This month, the Mystery Review Crew is diving into the world of twists, tension, and thrill with none other than Christopher Null! A fresh face in the thriller scene—but no rookie when it comes to the written word—Christopher is already stacking up the kind of stories that keep readers on edge and flipping pages late into the night. With several heart-pounding books to his name and more on the horizon, he’s a name mystery lovers won’t want to miss. (Curious about his background? Check out his bio below—you might be surprised!)
About Author Christopher Null
Christopher Null is an award-winning journalist, editor, and novelist. He is best known as the founding editor of Filmcritic.com, which was launched in 1995 and acquired by American Movie Classics in 2009, and the founder and editor of Drinkhacker, which launched in 2007. He was also the founding editor of Mobile PC magazine in 2003, the first ever periodical focused exclusively on mobile technology, before spending 4 1/2 years writing about tech daily for Yahoo! Tech as “The Working Guy.” He was the tech columnist for Executive Travel magazine (published by American Express) from 2008 to 2014.
Today Null runs a media company, Null Media, which provides editorial consulting, strategic direction, and writing services to media and non-media companies alike. He continues to contribute regularly for Wired, PC World, and other outfits online and off. His 2015 Wired article about his unique last name went viral and became the subject of an episode of Radiolab, and featured in segments on Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and the British quiz show QI. He still regularly answers reporter queries about the “Null” phenomenon.
Null’s long-form work includes two novels and two-non-fiction books. His first novel, Half Mast, arrived in bookstores in 2002 and was heralded as “the best of contemporary American fiction” by the New York Resident. His second novel, The Cul-de-sac , was named one of the “most anticipated thrillers of 2025.” Null’s 2005 book, Five Stars!, a how-to guide for aspiring film critics, is often used as a textbook for film criticism curriculum at a number of colleges and universities. A second edition was released in 2013.
Chris has been featured in dozens of publications and programs, including Wired magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, Folio, and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He received a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993 and 1996, respectively.
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An interview with Christopher Null
Can you share your journey to becoming an author? What inspired you to pursue a writing career?
I dabbled in writing as a child and even won a poetry contest when I was in fourth grade. I wrote short stories and my first (never to be published) novel in my late teens, but most of my writing has been journalistic. I was a freelance reporter and movie critic during college, then got a full-time job as a magazine editor in my ‘20s. That was about 30 years ago, and I have been a full-time journalist ever since. Writing fiction has always been something I explored on the side, when time has allowed. Lately, I’ve been forcing myself to make more time for it, because I really love telling stories and creating complex characters.
Are there any specific authors or books that influenced you early in your writing journey?
I always liked reading as a teenager, but it was when I discovered Kurt Vonnegut that I really found someone who had a voice that I could gravitate to: soulful and powerful but totally unpretentious. His economy of words is something that has been inspirational (and aspirational) to me for decades. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wring so much power out of so few keystrokes. And, of course, the stories he writes are simply unforgettable.
Can you describe your typical writing routine? Do you have any specific habits or rituals that aid your creative process?
I wish I had better discipline. Typically I will start the day with every intention of getting a new chapter or a certain number of words written before lunch, but then I’ll dawdle and get sidetracked on other work for hours and hours. Eventually around 4 pm I’ll finally find the momentum to get started, and I’ll power through an hour or two of quality writing. It’s not the best process. I’m working on it.
Are you a planner or a “pantser” (writing by the seat of your pants)? How do you approach structuring your stories?
First, I have the idea: Here’s how the book is going to start, and here’s how it’s going to end. Then I outline until I get sick of outlining. Then I start writing, and I revise the outline as I go. Vonnegut (to bring the master up again) said there are two types of writers: swoopers and bashers. Swoopers write by the seat of their pants and go back over it again and again, editing until it’s perfect. Bashers edit while they go, perfecting each line/paragraph before moving on to the next one. I am 100% a basher.
Sometimes my outline changes dramatically along the way. In the first draft of The Cul-de-sac, the last half of the book was completely different. Anyone reading this who’s finished the book can feel free to email me if they really want to know how it originally was going to go! (I’m reachable via my contact page at chrisnull.com.)
What role does research play in your writing? How do you strike a balance between authenticity and creative freedom?
Period authenticity is particularly important to me. The Cul-de-sac is set in late 2019, when wildfires were ravaging northern California and Covid was about to strike. I tried to ensure the dates were lined up with key fires that impacted the area where the book is set. My current project is set (at the start of the book) in the summer of 1985, and I’m working to ensure everything from the TV shows to the snacks are on point for that specific time. If a sporting event is mentioned in the book, I try to make sure that everything about that game on that day is accurate – the time, the score, etc.
