Q&A with Lee Goldberg

  

 

 

 

Lee Goldberg is the author of the new novel Murder by Design. His many other books include the Eve Ronin series, and he has also produced and/or written many TV shows.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write Murder by Design, and how did you create your characters Edison Bixby and Wally Nash?

 

A: Years ago, I stumbled on a quote from architect Bernard Tschumi, who said "the best way to understand architecture is to commit a murder." I found that concept very intriguing, and it stuck with me.

 

It led me to devour books and research papers on design, and how it can be used to impact or shape human behavior. Standout books included The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman, A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh, and Why We Buy by Paco Underhill.

 

All that reading inspired me to create a character who reverses and tweaks Tschumi's premise -- to solve a murder, you need to understand the design of the man-made world that made the crime possible.

 

That gave me away to achieve another desire, which was to write a whodunit that honors the traditions of the genre while shining a light on them and then subverting them—and that’s how Edison Bixby was born.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between the two?

 

A: Evolving. On the surface, it's a rich, debonair, brilliant employer who has it all...and his poor, desperate, employee who is struggling to achieve his dreams.

 

But it's actually a dynamic partnership, and every-strengthening friendship, between two very different men who need each other in ways they still don't realize. They bring out the best...and maybe even the worst... in each other. But together they are better than they are apart.

 

Q: The author Ellen Byron said of the book that “the real magic of this mystery is the way Goldberg turns environments and objects that we take for granted into clues we never would have noticed but for his deft hand.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Very accurate. It reflects the new way I see the world, thanks to all those books on design that I read...and what I've learned from meeting Don Norman and Geoff Manaugh personally.

 

Q: Did you need to do much research to write the novel, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I did an enormous amount of research ... perhaps more than I ever have before... and still surprised by what I've learned. We spend very little of our time in an environment that isn't man-made or influenced by human design.

 

Q: This is the first in a new series--can you tell us what's next?

 

A: I've just started writing the new book in the series. After that, I will immediately dive into the next Eve Ronin novel.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I've decided to reject any offers to be the next James Bond.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Lee Goldberg.