The author cleverly dates the
investigation right up to Christmas Day and a bit like an Advent Calender it is
impossible to ignore! Some of the plot requires an element of suspension
of disbelief but on the whole I found the story engaging and very well
constructed.
We are left wondering what will be the next step in Tom's private
life..... I especially liked the author's dedication of this book to the
NHS.
------
Reviewer: Toni Russell
So said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Whether or not he had also been notified by his publisher that there was no budget to market his recently published novel is unknown. But that’s where I found myself last year.
All of my novels had, to date, been historical crime fiction. I have long been a reader of historical fiction which had influenced my choice of genre, but I also enjoy a relaxing contemporary cosy crime read. I’d never tried my hand at writing it, but how hard could it be?
Actually, there was a lot more to consider than I first thought. Let’s take a look at just a few things I came across. Do note however that these are my personal views and not everyone will agree. Let’s begin though with the easy bits, the constants.
The tense used will be whatever suits the writer. I much prefer reading and writing novels written in the third person, despite the fact that writing in the first person is easier (in my opinion).
Motives for murder aren’t going to change, -money, love, lust, power etc remain constant.
Whether you are a planner or a “pantser” as a writer isn’t going to change. I definitely prefer to plan out my storylines, but I will amend the plan as I progress. Here though, we do come to a slight difference. In an historical novel a change of direction can lead you into areas that may tie you into avenues of extra research which you hadn’t anticipated. I don’t feel that there’s quite that risk with a contemporary cosy crime novel.
That’s not to say that there aren’t any areas of research which need to be delved into. Because clearly there are. In fact, too many to list fully, but the obvious ones include forensics, modern firearms, narcotics, police procedures, to name but a few. Having friends to call upon to get “inside advice” on some of these (thanks Matt Johnson) is
invaluable.
But where do the difficulties lie? Some real differences between historical crime fiction and contemporary cosy crime? Here are three examples: -
Anachronisms
Readers of historical fiction want authenticity. Not just the obvious no-no’s of ancient Romans eating tomatoes, but you can be picked up on getting the brand name of an alcoholic beverage being a few years too early (yes, it happened). So, a thorough knowledge of all aspects of the era is highly desirable. However, do tread carefully when entering the world of contemporary fiction. Because there are equivalent traps there. What you might describe as being a highly desirable phone stolen from a victim might be obsolete by the time the book is published. The tech world changes so fast that you could be left with egg on your face. Even with language, don’t go anywhere near “youth speak”. Your peng heroine will soon become leng (speak to anyone under 25 for an
explanation).
Writing Style
Cosy Crime is not a place to explore the human condition with the central character fighting inner demons. Nor is it the place to wax lyrical about the scenery and the wonders of nature. It’s not that cosy crime writers can’t do this, the point is that it isn’t required. The pace has to be a tad quicker than other forms, giving an entertaining and relaxing read. There is a fine balance to be struck to find the right blend of depth and detail. I found the switch of style to be challenging.
Tropes
Without doubt, the hardest thing to get my head around when getting to grips with the genre. You see, I like reading cosy crime, but I like watching cosy TV crime even more so, despite the fact that many of them are frankly quite ridiculous.
Often you find the same type of characters. The one policeman in particular who is stupid and bullish. Inevitably they arrest the wrong man. There’s the Chief Inspector who in real life would be sat behind a desk all day, but who finds time to tramp around the countryside doing the job of a detective sergeant, the single forensic expert, who does the work of a dozen people, the DNA results that come back in a matter of hours, the arrogant aristocrat etc etc.
But squaring Leslie the reader with Leslie the author was really difficult. I like to think I’ve managed to keep on the side of those cosy crime writers who do try and stick as close to reality as the flow of the novel permits.
Has my change of genre worked? Well, I do hope so.
“This thoroughly enjoyable book is the best yet in Scase’s ‘Inspector Chard’ series… Scase deploys his knowledge of the police service at the time with remarkable skill, weaving the tension between innovation and accepted practice into the story smoothly. Taking South Wales in a time of change as the background for a ripping yarn may have been done before but seldom as well and with less preaching.”
Myfanwy Alexander, Nation.Cymru
Leslie Scase is a former Customs and Excise officer, born and educated in south Wales but now living in Shropshire. He is a member of the Crime Writers Association and of the Crime Cymru writers collective.
The Inspector Chard Mysteries, are crime thrillers set in the heyday of Victorian Britain.
Flames of Anarchy published in May 2024, is the fourth novel in the Inspector Chard Mysteries series.
Leslie regularly gives talks on crime in the late Victorian period, has appeared at many literary festivals and been interviewed on BBC radio. His interests include military history, fly fishing, cooking, real ale, football and
rugby union.
