he Director’s Cut is my first novel, but the idea of a silent film mystery series has been in my head for a long time. Before I got there, though, I spent ten years researching and writing about the Whitechapel Murders of 1888. I was a regular columnist for Ripperologist magazine, edited the American magazine Ripper Notes for three years, acted as a historical consultant to the Johnny Depp film From Hell and was co-author of The News From Whitechapel: Jack the Ripper in the ‘Daily Telegraph’ (McFarland & Co., 2002).

Pretty heady stuff, but I needed a break. Wouldn’t you? So after a couple of aborted starts on other projects, I decided to toss off a chapter or two of ‘Theda Bara, Amateur Detective’ to see where that led me. . .

Please send your comments or questions to: christopher@kissmemyfool.com