C. S. Lewis once said, “I wrote the books I should have liked to read if I could have got them. That's always been my reason for writing.” I myself, being foremost a disciple of Christ, am rather one of Lewis’ disciples as well. I am taking my cue from as I am writing this book, my first novel.
I enjoy many kinds of fiction and I intend to explore the various genres in my own writing. One genre that has been a longstanding favorite of mine is that of mystery fiction. I know I am hardly alone in enjoying this kind of book. My personal favorite literary sleuth is Lord Peter Wimsey, the hero of Dorothy Sayers’ series of detective novels. I also appreciate, of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and have read every last case of the original stories. There is just something about a good mystery that draws me in. I think that something, for me, is the love of logic. Induction and deduction, reasoning through probabilities, always chasing after certainty. If you pair the use of good reason with a compelling main character, give him a sidekick, and chase down an elusive bad guy, I am interested.
Lewis told us, essentially, to “write what you love” but a more general maxim is to “Write what you know.” So I am doing both of these things. I introduce to you Titus Matthews, a classical Christian educator who teaches Logic and Great Books alongside some rather talented peers. He spends his days with clever students, brimming with potential, who just might be helpful in their own way with what lies ahead. Mr. Matthews never set out to be a detective but when his good friend, Mr. Fitz, finds himself facing a murder charge (a murder which Detective Pollock is quite certain he committed) he is forced to take action.
As it turns out, constant study of the greatest minds in history and being stubbornly committed to Aristotelian logic makes for a pretty good do it yourself crime solvers starter kit.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Something Happened in Latin Class Today
Chapter Two: A Very Strange School
Chapter Three: Mr. Matthews Gets Involved
Chapter Four: Fitzy Confusticated
[MORE TO COME]
So interested in this thread! I'm going to read through it with my kids.
Thanks! It’s definitely a live project but it may be a while before I get too far with it. Hopefully I’ll finish my PhD this summer and will have more time for fun things like this!