'The Fury' and 'Radiant Heat' set whodunnits against extreme weather

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2024

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

Today's episode focuses on two novels where the characters are grappling with the natural elements – and with mysterious deaths. First, NPR's Mary Louise speaks with Alex Michaelides about The Fury, a murder mystery in which a famous actress and her friends are trapped on a remote Greek island by the ferocious Mediterranean wind. Then, NPR's Scott Simon asks Sarah-Jane Collins about Radiant Heat, which follows a young woman who survives an Australian wildfire, only to emerge from her house and find a dead woman she's never met – clutching a piece of paper with her name and address.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Tinbedermias.
0:07.0	On today's episode, two books in which natural elements are characters unto themselves.
0:13.0	We begin with the wind.
0:15.7	Writer Alex Michael E.D. sets his new mystery novel, The Fury on a windy, remote Greek island. The title refers to the
0:23.9	wind itself, its strength, its unpredictability, and how both those traits can drive you mad. He spoke
0:32.4	about the book with all things considered host Mary Louise Kelly, and they discussed how this novel pays homage to the murder mystery genre, but also how it bucks some traditions.
0:43.2	And why the wind is an ideal situation for a murder mystery.
0:48.0	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:52.8	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:12.3	Seven people trapped on a remote Greek island. One of them will not survive the night.
1:19.2	That is the story that unfolds in the new novel The Fury.
1:23.0	The Fury, by the way, is a wild, unpredictable Greek wind, the kind of wind that drives you mad as the author.
1:30.6	Alex Michaelides hints darkly on the very first page.
1:34.5	Alex Michaelides is in our New York Bureau.
1:37.1	Welcome.
1:38.3	Hello, thank you for having me.
1:39.7	I'm a huge fan of the show, so I'm very happy to be here.
1:42.3	Well, we are very happy to have you with us.
1:44.2	All right. So just to be clear, we're dealing here with a murder at a house party on a remote
1:50.4	island with a storm blowing in, and the killer is one of the house guests. So I have to ask,
1:55.8	were you intentionally channeling Agatha Christie? She's clearly lurking in the background here. Yeah, you know,
2:04.6	you can't write a novel like this without on some level referencing or being aware of Christy,
	...

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