I owe a massive debt to author John Sandford. Reading his Prey series pulled me into the world of serial killers and the police who are tasked with stopping them. I’ve read all 32 of the Lucas Davenport novels, and I’ll admit here that without his inspiration, I wouldn’t be writing today.
One of the things that grabbed me was the familiar location. Many of the series’ earlier books were set in the Twin Cities, where I’ve lived most of my years. So, when I began writing Killer Blonde, it felt best to set it in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. After all, I could picture where the scenes were and how the characters would interact with their environment. I wanted the novel setting to be real to me.
As I wrote the manuscript, I wanted the police work to be authentic, and I had several ride-alongs with the Minnesota State Patrol. The experience of riding in a squad car rocketing down the interstate at 120 miles per hour will forever be etched in my memory. My knuckles were definitely white as I held onto the dash.
I had the opportunity to spend time with an accident reconstruction specialist to learn how they read the signs to determine what happened. Based on the road skid marks, vehicle damage, and paint transfer, they are fascinatingly adept at reconstructing what happened when the dead are unable to speak for themselves.
To get into the head of a serial killer, I dug into the research of FBI profilers Robert Ressler and John Douglas. In the late 1970s, they carried out a series of interviews were carried out with some of the worst serial killers known in American history. Seeking insights into criminal psychology, they interviewed John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Speck, David Berkowitz, and Ed Kemper, among other serial killers.
In total, they interviewed 36 serial killers, and the data from this study formed the basis of their theories on organized and disorganized killers, with personality types and behavioral traits also being gleaned from the information discovered during those interviews.
While chilling, this understanding of the killers added much realism to Killer Blonde.
Another area where real life intruded into the novel’s fictional world was in the character’s names. Most of the characters’ names were borrowed from people I know. In some, I only borrowed their name, while others used some of their personality traits as well. For me, it made them come alive. As I wrote in the acknowledgments, to paraphrase a common legal disclaimer: any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is meant to be a compliment. I received an email from an old friend who said he almost fell off the couch reading Killer Blonde when he spotted his son’s name (who I used to coach in soccer) as a law enforcement professional.
In the end, Killer Blonde is a product of both imagination and the rich tapestry of real-life experiences, research, and inspiration. By immersing myself in the world of law enforcement, psychology, and the complex nature of human behavior, I was able to breathe life into a story that feels grounded in reality yet carries the pulse-pounding tension of fiction. From the Twin Cities setting to the detailed portrayal of investigative work, the novel’s elements were influenced by the world around me. As a writer, drawing from these personal and professional experiences has shaped the story and deepened my connection to the characters and the world they inhabit. Killer Blonde wouldn’t be what it is without these real-world influences, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.