ECW Press

Robin Spano, author of Death's Last Run: A Clare Vengel Undercover Novel, was recently interviewed by Pique News Magazine, where she chats about what inspired her latest novel. Read the excerpt below, and click on the link above for the full interview!

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Robin Spano's third murder mystery novel, featuring drugs, violence, politics and a big cover-up, was sparked, in part, by a gondola ride in Whistler.

"I love Whistler," Spano, a Lions Bay writer, says. "My cousin and I were up there for a snowboarding weekend and I just fell in love with it. I was sitting in the gondola listening to people talk about their lives. They were using weird slang and I would say, 'Hey, what does that mean?' They were really nice. I forget what the actual terms were, but (the conversation) was just about an eternal party... I thought it would be fun to send a character there."

So, she did. Death's Last Run (ECW Press) features a murder on the slopes of Blackcomb Mountain and the mystery that unfolds when undercover FBI agent, Clare Vengel is sent to investigate it. Released earlier this month, this is the third book in a series featuring the edgy investigator.

"I'm trying to make her grow up," Spano says. "With each book it's a new challenge. It's easier because I know her. It's like with a friend you know: it's easier to figure out how she'll react or whether she'll like someone she meets. The constant challenge is I want her to learn to be a better cop. I want her to grow up. She's in her 20s. I want her to mature like a real person does."