A Gentleman’s Murder is set in 1924.
He currently lives in Montreal, Canada
Lizzie: Hello Christopher, thank you for taking the time to chat with Mystery People. It is clear from your bio that your interest is in the Golden Age era. What sparked your interest in that particular period in history?
Christopher: Thanks for having me, Lizzie! I grew fond of the “fair play” aspect of Golden Age mysteries from the moment I picked up my first Agatha Christie, and when I thought to write one of my own, it just seemed natural to use the same settings. It was only later, as I did more research into that era, and discovered how much more there was to be discovered under the superficial layer of jazz music and post-war hedonism, that an actual interest in the period took hold.
Lizzie: A Pretender’s Murder also contains tales of wartime espionage. Is this also part of the fascination of the period?
Christopher: To be honest? Not especially. But I must admit that I’ve only just scratched the surface of this particular aspect of the setting, so who knows where I’ll stand on the subject as I learn more. I will say that the sheer nebulousness of military intelligence, the fact that so much has to be veiled in secrecy, offers a wide scope for imagination.
Lizzie: In between the first and second books featuring Eric Peterkin, you wrote Unnatural Ends. I particularly liked ‘that his estate shall go to the heir who solves his murder! At this time had you in mind to do a second book featuring Eric Peterkin?
Christopher: Yes, the intention was always to produce a second Eric Peterkin mystery. Unnatural Ends was originally intended to be a short novella for something my publisher had planned for Hallowe’en. If you’ve read it, however, you know it’s absolutely not a “short novella”. That thing outgrew its original purpose and became a full-blown novel in its own right.
Lizzie: Do you have the whole book planned out when you settle down to write, or does it change during the writing process, or does it pan out exactly as you have originally planned?
Christopher: I do plan a bit, but not in very much detail, certainly not all the way through. I’ll plan perhaps a quarter of it, write that, readjust my plan if anything didn’t work out as expected, and then try to think about what happens next. The thing about mysteries in particular is that they’re telling two different stories at the same time: there’s the deeper story about how and why the crime happened; and then there’s the surface-level story about how your detective unearths the deeper story. When people talk about planning a mystery story, they nearly always mean the surface-level story. But I find it’s more important to plan out the deeper story instead because that’s the foundation that everything else is built on.
Lizzie: Do you have a favourite part of the writing process?
Christopher: I love going over the completed product and polishing it to a shine! There’s less anxiety, because the book is essentially done, and there’s something deeply satisfying about seeing things get better.
Lizzie: Do you write for a certain number of hours each day, or set yourself a target of x number of words?
Christopher: I have no discipline whatsoever. I sit myself down at the beginning of the day, and I try to write around my distractions. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. And then, at the end of the day, I count the words I’ve written and tell myself how I could have done so much better. One day, I shall be the sort of person who can name a target and hit it within an allotted time, but I’m not there yet.
Lizzie: Who are the authors whose work you enjoy and why?
Christopher: Christie goes without saying: she wrote the sort of mysteries I aspire to write myself. I love Anthony Trollope’s narrative voice, which I’ve seen described as “third person omniscient and chatty”. Eric Peterkin’s hometown being “Barchester” is a direct reference to Trollope’s Barsetshire series. And I greatly admire how Terry Pratchett mixes wisdom and compassion into his humour.
Lizzie: What particularly attracted you to move to Canada?
Christopher : I was seventeen when that happened and can’t really take credit for the choice. In a large part, it was because I already had family in this part of the world. Perhaps the question is more about whether I’d still choose Canada today, and the answer is yes. I actually enjoy the climate, even the winter. The one thing I don’t love is how hard it is to get my hands on a proper jar of Bovril; but as my old boss once told me, “If that’s what they’re choosing to complain about, then we’re doing really good.”
Thank you for chatting with us, Christopher.
Bloody Scotland is the big crime-writing festival with the intimate vibe of a small one. The largest of its three venues, the Albert Halls, holds more than 700 people and the queues of avid crime fiction fans snake round the block for the big names but everyone is so friendly that you’d be forgiven that you were in a low-key festival in a small town.
And Bloody Scotland is super-friendly to debut authors like me. The festival runs an initiative called Crime in the Spotlight, where a lucky group of debut and new writers are given three minutes to showcase their work just before the household names - who the audience has really come to see - take to the stage.
I was doubly lucky. Not only was I given a coveted Spotlight place, but I was scheduled to take to the stage before a sold-out audience on the Saturday evening who had come to see crime-writing royalty:
Sir Ian Rankin, and the guest programmer for this year’s festival, was interviewing Kathy Reichs.
