It’s
always a delight when author David Bell has a new release because I know it’
going to be suspenseful and keep me guessing. His newest release, KILL
ALL YOUR DARLINGS, just went on sale earlier this month.
When a student disappears and is
presumed dead, her professor passes off her manuscript as his own—only to find
out it implicates him in an unsolved murder in this new thriller from the USA
Today bestselling author of The Request.
After years of struggling to write following the deaths of his
wife and son, English professor Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a
thriller about the murder of a young woman.
There’s just one problem: Connor didn’t write the book. His missing student
did. And then she appears on his doorstep, alive and well, threatening to
expose him.
Connor’s problems escalate when the police insist details in the novel
implicate him in an unsolved murder from two years ago. Soon Connor discovers
the crime is part of a disturbing scandal on campus and faces an impossible
dilemma—admit he didn’t write the book and lose his job or keep up the lie and
risk everything. When another murder occurs, Connor must clear his name by
unraveling the horrifying secrets buried in his student’s manuscript.
This is a suspenseful, provocative novel about the sexual harassment that still
runs rampant in academia—and the lengths those in power will go to cover it up.
As the director of a creative
writing program at a university, David has some keen insight into this world
that gives KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS some very dynamic observations
about college life for both student, professors, and administration.
Now
join me in giving a warm welcome to David as he stops by to talk about his new
book. Welcome, David.
How would you describe KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS?
KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS is a fast-paced thriller that
tells the story of Connor Nye, a creative writing professor who is struggling
to get over the death of his wife and son in an accident. One of his best
students turns in an honors thesis—a novel—and then disappears and is presumed
dead. Connor passes the book off as his own, and then the student turns up very
much alive. And then the police show up because the book Connor passed off as
his own implicates him in an unsolved cold case murder. Things get worse from
there.
You've
written over ten novels, while also being a college professor. Why now did you
decide to write a story set on a college campus? What
inspired you to write the book?
I’ve had the idea for this novel in the back of my head for a long
time. Years. And I’ve tried on a few different occasions to get it off the
ground and never could get it right. Finally, I cracked the code and went for
it in 2021. Since I’m a professor at a university, I think about the academic
world all the time. And since I’m a suspense writer who produces a book every
year I’m always on the lookout for a good story. It was inevitable I’d set one
on a campus.
During my time as a graduate student and then as a professor, I’ve
seen more than one case of a professor abusing their power and pursuing
inappropriate relationships with their students. I’ve seen the toll this takes
on the students and the entire community. We’ve made progress on this issue,
but it hasn’t gone away, so I hope my book calls attention to the problem while
it also entertains the reader.
How do you think KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS differs from your
previous books?
The subject matter and setting are different. More than anything,
I wanted to push myself in the way the story is told. The book uses multiple
points of view and goes back and forth in time, and these are techniques I’ve
never employed to this extent before. However, I thought the story—which is
complex and tangled—could only be told in such an unusual way. Each of the
characters knows a part of the story, and the events stretch across time with
the past very much affecting the present. Telling the story this way certainly
created challenges for me because it meant a lot of balls were in the air. So I
had to learn to juggle as I went along.
While writing the book did you come across anything in writing
about campus life that surprised you? Did you interview anyone for the book to
get some ideas on how to characterize anyone?
Obviously, I know the academic world very well since I’ve been working
in it so long. It’s a unique setting, rather different than other workplaces.
As I developed the idea for the book, I did speak to some of my colleagues and
some of my students, asking them if they had experiences that were similar to
the ones I was going to be writing about. I was surprised to learn that so many
people I know have experienced or witnessed the kind of harassment that is
depicted in the book. I’m not exactly a Pollyanna, but I was still surprised.
And not in a good way.
In KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS, some of Connor’s colleagues look
down at him writing a mystery novel. You’re currently the head of the creative
writing program—has anyone ever thought that you “ought” to be writing the next
“Great American Novel” instead of mysteries or thrillers?
