Rural Noir & Reckoning: Graham Sanderson Returns in From the Dust
Novel Suspects: We first met Graham Sanderson as a young boy in CITY ON THE EDGE. Now, in FROM THE DUST, he’s a retired D.C. homicide detective seeking peace in Upstate New York. What made you want to return to Graham at this stage of his life, and how has the city detective adapted to rural noir?
David Swinson: Graham was an MPDC Homicide Detective in City on the Edge, looking back at his childhood in Beirut, Lebanon, in the mid-seventies. His father was a CIA agent and stationed there. I knew then, while writing the book, that I would eventually come back to Graham later in his life because, unlike any other characters I have written, there is a lot of me in him. I didn’t know then that I’d bring Graham to a small rural town in the Finger Lakes Region of NY, though, until after I moved to a town much like the fictitious town in From the Dust where Graham’s father and younger brother lived. I was inspired by the town I live in, the quiet life and, of course, the people. But, unfortunately for Graham, I had to disrupt his quiet retired life with several murders.
For me the pacing is a bit different in rural noir. Not as gritty as a big city like Washington, DC. For me, rural noir is more of a slow-burn, and more reflective.
NS: You’ve moved the action from the streets of D.C. to the quiet Finger Lakes region. How does the isolation of rural New York heighten the suspense differently than a bustling city environment?
DS: It is obviously different when a murder occurs in a small town – more unsettling, and even more unnerving when it involves serial murders. It’s easier for a serial killer to work in an isolated area, but harder to keep a secret in a town where most everyone knows everyone else. There is less anonymity.
NS: How do you find the specific voice for rural characters compared to those in an urban setting that we saw in the Frank Marr series?
DS: Generally, I have found that people in a small rural town are much more relaxed and set in their ways. For me, finding a character’s voice is a natural process that comes with a developed character. It just happens after life is breathed into them.
NS: The murders in this book involve a very specific, unusual instrument. Does this detail stem from a real-life case you encountered, or do you enjoy creating specific calling cards for your fictional killers to challenge your detectives?
DS: I’d like to say that I used a three-edged dagger to symbolize something like the Trinity and religion in general, but that would not be true. I simply used it because I wanted something that was easily identifiable. In this case it is not a calling card, merely a deadly weapon that was appealing to the killer.
NS: The book is described as a story about “belief” and the extremities it pushes people towards. How does Graham’s own skepticism as a career cop clash with the local beliefs he encounters in this small town?
DS: Graham is struggling with loss and so is his brother, Tommy. They both were brought up with a knowledge of God by their mother and father. Both sides had their positives and their negatives. Graham questions his belief. His skeptical mindset does work in his favor. At least, that’s what I had in my head while writing the book.
NS: You have a reputation for writing dialogue that feels incredibly authentic. What is your process for capturing the specific cadence of how people speak when they are under pressure or keeping secrets? Is it something you’ve always had an ear for?
DS: I’ve always had an ear for dialogue. I also think it goes back to my time as a detective and the hundreds of victims, witnesses, suspects and defendants I interviewed and interrogated over the years. I soaked all that up and paid attention to everything. Sometimes it’s not even about the dialogue. The body alone can speak volumes. Often times on the day or days before I had a debriefing, I would play it out in my head. It would keep me up at night. I’d have a conversation with the person in my head, ask questions, and anticipate their responses. It was like they were actually there. Of course, it rarely turned out the same way it did in my head but sometimes it came pretty damn close. Dialogue has always been something that came very naturally to me.
NS: Which authors or specific noir films helped shape your “voice” as a writer? Were there any particular books you found yourself revisiting while working on the manuscript for FROM THE DUST?
DS: I was heavily influenced by Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest, especially when working on From The Dust. I would say that my “voice” as an author is unique and inspired by a vast array of noir and crime authors and film.
NS: Given your background in investigative work, do you find that your professional experience helps you stay trueto the real-life aspects of the plot, or do you prefer to let the characters lead you into unexpected directions?
DS: The characters always lead me into unexpected directions. They surprise me all the time, sometimes in ways that I’m not sure I can write myself out of. My real life experiences also play heavily into what I write. I want to stay true to both police culture and investigative procedure. That’s not to say that mistakes aren’t made along the way, though. Those mistakes are a good example of where a character can sometimes lead me.
