialogue and jargon for authenticity’s sake, but these characters also sound human, especially when off the clock. The supporting characters also sound distinct with their own collections of quirks, looks, and behaviors. No character is just a pawn on the chessboard. They can move in any direction they like while sticking to the boundaries of the board.
My recommendation
I recommend this book to crime enthusiasts of all types. Its premise is realistic enough to pass for an episode of Dateline while entertaining enough to develop into a six-part streaming series. The supernatural elements are toned down and organically woven in for those who shy away from anything less grounded than cold, hard facts. And the characters are developed enough that they don’t feel like stiff caricatures.
What I took from In Twilight’s Hush was to read the signs that tell you good from bad, right from wrong, and truth from fiction. Whether it’s a premonition from a spirt guide or a piece of evidence put into the right context, we need to be open to the idea of standing our beliefs on their heads and finding new ways to look at the world, particularly when the world seems confusing and scary. Having the courage to lean into those feelings are often rewarded with a better understanding of our lives and puts to rest those loose ends that keep us from finding a resolution to our open-ended questions.
My rating
An interview with Laurie Stevens
What are the challenges of writing a sequel?
To make the book stand alone and yet prompt the reader to go back and buy the earlier books in the series. This is always the challenge. You have to weave in the important elements of the story at large and make them look interesting without overloading your book with exposition about the past.
In the case of this series, all the books follow the protagonist’s journey to better mental health. That’s the ongoing theme. Detective Gabriel McRay suffers from the effects of childhood abuse, which has impacted his adult life in negative ways. He yearns to be a happier man and works toward that goal.
As it happens, each case he works triggers a key point in his recovery. That’s the gist of what the series is about. I have to thread in that theme, along with the past “points” of his healing process to “catch the reader up.” Not always easy, but there are ways to slip in information.
Does it get easier to write this series as you go?
Well, I know the characters really well, so they can almost write themselves. In that respect, their character development is easy. Writing a fresh, unique plot… that’s another story altogether! I’ve seen books in series that putter out after a while. I want to avoid that.
What or who was your favorite scene, character, or subplot to write?
I enjoyed writing how Gabriel ends up using his “blossoming” intuition to solve the case. I don’t think he’d naturally put a lot of stock in that sort of thing (and let’s face it, through most of the book, he doesn’t), but it sort-of creeps up on him, and when he learns to trust it, it works.
What are your thoughts on the involvement of psychics and mediums in helping to solve crimes?
In real life? I’m on the fence about it. As Gabriel says in the book, “In my profession, if I could talk to the dead, I’d have the #1 homicide solve rate in the country.” In fiction, however, I liked introducing Gabriel to the mystical and magical. It plays into that “key recovery point” I mentioned earlier and worked so well with the cold case on which he’s working.
The cold case that McRay is attempting to solve occurred in the 1980’s. Why did you choose this particular decade and how did you choose which elements of the era to add to the story?
There’s something about cold cases that evokes a lot of wistfulness. There’s definitely that feeling of something lost that needs to be found. I suppose on a personal level, I feel that way about my life in the eighties and no doubt wanted to revisit that era.
From a crime writing standpoint, the 1980’s is far enough away to get a case really cold but witnesses (and perpetrators) could still be alive. You asked earlier if what scene I enjoyed writing. That scene where Gabriel interviews a witness who was a happy-go-lucky teenager in the ’80s and is now a woman carrying her life experiences around like a heavy weight definitely did make me wistful.
Have you ever shadowed any law enforcement officers, detectives, or medical examiners in order to authentically portray them, particularly in the workplace or out in the field?
Yes. I was lucky to know an arson investigator, a couple of police officers, and lawyers in the DA’s office. As well, my niece worked assisting the LA County Medical Examiner so she helped me regarding the forensics. That was so valuable because she gave me the insider’s viewpoint. In fact, I named a character after her as a “thank you!”
Were you inspired by any real or fictional crime stories while developing this particular case?
Absolutely. If you’ve ever watched “Disappearance at the Dairy Queen” on Dateline NBC, you will recognize the Nancy Lewicki case in the book. The real case involved a girl named Cindy Zarzycki. I did add elements to the story, but the inspiration came from watching that episode. It really touched me, especially the way the real-life detective solved the cold case.
Gabriel and Ming’s wedding is an important subplot. Whose side do you take in their wedding plans?
I feel for Ming because she puts up with a lot. She’s a strong lady but often steps aside to give Gabriel room to shine. Her failing, of course, if that she’s still trying to please her father, although Gabriel enlightens her to this fact.
Gabriel welcomes therapy as a tool in dealing with both his personal and professional issues. How did you come up with Dr. B’s advice, and what did you want readers, especially those hesitant towards therapy, to take away from these scenes?
I did a lot of research on this therapy. I’ve read books, I’ve studied Alfred Adler (Dr. B is an unusual therapist in that he doesn’t follow Jung, but Adler).
As I mentioned before about having professionals as friends, I have no less than three good friends who are psychiatrists or psychologists. I’ve hit them up for intel — many times. Lots of wining and dining. It was important to me that the therapy be as real as possible so that someone who has suffered PTSD, especially a male who has been sexually abused, could read the books and garner something useful.
The best email I ever received from a reader was from a man who claims to have “suffered” the same abuse as Gabriel. He found the therapy in the books helpful. That made me happy.
Who would you cast to play the main characters of your novel in a movie or TV series?
Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell, or Michael Fassbender would do the job just fine!
What is one real life cold case that you’d like to see Gabriel solve?
I’d put him on all of them!
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We love that you asked about crafting a sequel. Some authors do this very well, while other experience the dreaded second book flop. Great interview!