Use of product brand names in mystery novels

[Wolf Wootan]

There’s a thread going on over on 4MA that concerns the use of product names (and other authors' names) in a mystery novel. I’d like to give a few of my observations, but what I have to say could be construed by some to be BSP over there, though it’s not intended to be, so I’ll use this spot on Crimespace to say it. In my book Crown’s Law, the protag, P.I. Sam Crown, drives a red Camaro convertible, which I mention by name. Not just a “car.” I think this adds to the character and who he is, especially when added together with other observations: He’s 48 years old, still surfs (on a longboard), bird dogs the bikini crowd, etc. Perhaps he is trying to hang on to his youth. I think it’s important to be specific about his choice in cars. Another example from the same book:

She retrieved a flat box of Benson & Hedges from the pocket of her cover-up along with a gold lighter, then extracted a long, filtered cigarette from the box. Sam reached for her lighter, lingering a moment as their fingers touched, then he lit her cigarette.

She offered the box to Sam. He shook his head.

“Bullet to the lung ended my smoking days years ago. At least, when I did smoke, I smoked a real cigarette. What in hell are these things?” he laughed as he studied the box.

“The flat box fits better in my purse,” she chuckled.

“Hell of a way to choose a cigarette.”

The reason here for actually mentioning the brand name of the cigarettes is that it immediately conjures up the physical appearance of the product (if you are familiar with cigarettes — and if you’re not, you don’t care).

In my book Edge of Tomorrow, a spy novel, I mention Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October” by name. This was not intended to give Clancy a plug or sell his books. I’ve never met him. But in the context of the scene where it was mentioned, the protag was explaining what the CIA was like in the 1980s under Reagan and that book was instrumental in forming what the general public thought about the CIA back then.

“Did you ever read his book called The Hunt for Red October?” he asked.

“No, but I saw the movie on television. It was about a Russian submarine and the CIA wasn’t it?”

“That, and more. It was published in October of 1984, and really reflected many of the Reagan-era themes at that time. That was the glory days of the CIA as the public likes to think of them: emphasis on national security; the Soviets were the Evil Empire; covert operations were the norm, not the exception. The Era of Confrontation, not negotiations. Things were actually more intense and sinister than the book portrayed. Did you ever think about how the timing of events affect your life?” said Hatch.

So I used it as a device to get a point across. I don’t know why other authors use product names in their books, but I tend to have a reason for it. I could give more examples, but I think this is sufficient for now.

[Wolf Wootan]

I agree, Jeff. The same with music. Many authors describe the music that their protag listens to in detail. This is all part of character development, in my opinion.

[Jeff Markowitz]

I think there are times when it is essential to use brand names to fully develop a character or scene. For example, it matters that my amateur sleuth drinks Tullamore Dew and not just a generic Irish whiskey.