Investigation Discovery's 'Hardcover Mysteries' to premier on October 11, 2010

The cable television station Investigation Discovery will launch a new series entitled Hardcover Mysteries on October 11, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The show features mystery writers David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, Linda Fairstein, Sara Paretsky, Kathy Reichs, Lisa Scottoline and Joseph Wambaugh discussing the real-life cases that influenced their works.

David Baldacci is one of eight crime fiction authors featured
on "Hardcover Mysteries."-Press photo from author's website

David Baldacci, author of the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series, the Camel Club series, and the Shaw and Katie James series, discusses the 1964 murder of Mary Meyer. The death of this Washington D.C. socialite who was a confidante to President John F. Kennedy contributed to Baldacci's first novel, Absolute Power (1996).

Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar series, focuses on the theme of girls who disappear in Long Lost (2009) and Caught (2010). Coben talks about the abduction and murder of college student Brianna Denison.

 Lisa Scottoline, author of the Rosato and Associates series, examines a case that involves the complex family relationships that provide a theme for her novels. Scottoline focuses on the murder of Sarah Starling, a 15-year-old who was involved in a plot with her mother to commit murder.

Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski series, looks back at a case that first caught her interest when she was child. The murder a faculty wife made headlines in her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. 

Romantic suspense writer Sandra Brown recalls the case that inspired her 1995 novel, The Witness. Nicholas West was the victim of a hate crime that took place in Tyler, Texas in 1993.

Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper series demonstrates Fairstein's background as head of the sex crimes unit for the New York County District Attorney's office. Fairstein reviews the case of serial killers Sante Kimes and her son Kenny.

Joseph Wambaugh, a former Los Angeles Police Department detective, traces the case which provided the subject of his 1989 nonfiction title, The Blooding. Child killer Colin Pitchfork was the first criminal to be convicted by means of genetic fingerprinting.

Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery, had this comment on the upcoming television series in an Investigation Discovery press release. "HARDCOVER MYSTERIES features eight world-renowned novelists doing what they do best – using their gifts as exceptional storytellers. This new series will enable them to share with our viewers true stories of mysteries that have confounded investigators and captured the attention of communities large and small."