I have a curious nature and have always played “What If?” games in my mind. I like discovering secrets and that’s undoubtedly what drew me to the mystery genre when I was a child. I went from Carolyn Keene to Daphne DuMaurier to my mother’s books, some written by Mickey Spillane. (Mother tore off . . .

Mystery is the spice of genres, adding dimension to the unknown. It startles, makes you wonder. Why is Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca so compelling? What secret is Maxim keeping? Why doesn’t the heroine have a name? The housekeeper’s meanness adds zip to this tale. Mystery is the ultimate puzzle, the . . .