Saturday, January 19, 2008

One Below: A Frigid Setting for Mystery


Chicago is unusually cold tonight; we're expecting a low of -4 overnight, and it was not much above zero all day. The tales of Jack London kept floating through my mind, telling me I was a wimp to feel cold; after all, in his classic "To Build A Fire" the temperature was 75 degrees below zero.

In any case, I was thinking what an interesting setting this weather would make for a mystery. Who would go out to commit a crime on a night like this? What would make someone venture into that impossible cold? Saving another person? Murdering him?

The ice photo, once again, is compliments of my poorly insulated house. :) This is what nature painted on my frigid front porch window.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, Jack London would be the first to come to mind on a sub-zero night. I am also thinking of Dan Brown's DECEPTION POINT. Yes, the same Dan Brown of THE DA VINCI CODE. In DECEPTION POINT there is murder, conspiracy, trickery and bravery...all in an arctic setting and involving NASA. It will keep warm on a cold night!
Mary Beth

Julia Buckley said...

That sounds good, Mary Beth. Really any book that can be read under the covers sounds good about now. We have a heated house and I'm still cold. I can't imagine being outside with no place to go . . .