The Lineup

The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives

By: Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Alexander McCall Smith, Otto Penzler - editor

Narrated by: John Allen Nelson, Justine Eyre, John Lee

A great recurring character in a series you love becomes an old friend. You learn about their strange quirks and their haunted pasts and root for them every time they face danger. But where do some of the most fascinating sleuths in the mystery and thriller world really come from? What was the real-life location that inspired Michael Connelly to make Harry Bosch a Vietnam vet tunnel rat? Why is Lee Child's Jack Reacher a drifter? How did a brief encounter in Botswana inspire Alexander McCall Smith to create Precious Ramotswe?

In The Lineup, some of the top mystery writers in the world tell about the genesis of their most beloved characters - or, in some cases, let their creations do the talking.

©2009 Otto Penzler (P)2010 Tantor

Hearing stories of character origins, selected readings from authors and interviews was great fun!

I was not enamored with one of the readers. Content was good, well performed and introduced me to a few new characters.

Love the backstories on all the different novels!

This was a terrific read for knowing the back story on so many novels. It really was neat to hear a little bit about so many characters. It was also a great tool to see which mystery I want to pick up next!

Gave me some new ideas for books

Some of the authors were quite funny and inventive in the way they presented their Detectives. I did listen to many who I had not read and it has inspired me to try their books.

Read It But Don't Weep

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book should entertain any reader of crime stories or biography or any avid reader for that matter. For an aspiring or working writer...IT'S PURE GOLD!

worth listening to.

You listen while authors tell you how they're stories and characters came about. You learn lot.

Mixed presentation

Expected far more than was delivered. The recitation of author details became monotonous. Few writings captured the imagination. Let this one pass by unmolested.