Educational Media Reviews Online

Mysterious California showcases four mystery writers who use diverse areas of California as backdrops for their books. Laurie King uses San Francisco, a city, according to King, “where you go to get things you can’t get elsewhere,” as her inspiration. When she finds areas of the city she’s not familiar with, she learns as much as possible about them for accuracy in her writing. On a trip along the Marin headlands outside San Francisco, Ms. King discovered some large gun emplacements that inspired her to write The Art of Deception. The book intertwines two murder investigations that take place in 1924 and 2004 and includes not only King’s character Detective Kate Martinelli, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s wife Mary Russell who visited San Francisco with her husband in 1923. She likes to include “insider” references in her books that not everyone will get. One message King wants to impart in her books is “this is what a different human being looks like.”

Kirk Russell’s book Shell Games involves a restaurant in San Francisco with abalone poaching and two murdered divers as a subplot. As part of his research for the book, Russell accompanied a member of the special operations unit of California’s Department of Fish and Game on an undercover investigation of abalone poaching along California’s north coast. For Russell’s character, Lieutenant John Marquez, the ocean is a touchstone that allows him to think and contemplate. He wanted to “make a human being who could be a tough, gentle and fair hero and who is also concerned with environmental issues. Kirk Russell’s voice is in his work and he hopes his children recognize him in the character of Lieutenant Marquez.

According to Nadia Gorden, author of the book Sharpshooter, the main character Sonya “Sunny” McCoskey reflects her own disposition. Sunny doesn’t flinch from difficult questions; she’s intuitive and observant in the way that people who create tactile things are. A sharpshooter is a bug that can cause serious damage to vineyards and the debates on whether the problem should be dealt with organically or chemically can become quite emotional, even leading to murder. Gorden’s books capture the colors and fragrances of Napa Valley wine country where the lifestyle revolves around wine making, cooking and farming.

Los Angeles in the 1940s, 1960s and 1990s serves as the backdrop for Nina Revoyr’s book Southland and encompasses events such as the Japanese-American internment camps of World War II and the Watts riots. The Holiday Bowl on Crenshaw Boulevard was not only a 24-hour bowling alley and restaurant, but also a community gathering place for Caucasians, African-Americans and Japanese Americans. The book tells the story of Japanese-American law student Jackie Ishida who in the course of trying to solve a 35 year old murder mystery discovers her family history. It is a tale of how the legacy of the internment camps and racism extends far beyond those who suffer the worst elements directly and what happens to someone who is disconnected from their past.

This film is very well done and makes effective use of modern and archival images. The photographs of San Francisco, the northern coast, the Napa Valley and Los Angeles shows the beauty and history of these areas and along with the writers’ descriptions of their books may inspire the viewer to read them. The background music is subtle and doesn’t interfere with the narrative. It’s always intriguing to find out what inspires writers to write and how their life experiences and personal philosophies find a voice in their characters and this film does an excellent job of providing this insight. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries with fiction and mystery collections.