Sunday, March 8, 2009

Darkest Night

Perhaps it's the changing of the clocks or Barbara's great story, "A Stash of Goods", over at Beat to a Pulp but it seems to me that most crimes and crime stories take place at night, or in a dark place (oops the electric went out, a cellar or attic in a house, a cave or mine shaft, the woods), or during a storm. And maybe its just human nature to want to hide our darkest thoughts and deeds under a midnight cloud. And is it this fear of the dreaded dark that has us turn our clock forward and back so we can grasp every last bit of daylight to push back the nightmare fears that walk in the dark?

If you're stopping by while the sun is shining click on over to BTAP (link to the left) and read Barbara's story. If it's after dark, grab your Teddy Bear or your honey before you start to read. Yep, we're Snoopy Dancing here at The Corner again! Way to go, Barbara! Now there's a lady who knows how to use the dark to send a chill up your spine.

And just as an afterthought. Can anyone name a short story where the crime takes place in broad daylight? I know of one. "The Payoff" by Stanley Ellin takes place in the sunshine of Miami Beach. Now there's a short that will rock your perception of a crime story.

4 comments:

Clair D. said...

Many of my stories are set during the day. But that may be because most PI's get cases and talk with people during daylight hours.

But there is something inherently appealing about setting the mood with the setting (weather, time of day, etc.) Rain and cold are two of my favorites. Esp. since I do send Bo Fexler out in the daytime, I need other means to convey that forbidding and foreboding feeling.

Barbara Martin said...

Thanks, Sandra, for the terrific lead-in.

Darkness, I think for most people, carries a sense of the unknown and this is what gives some the creeps. For others, it would be the unabashed cruelty of humans engaged in some form of torture during the day: maiming of the body or the mind.

sandra seamans said...

I always associated using the weather with the committing of the crime and not the investigation. But with that in mind, the book I'm reading, Karin Slaughter's "Fractured" makes more sense. She was driving me nuts with all the references to how hot the weather was for her investigators and now, I can see how it actually works as a reminder that they're in the hot seat as they try to find a missing girl. Thanks for pointing that out, Clair.

BTW, it's nice to see Bo out and about again. If you folks haven't read a Bo Fexler story, or even if you have, drop over to A Twist of Noir and treat yourself to a fun story.

sandra seamans said...

I'm one of those strange people who enjoy the dark, Barbara. It's the things that you can see in light that scare the crap out of me.