And as a scientist, she’s always been careful not to blind the readers of her murder mysteries with too much of it.
“The solutions are science driven but you have to keep the science brief,” she explained. “You want to keep it jargon-free. You have to keep it entertaining.”
And it’s worked: her list of Brennan thrillers will stretch to 28 when the latest comes out in a few weeks.
Thanks to the sell-out crowd that Kathy - who was absolutely charming - was able to attract, my appearance in Crime in the Spotlight couldn’t have gone much better. The audience were warm and welcoming, Waterstones sold out of every copy of Deadly Protocol they had and could have sold more.
In Nordic Chills and Thrills, I asked three Nordic Noir writers the obvious question: just why have crime thrillers set in that part of the world become so popular?
L-R Johana Gustawsson, Thomas Enger and Karin Smirnoff
in Nordic Chills and Thrills
Johana Gustawsson put it down to the fact that the Nordic countries are so quiet – the perfect atmosphere for a crime thriller.
“The landscape is beautiful and, at the same time, you have that silence beneath,” she said.
Fellow panellist Thomas Enger, with whom Johana is collaborating on a new Nordic Noir series, put it down to the winters.
“We don’t see the light for three months,” he said. “That’s not normal for people.”
And what about the woman who has inherited the crown of Nordic Noir? Karen Smirnoff was chosen by the family of the late Stieg Larsson to continue his Millennium series and her latest in the series,
The Girl with Ice in Her Veins, has just been published.
She said the rest of the world has got it all wrong about Scandinavia, particularly her home country of Sweden. “People have an idea of Sweden [today] that was the Sweden of the 1960s,” she said. “Rich with no violence.” It’s not like that any longer. Today’s Sweden is more violent and more crime-ridden - perfect for crime writers, of course.
What’s not so perfect is being lumbered with a character you don’t like but Karen revealed that this happened to her when she took over the Millennium series. She loves writing about Lisbeth Salander, the brilliant and uncompromising protagonist that makes the Millennium books so special. But she’s is not so keen on the other main character, journalist Kalle Blomkvist.
Fortunately, the three occupants of the same stage a few hours later had no such problems. All were intimately connected with one of the most well-loved detectives to grace crime fiction over the last four decades –
Det Insp John Rebus.
L-R Sir Ian Rankin, Gray O'Brien and James
MacPherson in A Puzzle of Rebuses
James MacPherson said reading the audio books is the hardest acting job he’s ever done because he has to adopt a different voice for each character. But when he picked up a new Rebus novel, he said “within on page I’m back in…the voices just come to me.”
Gray O’Brien revealed that he’d never read a Rebus book before playing the character. But that wasn’t a problem because the detective on stage is very different from the one in the books.
“There wasn’t any baggage,” he said. “The Rebus in the stage play is a much lighter character. This was a fresh take on Rebus.”
Ian Rankin told the audience that it was a miracle Rebus survived at all beyond the first book. “He was shot and killed at the end of the first draft,” he explained. “I didn’t realise you could write about the same character in book after book.”
But now there have been 25 full-length thrillers, plus short stories, stage plays and even a graphic novel featuring Rebus, and his creator told the audience he never tires of writing about him.
“The reason I keep writing about this guy is that I still don’t know what makes him tick,” he said.
But for how much will Rebus be around for? He’s now in his eighties and one worried member of the audience pleaded: “Don’t kill him off!”
The king of cosy crime wasn’t in Stirling this year, but his first lieutenant was.
The Rev Richard Coles has moved from pop star, as a keyboard player for The Communards, to Church of England vicar to contestant on
Strictly Come Dancing.
Now he’s a best-selling cosy crime author, with amateur sleuth Canon Daniel Clement as his main protagonist.
“I try never to write something that I don’t know about, which is one of the reasons I wanted to write about a priest,” he told Ian Rankin – by this time working overtime as interviewer in yet another session.
And Rankin couldn’t resist coaxing a confession out of Bloody Scotland’s priest-in-residence.
“Have you ever had a parishioner who’s got on your nerves, and you’ve killed him off?” Rankin asked.
“Yes,” was the reply.
And the creator of music-mad DI Rebus had another question up his sleeve.
“No chance of the Communards getting back together?”
“No,” was the very firm reply.
Juno Browne is a busy woman. She runs a dog-walking business, a cleaning business, an antiques business from her home, as well as helping Ricky and Morris with their theatrical costume hire business. She also gets involved in murder investigations.
