stories have been published widely in literary magazines and fiction anthologies. He is an associate professor of English at the University of New Mexico.
Bourelle's new novel is 48 Hours to Kill.
[Q&A with Andrew Bourelle]
At CrimeReads Bourelle tagged four of his favorite ticking-clock thrillers, including:
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas HarrisRead about another entry on the list.
In [some] examples, it’s the reader who is aware of the ticking clock, not necessarily the characters. Thomas Harris perfected turning up the pressure on his characters by making them aware of the countdownfacing them. In Red Dragon, the FBI figures out that the serial killer known as the “Tooth Fairy” strikes on the full moon, so they know exactly how long they have to catch him before he strikes again. In his follow-up, The Silence of the Lambs, Harris takes this technique a step further as the investigators realize that serial killer “Buffalo Bill” abducts his victims but keeps them alive, starving them so that their skin will be loose when he peels if off their bodies. Not only does the FBI have a clear sense when the killer will strike, the victim is already his prisoner. It’s not just a murder investigation—it’s a rescue mission. Plenty of crime thrillers use this technique, but, for me, The Silence of the Lambs is the quintessential prototype for a catch-the-killer-before-he-kills-again thriller.
The Silence of The Lambs is among Ben McPherson’s ten thrillers based on real-life events, E.G. Scott's best frenemies in fiction, Caroline Louise Walker's six terrifying villain-doctors in fiction, Kathy Reichs's six best books, Matt Suddain's five great meals from literature, Elizabeth Heiter's ten favorite serial killer novels, Jill Boyd's five books with the worst fictional characters to invite to Thanksgiving, Monique Alice's six great fictional evil geniuses, sixteen book-to-movie adaptations that won Academy Awards.
--Marshal Zeringue
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