He enjoys, kayaking and camping and tries to get on the local rivers and ponds as often as he reasonably can. Colt is also an avid cook, a hobby which manages to find its way into his novels. He is a proud member of both the Mystery Writers of America and The Pawtuxet Athletic Club.
He is the author of the Tommy Kelly mysteries, Cold Island (2025). He also wrote the Andy Roark series of books, The Off-Islander (2019) and Back Bay Blues (2020) and Death at Fort Devens (2022), The Ambassador (2023), The Judge (2024) and The Banker (2025). He has also published short stories in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
Here Colt dreamcasts an adaptation of Cold Island:
I have to confess something dear readers. This concept is brilliant because since the first movie was made, every author pictures their book as a movie. I don't care what you write, how you write, we all do.Visit Peter Colt's website.
My novel Cold Island, returns to my roots, both literally and literary. My first novel The Off Islander was set on Nantucket Island and I lived there until I was 13. Even after I moved away I went back regularly until my father passed away in 2014. I mention all of this because I not only picture actors but also a director for the book to movie sequence.
Cold Island is set on Nantucket Island, in both 1981 and 2016. When I was writing the book I was concerned about casting two characters, Massachusetts State Police Detective Tommy Kelly and Nantucket Police Detective Jo Harris. There are lots of other characters but those were the two that carry the story. There is a roughly ten year age difference between them.
My first choice to play MSP Detective Tommy Kelly is Ben Affleck. He is also the person whom I would want to direct the movie as well. My protagonist Tommy Kelly is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts. He is fit and complex. Ben Affleck is a solid actor but would have a huge advantage in that none of the regional nuance would have to be explained to him. He knows it because he's lived it. And for the Boston/Massachusetts accent which a lot of actors get wrong, or worse overdo, he would nail it because, again, he's lived it.
That is also what would make him an excellent choice to direct. Affleck has proven through his film Argo and his excellent interpretation of Dennis Lehane's Gone Baby Gone, that he is as good a director as he is an actor. I won't lie, I love the thought of reading a headline or marquis that reads; "Directed by and Starring Ben Affleck."
The ever excellent former Mad Man, John Hamm would be a strong choice to play Tommy Kelly. Hamm is a versatile actor, whose greatest strength, in my opinion, is the fact that his performances are understated. He delivers every nuance, every emotion, without ever overdoing it. That is what made his portrayal of Don Draper in Mad Men brilliant. It was believable because it wasn't over acted. John Hamm could deliver all of Tommy Kelly's complexity without over delivering.
I have a very clear picture of Nantucket Police Detective Jo Harris in my mind. She's petite. She's competent. She has dark hair and while she's not naive or a kid, she's not yet jaded by police work. In my mind it takes a very special actress to deliver her to the screen without turning her into a cliche. For me, that actress is Mila Kunis. I think she is an actress who is wasted in romcon's and can deliver a solid, layered, character study.
My Book, The Movie: Back Bay Blues.
The Page 69 Test: Back Bay Blues.
Q&A with Peter Colt.
The Page 69 Test: Death at Fort Devens.
My Book, The Movie: Death at Fort Devens.
Writers Read: Peter Colt (June 2022).
My Book, The Movie: The Ambassador.
The Page 69 Test: The Ambassador.
The Page 69 Test: The Judge.
My Book, The Movie: The Judge.
Writers Read: Peter Colt (May 2024).
Writers Read: Peter Colt (March 2025).
My Book, The Movie: The Banker.
The Page 69 Test: The Banker.
The Page 69 Test: Cold Island.
Writers Read: Peter Colt.
--Marshal Zeringue
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