Amidst all this activity, Juno does manage to have a personal life, but even that is slightly complicated as her lover, Daniel Thorncroft, lives in Ireland. He is renovating a house close to Juno’s and visits her as often as he can. Daniel decides that a car would be useful and Juno manages to find one at a reasonable price in time for his next visit. On his arrival he discovers a body in the boot of the car. Juno explains to the police that she purchased the car from Amber Horrell, the daughter of Julian Horrell, another local antiques dealer who had recently died. To Juno’s concern, the police reveal that they have not been able to contact Amber.
Juno’s natural curiosity soon takes over and, ignoring police warnings not to get involved, she follows her own lines of enquiry. Her (not always subtle) investigations slowly reveal a complex and fascinating family history, the identity of a murderer and the whereabouts of a family treasure.
In
this, the ninth book in the series, Juno uses her knowledge of the antiques
business, her familiarity with the area and her own instincts. She is supported by her friends and
frustrates the police, who attempt to keep her safe. Daniel is a good foil for her energetic
pursuit of the truth. An interesting
introduction to Steampunk helps in the discovery of the solution and the story
has a muted, but happy, ending.
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Reviewer:
Jo Hesslewood
Other
books by this author: Dead in Devon,
Dead on Dartmoor, From Devon with Death, The Dartmoor Murders, A Devon Night’s
Death, Death Comes to Dartmoor, A Devon Midwinter Murder, Death on Dartmoor.
We are excited to share the announcement that bestselling psychological thriller writer, Lisa Jewell, is confirmed as Festival Programming Chair for the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival!
Several exciting special guests, David Baldacci, Nadine Matheson, Gillian McAllister, Steve Cavanagh and Alice Feeney, have also been confirmed. We are thrilled that global crime writing icon David Baldacci, one of the world’s most-loved thriller writers, is returning to the Festival for the first time in fifteen years with his highly acclaimed new series featuring undercover spy Walter Nash.
Theakston
Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival,
returns to Harrogate
23-26 July 2026
to
offer fans from around the world a unique opportunity to meet literary
superstars and discover exciting new talent, and enjoy a packed programme of
panels, talks and inspiring creative workshops, with a special event for 2026
celebrating the legacy of Agatha Christie, who stayed at the Old Swan Hotel
(the Festival venue)100 years ago when she mysteriously disappeared.
Weekend Break Packages for the festival are on sale now and rover tickets and individual event tickets go on sale in Spring 2026.
The crime writing
genre’s oldest and most famous award has had an injection of new blood thanks
to a new sponsor.
Author Karen Baugh
Menuhin is sponsoring its highest accolade, the
CWA Diamond Dagger.
One of the UK’s most
prominent writers’ societies, the CWA was founded by the prolific author John
Creasey in 1953.
The very first CWA
awards ceremony was hosted in 1965, with Agatha Christie as the principal
guest, and the awards have become known as the ‘Oscars of the crime genre.’
The Diamond Dagger
was introduced in 1986, and is considered the UK’s most prestigious lifetime
achievement award for crime writers. Presented annually, nominations for the
award are put forward by CWA members and selected by a vote of past Diamond
Dagger winners.
Past recipients
include Mick Herron, Lynda La Plante, John Le Carré, PD James, Ian Rankin, Ann
Cleeves, Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth,
and Michael Connelly.
Karen Baugh Menuhin
is a bestselling author whose murder mystery novels have sold over a million
copies. She lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, Krov Menuhin – retired
explorer, natural history film-maker, and eldest son of Lord Yehudi Menuhin.
Karen Baugh Menuhin
said: “I’ve always been a huge fan of historical fiction, Downton Abbey, and
murder mystery. I began writing a few years ago at the age of 60 – which just
goes to show it's never too late. I decided to take the independent route and have
been extremely fortunate that my books have resonated with fans. In the last
few years, I’ve reached number 1 in the USA and sold over a million books.
Crime fiction has given me so much pleasure as a reader and a writer, and I’m
very proud to be able to give something back. Sponsoring the CWA Diamond Dagger
is arguably the most esteemed award in crime fiction and it's a huge honour to
be involved in supporting the CWA in this.”
Maxim Jakubowski,
chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: “I am delighted that Karen Menuhin
has come forward to personally sponsor the CWA Diamond Dagger. Following a
handful and more of decades when the award was sponsored in turn by a variety
of welcome corporate bodies, it is gratifying to find an author with a belief
in our crime & mystery community willing to take over the flame.”
The Daggers celebrate
the best in crime writing, and feature 13 Dagger Awards in total, celebrating
established careers as well as new talent, with the Emerging Author Dagger,
open to unpublished authors. To date, agents and editors have signed over two dozen
of these emerging authors.
