The mystery genre is especially welcoming to recurring characters. Some of the great ones have appeared in dozens of books, not to mention TV series and movies. Two of the earliest and most enduring characters are those created by Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie: Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple, in stories published during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Eighty years earlier in America, the earliest recurring sleuth appeared in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” August Dupin established many of the conventions observed by later writers of mystery and detective stories.
My first recurring character was John Bolt, an arson investigator from Houston. I wanted my detective to have a different focus than the usual private eye and to have the latitude to work in different parts of the country. I also wanted him to be genuinely heroic, not flawed like so many popular detectives with their tics and foibles. I made him silver-haired and tall. In fact, I based him on a real person, my first boss at Interfin who was always being hit on by the lady tenants. I introduced John Bolt in Up In Flames, along with the woman who will become his second wife. Mary Bolt fills the “sidekick” role, giving voice to the reader by suggesting various solutions to the mystery. Mary is an enthusiastic amateur and nearly always wrong, but Bolt values her insight and intuitive understanding of emotions.
The progression of John & Mary’s relationship provides a timeline for the series. In Flashpoint, the Bolts take a belated honeymoon to the West Indies and in Hardy’s Hope, they celebrate an anniversary. Although John is on his own in Who’s Burning Paloma Blanca? and Skyscraper Caper, he’s in frequent contact with Mary by phone. She’s a trusted sounding board and allows Bolt to explain his thinking. Will there be more John & Mary Bolt mysteries? I’m not sure. Lately I’ve been interested in two elderly librarians named Elinor & Dot.
The John & Mary Bolt Mysteries are available in paperback or ebook on Amazon.
