We had our second Murder In Merton event on Tuesday 20th June, with Crime in the Library, at Wimbledon Library, hosted by Wimbledon Bookfest and Merton Libraries. Our panellists were Olivia Kiernan, Saima Mir and Robert Gold. I wish I could remember everything they said so I could write it all down but we discussed quite a lot of things – from settings to points of view to father figures.
But I can tell you about their books and some of the things they said.
The End of Us by Olivia Kiernan
It all started to go wrong the day the Wrights moved in next door
Myles and Lana Butler live on a gorgeous new development in Wimbledon, leaning on a mortgage that is just within reach. When one of Myles’ investments fails they are bound to lose everything.
Gabriel and Holly Wright have just moved in next door. The Wrights are sophisticated, ambitious and apparently very wealthy. At an after-dinner drink with their new neighbours, Myles and Lana share their worries and a solution is suggested between the couples. Life Insurance fraud. For a cut of the pay out, the Wrights would help them.
No one thought they were being serious. No one agreed they’d actually go through with it. And no one mentioned it would involve murder.
Then, one night, Lana doesn’t come home.
To buy, click here.
As Olivia’s book is set in Wimbledon, this was an intriguing read for me and very interesting for our Wimbledon audience to hear about. Olivia had visited Wimbledon Village and the Common previously, and in true crime writer fashion, she’d started to think about what possible crimes could happen in such a location. By setting the novel in a small gated neighbourhood of just six houses, Olivia Kiernan has created a claustrophobic atmosphere. This is increased by the first person viewpoint of Dr Myles Butler. We only see the story through his eyes. As the story develops, Myles begins to unravel.
The Khan by Saima Mir
Be twice as good as men and four times as good as white men.
Jia Khan has always lived like this.
Successful London lawyer Jia Khan is a long way from the Northern streets she knew as a child, where her father, Akbar Khan, led the Pakistani community and ran the local organised crime syndicate.
Often his Jirga rule – the old way – was violent and bloody, but it was always justice of a kind.
Now, with her father murdered, Jia must return to take his place. Justice needs to be restored, and Jia is about to discover that justice always comes at a cost.
To buy, click here.
Saima Mir wanted to write about her home city of Bradford (creating a fictional area) and used her experience as a crime journalist as inspiration. She told us about a time when she was reporting on a shooting of a police officer. It drew in a crowd of journalists, including the big newspapers. Saima went into a local curry house and was followed by the Daily Mail reporter. As a local journalist, Saima knew who to speak to, to get a lead. The Daily Mail guy knew this too. So, Saima switched to Urdu to talk to one of the workers. Saima got the scoop. It made her think about how second and third generation British Asian people combine their Britishness with their Asian heritage, and that’s what she explores through her protagonist, Jia Khan.
Eleven Liars by Robert Gold
Journalist Ben Harper is on his way home when he sees the flames in the churchyard. The derelict community centre is on fire. And somebody is trapped inside.
With Ben’s help the person escapes, only to flee the scene before they can be identified. Now the small town of Haddley is abuzz with rumours. Was this an accident, or arson?
Then a skeleton is found in the burnt-out foundations.
And when the identity of the victim is revealed, Ben is confronted with a crime that is terrifyingly close to home. As he uncovers a web of deceit and destruction that goes back decades, Ben quickly learns that in this small town, everybody has something to hide.
To buy, click here.
Eleven Liars is the second Ben Harper story. Ben is a journalist and Robert Gold used to work for CNN. One of the things he discovered as a journalist, was that you could just knock on someone’s door and ask questions. And that’s exactly what Ben Harper does in the fictional town of Haddley, based on Putney. Robert chose to fictionalise the setting as he thought it might be a bit weird to have actual places where the murders are set, especially as he lives in Putney! But Robert does bring in other local towns such as Richmond and Isleworth to create that South West London atmosphere.
It was an absolute pleasure to chair such an entertaining panel and I think the audience enjoyed it too. Thanks to Craig Sisterson and Beth Kluver for the photographs. Thanks also to Wimbledon Bookfest and Merton Libraries for setting up the event, and to Wimbledon Waterstones for selling the books. If you couldn’t make the event, signed copies of the books are available to buy in Wimbledon Waterstones.
Our third Murder In Merton for Crime Reading Month is a crime writing workshop with Biba Pearce and myself, this coming Saturday 24th June 11.30am-1.30pm. There are still some places left and you can book at wimbledonbookfest.org . Cost is £20 or free to Merton residents living in CR4, CR7, SM3 and SM4 postcode areas.
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