Out of the ashes rose the … Edgar.
In 2021, Meg Gardiner’s Austin home was destroyed by a fire that spared lives while consuming nearly everything else in its path. Though the flames were eventually extinguished, the house was a complete loss, as were the majority of the things contained within it. But among what little remained in the aftermath was the Edgar Award bestowed upon her by the Mystery Writers of America.
Gardiner won that accolade for her debut novel, China Lake—a book that was only published in America after Stephen King raved about it in his then Entertainment Weekly column. Prior to King’s championing, Gardiner—a lawyer and three-time Jeopardy champion—had been living in England, where her books were met with acclaim but little fanfare. That Edgar, then, could be seen as a symbol of triumph over tribulation.
In the year during which her house was being rebuilt, Gardner had little time to dwell on her losses. Instead, she had deadlines that demanded her attention. Not only was she revising Shadowheart (June 18, 2024; Blackstone)—the fourth book in her UNSUB series, in which former detective-turned-FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix must confront one serial killer in the hopes of catching another—but collaborating with famed director Michael Mann on Heat 2, the sequel novel to his classic 1995 film.
And, like the proverbial phoenix—or that aforementioned Edgar Allan Poe statue—the indomitable Gardiner rose out of the ashes to reach new heights. Heat 2 hit #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list, resulting in an ongoing creative partnership with Mann, while Shadowheart once again earned the attention of King, who called it “class A entertainment.”
Now, Meg Gardiner reflects on the making of those novels while keeping an eye to the future …
John B. Valeri: Shadowheart presents a standalone case while also marking a progression of the series’ overall story arc. How do you endeavor to balance the two so that returning readers and new ones alike can appreciate the story without being overwhelmed by exposition?
Meg Gardiner: Action first. Explanation later. I pull the ripcord on page one and parachute readers into this storyline. When the characters have time to catch their breath, I’ll quickly sketch critical details that carry over from novel to novel—but I save that information until readers need to know it. Ideally, that means I hold back until I’ve made readers thirsty for knowledge. I introduce a sense of mystery. Then I make ’em wait.
And when I do fill in details, I don’t dwell on backstory. This is a new novel. I try to season fresh flavors into the continuing storyline—I drop in tidbits readers haven’t heard before, information that enriches their understanding of the characters and propels the story forward in a new light.
Never bore the reader. People pick up the book for this story.
JBV: Your protagonist, Caitlin Hendrix, is now a profiler with the FBI. How does her career trajectory inform your research process, both in terms of the procedural and psychological aspects of a case – and what are your thoughts on the marriage of authentic detail with creative license? (Feel free to provide an example from the book.)
MG: Authentic detail can elevate a story from a stick-figure sketch to vivid 3-D. It can illuminate who the characters are—what their lives are like, what motivates them, what thrills and scares them. The trick, when writing, is to integrate authenticity into your world-building from the beginning, subtly, so it feels organic. Otherwise, when you drop in a line about firearms or psychopathy, it can sound like you’re inserting your research notes. It feels awkward and braggy.
I write fiction. Drama grounded in humanity is what counts.
But I do adore research. When Caitlin was recruited by the FBI I loved learning about the cases the Bureau handles, and delving into deviant psychology. Talk about fun.
As for taking creative license—in Shadowheart Caitlin hopscotches from Quantico to Tennessee to NYC. I generally sent her Economy, because she’s a government employee whose boarding pass says: Cram your 5’10” self into the back row. But near the end, she must get from Nashville to Manhattan now. So I gave her an FBI plane. Do agents normally get their own aircraft? No. The FBI Director does. Agents who are extraditing dangerous international fugitives do. But when time is running out and Caitlin has only hours to stop a string of murders: Welcome aboard your private jet, miss. Strap in.
Make it up but tell the truth.
JBV: Caitlin has found a semblance of domestic stability in her relationship with ATF agent Sean Rawlins and his daughter, Sadie, despite the intrusion of demons that continue to haunt her. In what ways does the intersection of their personal and professional lives serve to amplify tensions – and how does this keep their evolving dynamic from becoming safe or stagnant?
MG: Sean is Caitlin’s emotional home. He’s also an explosives expert with the ATF. He and Caitlin are committed and passionate about their jobs. Their work excites them. They’re twin tornados.
Dramatically, of course, I give Caitlin and Sean exciting, difficult, dangerous cases to tackle. That forces them to negotiate the risks they take, as agents, lovers, parents. In Shadowheart, they talk about threat management. Both of them willingly face dangers they want the other to avoid. Tension!
I love charging a happy home with static electricity.
JBV: Shadowheart features two sadistic serial killers, one of whom appears to be recreating the other’s crimes. Consequently, the connections are largely obscure and intricately woven. What is your plotting process like to account for such complexities – and how much latitude do you allow yourself to stray as characters and circumstances develop?