Hey, who says the “Great American Novel”—whatever that is—can’t be
a mystery or a thriller? I tell you what, if it was a mystery or a thriller, a
heck of a lot more people would read it. And they wouldn’t be bored by it. But
to answer the question, yes, there is absolutely a snobbish attitude among a
fair number of my academic brethren when it comes to writing anything that
might be remotely popular or accessible. At the same time, I have plenty of
colleagues who not only read my books but they also read the work of other
thriller writers. As I always tell my students, don’t write what you think
other people want you to write. Write what you want to write. We can only
follow our own paths and not worry about others.
Your protagonist Connor develops great rapport with his students,
how have some of your students reacted to your books when they’ve read them?
Some people assume that all of my students would read my books.
The truth is I have plenty of students who probably have no idea that I’ve
written or published any books. But some students read them and tell me they
enjoy them. I have a rule—I don’t count it as a real compliment if a student
praises one of my books while they’re in my class. That strikes me as an easy
way to score brownie points. Now if a student compliments one of my books years
after they’ve graduated and I can no longer give them a grade, I take that to
be sincere.
Since being
in a college classroom for 16 years, how have you seen the dynamics of college
change?
In many ways,
things don’t change. I’m not sure students are vastly different now than they
were when I was in college back during the Revolutionary War. Certain things
are universal. Students are trying to figure out who they are and what they’re
going to do. They worry about their grades. They like to have a good time—too
good sometimes. They want to fall in love.
But many
things are different. Technology for one. There was no social media when I was
in school. (Thank the Lord.) It barely existed when I started teaching. More
than anything else, I think the economics of college continue to get worse, and
the book reflects this. It’s harder and harder for working and middle class
students to pay their way. Madeline O’Brien is one of those students struggling
to get by. She has to work long hours at a job in a grocery store in order to
come close to keeping her head above water. As someone who went through school
on student loans and financial aid, I understand, but I think the costs are
getting further and further out of control. Let’s face it, even the professors
have a hard time getting by on shrinking salaries. The financial picture is
bleak
Why do you
think KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS is so important to today's times?
As I said
above, we’ve made progress in terms of how students are treated on campus. And
we’ve taken steps to eliminate harassing behavior. But change only comes
completely when people are aware, and I think—among some people—there is a
tendency to say, “Hey, we had the MeToo movement so there’s no more harassment.”
That’s absolutely not true. In my own small way, I’m trying to call attention
to this issue while also writing an entertaining thriller. And the book is a
reminder that students are vulnerable in a lot of ways, and those in power have
an obligation to protect them.
What do you
think readers who are entering college now would find surprising when reading KILL
ALL YOUR DARLINGS versus and readers who have been
out of college for a while?
I think it would be the amount of pressure on the students. It’s not
just the things that happen in the classroom. It’s the tremendous economic
pressure so many students and their families face. It’s the profound worry
about what the future is going to look like. All of these pressures take a toll
on the mental health of the students. And colleges themselves are facing
enormous economic pressures as states cut funding and invest less in our
educational system. Something needs to change, but I’m not sure it will.
David, thanks for joining us today and
sharing this insight into your writing and this new release.
Meet the Author: David Bell
David Bell is the USA Today-bestselling author of eleven novels from
Berkley/Penguin, including KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS, THE REQUEST, LAYOVER,
SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER, BRING HER HOME, SINCE SHE WENT AWAY, SOMEBODY I USED TO
KNOW, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, NEVER COME BACK, THE HIDING PLACE, and CEMETERY GIRL.
His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages,
included on several bestseller lists, nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times,
and, in 2013, won the prestigious Prix Polar International de Cognac for best
crime novel by an international author.
He is a professor of English at Western Kentucky University where
he co-founded and directs the MFA program in creative writing. A native of
Cincinnati, Ohio, he spends his free time rooting for the Reds and Bengals,
watching movies, and walking in the cemetery near his house. He lives in
Bowling Green, Kentucky, with his wife, writer Molly McCaffrey.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. Do you know of any cases
where professors have abused their power? What changes do you think need to be made on college campuses?
