Barbara Fister, Julia Keller, Michael A. Black, Michael Wiley, and Sara Paretsky explore why Chicago is such a compelling setting for crime fiction. They discuss how the city’s history, neighborhoods, and moral complexity shape stories where place is inseparable from crime.
Turning Real Crimes into Page-Turners
Peter Houlahan, award-winning author of Norco ’80, breaks down how to transform raw facts into a relentless true crime thriller. Drawing from real 911 calls, court records, and interviews, this master class shows how to impose structure on chaos and build escalating...




