An Interview with Cameron Trost

The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery will be released on the 8th of July (but the Kindle version is available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99, and you can add it to your Goodreads list today) and to celebrate this new volume of short mysteries bound to get armchair detectives the world over donning their deerstalkers, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Are you ready to glimpse the inner workings of these criminally clever minds? Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the following interview—on second thoughts, don’t drink that!

Hi Cameron,

It’s always tricky interviewing a mystery writer about a particular story because we don’t want to give anything away, but can you tell us (carefully) where the idea for your story came from?

It really is a tricky question because The Impossible Theft is a locked-room mystery and the idea came from the solution. What I can say is that I was lying in bed thinking up original ideas for a story when a particular object caught my eye. By the way, there's a clue in that last sentence...and that's all I'm going to say.

There are several sub-genres of mystery fiction, but the stories in this anthology are traditional fair-play mysteries in which the reader can try to solve the puzzle before all is revealed. What makes this kind of mystery so timeless?

The armchair detectives out there know the answer. We don't just want to read a story, letting the narrative drag us along. We need a puzzle and the means to solve it. We need the satisfaction of working it out before the detective gives us the solution, or to kick ourselves if the mystery is so clever we miss the mark.

Give us one classic mystery writer you admire and one new talent (not from this anthology) readers ought to discover.

There are so many but I'd like to name a couple of authors I don't think other contributors are likely to pick. For the classic mystery writer, I suspect a lot of fans of the genre haven't read Harry Kemelman's work. The Man on the Ladder is a wonderful short puzzle. I'd recommend his collection, The Nine Mile Walk – 1947. As for new talent not from this anthology...hmm, well, not sure she qualifies as "new" talent, but a contemporary mystery writer who deserves more attention is Anna Scotti. Will she have mystery in The Third Black Beacon Book of Mystery? I'd like to think so!

Is this the first mystery your protagonist has solved?

Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable has already solved mysteries in Australia and in his new home; Brittany. You can find him right here on this website.

If you were a detective, private investigator, investigative journalist, or amateur sleuth, what would be your trademark quirk?

I'd probably be eerily similar to Oscar. Funny that, isn't it? A dram of fine single malt would help get the cogs turning in my head.

Have you ever solved a real-life mystery?

My sister and I founded the Eagle Eyes Detective Agency as kids. The result of too much Encyclopedia Brown. We rode around our neighbourhood in Brisbane, Australia, on our bikes looking for mysteries to solve. We spotted some broken glass on the road once but never figured out what had happened.

How important is setting to you in your writing? Have you lived or visited where your story is set?

Setting is critical. Now living in Brittany, like me, Oscar Tremont solves mysteries with a distinctly Breton flavour. In many cases, local culture, landscape, and legend is at the heart of the puzzle. Le Croisic, where this mystery is set, is just down the road from where I live and it's a must-visit for anyone travelling through my corner of Brittany. Follow me on Instagram for a peek at the countryside and towns here. https://www.instagram.com/camerontrost_author/

What do you aim to give your readers?

Original mysteries with a dash of quirkiness, atmosphere, and a puzzle for them to solve. Oh, and I want them to fall in love with Oscar Tremont, of course.

What are you working on now?

I'm finishing the first draft of the first Oscar Tremont novel. More news soon!

Where can we find you online? 

Almost everywhere, though I'm more active on Facebook and Twitter than other platforms. My full links are here: https://linktr.ee/camerontrost My website is https://camerontrost.com

Thanks for playing along. Enjoy the tea!