"VICIOUS THINGS SNARL FROM THE DARK EDGE OF THE FOREST...": SHADOW HEART'S MEG GARDINER

In Shadow Heart, Meg Gardiner's latest UNSUB novel, FBI profiler Cailtlin Hendrix catches a case that involves two killers, one in prison and an unknown subject on the outside. Suspenseful, harrowing, and emotional with a strong sense of its characters it's a textbook on how to do a profiler procedural. Meg took a grilling from us on the book and working in the genre.

SCOTT MONTGOMERY: How did the two serial killers come about?

MEG GARDINER: Like all my UNSUB novels, this one was sparked by a real-life case. Convicted killer Samuel Little confessed in prison to dozens of murders and drew portraits of his supposed victims. Was it true? Why did he spontaneously confess? What did it say about him, his victims, and the criminal justice system that he got away with murder for decades? 

From there, what if took over. What if a fictional convict claimed he’d created a trail of carnage across the country? What would motivate him to confess? Ego, mind games, a lust for destruction—what would such a manipulative psychopath be after? Though he was behind bars, did he still present a danger to the outside world? 

What if a copycat decided to emulate and outdo him? 

And the story took off.

S.M.: You also return to the history of Caitlin's father. How did you come to that conclusion?

M.G.: Mack Hendrix was Caitlin’s North Star and, in some ways, her nemesis. A homicide cop, her hero, a total mess. He was the reason she became an investigator. The legendary case he couldn’t solve was at the heart of UNSUB. And, though Caitlin picked up that torch and broke the case, loose ends remained. It was time for those unresolved issues to spark to life. 

So, in Shadowheart, vicious things snarl from the dark edge of the forest, calling back to Mack, calling to Caitlin.

S.M.: One of your best skills as an author is the procedural elements of your books. How do you approach them?

M.G.: I try to be as authentic as possible while never forgetting that in a novel, criminal procedure must propel the drama forward. In my books, the criminal justice system is a crucible. It’s a heated vessel that contains the story and forces the characters into conflict. It needs to turn the story up to a boil. And I remember what a former law professor of mine told me about fiction: you’re not submitting a brief to the court. Nobody will ding you for making sure the story is dramatic. 

S.M.: How has the profiler book evolved since Red Dragon?

M.G.: Red Dragon remains a masterpiece. Novels about profilers have moved with the times—with forensic science, with psychology, with the rise of amazing female authors, with the social forces shaping the 21st century.

S.M.: Did collaborating with Michael Mann, a storyteller in a different medium, have any affect on your writing?

M.G.: Of course. It better have. I was privileged to work with a brilliant writer, an icon, someone I’ve admired for decades—I had to bring my A game every day. I’m a better writer because of it.

S.M.: If you couldn't write, what other artform would you want to pursue?

M.G.: Music. I’d sing or take up an instrument. Nothing makes me feel better about being human than reveling in the beauty of music.