Getting Mysterious with Robert Petyo

The Fourth Black Beacon Book of Mystery will be released on the 23rd of November, but the Kindle version is available for pre-order today at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and the Goodreads listing is up. To get you in the mood for mystery, we’ve interviewed our contributing authors. Are you keen to peer into their minds—a complex world of clues, red herrings, and puzzling plots? This volume of mysteries will be as challenging as ever, but our cast of amateur sleuths, private investigators, and police inspectors will leave no stone unturned!

Hi Robert,

What is it about the genre of mystery that gets the cogs turning in your head?

I’ve always liked to read mysteries. There are always questions to be answered, and that’s what drives you to keep reading, to find the answers.

What ingredients are needed for a great fair-play mystery in which the reader can try to solve the puzzle before all is revealed?

All the clues must be out there for all to see. Hidden, perhaps, but out there. You want the reader to finish the book and say ‘Of course. The clues were right there,’ not ‘There was NEVER ANY MENTION of a knife, or a hidden staircase, or a missing sister.’

What are your protagonist’s strengths and weaknesses, trademark quirks, and bad habits?

Tillie loves her Inn and hates when people call it a hotel. She pretends to be humble, but she is actually very self-assured. An acerbic wit, especially with her high school rival Sheriff Braine.

A great mystery needs a killer plot and likeable—or despicable—characters, but setting and atmosphere are also key. What are your favourite settings for a really mysterious atmosphere?

Isolated places. A dinner party in an isolated restaurant; people in a snowed-in mansion; Agatha Christie’s Calais Coach.

What’s the most mysterious place you’ve ever been?

Elephant Rock in Canada, sadly no longer there. Erosion and the tides have brought it crumbling down.

What was the last mystery you read?

Serial by Casey Hill, about a forensic investigator in Dublin.

What’s one type of mystery you’ve been meaning to write but haven’t got around to yet—locked room, closed circle, police procedural, cold case, historical mystery, art theft?

I’ve always enjoyed locked-room mysteries, but I don’t think I could pull one off.

What are you working on now?

A novel about murder at a honeymoon resort in the Poconos.

Where can we find you online?

X and Facebook @robertpetyo and @rjpetyoauthor

Thanks for playing along!

A Mysterious Interview with Robert Petyo

The Third Black Beacon Book of Mystery will be released on the 18th of April (but the Kindle version is available for pre-order today at just $0.99 instead of $3.99) and to celebrate this new volume of detective mysteries guaranteed to put your little grey cells to work, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Do you dare peer into their devious minds, where criminal masterminds battle brilliant sleuths, private eyes, and police detectives? Settle down in your favourite armchair and get ready to pit your wits against the finest voices penning mystery puzzles today!

Hi Edward,

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? 

There is a small town my wife and I occasionally stop at during the ninety-minute drive to our grandson’s house. It’s very similar to the town described in my story. One day when we stopped for lunch I stepped outside the back door and saw the slope behind the building. What if a body was found there? Being a mystery writer, my imagination often finds bodies. The story came from that.

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?

Puzzles will always be popular. Mystery stories. Crossword puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles. All kinds of puzzles.

Do you have a favourite fictional detective?

Without a doubt, my favorite is Sherlock Holmes who I started reading in grade school. He drew me into mysteries, leading me to Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen and others. 

Is this the first mystery your protagonist has solved?

Yes. This is the amateur detective’s first case.

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

That’s a tough one. Probably the hint of OCD I have in my life. Same breakfast every morning. Same routine brushing my teeth. Every book replaced in the same spot. Same pens always in my pocket.

Do you have a writing routine or particular requirements for a writing session?

My computer is set up in the lower level of my home and is where I do all of my writing at different times during the day. I never write anywhere else. However, my mind is on my writing throughout the day and night.

What are you working on now?

Two short stories; one a mystery, and one horror. And a novel about a retired police detective who lives on a cruise ship (a cruise is my idea of the perfect vacation). But I’ve been struggling for more than a year with this and doubt that I will ever finish it.

Where can we find you online?

Facebook and X at Robertpetyo

Thanks for playing along!

An Interview with Robert Petyo

In the lead-up to the launch of The Black Beacon Book of Mystery in June, we’ve asked our contributors to answer a few questions so you can get to know them better. Let’s unravel the mystery behind the stories together.

First question, inevitable perhaps considering the pandemic...how are you coping?

Staying at home as much as possible, and reminding myself that there are many other people—infected people, front line workers, unemployed people, nursing home residents—who have it a lot tougher than I do.

Is there a story behind your contribution to The Black Beacon Book of Mystery? What inspired you to write this mystery?

When I was in Junior High School, I wrote a series of stories, inspired by Marvel Comics and the TV show “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”, called “The Men From ACEL” about a detective/spy agency. The characters in the series were all named after fellow students. The psychology behind this, I don’t know. Was I a shy nerd looking for attention? Did I think the character names earned me a built-in audience? As I became more serious about my writing, I’ve only attempted the “detective agency” a few times. “The Morrison File” is one of those times. (Some of the characters in the story have names similar to those characters in The Men From ACEL.)

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

Not recently, but I used to attend a yearly writer’s conference sponsored by Pennwriters, a statewide writer’s organization. Very helpful and very inspiring. I also used to attend Mystery conferences in Philadelphia.

Do you have a favourite fictional sleuth?

Sherlock Holmes is the reason I write mysteries.

What are you writing now?

I work on several projects at once, which probably isn’t a good thing, but sometimes when having problems with one project, I find moving on to another project helpful.

Where can we follow or contact you online?

petyo@ptd.net and Facebook or Twitter @robertpetyo