We All Want Our Just Desserts by Suk Pannu

We’ve all got an Indian Aunty - whether you’re Indian or not. These are the women who helped bring you up, who fed you and nurtured you and sent you off to school on the days your mum was at work. They also have an uncanny knack for getting into your business, unravelling your deepest secrets and generally interfering with every corner of your life. 

Bertie Wooster was plagued by strong minded aunts and it’s not a stretch to imagine that Wodehouse was similarly plagued. However, we never got to hear about it from the aunt’s point of view. Growing up, and being bought up, by a rich tapestry of Indian Aunties, and in parallel developing a growing love of genre fiction - especially crime - is where the idea for Mrs Sidhu began to crystallise. The aunty skillset: a sharp eye for detail, a good instinct for human behaviour, doggedness, a strong moral compass and quite simply nosiness seemed like offered itself up as a great fit for an updated amateur sleuth. She’s since been described as Slough’s answer to Miss Marple.

Let’s tackle that location. I grew up in the area and Slough hits a resonance for most British people. Or maybe that’s an anti-resonance. On the musical scale of British towns it seems to strike a bum note. I feel like it gets a bum rap. It’s an industrial town, full of industrious people. Its biggest crime is that it’s not an architectural gem. Then again, aesthetics were not the first priority for a generation of immigrants arriving in the 60’s and 70’s.

The interesting thing about Slough is what’s around it. This concrete dog poop is laid on the gentle pastures that house Windsor Castle, Eton College, Cookham and the Chiltern hills. So, an Indian Aunty from Slough, nosing around in the business of the rich and well heeled of Berkshire. You can see how it all came together from the world around me.

“Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts” is the second novel in the series. The first “Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone” plunges her into the world of occult activities at a Wellness retreat in a quaint Berkshire village. This second novel brings a new challenge; an art heist.

Art heists have always fascinated us. Witness the global intrigue around the recent theft from the Louvre in Paris. And the shock caused by the raid that deprived the Oslo art museum of ‘The Scream’. The criminals there simply walked in and took it off the wall!

In fiction, art heists usually have a bit more finesse. Acrobatic thieves dangle from cables to circumvent laser beams, thermal sensors and pressure pads. In “Just Desserts” Mrs Sidhu caters a swish gallery opening where a painting is stolen in an impossible heist and her favourite waitress is murdered in the process. No aunty worth her salted samosas is going to stand for that, and our hero sets out seeking the just desserts of the title.

This of course brings her deeper into the world of art. It’s an area that’s a particular challenge for a humble, Slough bred woman. Art, for the uninitiated is a daunting world. Mrs Sidhu is overawed from the start. The other wonderful thing about the art world, is that it’s divisive, entertaining and dramatic. Most of all it has larger than life characters doing wild things. Van Gogh slashing at his ear, Tracey Emin unmaking her bed, Damien Hirst bottling up dead animals. Then there are the waspish art critics, the sly dealers and the moneyed collectors. It’s also got the reverse - bound up amateurs daubing out watercolours.That’s great material for a murder mystery thriller and it’s the cast of suspects.

The entertainment value of the suspect ensemble has always felt important to me, almost as entertaining as a great sleuth. “Just Desserts” plunges Mrs Sidhu into the tensions and rivalries of that world. While she is daunted by all this new and unfamiliar world, an Indian aunty is never cowed and in Mrs Sidhu’s case curiosity always wins over fear and her search for justice is too strong to be denied.

I’ve had the somewhat unique pleasure (and privilege) of writing Mrs Sidhu for three different media. She started life on BBC Radio 4’s “Mrs Sidhu Investigates” and moved across to TV with the brilliant Meera Syal playing the lead in both. Now, she’s available in print too. Each medium has its own challenges and opportunities, but in the novels I relished developing her inner voice. It’s been a huge amount of fun. I hope you will agree.

Mrs Sidhu's Just Desserts by Suk Pannu (HarperCollins Publisher) Out Now

It's the most glamorous event of the year. Mrs Sidhu has snagged the contract of her life: the chance to cater the grand opening of Berkshire's new art gallery. But there's horror among the hors d'oeuvres. Then the gallery's star painting is stolen, and Mrs Sidhu's favourite waitress is left dead on the floor. Mrs Sidhu is back for a second helping. Can a widowed, Slough-based caterer take down a ruthless, murderous art thief? She's determined to crack the strangest case of her career and serve up her signature dish: just desserts.

