PHOTO: R.S. Guthrie standing against the rugged Wyoming landscape, wearing casual outdoor attire, reflecting his deep connection to his home and the inspiration behind his novels.
Exploring Justice Character Suspense And Landscape
R.S. Guthrie discusses the creation of Sheriff James Pruett, his immersive Wyoming settings, balancing morality with suspense, and crafting complex characters that resonate with readers in gripping mystery thrillers.
R.S. (Rob) Guthrie writes with a voice carved from the raw landscapes of Wyoming, where he was born, raised, and ultimately returned after decades away. His work carries the weight of a place that is both breathtaking in its beauty and unyielding in its demands—a land where survival depends on strength of character, loyalty, and integrity. In this terrain, Guthrie has forged Sheriff James Pruett, a figure whose struggles mirror the contradictions of modern heroism: duty and vengeance, law and justice, resilience and fragility.
Blood Land, the first of the James Pruett series, set the tone for a trilogy that blends visceral suspense with human depth. The novels are not mere thrillers; they are meditations on morality, the pull of heritage, and the battles fought within as much as without. Rooted in real events that shaped Guthrie’s youth, the series transforms personal history into compelling fiction, each page echoing the complexities of human choice and consequence.
What sets Guthrie apart is not only his mastery of pace and conflict but also his insistence on balance—between action and reflection, between stark reality and lyrical description. His Wyoming is not a backdrop but a living force, shaping and testing those who dwell within it, while his characters—haunted, flawed, and deeply human—invite readers to confront their own inner contradictions.
There is an authenticity in Guthrie’s work that cannot be manufactured. It comes from lived experience, from a life among mountains and small-town truths, from a writer who knows that every great story is less about perfection and more about survival, courage, and the hard edges of humanity.
Your Sheriff James Pruett series has garnered significant attention. What inspired you to create this character, and how does he differ from other protagonists in the mystery genre?
Sheriff Pruett is a conglomeration of several law enforcement characters I knew growing up in the ruralness of NW Wyoming. His uniqueness is that he walks the line between law and vengeance, hero and anti-hero.
I was inspired to write my James Pruett Mystery series by events that occurred during my childhood in Wyoming. Each book is based on an actual event that inspired a fictional storyline built on each respective experience.
Blood Land, the first, is based on an actual family feud murder that occurred when I was in the 8th grade, where a father was killed by his son in a land feud (the accused’s defense was that the shooting was accidental – he was acquitted).
In Blood Land, the setting plays a crucial role. How do you approach world-building to make your locations feel as integral as your characters?
The goal in “world building” is to be faithfully descriptive of and true to the actual landscapes, supporting characters, and the real-life way in which the various characters respond to, admire, are challenged by their environment.
The world the writer creates must be realistic for the reader to both accept and see the various idiosyncrasies and nuanced beauty (and, at times, harshness of the world; this is the way to bring the environment alive in the reader’s mind).
Your novels often explore themes of justice and morality. How do you balance these themes with the need for compelling storytelling?
This balance is crucial. Justice and morality are often subjective and nuanced realities. Especially for Pruett, the protagonist, it is the balance between these two human truths that drives him.
Most readers can relate to similar inner conflict. The respective issues may differ, but human beings each maintain public, professional lives and private (and internal) existences. We most connect with characters who make us feel as if we’re not alone in our struggles – in maintaining this balance.
The pacing in your thrillers is notably intense. What techniques do you employ to maintain suspense and keep readers engaged throughout the narrative?
Conflict is the writer’s best friend. Conflict in Sheriff Pruett’s life often comes down to the inner battle with his own real demons.
Think of the best movies. Whether drama, or comedy, or romance, without conflict, the plot drags. Often students are taught to include too much conflict – I had a professor who would not accept any description or dialogue meant to add context to a setting or a character. I recognized this as a terrible mistake. Too much conflict can be just as dangerous and destructive as too little. We’ve each seen movies that become confusing; films where the plot becomes lost in far too much action (conflict).
Once again, balance returns as the key concern. Just as moderation in life, a writer must discover this crucial balance (which often depends on genre, writing style, audience, and many other factors).
Given your background in both writing and education, how has your experience as an educator influenced your approach to writing and storytelling?
The best way to learn about one’s own writing is to be willing to put it forward to others for critique. I’ve worked often with writers who have the gift of prose but are unwilling to accept criticism – which is understandable; a written piece is often akin to a writer’s child. No one likes another to make critical remarks toward their child, but it is the acceptance of critiques, and the honest critiquing of other writers, where one learns to improve their writing.
Your works often feature complex character dynamics. How do you develop multi-dimensional characters that resonate with readers?
Dig deep into the self. Each of us harbors both darkness and heroism. A character becomes real to the reader because the inner struggles and triumphs are understood– felt – by the readers. Such recognition of a reader’s own internal conflict makes the characters resonate.
With the rise of digital media, how do you see the role of traditional publishing evolving, and what strategies have you found effective in reaching your audience?
Traditional publishing will remain dominant for the top 1% of writers. There are so many talented writers in the world; we all cannot be in that heralded top 1% — that does not mean these non-one-percenters should remain unpublished.
I liken it to the myriad amazing singers who have never received the notoriety they may deserve. Unfortunately, the world of art is not about “deserve”; it’s about so many other factors (luck, exposure, great promotion).
Digital publishing (not unlike shows such as American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and Britain’s Got Talent, for singers) offers an alternative route to putting talent in front of the world.
What advice would you offer to aspiring authors looking to break into the mystery and thriller genre?
Read. Then read more. Consume great art within your genre. Read as many of the top 1% of writers – contemporary and classical – as possible. Such consumption feeds the muse.
Join a critiquing group – a workshop environment. Critiquing other writers, and having your work critiqued, is the best way to improve your craft.
