I liked the challenge of writing in a very concise structure in which both meaning and form are important.

Robert Rotenberg does for Toronto what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh.

The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire.

People want to avoid the past. I suppose that's natural. When we tally up all we've said and done over the years, despite the wonderful memories, the regrets may be fewer but stand out more prominently, glowing coals that we can never quite extinguish, try though we might

Hardcover books are fairly expensive these days and to read one requires a significant commitment of time in our busy society. So I want to make sure that when readers buy one of my books they get something they're familiar with.

It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes.

The outline is 95 percent of the book. Then I sit down and write, and that's the easy part.