Suk Pannu can be found on Instagram @suk.pannu

The Marlow Murder Club

PBS have announced news of the adaptation of the first in the Marlow Murder Club series. It will be show in 2024. More information about the screen adaptation can be found here.

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood.(HarperCollins) Published on 18 January 2024.

Geoffrey Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a Town Council meeting. When traces of aconite – also known as the queen of poisons – are found in his coffee cup, the police realise he was murdered. But who did it? And why? 

The police bring Judith, Suzie and Becks in to investigate as Civilian Advisors right from the start, so they have free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart’s content, which is perfect because Judith has no time for rules and standard procedure. 

But this case has the Marlow Murder Club stumped. Who would want to kill the affable Mayor of Marlow? How did they even get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? The Marlow Murder Club are about to face their most difficult case yet… 

Louise Jensen on The Fall

Newly published, ‘The Fall’ is my 8th Psychological thriller, my 11th published book. It’s a story about the unravelling of a seemingly tight-knit family and the shocking, dark secrets they are keeping from each other.

The book opens with Kate Granger feeling like the luckiest woman alive at her surprise birthday party that she is sharing with her twin sister, Beth. Just hours later her teenage daughter, Caily, is found unconscious under a bridge, miles away from where she should have been at school. 

The police, who don’t believe it was an accident, question Caily’s family and it soon becomes apparent that not everyone in the family was where they claimed to be at the time of her fall, nor who they claimed to be with. While the investigation takes place Caily should be safe in hospital but not everyone wants her to wake up. Someone is desperate to protect the truth and it isn’t just Caily’s life that is in danger.

From the moment I thought of the concept I knew that Caily and her cousin Tegan would be central to the plot. The relationship between cousins is one I’ve wanted to write about for a long time. 

Growing up, my cousins were an integral part of my childhood. They, along with my sister, feature in many of my happiest childhood memories. Then, life seemed less complicated for us growing up, than it is today for young people now. In a time before the internet, smartphones and social media, our world may have seemed a lot smaller but was, perhaps, in a way, larger as we had more freedom to play outside. Everywhere was deemed safter than it is today, perhaps because it was, perhaps because we didn’t have the constant stream of bad news that we do now giving rise to that low-level fear many of us carry without being entirely sure why.

I wanted to give Caily and Tegan the same sense of freedom that I had and this was made possible by the farm they live on. Although during the book it has, in parts, a claustrophobic, chilling feel, they were free to roam and play in the vast open space. Not knowing of course, then, that, for years, there had been somebody watching them all along…

The relationship between cousins is, I think, unique. Both family and friends the bond is a strong one. They are confidants, keepers of secrets. Someone who understands because their family history is entwined with yours. It’s been really interesting to unpick the Granger family dynamics, not only between Tegan and Caily but also their parents and Grandparents.

To explore how far Caily and Tegan would go to protect one another.

I don’t see my cousins nearly as much as I’d like to anymore but if any one of them needed me I’d be there in a heartbeat. But that would be another story…

The Fall by Louise Jensen (Harper Collins) Out Now 

She promised not to tell. They made sure she couldn't... At her surprise 40th birthday party, Kate Granger feels like the luckiest woman in the world but just hours later her fifteen-year-old daughter, Caily, is found unconscious underneath a bridge when she should have been at school. Now, Caily lies comatose in her hospital bed, and the police don't believe it was an accident. As the investigation progresses, it soon becomes clear that not everyone in the family was where they claimed to be at the time of her fall. Caily should be safe in hospital but not everyone wants her to wake up. Someone is desperate to protect the truth and it isn't just Caily's life that is in danger. Because some secrets are worth killing for... She promised not to tell. They made sure she couldn't... At her surprise 40th birthday party, Kate Granger feels like the luckiest woman in the world but just hours later her fifteen-year-old daughter, Caily, is found unconscious underneath a bridge when she should have been at school. Now, Caily lies comatose in her hospital bed, and the police don't believe it was an accident. As the investigation progresses, it soon becomes clear that not everyone in the family was where they claimed to be at the time of her fall. Caily should be safe in hospital but not everyone wants her to wake up. Someone is desperate to protect the truth and it isn't just Caily's life that is in danger. Because some secrets are worth killing for...

More information about Louise Jensen and her writing can be found on her website. You can also find her on Twitter @Fab_fiction and on Instagram @fabricating_fiction.  She can also be found on Facebook.

