Retford, Francis Vivian - and Miss Winter

Over the years, I've done quite a bit of work with Inspire Culture, who are responsible for looking after Nottinghamshire's libraries, and who seem to me to do a very good job at a time when public libraries are coming under severe financial pressure. Rather more than a decade ago, I gave a talk at Retford Library, and I was pleased to be invited back there (and it was nice to discover that some members of the audience had come back for more after listening to me last time!). Coincidentally, I'm giving a talk on Agatha Christie at Mansfield Library tomorrow; again, that's somewhere I've spoken before, but a long time ago.

Retford is a bustling little town with a pleasant market square (and a nicely decorated town hall, above). The reason for my talk is that Francis Vivian, a writer who emerged in the late 1930s and continued to produce detective novels until the late 1950s, was born in Retford, and the library wanted to celebrate his work. As part of this, Tim Warner of Inspire gave an introductory talk about the author's life. His real name was Arthur Ernest Ashley, and his day job was as a local journalist. 

My role was to talk about his crime writing, and how he fitted in with the Golden Age of detective fiction - or, at least, with the Golden Age style of writing detective stories. I also took along a book from my research collection. This was a copy of his novel The Singing Masons, a first edition actually inscribed by the author, giving both his pen-name and pseudonym.

I enjoyed the event and the trip. I also had the pleasure of popping into Retford's branch of Morrisons supermarket, where I was very pleased to see on display copies of the new paperback edition of Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. Did someone say 'more reasons to shop at Morrisons'? 

Forgotten Book - The Keys of Death

George Sims (1923-99) was an extremely interesting writer (as indeed was his namesake, George Robert Sims, who died the year before he was born). He was first and foremost an antiquarian book dealer, but he wrote a dozen novels that were widely admired, and he was elected to membership of the Detection Club. Two of his books, The End of the Web and The Last Best Friend (which he felt were, in his lifetime, his most commercially successful titles) were republished nine years ago in the British Library's Classic Thriller series, for which I wrote introductions. (Although the Classic Thriller series is in abeyance, I still have hopes that it will spring back to life at some point, but who knows?)

The Keys of Death (1982) is a very good example of his strengths as a writer, though it also displays one or two of the weaknesses that recur in his books. Writing to a friend in 1991, he said, 'I am always less than satisfied when I read or re-read one of my books, but I am reasonably pleased with The Keys...In a strange way and to a certain extent some experiences were used in that book though it seems far-fetched.'

The protagonist is a rare book dealer called Jack Quinn, who also appeared in a later Sims novel. He is, I think, to some extent based on Sims himself, and although he's a big, dangerous man with a fondness for drink and, in particular, a woman called Cathy to whom he isn't married, he also has a sensitive and cultured side. The novel concerns his reaction to Cathy's abrupt and unexplained disappearance and his attempts to find out what has happened to her. There's some very interesting writing in this book, as well as some intriguing ideas, while the final revelation is quite memorable.

However, the first chapter is devoted to Cathy, and her terror when she is attacked by a violent man, so we know rather more than Jack does right from the outset. I can see why Sims started the book in this way, because it's a dramatic scene, but from a writer's perspective, it seems to me to be a dubious choice, because it cuts away quite a bit of mystery and suspense. There's some discussion about a modern version of the Hell Fire Club, but we see the Club at one remove, and I found that a bit surprising. To put it crudely, there is rather too much 'tell' and not quite enough 'show' as regards the inciting events of the novel. Sims was really more interested in character than in anything else, and he was able to write extremely well. He inscribed one copy to a friend with the description 'an odd tale without a happy ending', which is a fair summary, though too modest. I liked this book a lot, while feeling that it could have been even better. 

The Chapel of Bones by Kate Ellis

I've always enjoyed intricate murder mysteries and Kate Ellis - to whom I'm dedicating my next novel, Fever Island, in appreciation of more than 25 years of friendship - has a great track record of crafting intricate plots. Her latest novel is The Chapel of Bones (or Chapel of Bones, the title on the front cover of the dust jacket) and it's right up there with her best work.

Kate's particular strength, apart from plotting, is her ability to use the macabre in a way that complements her storylines. The novels of hers that I enjoy most are those books, generally featuring Wesley Peterson, that have a strong macabre element, and her latest is a good example. In fact, although the present title is fine, her originally proposed title, The Book of Beasts, alludes to a key theme in the story, and is evocative as well as relevant.

