This month marks a significant milestone in the world of crime fiction: the 30th anniversary of John Sandford’s debut novel, Rules of Prey. Originally conceived as The Maddog’s Game, the book emerged with a title that resonated with the scale of Sandford’s storytelling, setting the stage for a remarkable career. As John Sandford celebrates three decades as a published author, it’s a fitting time to reflect on his evolution and enduring success.
I, Neil Nyren, had the distinct privilege of being John Sandford’s editor from the very beginning and continue to be his editor today. These past thirty years have been filled with not just professional collaboration, but also a rewarding friendship, marked by shared laughter, industry insights, and the unique opportunity to witness a truly exceptional writer hone his craft.
One of the perennial challenges for authors of long-running series is maintaining freshness and originality. Readers often wonder if the latest book can truly deliver something new, or if it treads familiar ground. How does an author consistently surprise and engage readers book after book? This is where John Sandford truly excels.
Over the years, John Sandford has masterfully navigated this challenge, continually reinventing his approach while staying true to the core elements that define his work. His protagonist, Lucas Davenport, has undergone a compelling transformation, evolving from a somewhat unpredictable, wealthy, and womanizing figure into a more mature, though still undeniably unpredictable, character. Sandford has also broadened the scope of Davenport’s cases, escalating from city-level investigations to statewide and even national significance, ensuring the stakes remain high and the narratives feel expansive.
Recognizing a desire for a character who perhaps retained some of Davenport’s earlier allure, John Sandford introduced Virgil Flowers. This brilliant move provided readers with a different, yet equally compelling, protagonist, allowing Sandford to explore new facets of crime fiction while catering to varied reader preferences. Furthermore, Sandford’s stylistic versatility is remarkable. He seamlessly shifts between thriller and mystery elements, injects humor, and masterfully builds suspense, sometimes revealing the antagonist early on, and at other times maintaining suspense until the very end. He constantly explores new settings, delves into diverse subject matter, and devises ever-more inventive methods of mayhem, ensuring each John Sandford novel offers a fresh reading experience.
While these are significant aspects of John Sandford’s evolution, as I initially outlined to him, our conversations revealed a deeper layer to his enduring success. John Sandford himself pointed out the crucial role of our collaborative editor-writer relationship in shaping his work. It’s not just about individual evolution, but the dynamic interplay between author and editor.
He reminded me of Dead Watch, a standalone novel that initially didn’t quite hit the mark for me. With a looming deadline just a month away, we engaged in intense phone calls and emails, dissecting the manuscript, discarding elements, reshaping characters, and fundamentally shifting the timeline to the present day. Against the odds, we forged a compelling novel from the initial draft, a testament to our collaborative problem-solving.
Another instance involved a Prey novel where John Sandford considered killing off a child at the end. Recognizing the potential negative impact, we brainstormed and devised a last-minute rescue, resulting in a far more satisfying and emotionally resonant conclusion. Similarly, when a manuscript opened with a convoluted first chapter, a simple suggestion to revisit an earlier draft chapter proved to be the perfect solution, instantly improving the book’s opening. There was even a moment when John Sandford contemplated removing Lucas Davenport’s wife, Weather Karkinnen, a beloved character, due to the challenges of integrating her into the storylines. The humorous, but firm, prediction of reader backlash quickly dissuaded him.
These anecdotes, among many others, highlight the essential, often unseen, element of the writer-editor collaboration in John Sandford’s remarkable 30-year journey. It’s a process of shared brainstorming, critical analysis, and idea exchange that has been instrumental in keeping the series vibrant and relevant. It’s not solely about John Sandford’s individual genius; it’s about “what we’d done, and what we still do, together: speculating, analyzing, bouncing ideas around,” as he aptly put it.
While this piece was intended to celebrate John Sandford, he rightly emphasized the collaborative nature of our work. So, John, here’s to you and to our thirty years of partnership. Thank you for the continued learning and inspiration. Happy anniversary! And yes, I eagerly anticipate Bloody Genius, featuring Virgil Flowers, arriving this October – a hold-the-reveal novel, promising yet another innovative approach to mayhem.
Neil Nyren, reflecting on three decades of working with John Sandford, celebrates the author’s anniversary and the power of their enduring collaboration in crafting compelling crime fiction.
