Secrets worth dying―and killing―for, in a novel of suspense inspired by a horrific true crime by Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author Loreth Anne White.
We chat with author Loreth Anne White about her latest book release The Patient’s Secret, along with writing book recommendations, and more.
Hi, Loreth! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m Canadian. I was born and raised in Southern Africa. I’m the mother of two beautiful human beings. I live with my husband and an ageing lab (AKA the Black Beast). I am happiest by the sea, but live in the mountains. I try to spend as much time as I can outdoors trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid bears.
How has 2022 been for you so far?
Given the state of the world so far this year I think I’m not alone in feeling unsettled and distracted.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Fairly late in life. But I’ve always loved books. While I devoured stories as a kid, I first drew them—comic style—before ever trying to write them. Ironically I lost my love fiction while studying English lit at university level. I rediscovered the pure joy of escapist tales while reading a book on a Greek beach that I picked up in a campsite in Munich. I worked as a journalist for many years after that, and only seriously tried writing fiction in . . . I think it was around 2001.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I recall reading was Pookie, by Ivy Wallace. I don’t think there was one particular book that made me itch to become an author, rather, I glommed a series of books one hot summer (when exhausted with my journalism work) that inspired a desire to try my own hand at telling tales. They were works from: Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series, Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series, Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta stories, some of Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense, Jayne Ann Krentz, and a suspense series by Elizabeth Lowell.
Your new novel, The Patient’s Secret, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Do you know your spouse?
What can readers expect?
A twisty psychological suspense where nothing is quite as it might seem.
Where did the inspiration for The Patient’s Secret come from?
The story was inspired by a true crime that occurred in my part of the world in 2006—a nasty crime that impacted me as a mom, that made me ask questions of myself, and has pretty much lived rent free in my head since.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The challenges were plenty, alas. I was dealing with the aftermath of having been a caregiver to my mom in our home for many months, and then losing her. At the same time my man was hit by a life-threatening illness. Grief and stress are strange and demanding beasts who do not bend to a schedule. How did I overcome? I don’t know that I did. I put one foot in front of the other again and again, and at this point, I don’t even really remember writing the book!
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Matthew, my little 8-year-old super-spy-sleuth with his camera and a ‘perfect’ neighbourhood of subjects at his disposal.
What do you love about writing within the thriller and mystery genres?
I adore the puzzles, the solving of a mystery. I love the pacing and the tension. The escape. The adrenaline of a thriller. I love that the genre also allows us to interrogate our notions about what is criminal, what is ‘good’ or ‘evil’, what is the law, what does justice mean. How we define and punish crime says everything about us as a society. In this genre we get to examine this, test drive it, through entertainment. Plus we get to restore order to an upended story world, which is more than we can say about the real world.
What’s next for you?
A deviously-twisty psychological/domestic suspense story called THE MAID’S DIARY. It’s about Kit Darling, a maid with a serious snooping problem who sees something she cannot unsee. And now someone is dead. But … all is not what it seems.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
2022 has so far been a whirl of deadlines. The most recent novel I read, and loved, is Lisa Jewell’s The Night She Disappeared. I was also lucky enough to read a very early copy of Jess Lourey’s The Quarry Girls. Those with a leaning toward true crime inspired tales will love this one.