The Wesley books are set in Tradmouth, a Devon resort that could easily be mistaken for Dartmouth, if it were not for the fact that the body count there is astonishingly high; we're almost in Midsomer territory in that respect. Wesley's unerring ability to solve complex crimes makes it inexplicable that he hasn't been promoted for ages, but such is the lot of a fictional detective. The contemporary mystery in these books is always paralleled by a historical mystery, typically involving archaeology, and in this case set in the days of the Wars of the Roses. As with so many traditional detective stories, you do have to suspend your disbelief, but it's definitely worth doing so.

In this story we have a body walled up in an old house, someone mauled by lions, a killing that may or may not be a case of mistaken identity - and a case of dognapping coupled with blackmail. And that's just in the contemporary mystery, before we get to the discovery of ancient human remains at a ruined chapel and what the bones may signify. I raced through this story. With Kate, believe me, you get your money's worth of murder!  

 

Fifteen Million Pageviews - and Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery

There's a lot going on at the moment. This blog had more than one million pageviews last month and has now passed 15 million pageviews. A huge number, and I'm very grateful to all of you who read 'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?' 

I had a very enjoyable time at the British Library on Thursday. Part of the day involved meetings with the Publishing team, which I'm delighted to say is growing in number. There are various new initiatives afoot, as the Library seeks to grow commercial revenue, and from a reader's perspective, this is truly encouraging.

The main reason for my trip was to attend the private view of the Library's new exhibition, Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery. The exhibition opened to the public on Friday, a day which also saw publication of the exhibition book, co-edited by Lucy Rowland, lead curator of the exhibition, and myself. The foreword is by Sir Kenneth Branagh and there's a glittering array of contributors. The book is beautifully produced, and I truly believe that the quality of the text is a match for the quality of the illustrations.

It was great to go around the exhibition, and although we weren't in any way rushed, there was so much to see and to try to absorb that I think I'd like to go back another time! Which is perhaps the greatest compliment one can pay to this kind of show. It's open until late June, and it promises to be one of the Library's most successful exhibitions.

I'm going to write in much greater depth about the book and the exhibition on my Substack newsletter The Life of Crime Premium in the very near future. As I've mentioned before, the piracy of this blog by AI (which I'm sure accounts for some of those pageviews, given that the number each day is now so massive) does concern me, and this is why (although the blog will continue) I am devoting more focus to The Life of Crime, my free monthly newsletter, and Premium, which contains a lot of in-depth and exclusive material, rare images, and info not available elsewhere. So please do sign up for The Life of Crime, which you can do here.

Forgotten Book - Death in Albert Park

In a recent The Life of Crime Premium newsletter, I told the curious story of how Leo Bruce's novel Neck and Neck, featuring his series character Sergeant Beef, was actually written by his brother. This prompted a fellow Golden Age fan to tell me that he believed that some of the later Leo Bruce titles may also have been written by his brother (in real life, L.A.B. Croft-Cooke). Why this was done, nobody seems to know; perhaps it was simply all about writing as much as possible to earn money.

I was reminded of this when reading the 1964 Bruce title Death in Albert Park, because in some respects the writing style strikes me as slightly different from that of other novels about his second major character, Carolus Deene, that I have read. Yes, the usual supporting cast is present and correct, but (despite some enjoyable lampooning of trendy 60s theatrical pretensions) the lightness of tone found in earlier Deene novels is much less conspicuous. To some extent, this is because the setting, in the eponymous London suburb, is drab. But I do wonder about the authorship.

Quite early in the novel, three women are murdered. There's no significant connection between them, other than the location of the crimes, but Carolus decides, when investigating, to look into the personal lives of each of the victims. This is a set-up similar to that of a previous novel in the series - although the treatment is different - and again it made me wonder if the two books were written by the same man, or if plot inspiration was wearing a bit thin.

The book is a smooth and enjoyable read, but I must say I was rather disappointed with the solution. This is, perhaps, because I was a bit miffed that I'd worked what I thought was a better solution, which turned out to be incorrect! But it was also because the culprit's motivation didn't carry as much conviction as I thought it should have done. So, worth reading, but not a vintage Leo Bruce, whoever wrote it. 

