Who Killed John Crowe

Novel, Essex, Amateur Detective

National crime correspondent Keeble Shilling has to look again at an unsolved murder on the Essex marshes. He was present at the crime scene twenty seven years ago and now current events are getting too close to home. Being at the right place at the wrong time makes him a celebrity, which despite his knowledge of the workings of the media is very difficult for him to deal with. While dealing with local crime the tight Dengie community becomes involved with its own media story as Keeble struggles to cope with urgent issues that really matter.

The first of my books set in Essex. This part is a bit remote and makes an ideal backdrop for a local character and well known wife who are ‘local’.

Here’s a tip for all writers: Don’t murder somebody unless you know who the murderer is. I’d got ‘ideas’ but it’s nerve-wracking writing night after night wondering how the hell you’re going to wrap it up. We find out in the last chapter almost as a side issue to the really important immediate matter.

By the way, can you describe me a tortoise?