Shot to Death
by Stephen Rogers

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Review & Interview by Queenie C

Stephen Rogers has written 31 stories that take mere minutes to read. Some involve murder and some, just mystery. Each tale provides the reader with just enough information to piece together the storyline. Some are shocking when the revelation is reached and others are predictable. Although it was supposedly set in New England, the crimes could happen anywhere.

Some of the short stories in this book were so well-written that I wanted to know more about the characters and what happened with them. However, some of the stories left me confused. I believe that a great mystery story should leave you wanting to know more even after the case is solved. I don't think that a book club would find this book easy to discuss because there isn't one center theme or character set to focus on. Some stories may evoke a conversation, but not the type that book clubs are used to having.

Discussion Questions

1. Which story was your favorite and why?
2. What is your opinion of mystery short stories?
3. Try as a group to write a mystery short story.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stephen Rogers, author of Shot to Death

Is it more difficult to write a mystery short story than a mystery novel? Is it hard to control the amount of detail/information you include in order to keep it at a short story length?

One thing that makes writing mystery short stories particularly challenging is that there is so little room to place clues without making them stand out. I just released a collection of twenty-five solvable mysteries called THREE-MINUTE MYSTERIES, and the stories have to tread a fine line. The clues have to be visible but not visible, knowable but not obvious. One thing I don't like to see is when you need some specialized knowledge in order to solve the case. When writers start depending on esoteric knowledge, solving the mysteries stops being fun, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stephen Rogers, author of Shot to Death

I really enjoyed Officer Down. It was one of the longer stories and had plenty of detail. Which of the stories did you enjoy writing the most and why?

I'm glad you enjoyed reading Officer Down. An interesting aspect of a collection is that every story has been mentioned by at least one reader. Favorites are a very personal thing. As to my favorites, the story I most enjoyed writing was whatever one I was writing at the time. That said, some of the stories in SHOT TO DEATH stay with me. A Friendly Game features a PI who walks the mean streets alone, and is haunted by that loneliness. In High Noon, a woman who leaves a hardscrabble life behind finds herself stranded there after a robbery. Regret is a thread that runs through many of the stories in the collection.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stephen Rogers, author of Shot to Death

In your introduction you said, "In mysteries of all stripes, something goes wrong, and how the characters respond to those challenges provides us with lessons to follow or learn from." What lessons did you incorporate into the stories of Shot to Death?

The most obvious lesson you'll see in SHOT TO DEATH is that crime doesn't pay. Not exactly original, but it's true, and that lesson still feels fresh because so many people think they're the exception to the rule. Just read any police log and you'll see that school is still in session. And "crime doesn't pay" doesn't just apply to the criminals. Crime and its aftermath wear down victims, witnesses, and law enforcement. Crime colors everyone it touches. That's a significant difference between SHOT TO DEATH and THREE-MINUTE MYSTERIES. SHOT TO DEATH emphasizes how people are battered by crime. THREE-MINUTE MYSTERIES makes crime something people can manage. You read the stories, find the clues, and bring the criminals to justice, putting everything right.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stephen Rogers, author of Shot to Death

In your bio, it states that you are the head writer for Crime Scenes (website). Will you tell us what that involves and what it is like?

Crime Scene (www.crimescene.com) is a cool place to hang out. What happens there is that someone is "murdered," and the resulting investigation unfolds over six to ten weeks. Mondays and Thursdays, four to six new documents are released. These can be background checks, interviews, search warrants, evidence, or test results. Viewers follow along with the detectives, discuss the case with other viewers, and vie for prizes by presenting their theories on who committed the crime. Guest membership is free, which means there's no reason not to check out the site and all it offers.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stephen Rogers, author of Shot to Death

Can you tell us what you are working on next?

I just released THREE-MINUTE MYSTERIES, twenty-five mysteries you can solve on your Kindle, NOOK, and PC. (Other distributors are in the works.) A MISCELLANY OF MURDER, a mystery trivia book compiled by the Monday Murder Club, is coming out in October from Adams Media. In November, I've got A DICTIONARY OF MADE-UP LANGUAGES coming out from the same publisher. Short stories are always popping up here and there, and the best way to follow that activity is to check out my website, www.stephendrogers.com, which is also a good place to win a free print publication.

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