Somewhere By the Sea - guest blog post by Gianetta Murray

Today I'm pleased to host a guest post by my fellow crime writer Gianetta Murray, who shares my enthusiasm for cruises!

'For luxury, excitement, and a chance to see the world, there isn’t much that beats a cruise ship.

It’s also an ideal place for murder.

Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Kerry Greenwood, and countless others have set mysteries on ships, and with good reason. The surroundings tend to be luxurious, allowing your readers to live vicariously. The suspects can’t leave (except by being murdered), so there’s plenty of time to interview them. And even in this day and age, the WiFi is often dodgy, presenting your sleuth with communication challenges when time is of the essence.

Your average mystery author is also spoiled for choice when it comes to murder method. Fancy drowning someone in the swimming pool? Poisoned drinks? Electrocuted in the gym? Or maybe an “accident” while trap shooting? All available, plus any of the classics. There’s no official police presence, and your killer has a large ‘body’ of water in which to hide the evidence!

If all that wasn’t enough, cruises usually have dining arrangements that throw random people together. We all know when strangers meet, eventually someone’s going to want to kill someone else, right? (Maybe because they’re not actually strangers?) They are forced into close proximity over Lobster Thermidor, and by the time the crème brulee is served no one is safe.

With such a glorious midnight buffet of plot and character possibilities presented by a cruise ship setting, it’s no surprise bestselling writers Tom Hindle and Ruth Ware also recently indulged.  Frankly, it’s a wonder any writer can resist.

I certainly couldn’t. My Vivien Brandt Mystery series mostly takes place in a small Yorkshire village, but by book three I craved some high-seas glamour and wrote Shipped to Slaughter, in which expat Vivien’s American and British families gather for the first time on an Alaska cruise to celebrate her milestone birthday.

Throw in a chance meeting (or is it?) with someone from Vivien’s past, a robbery, and some suspiciously dodgy passengers in addition to murder and I was one happy author.

So yes, cruise ships are a great place to set a murder mystery. I just have to figure out how to top it, now that Vivien’s on a train home. Because nothing exciting ever happens on a train…

What’s your favourite setting for murder and why? Reply with your answer (to gianettamurray@gmail.com) and I’ll pick a favorite to win an e-book of Shipped to Slaughter.

Thanks to Martin for letting me guest on his blog!'

 

L. C. Tyler - The Murder Planner

I've often talked about L.C. Tyler's books on this blog. He is a writer whom I enjoyed reading even before our paths ever crossed in person. Since that time, we've become friends and I was his vice-chair when he chaired the Crime Writers' Association. We're also working on a project together at present. So I was very pleased to receive an early copy of a novel which represents a new departure for him, and which has now been published by Allison & Busby.

This is The Murder Planner, which is in roughly the same vein as Len's excellent series about Ethelred (a long-suffering writer) and Elsie (his often unsympathetic literary agent). This novel again revolves around the world of books. This time the protagonist is an editor, Sable Knight, who is in charge of an indie publisher called Day and Knight.

Sable has, we soon discover, taken on more than a business from her former colleague Joe. For the firm's orthodox offerings are supplemented by the creations of the fertile minds on Day and Knight's books: writers who aren't necessarily based with great literary gifts, but are very good at coming up with ideas for 'perfect murders'. And the company sells these plots to people who have someone they'd like to remove from their life...

This is a great concept and it's executed with Len's customary brio. Sable is a very entertaining character (as is her mother, a lady once on close terms with the Krays) who soon discovers that she's getting in too deep. Her attempts to extricate herself from disaster are presented with the humour that is Len's trademark. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will not be the last time we hear of Sable Knight.

Forgotten Book - Vertigo

Although Vertigo is very much not a forgotten film, I think it's not unreasonable to describe D'Entre Les Morts, the book on which Hitchcock's masterpiece was based, as somewhat forgotten. It was originally known in the UK as The Living and the Dead, although my copy, published in paperback for Sight and Sound almost thirty years ago, has the title Vertigo and Hitchcockian cover imagery.

The authors were Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, and the translator Geoffrey Sainsbury. Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm a long-time fan of Boileau and Narcejac and I find it amazing that some of their books still have not - yet - been translated into English. They were brilliant at coming up with memorable and often macabre ideas. 

