Silver Screen Sleuths: Zodiac (2007) with Keith Roysdon

Truthfully, David Fincher’s 2007 film, ZODIAC, with Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr. is a master class in sleuth fiction. It’s the subject of this week’s SSS podcast with award-winning-journalist-turned-crime-fiction-author, Keith Roysdon:

As always, if you don’t want to watch our silly mugs, the episode is still available in audio-only:

Zodiac (2007) – Keith Roysdon – Silver Screen Sleuths

Award-winning journalist and author Keith Roysdon joins host Emily J. Edwards to discuss one of David Fincher's masterpieces: 2007's ZODIAC. Keith's new book, SEVEN ANGLES, is out June 1st! Pre-order the book here.The conversation delves into the world of mystery storylines, the portrayal of crime fiction and newspapers in films, the categories of crime fiction and murder mysteries, the role of newspapers and journalism in mystery movies, and the atmosphere and realism in this incredible movie. TakeawaysMystery storylinesNewspaper crime movies Sensationalism in news reportingEvolution of investigative journalismThe impact of historical context on investigationsChapters00:00 Introduction to Mystery Storylines05:56 Categories of Crime Fiction and Murder Mysteries11:56 Portrayal of the 1970s and Journalism18:20 Challenges in realistic representation of Police work and Journalism26:58 Atmosphere and Realism in Writing and Filmmaking33:02 Evolution of Investigative Journalism40:21 Impact of Historical Context on FilmFind Keith Online!https://keithroysdon.com/https://bsky.app/profile/keithroysdon.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/keithroysdon/

1. Zodiac (2007) – Keith Roysdon 50:55
2. The Thin Man (1934)- Lawrence Allan 01:13:28
3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)- Libby Cudmore 56:05
4. Trailer 2 02:57
5. Silver Screen Sleuths – Coming Soon! 01:33

We get into it in the episode, but similarly to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, ZODIAC manages to blend three different types of sleuth narratives into one film: Mark Ruffalo is starring in a cop procedural (the officer he plays was the inspiration for both BULLITT and DIRTY HARRY), Robert Downey, Jr. is starring in a journalist sleuth film, and Jake Gyllenhaal is starring in an amateur sleuth narrative. Could that be why the movie is three and a half hours long? Probably.

About our guest:

Keith’s next book is called SEVEN ANGELS and it’s releasing next week! Here’s the back cover teaser:

A young woman returns to her small Tennessee hometown to help run the family funeral business after her father’s death and discovers Seven Angels has changed for the worse: prescription drug abuse is rampant, murders go unsolved, the sheriff is corrupt, white supremacists rule and a human trafficker from Russia controls the town.

Gloria Shepherd grew up in Seven Angels and is shocked by the changes. She gets drafted into replacing her ailing mentor as the county coroner. The duties put her in deadly conflict with the sheriff and the trafficker, who pursues a Ukrainian girl. Gloria assembles a close group of trusted friends – including an overlooked sheriff’s deputy, a fearless state investigator and an old mountain woman – to fight the forces of crime and corruption and rescue the missing girl.

I’m very lucky to have received an advanced copy, and it’s an incredible procedural with a fully fleshed-out small town as its base. The setting and relationships of every character are vibrant, and I hope he continues telling the history of Seven Angels after this book.

Find Keith Online:

https://keithroysdon.com

https://bsky.app/profile/keithroysdon.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/keithroysdon

Patreon Pitch:

My patreon (patreon.com/msemilyedwards) is paused at the moment, but I think I have a companion podcast idea in mind. In addition to Silver Screen Sleuths, what about a bonus pod called Celluloid Crime? If we’re going to spend hours talking about solving mysteries, perhaps we could spend two episodes a month talking about how to pull off the crime of the century. Movies like TAKING OF PELHAM 1-2-3, HOW TO STEAL A MILLION, THE ITALIAN JOB, etc., would make excellent subjects. Sound off in the comments and let me know what you think!