MG: My novels start with an idea—a hook that grabs me, embeds, and won’t release … which tells me it’ll grip readers, too. I brainstorm the story before I write a single word of the manuscript. Creating an intriguing mystery whose solution remains just out of the reader’s reach is a balancing act. The clues have to be embedded in plain sight. Shaded but not obscured. The story must always drive forward. This is a thriller. It’s supposed to thrill.
My friend, author Jeff Abbott, has a mantra: Simple story, complex characters. If I force the people in my novel to do something so that they’ll drop a clue or set up a plot twist … bzzz, wrong answer. If I can get to the heart of who these people are, and understand why they’re doing something, that will almost always drive the story in an unanticipated direction—one that’s truer, more suspenseful, and satisfying.
JBV: In a narrative that boasts an abundance of memorable, sharply developed characters, young Finch Winter – who believes her birth mother was a victim of Efrem Judah Goode – still manages to stand out. What about Finch captures Caitlin’s interest specifically – and how does this personal investment serve to heighten the stakes as Finch becomes increasingly vulnerable?
MG: You just answered your own question. Readers initially turn the pages of a book because they’re curious to find out what happens next. If they come to care about the characters, the story becomes memorable. Finch is eighteen, a bright, feisty kid who has a hole in her life where her birth mother should be. She loves her adoptive mom, but desperately wonders where she came from. In Shadowheart, that ache turns ominous when she becomes convinced that a killer took her mother from her.
She wants justice. She wants truth. She is desperate to shine a light on her own past and find out who she is.
She’s also a kid. She thinks she’s bulletproof, and that she can do what the FBI is unwilling to.
And that’s just what Caitlin admires, and fears, and doesn’t need: a teenager trying to run her own investigation. It’s more than a distraction. Two killers are playing a fatal game. Caitlin doesn’t want Finch to become a piece on their chessboard.
JBV: You and your family (blessedly) survived a fire that destroyed your home during the writing of this book. How did you manage to remain creative and productive throughout the process of rebuilding/replacing – and what, if any, catharsis or escape did writing provide?
MG: Deadlines, baby. They force you to shake it off and submerge yourself in the work.
Honestly, the first week after the fire was a total loss (pun intended). My husband and I were overwhelmed. The house was a catastrophe. Almost everything we owned was ruined. Every time we waded in to salvage belongings, we came out reeking of gasoline-soaked soot. (What survived: musical instruments, my father’s book on The Canterbury Tales, and my Edgar. Fire cannot kill Edgar Allan Poe!) We needed a car. We needed someplace to live for a year while our home was demolished and rebuilt.
If Paul hadn’t shouldered the load of organizing and overseeing all that, I could not have revised Shadowheart. And I would not have been able to work with Michael Mann to finish Heat 2 in time for it to meet its publication schedule.
Those first weeks, I was exhausted and shaken. Turning my mind to Caitlin (and the indelible characters in Heat 2) took effort. But once I dived back in with them, I did find refuge and escape. Murder, gun battles, car chases, heists, bank jobs… what a relief!
JBV: You had a hugely successful collaboration with Michael Mann on Heat 2 (with another book on the way). How did you find the collaborative process to compare to your more solitary writing – and what of that experience has influenced your approach to craft moving forward?
MG: Working on Heat 2 was thrilling and daunting; a brilliant challenge that forced me to bring my A-Game every day. I felt a deep sense of responsibility to honor the iconic characters whose stories we were writing. Compared to writing a novel solo, collaborating on Heat 2 meant constant discussion, outlining, drafting … and sitting down across a table from each other to rassle such an ambitious, sprawling book into shape. Michael is a brilliant writer and was a generous co-author, giving me room to run, creatively.
Going forward? I will integrate Michael’s deep devotion to research into my work. I’ve always researched extensively, but from here on I won’t hesitate to be bold about contacting sources and asking every possible question you can think of. Michael immerses himself into the culture of his characters—their attitudes, work, family life—to find an authenticity that brings audiences into the story. In the case of Heat 2, that meant we rode along with the LAPD, and talked about tunneling into vaults with a bank robber.
Don’t be shy. I’ll take that forward.
And I will hear, down to my bones, Michael drilling home: Know the characters. Hear their voices. Don’t get it done; get it right. Trust your writing. And remember what drives a story forward, into propulsive, memorable drama: character.
JBV: Leave us with a teaser: What comes next for Caitlin – and for you?
MG: The UNSUB novels have an unresolved thread that weaves through them—a cagy UNSUB who keeps eyes on (and sends flowers to) Caitlin, and has told her he will find her. That clock is ticking.
Right now I’m writing the new novel with Michael Mann—an international manhunt thriller. I can’t wait for everyone to read it.
