We are very excited to sit down and talk with Katherine Burnette. Burnette’s latest novel, Killing Her Sharply, was recently released. We had the chance to review this exceptional thriller, and we had the opportunity to talk to Katherine about her work and writing!
Thriller Magazine: Your novel opens with a chilling crime scene that immediately sets the tone. How do you approach writing suspense so that readers are both unsettled and compelled to keep turning the pages?
I try to balance the horror, sad or emotionally stressful parts of the thriller with dry humor in character conversations or situations. Sometimes, I have a character that is by their nature funny: the clumsy but big-hearted Emma Jean in Judge’s Waltz and the eccentric FBI profiler in Killing Her Sharply.
TM: Detectives Bob and Tony are such vivid, contrasting characters. What inspired their partnership, and how did you balance their personal struggles with the demands of a procedural mystery?
Bob and Tony: their very different exteriors hide similar large hearts to make them relatable and to support the theme of people wanting to belong to a community. They smooth out each other’s rough edges but they both are of the “I have your back” mentality. The partnership was inspired by Bob’s need for a partner to rejuvenate his interest in his law enforcement career and for Tony to learn Bob’s sharp investigative skills without alienating the entire police force.
TM: As a former prosecutor, how did your legal background shape the realism and procedural details in Killing Her Sharply? Were there moments where you had to “dial back” reality for the sake of storytelling?
What’s not incorporated and dialed back: The aggressiveness of and lack of filters for some litigants in the courtroom. Also, as a past state and federal prosecutor, I’ve worked with a lot of very talented men and women in local, state and federal law enforcement in preparing for trials and hearings and they overall are very squared away and fiercely dedicated to their jobs. Most are indefatigable in pursuing interviews with witnesses, using forensics, informants and going into dangerous situations as part of the job. An example: someone selling drugs routinely has firearms which is an ongoing threat to officer safety for executing a search warrant, conducting a traffic stop, etc.
TM: The setting in Oxford, North Carolina feels authentic and textured. Why did you choose this location, and how does small-town life influence the tone of the mystery?
A few of the Oxford scenes in Killing Her Sharply and Judge’s Waltz are a collage of the old drug stores that used to dot downtown Oxford a long time ago. A few survived until the 80s and 90s. The drugstores have disappeared but people still talk about fond memories of the drug store lunch counters. (Oxford now has a brewery in the shadow of the Baptist church.) The history and architecture of Oxford and Granville county is its own character. It’s also the kind of place where differences are put aside to help neighbors in need. Living here for over thirty-five years has made me appreciate the neighbor that asks why the Sears truck was in my driveway or stops an unfamiliar person in a neighborhood to ask who they are or what they can do to help them.
TM: Themes of grief, trauma, and resilience run through the novel, particularly in Bob’s personal storyline. Why was it important for you to weave these emotional elements into a crime thriller?
Themes: The specter of opioid overdoses hangs particularly heavy over small towns where the access to mental health and medical treatment for addiction is scarce. Isn’t it the hope of everyone that has lost a family member to addiction that they could have just one more minute to talk with their child , parent or sibling?
Grief, trauma and resilience: Even a crime thriller is about people and their relationships, including relationships that a serial killer has to hide. I wanted the main characters to be sympathetic and relatable.
Bob’s grief over his son’s overdose death is partially assuaged by time, his ability to talk to his son and by reconnecting with his wife Gloria. Dealing with trauma is part of a detective’s job. Bob shows his humanity in grieving for the murder victims.
TM: This is your second book after Judge’s Waltz. How does Killing Her Sharply build on your evolution as a writer, and what can readers expect from you next?
Killing Her Sharply allowed me to develop the interior voice of the serial killer. It’s not a comfortable point of view but highlighting his or her escalation in thought and deed made it more sinister than the first book. I hope the readers find it to be well-written and a roller coaster of twists and turns with a slight
What can readers expect?
A murder mystery set in a small town with a long memory of missing persons while a man is being tried for his life in a capital murder trial for the deaths of a child, an elderly woman and a law enforcement officer.seasoning of humor and romance.
Looking toward the future, Katherine’s next short story, “By The Numbers,” will be published by MoonShine Review Press.