They were also very economical writers. My copy, a small edition, runs to a mere 170 pages. No wasting of words with these two Frenchmen. The story is quite bleak, more so than the film in my opinion, and there are some differences. The changes Hitchcock and the screenwriters (Alec Coppel and Samuel W. Taylor) made to the narrative were highly effective, elevating it to the status of a screen classic.

That said, the book is a good read in its own right. The protagonist is Flavieres, a former police officer, and after his old pal Paul Gevigne asks him to keep an eye on his wife, the ex-cop gradually develops an obsession about the woman. But it's a destructive obsession. A dark story, then, but gripping from start to finish.

The Isles of Scilly

I've had a number of fantastic trips lately, and a couple of days before Death in the Dales, we returned from a visit to the south west and the Isles of Scilly. My original plan was to combine this return to the Isles of Scilly (which I last visited many moons ago) with my participation in the International Agatha Christie Festival. Unfortunately, a family funeral meant that was impossible, but I was able to rearrange things, and the trip proved to be a great experience before I get down to some serious writing (and believe me, there's a lot of that to be done!) 

As you may have guessed, I'm hoping to write a story set on the Isles of Scilly at some point in the future. It's a great setting and it has featured in books by writers such as Andrew Garve, W.J. Burley, Ann Cleeves, and Kate Rhodes. I'm hoping to put together a discussion of Scilly crime novels for The Life of Crime Premium before too long. 

When I go on a long drive in Britain, I like to try to break the journey at interesting places that might also prove inspirational in terms of story ideas. On this occasion I picked Newark Park (a fascinating former hunting lodge with very extensive grounds) and Croome (a grand estate with an intriguing history), both of which I can strongly recommend; there are photos of both Croome and Newark Park above. There was also a visit to Newquay, a resort I've never visited before.

The centrepiece of the trip, though, was the trip to the Isles of Scilly. That long ago visit was just a day trip, spend mainly on Tresco, but the memory of the Tresco Abbey Gardens (above photos) and indeed the amazing 'Valhalla', a collection of ships' figureheads, has stayed in my mind. This time we were staying on St Mary's, the biggest island (although it's still not all that big) and quietly charming.

Saturday was a wonderfully sunny day and we took full advantage by sailing to Tresco and then to the small but close-by island of Bryher. The gardens, even in mid-October, were stunning, and Valhalla is as fascinating as ever. This was a day which I'll long remember. The next day was a bit damp, but again there was a chance to explore St Mary's, with its formidable garrison, and quiet coves.

 

The journey back was also memorable, if not for the best reasons. Fog at Land's End meant that it wasn't possible to fly back as planned, and so it was a case of returning by ferry and then a long drive through the fog and dark to get to the hotel in Somerset where I'd booked; given that the main roads were completely shut for miles, there were endless detours, and all in all it was about the most challenging drive I've ever undertaken, arriving some time after midnight. But there's no doubt: it was definitely worth it.

Death in the Dales 2026

I'm just back from an exhilarating weekend in England's Book Town, Sedbergh, where the third Death in the Dales festival was a great success. Warm congratulations to my friend and fellow crime writer Jean Briggs, who was in charge of things, not forgetting the hard-working behind-the-scenes team who helped everything to run so smoothly, resulting in a glitch-free experience from start to finish.

The relatively short journey north from Lymm on Friday afternoon turned into a three-hour nightmare thanks to multiple roadworks, which made the title of the film which kicked off the festivities rather ironic: Detour. I've mentioned this film noir briefly on the blog in the past, but I plan to discuss it more fully in due course.

The first event the next morning was a conversation about puzzle mysteries between Antony Johnston and me; I always enjoy sharing a platform with Antony and an hour whizzed by. There was a good talk about true crime influences on fiction from Carrie de Silva, while in the afternoon there were entertaining panels featuring a variety of writers, including Tom Mead, who kindly signed a number of his books for me.

Saturday evening was devoted to a murder mystery play written by me and splendidly performed by Antony, Dea Parkin, Fiona Veitch Smith and Jason Monaghan. I very much enjoyed their lively interpretation of the script, and an excellent dinner followed to end a busy but very satisfying day.

Further panels on Sunday morning were followed by Matthew Booth's original and excellent presentation on the history of crime fiction. There was a delightful added dimension to the presentation, but I'll avoid spoilers. Suffice to say that a good time was had by all and I very much hope that Death in the Dales will return again next year.