She’s taken old fairy tales, seasoned them with 20th-century history and pop-culture references, and frosted them with whimsical, even bizarre details.
In “The Mastermind,” Evan Ratliff shows how a teenage tech nerd transformed himself into a cartel boss, overseeing operations from North Korea to Somalia to Brazil.
Marilyn Stasio’s latest Crime column showcases Mexican thugs, Brooklyn mob wives, a dutiful Mississippi son and an aristocrat whose adoption scheme turns deadly.
Sometimes Lisa Gardner’s ideas just pop into her head; other times she’s inspired by a headline. Her latest thriller, “Never Tell,” was inspired by a case in Alabama.