J M Hall on the idea for A Spoonful of Murder

 I had never seriously considered writing a crime novel. Don’t get me wrong- I love reading them, I’m a massive fan of Agatha Christie. But the truth is- they’re not my world. Incident rooms, forensic science, police procedure- they’re a world away from my world, the Primary school, where wrongdoing consists of cheating in spelling tests, and the odd nicked packet of highlighters.

Then I was the victim of crime. Or rather my father was.

Following the death of my mother it became increasingly apparent that Dad was in the early stages of dementia; the focus of our family became dealing with his daily muddles and confusions. His vague comments about phone calls from the bank were easily lost in amongst all the other day to day mistakes.

The fact that he was subsequently defrauded out of a life-changing sum of money wasn’t actually the most shocking thing to. It was the response of the bank. Confused, inefficient, cheerfully unsympathetic- coupled with a bland, blanket assurance that they were in no way responsible. Hours were spent in communication on our part- calls, emails, letters, reports- all effortlessly disregarded by them. But what emerged, for me as a writer, was a narrative. 

Events- exchanges- mistakes…cover ups. A mundane, almost humdrum reality of evil that felt a lot closer to my world than those high-octane incident rooms I’d read avidly about.

And on top of this emerged other examples of wrongdoing, of other people taking advantage of Dad. The solar panel firm pestering him on a daily basis. The mobile phone company who trapped him into some ludicrous contract. The sackfuls of junk mail promising Dad life-changing wins.

It was almost as shocking as the fraud, to realise just how very vulnerable the elderly are, and how many many people are routinely prepared to exploit that vulnerability.

To say I sat down and turned this all into my first novel is an oversimplification. For a start I’ve been writing all my adult life, so in many ways, it was a case of ‘same old, same old’… But there were three factors in my life at this time that really fired up the writing of the story that became ‘A spoonful of Murder’.

Firstly, it was a great feeling to be taking all that awful experience and using it. In all probability I’ll never have that sense of redress from knowing the fraudster has been brought to book for his actions- but in my mind, my world- they have. The things I wanted to say to him- and to the bank, the junk mail people, the man selling solar panels… I’ve managed to say.

Then there was the world I work in, the primary school. Working full-time would seem to be a massive hindrance to writing a novel- but it was actually the opposite. There’s that massively comforting truism that’s gained when working with 200 plus children- life really does go on. And then working with the people in that environment- predominantly women- afforded me as a person (and a writer) a wonderful sense of context and perspective. However awful my family’s story- it’s just one of many. And whatever the events, whatever the ups and downs- they can be shared, over the photocopier or during playground duty, with people who’ve been there, done that or at the very least know people who have. To make my sleuths retired lady primary school teachers was the ultimate of no-brainers.

And then there was the act of writing itself. Early, early morning, before work, often dark outside, sitting at the dining room table… I was in a world I had complete control over. All the shocks and sadness’s, twists and upsets- were all of my own doing. My creation. For that brief time, I was in a place I couldn’t be touched.

My world is still the staff room rather than the incident room. I still don’t really follow the ins and outs of police procedure. But having seen how mundane and ordinary evil can be- I’ve found of way of addressing that, and making stories about it through the world that I live in.

A Spoonful of Murder by J M Hall (HarperCollins Publisher) Out Now. Introducing the three unlikeliest sleuths you'll ever meet... Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their 'coffee o'clock' sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre cafe. But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy. By the next Thursday, Topsy's dead. The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become involved in a murder. But they know there's more to Topsy's death than meets the eye - and it's down to them to prove it...