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Larry Darter
a rough-cut book bubble about
Perdido County: Dark Road
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author Insight
Do Authors Need to Travel for Research?
I have always traveled for my novels. Next month I’ll be traveling to West Texas to research my current project, Perdido County. While I’ve been to West Texas many times, I haven’t been for several years and want to go back for some fresh new perspectives and impressions. We are lucky enough to live in the Internet age, a time where there is a huge amount of information at our fingertips on virtually any place in the world. With Google Earth you can get all the way down to a street level view of most places. There are many brilliant libraries, academic journals, and travel documentaries accessible online. That’s great, however, I firmly believe that no amount of online research on its own can help you understand the feel of a place. Smells, in particular, are beyond your grasp. Endless reading or watching travel documentaries could never tell me exactly what it feels like to stand under West Texas’s limitless blue skies or to experience firsthand the desert landscape scented with a wild sage. Putting together my online research with actual travel I feel achieves a level of authenticity in your writing that online research alone simply can’t duplicate.
Book Excerpt
Perdido County: Dark Road
“Owen, you know how that goes,” Carpenter said. “You spend time entering those reports on the Mexican kids, then they show up at home the next day. You have to write another report to take them out. It’s a complete waste of time.”
“Listen, Chase,” Wolfe said. “By state law, we’re required to enter all reported missing juveniles in NCIC and TCIC. You ignored the law by being too lazy to take a report. If it ever happens again, I’ll fire your ass. Understand?”
Alvarez and Riggs watched Wolfe and Carpenter intently.
“Okay, Owen,” Carpenter said. “I understand.”
“You still have the girl’s information?”
“Yes, her mother gave me a photo,” Carpenter said. “I wrote down her information on the back. It’s here in my desk.”
“Good, that will save you the embarrassment of going out to see her mother again to get the information,” Wolfe said. “Now, drop whatever you are doing, write the damn report, and get the girl entered in the system.”
Without waiting for a reply, Wolfe turned to Riggs and Alvarez. “You two go back out to the CM and get Charlie Godwin and bring him in for questioning. While you’re out there see if he has access to a hunting rifle. If you have any trouble finding Godwin, the foreman’s name is Jay Adcock. Get him to help you.”
“Okay, sheriff,” Alvarez and Riggs said together. They got up and left the office.
“You didn’t have to embarrass me like that in front of them,” Carpenter said.
“Do your damn job Chase,” Wolfe said. “Then I won’t have any reason to embarrass you.”
Wolfe turned and walked out of the door and went to his office. Alvarez was waiting for him at the door.
“Olivia, what are you still doing here?” Wolfe said.
“What happened to your truck?” Alvarez said. “And your hand is hurt. What happened to your eye?”
“I hurt it. You don’t miss a thing do you, Olivia?”
“Obviously.”
“Good observation skills,” Wolfe said. “You might have a future in law enforcement. Now get out to the CM like I told you.”
Alvarez glared at him a moment and then turned and left.
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