These People Know Mystery

[Peg Herring]

I just returned from Magna Cum Murder in Muncie, Indiana, and I have to say that it brings back memories of my first week at college. I came from a small high school where I was the smart girl to a mid-sized university, and it was an eye-opening experience to find so many around me who were just as smart, and even a lot smarter than I. I loved the stimulation, but I knew I had to be on my toes.

That's how Magna is. You know your favorites in mystery, you know the characters and the places and the authors. But you don't know mystery like some of these folks know it. There are people at Magna who I truly believe have microchips implanted in their brains that can access any author, any era, and subgenre and tell you all about it. Impressive, to say the least.

And they're a tough crowd, too. Don't you dare get sloppy with your facts or your characterization. While they're willing to laugh about it, they pick up on every mistake, every shoddy decision, every "don't go into that dark basement" moment. They may still love you, but like your mom when you're ten, it's despite the fact that they know your every sin.

This group is not one-dimensional, either. They know literature in general, and quotes from Shakespeare and Mark Twain and Jane Pauley slide seamlessly into the conversation with no pretension, just familiarity. Anyone who has ever heard The Poison Lady speak is wowed by her knowledge and her ability to make it accessible to the rest of us. Anyone who's spoken even briefly with Jim Huang or PJ Coldren or Louise Penny or Bev Myers knows that these are people who know stuff, and it's all good stuff, too.

For those of us who love words, conferences like Magna are an oasis in the desert. You stop, you enjoy the comfort, the company, and the abundant food and drink. Then you saddle your camel and continue on through the desert, looking forward to the next oasis, the next meeting of the minds.