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| G.T. Karber (photo: Annie Lesser) |
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G.T. Karber is the award-winning creator of Murdle, the global puzzle sensation, now in more than 28 languages. He grew up in Arkansas, the son of a judge and a civil rights attorney, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arkansas with a degree in mathematics and English literature, before earning an MFA from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. He is the general secretary of the Hollywood Mystery Society and one of only three non-British authors to have published a number-one Christmas bestseller in the U.K. His latest book, Murdle: The School of Mystery (St. Martin's Griffin, $18), is out now.
Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:
Murdle: The School of Mystery continues the murder-mystery puzzle book series with the most exciting and immersive mysteries yet.
On your nightstand now:
Strange Pictures by Uketsu. This is a great modern Japanese whodunit that presents simple illustrations drawn by characters that feature clues you need to solve each case.
Favorite book when you were a child:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Maybe I was a little young to read this ode to drinking in space, but it was the funniest book I'd ever read, and still is.
Your top five authors:
Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Umberto Eco, Kurt Vonnegut, and Martin Gardner. The first three, for their wonderful mysteries. The fourth, for his view on the world, and how much he meant to my father. And Martin Gardner because he is the greatest puzzle author of all time.
Book you've faked reading:
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (but only for 12th grade English tests). It's always hard for me to read assigned reading, and watching Apocalypse Now didn't help.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. She gives a bunch of great guidelines for how to make your parties better. Every time I've ever been at a bad party, I've thought about this book. If you haven't read it, you should!
Book you've bought for the cover:
There's a three-volume biography of Leon Trotsky written by Isaac Deutscher, called The Prophet, that was originally released with three great covers, which I love. And I bought very old editions of the (marvelous) book so that I could have those covers.
Book you hid from your parents:
My parents were very supportive of reading! They wanted me to read anything and everything I could, and so I don't think I ever even thought about hiding books from them.
Book that changed your life:
Looking back on it now, probably Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol, which fostered an early love for mysteries, and also somehow convinced me that I, too, could be a mystery writer.
Favorite line from a book:
I can't tell you what it was, because it spoils the entire book, but it's the summation of the mystery plot from The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. It's probably the most impressive mystery book ever written.
Book you'll never part with:
My dad wrote and self-published a memoir about his life, and at the time, I thought it was kind of silly for him to do it. But since he's passed away, that book, Bobby Joe Burns, Gigsy, and God, is easily my most treasured possession.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Or maybe The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. Or maybe Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I'd love to read those again. Fortunately I still have another couple dozen Christie novels to read before I'm finished!