P.D. James once said, in an interview about her famous series sleuth Dalgliesh, “An experienced senior detective told Adam Dalgliesh, when Adam was new to the CID, that all the motives for murder came under the letter L: love, lust, lucre, and loathing. He added: ‘They’ll tell you, laddie, that the most dangerous emotion is hatred. Don’t believe them. The most dangerous emotion is love.’”
Since at least the early 1700s in England, an entire day has been associated with the celebration of this “dangerous” emotion—as the saint’s day for St. Valentine was transformed to focus on traditions such as sending notes and tokens, cards, candy, and flowers to loved ones. One of the legends as to why this day devoted to love and romance formed around the Christian feast day honoring an early Christian martyr named Valentine is that on being imprisoned by the Romans, the martyr Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and sent her a love note signed “from your Valentine” just before his execution. In the early 1400s, another legendary letter—a love poem—was supposedly sent from the Duke of Orléans, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London, to his wife on the feast day for St. Valentine. So it seems that Valentine’s Day as we know it has roots, in real life, in crime (or perceived crime) and punishment.
In mystery fiction, love often plays out in stories of obsession, or forms the motive for getting rid of a spouse who stands in the way of a new love affair, or explains the false confession of one suspect trying to protect another. And of course, Valentine’s Day in particular makes a great fictional setting for a suspense story: Secret admirers may be a source of pleasant puzzlement and guesswork in grade school, but the secretly admiring adult who sends an anonymous valentine is likely also to send a frisson of fear up the spine of the adult recipient—although I wonder if the cyber valentines of today can pack the full mysterious punch of those paper missives that used to be slipped surreptitiously into mailboxes.
Let’s not forget that Valentine’s Day also opens a Pandora’s box of devious methods for murder. All those irresistible boxes of sweets and bottles of wine—and bouquets of flowers too!—have the potential to conceal and deliver deadly poisons, while secluded lover’s lanes, country getaways for a little quality time together, and moonlit walks on the beach all offer opportunities for fatal “accidents” to happen. With that in mind, it might be safer to stay at home this Valentine’s Day and read something full of suspense rooted in love to commemorate the day. If you’re a subscriber to EQMM , 2024 has already brought right to your door a number of stories that fit the theme and in one way or another show how dangerous love can be.
In the January/February issue there’s “Where the Heart Is” by Jacqueline Freimor, and in our current issue (March/April 2024) there’s
“Turnabout” by Sheila Kohler, “Video Girl” by Manju Soni, and “A Second Opinion” by Fernando Santos de Oliveira (in Passport to Crime).
If that whets your appetite for more stories of love mixed with danger or obsession, our upcoming May/June issue will be a bonanza for you. There you’ll find “Blood and Butter” by Tyler Fiecke, “And the Moon Disappears” by Randall Silvis, “The Low Waters” by Larry D. Sweazy, “Artificial Hearts” by Twist Phelan, and Quick Change” by Michael Kardos.
Happy reading and happy Valentine’s Day from EQMM !—Janet Hutchings
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