“Not Proven” Inspiration for a book by Neil Lancaster

I’ve been wanting to write a piece for some time about this subject. One of the first questions an author gets asked when a new book is released is, “Where did the inspiration for the book come from?”

It really got me thinking. “Where do you get your ideas from?” is up there with “this is more of a comment than a question” when appearing at panels, except it’s a little less annoying.

So where do we get our ideas from, then?

I’m not the most organised of writers, in fact it’s probably fair to say I am one of the least organised writers. I have no big list of subjects for future books, nor am I someone endlessly scribbling notes in a book when out and about or watching TV. When I’m writing, all I’m thinking about is that book, not a future one. I generally have no idea what my next book is going to be about until I sit down, with a deadline set, and think, “what’s this about, then?” Then cue the nervous head scratching waiting for an idea to arrive, fortunately so far, they always have.

My latest book, The Night Watch came almost out of nowhere. The only vague theme I wanted to think about was that of a serial killer book because I had worked on a number of high-profile cases concerning series murders. But that’s all I had. Writing a serial killer novel is hardly unique, is it? The shelves of bookshops are groaning with them.

Whilst frantically perusing the internet I happened upon a news report about a case in Scotland where the jury returned a “not proven” verdict, which had caused a certain amount of disquiet. Something about the case made me read on. I felt that familiar tingle of an idea arriving.

A “not proven” verdict is a strange anomaly peculiar to Scottish criminal trials. In England and Wales, a jury only has two options for a verdict: “guilty,” or “not guilty.” In Scotland they have a third. “Not proven” sits somewhere between guilty and not guilty and is a rather strange thing. There is no definition of a not proven verdict, and no fundamental difference between it and a not guilty verdict. It is still an acquittal, and the defendant is innocent in the eyes of the law. But it is different, isn’t it?’ Declaring a defendant’s case as “not proven” is almost saying, “we still think you did it mate, but the crown has not proved it quite enough”. 

Scottish law is significantly different than English law, and one notable difference is the requirement for corroboration of evidence. If the only evidence of a crime was one witness seeing the defendant committing the crime, then that would not be sufficient, and would inevitably lead to a “not proven” verdict. 

Whilst researching the not proven history, I came up with the wonderful description ascribed to not proven verdicts. Sir Walter Scott, the famous Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian and sheriff of the court of Selkirk described it as a “bastard verdict,” which it remains colloquially now to this day. 

That was the spark for The Night Watch. That one phrase kicked my mind into gear, and I knew from that moment that I had the story for my book. 

It made me realise how unsatisfactory this verdict is, and whilst many bang-to-rights defendants may celebrate it, what about those on the other side. The cops, the victims, and concerned members of the public. What would their reactions be?

What if the cops in a long running, complex murder case were so outraged that they would not let a not proven verdict get in the way of what they truly considered justice? 

Imagine if a cop was so affronted when they perceived that justice had not been done, that they decided to take matters into their own hands? 

How can you catch a serial killer, when the murderer is on the investigation team? 

The Night Watch was born.

Nb… possibly wisely, not proven verdicts are being abolished, but not in time for me to have written my book! 

The Night Watch by Neil Lancaster (HarperCollins) Out Now

He'll watch you. A lawyer is found dead at sunrise on a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. It was supposed to be his honeymoon, but now his wife will never see him again. He'll hunt you. The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer's last client - Scotland's most notorious criminal... who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands. He'll leave you to die. But this time the killer isn't on the run; he's on the investigation team. And the rules are different when the murderer is this close to home. He knows their weaknesses, knows how to stay hidden, and he thinks he's above the law..

In The Lyme Crime Spotlight: Amanda Jennings

 Name:- Amanda Jennings

Job:- Author

Website:- https://www.amandajennings.co.uk

Twitter:- @MandaJennings

Introduction:-

Amanda Jennings is the author of 5 standalone novels. The most recent being The Haven. She is a regular guest on BBC Berkshire’s Book Club, and is a judge for the annual Henley Youth Festival writing competition. 

Current book?

The Gone and The Forgotten by Clare Whitfield

Favourite book

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? 

I would invite Romeo and Juliet to dinner and beg them not to muck about with deadly poisons. This is a tragedy that might have been avoided if only they’d thought through a better plan. After coming for dinner I would urge them to pack a small bag and disappear together and live happily ever after away from their meddling families. 

How do you relax?

I do a lot of walking with my dogs. I also look after ponies and chickens. I play tennis if I can. And get up into the mountains or to the sea for holidays. Getting outdoors and into nature is a natural valium. 

