The Deadly Ink conference is well under way in Parsippany, New Jersey, and - as promised - there has been a murder. That is only to be expected at a convention of mystery writers and readers. But there has been a complication: I am deeply involved in the case as the M. E. - the medical examiner.
Now I am sure that my family will collapse into uncontrollable laughter at that curious assignment, knowing my own inability even to apply a band-aid properly without passing out. But I have been assigned the role of Medical Examiner Ducky Kuryakin. It is my duty to advise people (when asked) that the victim, an author named Stephanie King, was stabbed to death around midnight with a wound that punctured the aorta. We have determined the killer is left-handed. Beyond that, I know nothing. Believe me when I say, I know nothing.
In addition to the murder, there are all kinds of panels and presentations. One panel, featuring six authors (pictured above), was a lively discussion of favorite detective characters - why they are favorites, what these authors have learned from them, etc. Others were designed to give writers some tips on making their detection methods more realistic.
An awards banquet tonight and more panels tomorrow...and then the solution to the mystery.
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