We crime fiction lovers do enjoy a good book festival – but for all the cloak and dagger and fake crime scene tape that abound there, I don’t imagine that many of us have actually discovered an honest-to-goodness murder victim at one.
That dubious pleasure falls to Jane Hepburn, creator of the PI Sandra Baker books and a first-time attendee to the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival in the Cumbrian village of Hoslewit. Things get off to a bad start when her name isn’t on the guest list and she is forced to buy an overpriced weekend pass, only to subsequently be looked down on by the authors, agents and editors who are there in their droves and having a fine time of it.
Jane’s own agent seems to be avoiding her, ditto her editor. The latter has had the manuscript for the new book for months and seems to be studiously ignoring Jane’s emails. She is hot, dejected and ready to go home when a gem of an idea sends Jane into the book tent after dark, planning to move her novels into a prime viewing spot instead of languishing in the shadows of a top shelf. That’s when she finally has a face to face meeting with her agent, Carrie Marks. Yes, you guessed it, Carrie is dead, lying in a pool of blood, the Killer Lines Legend Award (conveniently dagger shaped) sticking out of her chest.
Thus begins a smartly worked crime adventure that teeters on the edge of cosy. But don’t let that put you off, fans of the more hard-core proponents of this genre, because A Novel Murder has some wonderful behind-the-scenes glimpses that will have you laughing out loud, alongside a neat whodunnit thread designed to lead the reader up many a blind alley.
But it all begins with Jane, a single woman still grieving the recent death of her mother, who has found her voice through writing but is awkward in company. She is tall and a little dowdy, happier on the periphery, if she’s honest. But she’s proud of her books – and in particular, her creation, Sandra Baker, who is smart, attractive, intuitive and always gets her suspect.
The pair are polar opposites, it would appear, but with the untimely death of Carrie Marks Jane has something of an epiphany and decides to solve the murder herself. Soon she is joined by lauded debut author Natasha Martez and put-upon intern Daniel in her hunt for the killer. At last, Jane’s life is filled with purpose and friendship… Until there’s a second murder attempt and what first seemed like a fun version of a murder mystery weekend becomes deadly serious.
This book is populated with a delicious cast of supporting characters, from Laura Lane, the social media sensation with a book to sell and a closet full of skeletons; to rival agent Kimberley Brown; esteemed book critic Edward Carter; editor Frankie Reid; and not-as-daft-as-he-appears DI Ramos. They intersect like some cleverly choreographed ballet and those coming togethers are a joy to read.
So, a new twist on the old whodunnit line, played out against a crime writing festival that will be very familiar to anyone who has ever attended one – and so well conceived that readers who haven’t yet had the pleasure will be signing up in their droves for future events.
It will come as no surprise to learn that EC Nevin is the pen name of ex-publishing professional Eve Hall, because all the cliques, fun and foibles are here in spades in a novel that is both entertaining and a wee bit different. This is a brilliant debut that pokes endless fun at the genre we love, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Staying with the crime festival vibe, here’s our report from last year’s Theakstons Old Peculier event in Harrogate.
Black & White Publishing
Print/Kindle/iBook
£8.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
