If you love cosy crime fiction but have yet to come across Steve Higgs, that has to change. Steve is the author of one of the most popular self-published cosy crime series ever – Albert Smith’s Culinary Capers. And he really has found a recipe for success.
Albert is a retired detective who wants to learn to cook. His dog, Rex, was kicked off the force and written off for his strong will. Together they tour Britain finding new recipes and solving crimes. Genius. Particularly the fact that Rex talks to the reader. Nothing could be better.
Book one in the series is Pork Pie Pandemonium and in this volume our intrepid duo head to Melton Mowbray, home of the British pork pie. However, someone has found a pie with a most verboten ingredient…
After years of self-publishing this and other popular series, Steve has signed with Vinci Books, which is reprinting all the Albert and Rex novels and putting them on the shelves in leading booksellers. That sounds great, but we wanted to know more about these delicious-sounding stories, so we bombarded Steve with our questions, and this is what he said…
It would be great to get some background about you. Where are you from, where are you based and what led you to become a crime fiction author?
I grew up in Kent, not far from Rochester where many of my books are set. I joined the British Army at 17, completing almost 25 years in uniform before finally returning to Kent and taking a job in the corporate sector.
I was already writing by the time I handed in my uniform, so when the books began to sell, and the corporate life kept me away from my young family, pursuing my dream of life as a full-time author was an obvious choice to make.
What are crime fiction lovers going to love about Pork Pie Pandemonium and the series?
The stories are written with heart and humour. They tackle serious themes at times and the central characters are often in dire jeopardy, but Albert’s tenacity and Rex’s loyalty make them hard not to love. The pace of the story is fast, and no one will see the ending coming. But overall, they will love how man and dog rely on each other to get through testing times.
Who is Albert Smith and what inspired this character?
The inspiration for Albert came from an article I read in National Geographic magazine in the 90s. A retired American man’s dog suffered an injury that left him quadriplegic. Rather than go with the vet’s rather neat solution, he bought a Winnebago, rigged a harness where the passenger’s seat should be, and toured the US with the dog at his side. As a dog lover, the story stuck with me, morphing over the years to become the tales I eventually wrote. To be clear though, Rex is in fine health and will stay that way through all the books.
Can you tell us more about Rex and what it’s like writing a dog character?
Rex was fired from the Metropolitan Police Dog Service for being unworkable, but in truth his handler wanted rid of him because he was brighter than them. He understands the concept of going after a criminal and knows who is guilty because he can smell the clues.
He can be quite sarcastic and despairs constantly of Albert’s refusal to employ his nose when the answers are right there. To that end, Rex often solves the case himself and waits for the dumb humans to catch up. He doesn’t talk to Albert, but the readers hear his thoughts and he communicates with other animals to keep the narrative moving along.
What are they up against in Pork Pie Pandemonium, the first book in the series?
On the very first page, with Albert attending a lesson on how to hand raise a pork pie, one of the other attendees find a human thumb balanced atop her little pile of meat. Albert is drawn into the mystery when the young woman running the shop in her sick mother’s absence claims her rivals across the street must be behind it and sets out to prove that’s the case. However the answer isn’t so simple, and the truth that led to the detached thumb is distinctly more sinister and deadly.
How do Melton Mowbray and pork pies figure in the story? Will we learn a bit of cooking, too?
Each book focuses on Albert’s desire to learn how to cook. His late wife was the force in the kitchen, but armed with determination, Albert travels the British Isles to visit all the places made famous by the food they produce. In Pork Pie Pandemonium, the entire story plays out to a backdrop of pork pie rivalry – the small family business against the big automated firm.
In the back of each book, I include the history of the dish and a recipe for readers to make it at home.
What sort of tone and atmosphere were you aiming for and how have you achieved it?
These are cosy mysteries, so even when it is time for a gun fight, the violence plays out with humour. Rex provides a lot of fun just by doing what a dog would do. Across the series he will battle alley cats, squirrels and seagulls, refuse to take a bath even though his paws are oily, enlists the help of some seals when he finds himself in the sea, gets stuck in a tree, and happily wades through the world’s largest Yorkshire Pudding, all to the dismay of Albert.
There is also tenderness as man and dog look out for each other. They get through their ordeals because they each bring different skills that complement their partner.
What are some of the bigger themes you wanted to explore in Pork Pie Pandemonium?
The big theme is how a dog can become everything to a person. Many years ago I had a Labrador and it was just he and I against the world. It’s the same with Albert and Rex and their bond shines through in the books.
Another theme is the indomitability of spirit. At 78, Albert’s children expect him to sit at home drinking tea and watching Bargain Hunt. He has other ideas, so while he can acknowledge that he’s neither as fast nor as strong as once he was, he’s also quite certain ‘over the hill’ is too far ahead of him to be worried about. I give him aches and pains and a few regrets, but Albert wins through, showing the world that they dismiss the elderly at their peril.
Which crime authors and/or books have influenced or inspired you and why?
One of the biggest influences for all my cosy mystery stories has been Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich. Her books combine action and humour with a well-thought-out mystery. I have tried very hard to do the same.
You initially self-published this and other books in the series. What has the response been like?
Albert and Rex are my best loved and most bought books. I have sold many millions of copies and amassed more than one billion pages read through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program.
However, the fact remains that globally 75 per cent of all books bought are still physical copies. As an indie author it is close to impossible to get books into bookshops and that means I miss a huge portion of the audience. Publishing with Vinci will change that.
What’s next for Albert and Rex, and what’s next for Steve Higgs?
Albert Smith’s Culinary Capers is a complete series with a dense subplot tying each individual book to the others. It builds to a climatic and thoroughly satisfying ending before Albert and Rex finally get to go home. Readers can invest in the books knowing they won’t have to wait a year of more to find out how it all ends. But knowing they will still want more anyway, I am already writing their next series of adventures. This time with a new subplot that sees them exploring countries throughout the length and breadth of Europe.
As for the author, well I’m constantly juggling multiple ideas in my head. I’ll write several more Albert books this year alongside adventures for characters in other series, and hope to find time to start a new urban fantasy series.
Pork Pie Pandemonium is published in print by Vinci Books on 23 April 2026, along with the rest of the books in the series. You’ll be able to find them in good book shops in the UK and in the US, or purchase a copy using the button below.