What book do you wish you had written and why?

I would have loved to have written The Beach. It’s everything I would love to create. Page-turning, with strong characters, a vibrant and evocative setting, growing tension and darkness, moments of shock, and - oh - the way Alex Garland writes the beach and the sea and those scenes of communal bliss. I think it was quite influential for me when writing The Haven. A utopian idyll gone awry.

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as an author?

“Dear Amanda, I know, it’s bonkers, but you’re going to actually get published. I know! Not only that but you’ll see your books translated into other languages and see them on supermarket shelves. There’ll be times when it feels bleak, a total waste of time, but soon the rejections will be a think of the past. Keep going!”

Why do you prefer to write standalone books as opposed to a series and would you consider writing a series.

My stories are centred around the personal journeys of my characters and are very much concerned with a path to some sort of resolution. Once the story has come to its end, there is no more drama there in my mind. Life returns from the extraordinary to some semblance of normality. It becomes time - as tough as it sometimes feels - to bid fond farewell to these people I know like family. Though I can clearly picture them existing beyond the final page, their lives into become mostly unremarkable. (Which is probably a great relief for them given the trauma I put them through…) 

What are you looking forward to at Lyme Crime?

Getting back to live events following the pandemic and lockdowns feels like a real privilege. I can’t wait to be with other authors and readers, and come together to indulge our common love of books. And what joy to be beside the sea as well. Books, readers, and the sea. How perfect!

The Haven by Amanda Jennings (HarperCollins Publishers)

It was meant to be paradise...Winterfall Farm, spectacular and remote, stands over Bodmin Moor. Wanting an escape from the constraints of conventional life, Kit and Tara move to the isolated smallholding with their daughter, Skye, and a group of friends. Living off-grid and working the land, they soon begin to enjoy the fruits of their labour amid the breathtaking beauty and freedom of the moor. At first this new way of life seems too good to be true, but when their charismatic leader, Jeremy, returns from a mysterious trip to the city with Dani, a young runaway, fractures begin to appear. As winter approaches, and with it cold weather and dark nights, Jeremy's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Rules are imposed, the outside world is shunned, and when he brings a second girl back to the farm, tensions quickly reach breaking point with devastating consequences...

You can also find her on Instagram @amanda_jennings1 and on FaceBook.

Tickets can be bought here:- https://www.lymecrime.co.uk/tickets--contact.html

In The Spotlight: Jane Casey

 

Name :- Jane Casey

Job :- Author

Twitter :- @JaneCaseyAuthor

Introduction :-

Jane Casey is the author of two different series Maeve Kerrigan a Detective Sergeant and her YA (Young Adult) featuring Jess Tennant. Her novel The Stranger You Know won the Mary Higgins Clark Award. she has also been shortlisted for the Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award four times (with her novels Into The Fire winning in 2015 and Cruel Acts in 2020 Irish Crime Book of The Year) She has also been shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award

Current book?

I’m currently reading The Heights by Louise Candlish, which is coming out soon. It’s incredibly gripping, as you’d expect!

Favourite book?

One of the authors that made me want to be a writer was Mary Stewart, who redefined the thriller in the second half of the twentieth century and put women at the heart of the story. It’s impossible to choose a favourite but Wildfire at Midnight is a superb murder mystery, set in an isolated hotel on Skye. The writing is sensationally good; I’ve read it so many times I could probably recite quite a lot of it!

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? 

I’d love to have dinner with Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, even though I’d be the gooseberry! Their conversation would be impeccable and I’m confident that Wimsey would pick good wine. They’re a fascinating couple to me (and generations of readers).

How do you relax?

I imagine stories that I have no intention of writing. Because reading and writing were my hobbies before they became my job, they’ve lost some of their power to make me relax, but daydreaming is still pure joy. I love sharing my characters with readers, but equally it’s nice to have some that are just for me, at least for now. 

What book do you wish you had written and why? 

I really wish I’d written The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It’s impossible to imitate, let alone better, although the ingredients have been pawed over many times. The plotting is wholly original but feels inevitable, the writing is glorious and often very funny, the characterisation is spot on and the atmosphere is a perfect combination of glamour, wholesome New England academia and seedy decay. My heart always sinks when a book is branded as the new The Secret History; it never feels fair to the author.

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.

I’d say the same thing I tell myself every day: the work is the only thing that matters. The rest, whether it’s sales or awards or reviews, is just noise. Publishing tends to focus on the first year of a book’s life but books last for a very long time; I try to set my sights on writing for the long term, not the next deadline.

