Setting in a story is as important as ingredients in a recipe. It provides texture, flavor and color and brings the prose to life. A carefully chosen setting can influence characters, paint a picture, set the mood, heighten suspense, and add layers of complexity. If a setting is interesting enough and rich in detail, it can become a character in its own right. When writing crime thrillers, selecting the right setting is crucial to crafting a gripping tale to keep readers on the edge of their seats. In my thirty years of practicing law as a commercial litigator chasing secreted funds and untangling complex frauds, Iโve visited many far-away domestic and international locales that would make the perfect backdrop for crime thrillers. Here are my top five:
Cyprus
This tiny island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea sits at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It has a rich history, beautiful beaches lapped by turquoise waters, and a unique cultural blend of Greek and Turkish influences. In 1974, the island was divided in two: the Republic of Cyprus, predominantly Greek, sits on western and southern edge, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is on the eastern and northern side. In between is a UN buffer zone known as the โGreen Line.โ Despite the division, since 2004, the entire island has been part of the European Union. Over the last thirty years, after the fall of the Soviet empire, the island has been deeply influenced by Russian interests, and has become a financial hub for Russian oligarchs who utilize Cypriot banks and businesses to launder money and avoid Western sanctions. Just a three-hour flight from Moscow, Cyprusโs nickname is โMoscow on the Med.โ In addition, between 2013-2020, Cyprus had a โcitizenship by investmentโ program. Any foreigner who invested more than two million euros in Cyprus, typically though real estate investments, could obtain Cypriot citizenship and a coveted EU passport providing freedom of movement to live, work and travel in any of the 27 EU member countries. Although the program ended in 2020, the EU passports are still valid, including those in the hands of persons intent on committing crimes. The stories that can be conjured with an EU passport are limitless. Cyprus offers both secrecy and security for ill-gotten gains without a lot of questions askedโthe perfect setting for a financial crime thriller.
The Isle of Man
Another tiny island, this one in the middle of the windswept and misty Irish Sea roughly equidistant between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wakes, offers another well-known money laundering haven due to its historical status as an offshore financial center with low tax rates. Most company income is not taxed, and there is no capital gains tax, inheritance tax or wealth tax. The island is also a hub for online gambling. In 2024, reports claimed the Isle of Man was part of a โtransnational laundromatโ used by organized crime groups in Southeast Asia to launder criminal proceeds from on-line gambling businesses. If your James Bond-type protagonist needs a windy, dark, and dank Mainstreet lined with foreign financial institutions whose vaults are filled with ill-gotten proceeds, the Isle of Man is your winning ticket.
A large, urban metropolis
New York, for example, is a bustling, untamed urban environment, with large crowds and noisy neighborhoods where danger lurks around every corner. Like any big city, the density of people, traffic and commerce can overwhelm and isolate at the same time. Characters can get lost in crowds or blend into them, allowing them to become invisible. Anonymity and hiding in plain sight are both possible in a large city where no one knows your name. It can provide the perfect backdrop for a killer wishing to blend into a melting pot and hide among a faceless and nameless cavalcade of people caught up in their own messy lives.
Small town or isolated, rural setting
Remote locations like a cabin in the woods, a deserted island, or rural small-town America can limit means of escape and allow for plenty of hiding places. Terrifying threats can lurk in boarded-up homes and abandoned factories while the isolation and lack of resources can amplify a characterโs fears and vulnerability, and heighten tension. No phone signal and no internet means no one is calling for help. Nights are pitch black illuminated, if at all, only by moonlight casting dark shadows in a dense forest. And the only sound comes from coyotes howling in the distance as a wolfpack approaches.
A vessel at sea
A ship isolates suspects and victims and prevents outside intervention, forcing characters to confront rising tension and own their fate. Storms cloud gather in the distance, while winds batter the vessel and waves crash against its hull, rocking it from side to side. Escape is impossible which means the killer is still on board and is known to the others. Small, cramped spaces amplify interpersonal conflict and tensions mount as characters are forced to confront each other in close quarters. The ocean can be unpredictable and full of dangers, while long voyages at sea can create suspense and lead people to do the unimaginable.
Choosing the right setting, and describing it richly with vivid details, brings a story to life. As crucial as character development, carefully describing your setting puts the reader in the middle of the action and paints a picture for the reader to see, touch and smell. Like the secret ingredient that makes a feast out of a meal, the right setting can make a story memorable.
Dan Buzzettaย is a successful attorney and partner in the New York City office of a large national law firm. He is also an afficionado of the history of the mafia in the United States and Italy, where his parents were born. In 2024, Dan was elected to the governing body of his hometown in New Jersey for a three-year term. Dan is also a volunteer firefighter, and in his spare time enjoys traveling and skiing with his wife and three children. Visit Dan Buzzetta online at:ย ย www.danbuzzetta.com.ย
