A: Several things. First off, I start with an idea not a character. I came up with an idea I loved but Myron couldn't tell it. That book became Tell No One. The second thing is, a series has a natural life. If Myron is to grow and change in each book, well, how many catharses can a man go through before he's either insane or on his fourth hysterectomy?

Q: How can you write a novel when the suspense starts with the first paragraph and never lets up?

A: Start in the middle. Don't give me a lot of background. Challenge yourself to engage the reader immediately.

Q: Your last three novels have put family members into the most traumatic situations imaginable. Why delve into the undercurrents of family relationships?

A: That's my milieu, if you will. I don't write books about serial killers or conspiracies reaching the presidency. I prefer to work in the calmer waters of the American family. I think people relate to that. You can make a big splash in those calm waters.

Q: Tell No One is scheduled to begin filming in 2004 with Michael Apted directing and Mace Neufeld producing. Who will star? And isn’t Myron Bolitar going to be made into a TV movie?

A: The Hollywood thing is very fluid. I try to keep my distance. In other words: I don't know.

Q: The Chicago Tribune calls you "Raymond Chandler meets Bridget Jones." How do you see yourself?

A: They were talking about the Myron Bolitar series, I think, not the stand-alones. I don't really see myself as anything other than a storyteller. I'll let the reader decide what else I am.

Interview Date: Spring 2003