Interview with Greg Messel, Author of San Francisco Nights

Did you like mystery genre growing up?

My mother and I used to stay up late watch old black and white film noir movies and I think that’s when I started loving mysteries. That style in reflected in my Sam Slater mystery series I think. Some readers and reviewers have said they feel like it’s an old black and white movie. I moved on to reading Agatha Christie books and Sue Grafton’s alphabet series. I’ve always loved those stories and most Alfred Hitchcock movies.

What is the first story in that genre you wrote, whether it is published or unpublished?

My first full fledge mystery novel was “Last of the Seals” the first book in the series. I loved writing mysteries and my mind is always racing on different plot lines and mysteries for my characters to solve.


What is your favorite part of writing in this genre?

I think it’s trying to build suspense as the story moves along and throwing in twists and turns that maybe readers don’t suspect. It’s also the most difficult part of writing a mystery. When I first finish a book, I ask the first family member or friend who has read it if they suspected who was the murderer or criminal. It always pleases me when they said they didn’t see twists and turns coming. It’s tough to judge how much you’ve been able to fool the reader—and it’s importantly that it was done honestly with no cheating.


Is there an author in this genre you most admire?

Several. I mentioned Sue Grafton. I really admire some of James Patterson’s stuff and Michael Connelly. I took an online course from James Patterson and it was fun to tap into his brain to see how he builds a mystery.

What is up next for you?

I’m writing a political thriller right now about a young newspaper reporter who was wounded and inadvertently swept into the events surrounding the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. I’ve also started the next Sam Slater Mystery. I’m working on the outline now and still figuring out a lot of things. It’s going to be a ghost story. San Francisco has lots of good ghost stories and I’m researching some now. It will be called “Gaslight Ghosts."

Do you have anything to add?

The mystery series is good to be read in sequence but all the books are stand alone. When I’m asked which book a new reader should tackle first I say, “jump in anywhere and I think you’ll enjoy it."