A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

english

Settings in Fiction – a guest blog by Victoria Goldman

by

Places inspire plots

Settings in Fiction illustrated by an English map

A strong sense of setting is important to me when I read. I enjoy books in which the backdrop becomes a character in itself – a haunted English country mansion, frozen Icelandic terrain, or even bustling London streets. I love familiar settings, where I recognise place names and buildings, visualising myself there as the plot unfolds around me.

So when it comes to my own novels, setting is essential to me when I write, using words to paint pictures of tree-lined roads and rundown houses, and eerie grassy parks after dusk.

A murder mystery in a sleepy English town

When writing my murder mystery debut, The Redeemer, I always knew that I would set it in Hertfordshire, on the cusp of rural and suburban life. Firstly, that’s where I live so it’s familiar to me, but secondly, the Jewish community I feature in the book is based on those in Hertfordshire and North-West London (and specifically the one in my own town). To set the book anywhere else just wouldn’t have felt ‘right’.

The difficulty in writing about the place where I live is that it will be instantly recognisable to anyone who lives there, or nearby, especially if it’s a relatively small town with a strong sense of community. This always leads to inevitable questions, from family and friends, in particular – So, who am I in your book? Is [xxx] based on me? Why did you put a park in that location when it’s over there?

To avoid this, I created a fictional Hertfordshire town. Hillsbury has many features of my own real-life hometown – a crossroads with a synagogue and church opposite one another (which partly inspired the book’s plot), a large spacious park, a Jewish cemetery (with a small airfield nearby) and several schools. By writing about a town that doesn’t exist, it doesn’t matter if I’ve moved the secondary school, added a mosque or an extra café, or changed the layout of the roads.

The secret of Whomsoever Lane

I’ve enjoyed going on long walks at different times of the day, at different times of the year, to inspire me and fuel my imagination. I’ve explored roads that I’d never noticed before, taken photos of the finer details and created visual memories of dilapidated houses with rusty gates and rotting window frames, muddy footpaths shrouded by low-growing shrubs, and gravel driveways edged with pristine flowerbeds.

Streets in my book are based on actual streets, and many would probably be recognisable if you drove down them – roads lined with bungalows, terraced cottages or large houses with sweeping driveways. Only one road in The Redeemer is an actual place, simply because I love the name (Whomsoever Lane), although I have moved it to a different location to suit the plot.

In the acknowledgements at the back of my book, I clearly state:

‘Hillsbury is a fictional town loosely based on where I live in Hertfordshire. If you know the area, some of the locations in this book may seem familiar. But I’d like to reassure everyone who lives nearby that none of you have been immortalised as a character in this book!’

Victoria Goldman is a journalist and author whose first novel, The Redeemer, has won praise from Louise Voss, Adam Hamdy, Marnie Riches and many more.

As a British thriller writer, I too love to infuse my fiction with a sense of place. New murder mystery and suspense thriller Lies at Her Door is set in the swanky district of Clifton, Bristol. When a skeleton is found under Lucy Freeman’s garden, the shy young woman is the prime suspect. Yet when she tries to clear her name, she realises that uncovering long-buried wrongs can be lethal…

Book Review – the Mind Cops

by

A book review looking at 3 great psychological profiling specialists, or mind copsSometimes, the most gripping crime stories are true tales written by the law enforcers charged with bringing criminals to justice. The Netflix show, “Mindhunter”, cast a spotlight on psychological profiling, a relatively recent weapon in the fight against crime.  Qualified psychologists on both sides of the Atlantic have written about their successes in solving cases by getting under the skin and into the brain of an unknown perpetrator.

Their skill produces uncanny results. John Douglas, writer of “Mindhunter”, tells the cops to look for a man with a speech impediment. When they get their man several murders later, he turns out to have a stutter. How spooky is that?

 

A serial killer template

In fact, he isn’t the first stammering killer John Douglas has encountered, and he won’t be the last. Douglas’ book and similar chronicles from British psychologists David Canter and Paul Britton, reveal that many serial killers are stamped out of the same mould. They‘re socially inadequate, with a history of bed-wetting, fractured relationships and minor sex offences. As their experience and confidence of delinquency grows, their activities increase in severity. Douglas, Canter and Britton practically provide a template for a serial killer, and I’m sure some fiction writers use it.

All three writers briefly explain how they became involved in this line of work, then get into the real meat: a detailed account of cases they’ve solved. Douglas also built his knowledge by interviewing serial killers who had already been captured. Bored after long years inside the prisons where they would see out the rest of their lives, many agreed to talk to him.

Netflix & Hollywood

Based in the FBI’s special unit at Quantico, Virginia, John Douglas inspired the Silence of the Lambs as well as his own Netflix series. His case studies – based on the maxim familiar to HR managers, that past activities predict the future – are interesting and well-written. The only downside is an occasional hint of arrogance. This is not the case with Paul Britton, who has a more self-effacing, perhaps typically British, approach to his abilities. In his first book, “The Jigsaw Man”, he includes a chapter on a case where he was unsuccessful. When a beautiful young model, Rachel Nickell, was murdered in a London park, Britton’s lengthy and expensive sting operation led to the arrest of the wrong man. It is sad that, twenty years later, Britton is still pilloried by the media for this failure. He’d applied scientific rigour in the case and had made it clear that it wasn’t open and shut. It unfortunately overshadows his numerous successes. For instance, his work was instrumental in bringing murderer Rose West to justice and to identifying Michael Sams, who held estate agent Stephanie Slater as a hostage in a wheelie bin and killed another woman. Britton’s “The Jigsaw Man” is a thrilling read, as is its sequel, “Picking up the Pieces”.

David Canter, another Englishman, was heavily influenced by the FBI’s techniques. His book, “Criminal Shadows”, is more academic than the others, but still a page turner. The chapter on Criminal Maps – plotting the location of crimes to identify the villain – is especially compelling. Thanks to him, police arrested London’s evil Railway Rapist (who also murdered three women) and the young Brummie sex offender who dragged his OAP victims onto the roofs of tower blocks.

All three writers offer fascinating insights into the criminal mind, as well as an entertaining read. Even if fiction is usually your bag, you’ll find Douglas, Britton and Cantor have plenty of true tales to interest you.

______________

I’m an English crime thriller writer, and invested in these books as research: to understand how a serial killer thinks. Not all fit the socially inadequate sex offender model – some are charming psychopaths, while others fall under the spell of a sadistic lover. One day, this research will find its way into another tense and twisting crime thriller, so do sign up for my monthly newsletter to find out more! You’ll also receive a free e-book of short stories.