Thoroughly good setting for murder mysteries

HE first made his name with the BBC One series Death in Paradise, set in the Caribbean, but writer Robert Thorogood, author of the Marlow Murder Club books, was originally inspired by Wallingford crime writer, Agatha Christie.

Robert’s latest book, Murder on the Marlow Belle, is out now and he will be discussing the novel and his love of the murder mystery genre with Jeremy Vine and Cesca Major at this year’s Henley Literary Festival.

Death in Paradise first aired in 2011 and starred Ben Miller as Detective Inspector Richard Poole, sent to investigate the murder of a British police officer on the fictional island of Saint Marie.

“I came up with the TV show and sort of pitched it to companies and then it got picked up by Red Planet who took it to the BBC and we made Death in Paradise,” says Robert, who lives in Marlow with his wife, Classic FM presenter Katie Breathwick, and their two sons, aged 21 and 19.

“After about three series of that, because I’d always been in love with Agatha Christie and she’s totally my inspiration for everything and obviously I’d fallen in love with reading her books, I wanted to try and take that sort of Death in Paradise world and see if I could write some murder mysteries.

“So I wrote some standalone Richard Poole murder mysteries, but it’s very hard coming up with a good world and a good detective.

“Ben Miller had left the show as we’d killed him, so I thought, well, the only way he can live on is in the books, so I’ll write some books.

“I’ll learn how to do murder mysteries, try and keep the Richard Poole flame alive and I loved doing it. But there came a point after the fourth book where I’d spent so little time in the Caribbean over the previous few years that I was aware I was really stretching of what would the next book be about, who the characters would be. It just felt very distant because it literally geographically is distant.

“Richard Poole was always sort of my Hercule Poirot and I’d been thinking, ‘How can I do a Jane Marple?’ and that’s when I started thinking about the new series of books. That’s when I pitched to my publisher and they went with the idea of Judith Potts and the Marlow Murder Club.”

The first book, The Marlow Murder Club, was published four years ago.

As well as Wallingford’s most famous crime author, Robert took inspiration from members of his own family for the character of Judith.

“My grandmother Betty would have a glass of whisky every night at 6pm and so I’ve given that to Judith.

“In fact, Judith is named after my mother’s very good friend Judith, who taught her how to do crosswords, and my mum taught me how to do crosswords. Also my great aunts, that whole generation after the Second World War, who raised their kids and gave their husbands a cooked meal every morning.

“When I was growing up I just sort of looked at them and they seemed brighter and funnier and had more going for them than their slightly dull husbands.

“I just wanted to write a love letter to all of my amazing great aunts and grandmothers and my mother and her friends and I ended up sort of cherry-picking bits from all of them and putting them into Judith.”

While Robert, who has lived in Marlow with his family for 14 years, has set his books in the town, they are frequent visitors to Henley.

The plot of Murder on the Marlow Belle involves the death of a local amateur dramatic society leader, whose body is washed up on the banks of the River Thames. “We’re doing hard-hitting crime here,” says Robert. “I come over to Henley for the cinema and sometimes to shop and we always go to the festival after the regatta.

“It’s not easy to go to the regatta because it’s so swish and everything and also I’m quite connected to the Marlow Town Regatta which is set up as your mortal enemy — it’s not, of course — because ours is a teenage children’s regatta and yours is one of the most important international rowing competitions in the world.

“We’re always over in Henley all the time and funnily enough, I’ve just finished writing book five and one of the lead characters gets into a punch-up at the Henley Literary Festival, you’ll be pleased to hear.

“Henley is just such a wonderful town, it’s so beautiful. It’s very similar to Marlow in lots of ways but it’s just so much bigger and grander. Henley is very much in our orbit.”

Robert will be in conversation with television and radio presenter Jeremy Vine, who has written Murder on Line One, set in Sidmouth, Devon, about an unsolved murder that is brought to the attention of late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis. The talk will be hosted by Pangbourne novelist Cesca Major, who writes crime fiction under the name of C.D.Major.

“Jeremy is absolutely terrific and I first met him at the Agatha Christie Festival earlier this year. He’s an absolute passionate murder-mystery fan, he’s written one book and there’s another one on the way.

“He’s really into murder mystery so he’s not just some celebrity jumping on the Richard Osman bandwagon, he’s someone who’s a real fan. So I’m really looking forward to doing our event together. He also like me cannot stop talking so I know Cesca will ask one question and then about an hour later one or other of us will stop talking so it will be quite a gabby night, I think.”

l Murder on the Marlow Belle, by Robert Thorogood, is out now from all good bookshops. Jeremy Vine and Robert Thorogood will be at Henley town hall on Tuesday, October 7 at 8pm as part of Henley Literary Festival. For more information, visit www.henleyliterary festival.co.uk