Upper Arlington Public Library

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Researching for Mystery/Crime/Thriller Writing

with Thurber House

Mystery writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins will discuss how he researches his crime novels and short stories, drawing on his more than 30 years as a journalist.

Andrew will provide examples of how he conducted research for his own fiction, including plot points that touched on arson investigations; human trafficking; fracking; Somali immigrants; policing practices in the 1980s; moon colonies; ICU wards, and more. Andrew will provide examples of other fiction writers who do it well; touch on common mistakes in writing about law enforcement and the criminal justice system (hint: people spend 30 years in prison, not jail), and review the best ways to get things right, from Internet research to fieldwork to seeking out experts. As always, the session will include plenty of time for Q&A and attempts to answer students’ own research-related queries.

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the Shamus, Derringer, and ITW-award-nominated author of the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, the editor of the Columbus Noir anthology, and author of the standalone crime novel, The End of The Road, which Kirkus called, “A crackerjack crime yarn chockablock with miscreants and a supersonic pace.” His stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and many other publications, and in multiple anthologies including The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 and 2024. His nonfiction book, No Winners Here Tonight, is the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio.

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