Crime In The Opera House
Imagine having a degree in history, two decades of experience as a psychiatrist, and a penchant for the performing arts. How does one turn all this into a second profitable career?
One would write historical mysteries about the opera and its dysfunctional stars, of course, just as Beverle Graves Myers, pictured here, has done. Her Tito Amato murder mystery series follows Tito, an opera star in 18th-century Venice who has a knack for sleuthing, through the ups and downs of his career and life as he solves the latest crime.
Myers was born and raised in Louisville. After earning a BA in history from the University of Louisville, she continued on to medical school. In her chosen field of public psychiatry, she learned much about the reactions and behaviors of people in given situations. This knowledge filters into the development of her characters and plot lines. Myers explains to an interviewer of Novel PASTimes, “In my psychiatry practice, I saw many patients who committed violent acts. I noted that violence often sprang from fear: fear of being assaulted, fear of losing something of value, even fear of losing face. If you want to make a game of identifying the murderer in my books, look for characters who have a great deal to lose and few emotional resources for dealing with their loss.”
The newest and final installment in the series, Whispers of Vivaldi (Poisoned Pen Press, $14.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com), finds Tito, no longer able to sing due to a damaged throat, on the cusp of renewed fame as he prepares to direct a controversial opera at the Teatro San Marco. When his mentor, Maestro Torani, is killed, however, will Tito end up with the blame, or will he be able to sleuth out Torani’s murderer before all is lost?
Myers claims the mystery genre has been her favorite since she was old enough to borrow library books on her own. She prefers stories that “combine a unique voice with an interesting historical milieu and a bit of culture. Learning is always a plus, so the research has to be topnotch,” she states on her Web site, www.beverlegravesmyers.com.
Myers has received nominations for the Macavity Award, Kentucky Literary Award, and Derringer Award. However, she defines success by her connection with her readers and loves to hear that a fan learned something new from her stories or simply couldn’t put down the book.
Connect with her on her Web site where links will also be found for her Facebook and Twitter contacts.