One of my readers called me out for the fact that Eliza is given an iTunes gift card for Christmas in The Cul-de-sac, because they have been discontinued. But in 2019, they were still around. It’s also a totally appropriate gift given her family situation.
Have you ever been inspired by a dream, a conversation, or a fleeting moment to create a story? Please share an example.
The entire story of The Cul-de-sac is inspired by a conversation I had with a neighbor on the very real cul-de-sac on which I lived at the time. One night, an ambulance arrived at one of the houses on the street, and he asked me if I thought something unsavory might be going on inside the house. He was joking, of course, but I ran with it. That’s the whole point of the book: Who knows what’s going on behind closed doors?
Almost all of my best ideas come to me in dreams. The problem is remembering them in the morning.
Are there specific themes or recurring motifs that you find yourself exploring in your writing?
I have a lot of common themes I go back to: The quiet horrors of the suburbs. The psychology of guilt. How isolation and loneliness can slowly choke you to death. Bullying in all its forms. Existentialism, generally.
I write thrillers, but I don’t write typical genre fiction. I can’t imagine writing a story where there’s a dead body at the beginning, and the reader has to guess who the killer is. That just doesn’t interest me at all. I also don’t ever write clean, happy endings. Life isn’t that way, and neither are my books. I know a lot of readers dislike this, so I apologize in advance.
How do you approach writing dialogue to make it feel authentic and engaging for readers?
Having real-life experiences with people that resemble your characters is essential to making dialogue work. Teenagers and seniors use different words and talk in a different cadence, so you have to hang out with both of them. Fortunately I raised two kids – they’re both young adults now – so I had plenty of time for that. But no matter what, you have to read your dialogue out loud if you want it to sound like something a real person would actually say.
Have you ever received feedback from a reader that profoundly impacted your approach to writing or storytelling?
Years ago, a friend read my first novel Half Mast and told me she loved it so much that I absolutely had to write another. She was so insistent that I finally relented and started working on The Cul-de-sac, which sees the return of a key character from Half Mast. I don’t think I would have written the book at all if not for her cheerleading, and I wouldn’t have had the thought to bring him back for a semi-sequel.
Are there any exciting projects or new directions you’re planning to explore in your upcoming works?
Semi-related: The Cul-de-sac audio book is in production at Tantor Media. I’ve heard some of the auditions and the voice actors are amazing – though I always cringe at hearing my own writing read back to me. I’m also working on a new novel, as I mentioned.
If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and why?
Kilgore Trout, the most iconic (and recurring) character in Vonnegut’s universe. I feel like it would be like having dinner with Vonnegut himself.
If your latest book were to be adapted into a movie or TV show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Absolutely: I wrote The Cul-de-sac with Holly Hunter firmly in mind for the role of Peg. Christoph Waltz would be an ideal Klaus. Please let them both know I have books ready to mail out if they want to see for themselves!
Looking back on your writing journey, what advice would you give to your younger self when you were just starting out?
Good writing takes a lot of time, and more practice than you probably want to put into it. Keep writing, and keep reading, and if one story or book doesn’t work, shrug it off and start working on the next one. More importantly, life experience informs great writing, too, so you have to also keep living. Reading about things isn’t the same as being there.
Like any other creative field, writing involves a monumental amount of failure and rejection. It’s so easy to get discouraged and give up. Keep plugging away at it.
Also: Listen to everything your editor has to say. They know better. I’m still working on digesting that advice.
Thanks for the opportunity to chat. If anyone wants to continue the discussion, please reach out to me at chrisnull.com!
Read Christopher Null’s Latest Book: The Cul-De-Sac
Author: Christopher Null
Genre: Thriller
How well do you really know your neighbors?
Veteran serial killer Klaus Fischer is determined that his most recent murder will be his last, but like many retirements, this one isn’t sticking. No one has come close to suspecting he’s buried the victims on his quiet suburban California cul-de-sac property—but he’s feeling the urge to kill again, and this time he’s set his sights on a target dangerously close to home.
Widowed Peg Jurgensen has lived on the cul-de-sac for the past fifteen years, and she’s ready to shed her doldrums and re-enter the world around her. And where better to start than with mothering the curious young teen Eliza van Damal, whose family just moved to the cul-de-sac in order to expose their daughter to a better life.
Eliza, however, prefers to coerce the enigmatic hermit next door, Alex, into helping her pass math. Alex wishes the lot of them would disappear.
The closer these misfits become, the more danger even the most ordinary conversations invite. As the body count rises, can these residents trust anyone hiding behind their doors on this street?
Agree on Kurt Vonnegut. The Cull de Sac sounds interesting.