He wrote more than 30 novels, including an acclaimed series about Russian detective Arkady Renko. The first volume, "Gorky Park," was made into a 1983 film.

While most people wouldn't commit the crimes they read about, crime fiction allows readers to get familiar with the private, darker sides of human nature.

The book is set in fictional Magnolia Beach, South Carolina. Elderly Samuel Fulton, on his way to visit his aging wife in a ...