If you would like Art Bell to appear at your book club, please email: artbellwriter@gmail.com

Reading Group Guide—What She’s Hiding by Art Bell

Discussion Questions

1. Noir is often associated with mid-twentieth-century crime novels. What classic noir elements appear in What She’s Hiding? In what ways did the author modernize the noir style?

2. What She’s Hiding takes the reader from the high polish of Tiffany’s and Manhattan white-shoe law firms to an avant-garde theater in the Lower East Side and a warehouse in Queens. In what ways is the city of New York a character in the novel?

3. Art Bell is known for developing and launching the Comedy Channel (later Comedy Central). How does humor in the novel work in concert with the noir tone and crime story?

4. Why do you think Art Bell made Henry a lawyer by profession? What commentary is he making on class and status by setting part of the novel at a high-powered law firm?

5. The character of Gabriella Lopez comes from a long line of private investigators in literature. In what ways does she conform to this literary trope and in what ways does she expand and differ from it?

6. Henry Gladstone practices law at Loveless, Brown, & Cunningham, a top Manhattan law firm, and Gabriella’s background is as a police officer in the NYPD. How do the skill sets learned in these very different milieus complement each other and help them form a successful partnership?

7. Henry encounters many women throughout the novel, including the femme fatale archetype. In what ways did Art Bell twist this hallmark of classic noir?

8. How does Henry grow throughout the course of the novel? Can What She’s Hiding also be seen as a bildungsroman narrative?

9. Love, friendship, partnership, and marriage are themes woven throughout the story and the lives of the characters. What is Art Bell saying about the state of human connection in the twenty-first century?

A Conversation with Art Bell

Your first book was a memoir of your time in the television industry. What inspired you to write a crime novel?

I love the genre. Much of what I read are thrillers and mysteries, and the great noir writers, including Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Raymond Chandler have a special place in my heart. I first read noir in high school and have been a fan since. But part of my attraction to crime stories comes from my experience at Court TV, making true crime documentaries and watching the courtroom trials we covered. I learned so much about the human condition by focusing on people in extreme situations, people in trouble, and criminals and their motivations. Mysteries were at the heart of most of our documentaries (who did it?) and trial coverage (are they guilty?). I was steeped in that storytelling style.

Why did you decide to set What She’s Hiding in New York City? What is the allure of the Big Apple for crime writers?

Having lived in Manhattan, I not only loved the city but felt I knew it well. And I also love New Yorkers. You walk down the street and see every kind of person—rich, poor, foreign-born, crazy, artistic, well-dressed, oddly dressed—and that’s all in a walk down one city block. For the most part everyone gets along despite their differences. And while the city is big and noisy and overwhelming, it’s also packed with kind people, people who care, people who will help others in trouble. So, I guess a big part of it for me was the quality of the New Yorkers themselves. But part of the setting was the summertime, with the unrelenting heat and humidity that puts people on edge. The city setting also brings a great visual backdrop, with tall buildings casting shadows and nighttime lit up by all kinds of light. It’s a very rich, sensual environment, and I found that bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of New York to the story helped define the characters and their challenges. Ultimately, in so many of my scenes, the city became another fully formed character. I assume crime writers are drawn to New York City as a backdrop for many of these reasons. Crime is an integral part of the city experience. Many people assume that New York is a crime- infested town, making mysteries and thrillers believable when set there. Also, there are all kinds of scenes: the music scene, from jazz to rock to classical, Broadway theater, museums, fine dining, even the subway, which is kind of a city beneath the city. New York has so many features that a crime writer can use to enhance the story.

What elements of the classic crime genre captivate you? Was it difficult to bring these elements into the modern world of the twenty-first century?