Nadine Matheson,
Chair of the CWA, said: “I’m delighted to have Karen Baugh Menuhin as the
sponsor of the CWA Diamond Dagger. The Diamond Dagger is the highest honour in
crime writing, celebrating a lifetime of extraordinary commitment, creativity,
and contribution to the genre. Karen’s generosity and support ensure that this
prestigious award continues to recognise the writers whose work has shaped,
inspired, and elevated the world of crime fiction.”
Other sponsors of the
Daggers include the family-owned company that looks after the James Bond
literary brand, Ian Fleming Publications, with the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for
best thriller, Kevin Anderson and Associates who sponsor the Gold Dagger, and the
Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), a not-for profit organisation
that supports authors to receive fair payment, sponsor the ALCS Gold Dagger for
Non-Fiction.
Sponsor of the John
Creasey First Novel Dagger is the intellectual property specialists,
International Literary Properties (ILP). Also, the author Maxim Jakubowski
sponsors the Crime Fiction in Translation award in honour of his wife Dolores,
the editorial consultancy Fiction Feedback sponsor the Emerging Author Dagger,
and Morgan Witzel sponsors the Historical Dagger in memory of his wife, the
writer Dr Marilyn Livingstone.
The CWA’s founding aims were to provide a social network, as well as help crime writers with business matters. Today, the CWA’s determination to promote the genre remains central to its mission.
It is December 1922, and Ruby Vaughan is taking a break from the Exeter bookshop that she runs with her employer, Mr Owen, and has accompanied him on a trip to Oxford. Mr Owen is revelling in catching up with his antiquarian friends, but Ruby is finding the crowded rooms and continual talk about antiquities overwhelming.
Ruby is a strong and courageous person, but deep inside she is still struggling to cope with her past history of injustice, fear and grief: this ranges from being sent away from her home in America because she had ‘lost her good name’ to a man who used her for his own pleasure; the loss of her parents and sister when the Lusitania was sunk; and her service as an ambulance driver in the First World War. Added to this are the psychological and physical wounds inflicted upon her by the two murder investigations she has become embroiled with, and distress and confusion she feels because of the problems in her relationship with Ruan Kivell, whom she had first met in his native Cornwall, and encountered again in Scotland. Ruan is a witch and healer, born with the ability to hear the thoughts of those around him, and he and Ruby have a tumultuous and intense relationship.
For Ruby, one of the best things about her stay in Oxford is reuniting with her wartime friend, Leona Abernathy. Leona is living and working in Oxford, translating ancient manuscripts and inscriptions, under the supervision of Professor Frederick Reaver, a high-flying academic, whom people either admire intensely or dislike with equal vehemence. Ruby is geared up to endure another claustrophobic and potentially tedious evening, attending a viewing of the ancient artefacts collected by Julius Harker at his small museum. Harker had once had a career that was as potentially stellar as that of Reaver, but some undisclosed misdemeanour caused him to be disgraced.
There is quite a lot of doubt about whether Harker will bother to turn up to the event, because he has not been seen around Oxford for several days. However, Mr Owen wishes to attend the gathering at the museum and Ruby feels duty bound to go as well. When Harker does not appear to give his presentation, many members of the audience comment upon his unreliability, but, on this occasion, Harker’s detractors wrong him, because he is present in the museum: he has been murdered and stuffed into the stone funerary box that is the centrepiece of his display.
Ruby has no intention of getting mixed up in another murder investigation. Her recent experiences in trying to discover the truth about violent deaths have brought her close to death and scarred her both physically and mentally. This resolution is supported by Ruan, who has arrived in the city in which he had once been a student. He is renewing his acquaintanceship with people he had known there and spending time with Emmanuel Laurent, the father of his best friend, who had not survived the First World War. However, Ruby’s resolution to not get involved is shaken when Leona begs her to discover the truth, especially because a man has been arrested for the murder and Leona is convinced that he is innocent. The deeper Ruby delves into the mystery, the darker and more convoluted the matter becomes until it is impossible to distinguish whether the crime is the result of the theft or the forgery of artefacts, or of something far more sinister and evil. It soon becomes evident that something very dark and dangerous is happening in Oxford, which threatens Ruby, Ruan and those close to them.
The Devil in Oxford is the third book in the series featuring Ruby Vaughan. It
is an excellent addition to a fascinating series. The historical details of
academic Oxford are vividly drawn and the protagonists are multilayered and
engaging as they struggle to overcome their conflicting needs and the traumas
of their past lives. This is a beautifully paced, Gothic mystery, which keeps
the tension going until the very end. The Devil in Oxford is an
outstandingly good read, a page-turner, which I recommend.
------
Reviewer:
Carol Westron
