Quote of the Day (Laura Miller, on Mystery Stories)

“In a detective story, the mystery both propels the plot and gives the sleuth license to venture into places and milieus where she doesn't typically belong. Who done it, then, is the secret that strips all other secrets of their sanctity. In the better mysteries, the solution also turns the world of the story inside out, revealing how things actually work behind the façade. And, in the best mysteries, the detective herself is cracked open and remade, sometimes even destroyed, by the truth. This points to another shortcoming of series detectives: their fans find their familiar methods and quirks comforting and would be disappointed if each book didn’t serve up more of the same.”— American journalist and critic Laura Miller, “Walk the Line” (review of Dennis Lehane’s Small Mercies), The New Yorker, Apr. 24-May 1, 2023