When I first read noir, I was dazzled by the snappy banter. So many characters had memorable lines. The characters’ ironic humor, especially when facing dangerous situations, stood out for me. I was also drawn to the portrayal of the world as a dark and dangerous place where people were motivated by money and power, and where double-crossing and deception were everyone’s stock in trade. The heroes were morally ambiguous, the endings were downbeat, and the guy didn’t always get the girl. So much fun! But it’s the love stories that stuck with me. Noir mysteries so often included the characters falling in love with bad people because they can’t help it. We don’t always make wise choices in our love lives, but for the most part, we avoid gangsters, murderers, and grifters. That aspect of the love stories in noir fascinates me because to me it reflects everyone’s experience with romance. Part of the plot of What She’s Hiding relies on texting, smartphones, and other conveniences we now take for granted. What challenges do these tools present for a thriller writer? You have to write around some things. Smartphones give characters instant access to information, and I had to make sure nobody was investigating people on Facebook or LinkedIn because it’s more interesting to learn about characters from their actions and dialogue. Also, having cell phones means that calling for help doesn’t require much besides reaching into your pocket and dialing or texting. It’s not unlike the problem presented by police. Hitchcock was once asked why his characters in trouble just didn’t go to the police. He answered, “Because that would be boring.” So, you have to have characters rely on themselves and not call or text for help, information, or quick answers to problems. Cell phones and texting also offer opportunities. Characters can communicate constantly by text, and at the exact moment they feel like it. That doesn’t require the commitment of a phone call or in-person conversation. And how interesting is it that a character can choose not to answer a phone or text when they know exactly who it is and what they want?

There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot. How much is mapped out prior to writing and how much is driven by the characters as you are writing?

There are two kinds of writers—pantsers and plotters. I’m a pantser and so I write “by the seat of my pants.” I start writing and let the characters take me wherever they happen to go. I began with the idea that there was this average guy whose ex-wife shows up and gets him into trouble. Big, dangerous, life-threatening trouble of the kind he’d never experienced. I didn’t know anything more than that. As I wrote, the characters led me through the story. Having Henry tell the story in first person allowed me to wonder about things he wondered about without knowing the truth. Occasionally I’d get stuck, but a new character might walk in and provide direction. I did not plot anything out before writing it, and luckily, I didn’t need to go back and rework previous scenes much to accommodate where the story ended up. All that said, if you’re writing a mystery, you’re more likely to need to plot in advance. The author needs to know who did it and who didn’t do it in order to plant clues and red herrings. And if the author has a particular twist in mind, plotting is more essential. I didn’t care to fill my wall with index cards full of scenes and characters. I did, however, write back stories about my main characters before getting too far into the novel. Some parts of their backstories made it into the novel, but not all. For me, the writing process starts with characters. The plot and story follow from there.

How did your time as president of Court TV influence your writing? What research did you do to bring authenticity to What She’s Hiding?

Henry’s a lawyer, but I’m not. When I got to Court TV there were many lawyers on staff, and the on-air personalities were all lawyers, so I learned about lawyers from them. We also filled the air with experts on crime—among them, psychologists, social scientists, and crime journalists. I met a lot of detectives while making documentaries about investigations. One of our most successful series, Forensic Files, was about solving crimes using the latest scientific methods. My time at Court TV gave me a good grounding in the world of crime, police procedure, and the criminal justice system. As for research, when I had questions about becoming a lawyer or working in a law firm, I called on friends who had that experience. I researched some historical information because it became central to the plot. That may sound like homework, but I enjoy history, and I learned a lot. Henry is a very resourceful character, which flies against the grain of some of the stereotypes of the current young generation.

As a writer, how did you develop this character?

Henry kind of invented himself. I knew only a few things about him when I began writing. I knew he was an excellent lawyer who didn’t like practicing law. I knew that Henry had an ex-wife he never got over who was about to drag him into some horrible mess. I knew he was a decent and honest guy. And I knew he loved New York City. These were the basics that shaped him initially, and I just kept filling in the blanks as I wrote. For example, I found out Henry had an ironic sense of humor, and that was important because it shaped so much of the dialogue.

Who are some of your favorite crime writers and why?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because he was brilliant and is almost single-handedly responsible for creating the genre and inspiring crime writers for generations. As noted in my earlier answers, I loved the masters of noir for their smart dialogue, morally ambiguous characters, and bleak take on the human condition. My favorite contemporary writer is Michael Connelly. His prose is crisp and clear, probably owing to his experience as a crime journalist in Miami. For me, starting one of his books is like slipping into a warm bath. I love P. D. James’s prose, too. So British! Tana French writes beautiful atmospheric literary mysteries, as does Dennis Lehane. I love Mick Herron’s humor in his Slough House (made into the Slow Horses TV series) novels. There are so many others. I guess I’m a big fan of the genre.

What’s next for Henry and Gabriella?
Trouble.