How would you describe both your series characters? 

Maeve Kerrigan is a detective sergeant in the Met Police, on a murder investigation team, and Josh Derwent is her DI. Maeve is something of a goody-two-shoes and doesn’t always fit in with the prevailing police culture – she’s a natural outsider. Josh was only ever meant to be in one book but he elbowed his way into becoming a main character, which is very much how he conducts himself. Abrasive, cutting and an alpha male, his saving grace is that he has a heart of gold that comes with decency and honesty. I absolutely love writing them; they bicker and test one another but at the foundation of it all is love and respect.

Favourite books on Oxford

Last Bus to Woodstock, the first of the Morse novels by Colin Dexter, is a real favourite of mine. All the elements of the later books are there and the setting feels very much like the real Oxford – a living city rather than a film set. Of course Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers is the ultimate book about the university, even though it’s very much of its time. It poses some questions about the value of learning, particularly for women, that are still being mulled over today. If I can have a third (given that it’s non-fiction) Jan Morris’s wonderful book Oxford is a spectacular and very enjoyable evocation of the city past and present. 

The Killing Kind by Jane Casey (HarperCollins Publisher)

He tells you you’re special… As a barrister, Ingrid Lewis is used to dealing with tricky clients, but no one has ever come close to John Webster. After Ingrid defended Webster against a stalking charge, he then turned on her – following her, ruining her relationship, even destroying her home. He tells you he wants to protect you… Now, Ingrid believes she has finally escaped his clutches. But when one of her colleagues is run down on a busy London road, Ingrid is sure she was the intended victim. And then Webster shows up at her door… But can you believe him? Webster claims Ingrid is in danger – and that only he can protect her. Stalker or saviour? Murderer or protector? The clock is ticking for Ingrid to decide. Because the killer is ready to strike again.

Information about 2021 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book tickets can be found here.

Photograph ©Jonathan Goldberg

Harper Collins Launches Killing It

 

HARPERFICTION LAUNCHES KILLING IT: THE KILLER READS COMPETITION FOR UNDISCOVERED WRITERS

7th January 2021

HarperFiction is proud to announce Killing It: The Killer Reads Competition for Undiscovered Writers. Launching today, the competition aims to open doors to crime writers who need a way into the publishing industry, and encourages submissions from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic writers in particular.

Entrants are being asked to send the first 10,000 words of their fiction crime, thriller or suspense novel (the book needs to be complete or near-complete by April to enter, as full scripts may be called in), a short synopsis (max. 500 words), and a short paragraph about themselves, to: crimesubmissions@harpercollins.co.uk by 7th April 2021. An optional opening sentence is also provided for those who might be just getting started: ‘The body was lying in the snow, covered in a smattering of dead leaves.’ 

Three winners will be chosen to receive editorial reports from HarperFiction crime editors on their full manuscripts, covering pace, characterisation, pitch, and more, plus editorial mentoring (up to three one-hour sessions).

The judging panel will be comprised of HarperFiction Editorial Director Phoebe Morgan, Commissioning Editor Kathryn Cheshire, Assistant Editor Sophie Churcher, and crime reviewer and journalist Ayo Onatade. 

During the submission period, HarperFiction will be offering prospective entrants a host of virtual events, providing tips and guidance on writing a crime/thriller novel, kicking off with a virtual masterclass with Crime and Thriller Publisher Julia Wisdom and literary agent Felicity Blunt, on 20th January. 

Phoebe Morgan, Editorial Director, HarperFiction said: ‘The publishing industry continues to at times appear impenetrable, and we want to take steps to change that, starting with hearing from a new raft of talented voices who may not yet have been heard. I’m thrilled to launch the Killing It competition and we are so looking forward to reading the submissions. If you think you’ve got a crime, thriller or suspense book in you, send it our way, and look out for virtual events over the coming weeks that might help answer any questions and provide further guidance. At HarperFiction we are dedicated to seeking out and amplifying talent from all writers but this competition will focus on those who are currently sorely underrepresented in our industry. I can’t wait to read your stories.’ 

Ayo Onatade said: ‘I am delighted to be part of this judging panel. Crime fiction is read by so many and encouraging a broader range of submissions is a splendid way of ensuring that the genre continues to grow and evolve. I look forward to reading the submissions which I am sure will be of the highest quality and will amaze all the judges.’

For more information visit:- http://www.killerreads.com/killing-it/