I'm very excited to have Leigh Russell here today, talking about her latest novel 'Stop Dead'.
Tell us about your latest book, ‘Stop Dead’.
In ‘Cut Short’, ‘Road
Closed’, and ‘Dead End’, Geraldine Steel worked for the Murder Squad in Kent. In ‘Death
Bed’ she moved to London, so ‘Stop Dead’ is the
second of the London
novels. Once again the reader follows Geraldine’s search for a killer who
proves to be elusive as well as deadly. The only clues the police have are two
samples of DNA found at the crime scenes.
The first of these matches the DNA of a woman who has been in prison for
twenty years, the second is from a woman who has been dead for two years. It
makes no sense, but Geraldine has to solve the mystery if she is to find the
killer who has embarked on a killing spree.
The last two books have seen a move to London for Geraldine. How
has this opened up new possibilities for you as a writer?
My main interest is in
character, so probably the most significant difference for me was the
opportunity to introduce her new team, Detective Sergeant Samantha Haley and
Chief Inspector Reg Milton. While pursuing a murder investigation, Geraldine
establishes relationships with her new colleagues and adapts to working in the
Met.
Has ‘Stop Dead’ got a really juicy baddy in it?
It’s important for me to
understand my characters, otherwise they risk becoming two dimensional
functions of the plot. Like all my villains, the killer in ‘Stop Dead’ is a
damaged character, in some ways as much a victim as the people who are killed.
Nevertheless, the nature of the killer’s experience leads to some quite
horrific murders… It is quite tricky to talk about it without revealing the
killer’s gender!
Geraldine Steel seems to be a big hit. What is it about her that has made her such a
good series character?
When I wrote ‘Cut Short’ I
didn’t expect anyone to read the manuscript, let alone publish it. It certainly
never crossed my mind that ‘Cut Short’ might turn out to be the start of a
series. So Geraldine Steel turned up, unplanned, as the detective who would
solve the case in ‘Cut Short’. She managed that quite efficiently and
believably, and seemed to catch my readers’ imagination before I really knew
her. Most authors of series plan their protagonist’s life story before they
begin writing but Geraldine is evolving throughout the process of writing the
books. I wonder if this is what interests her fans - the ambiguity and
development in her character that makes her seem real.
Do you think crime writing particularly lends
itself to long running series, and why?
Yes, By its nature, crime
writing is episodic. The detective is the thread that runs through the series,
moving on from case to case, while each book has its own complete story. So an
author can continue indefinitely with different murder cases to be solved.
What’s next for you? Are you going to continue writing books about
Geraldine, or do you have something else up your sleeve.
Yes to both! Initially my
publisher offered me a three book deal for Geraldine Steel. Those three books
all became bestsellers so my publisher asked me for another three books. ‘Stop
Dead’ is the fifth book in the series, so I’m currently working on the sixth.
I’m meeting my publisher in a few weeks’ time to discuss our next contract -
hopefully for the next three Geraldine Steel novels! We are also exploring the
possibility of a spin off series for Ian Peterson, the sergeant Geraldine left
behind in Kent when she
moved to London
in ‘Death Bed’. I’ll keep you posted!
What’s been the most exciting thing to happen on
your writing journey so far?
There have been so many
highlights, it’s impossible to pick just one.
Here are a few that spring to mind: signing a contract with my
publisher, seeing my books on the shelves in bookshops, being shortlisted for a
CWA Dagger Award, being sent a personal endorsement by Peter James, reading
good reviews in The Times – in fact good reviews anywhere - being invited to
share Jeffery Deaver’s champagne al fresco on a summer evening, meeting Lee
child, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Clive Dexter, and all the crime writing gang,
receiving an invitation to teach on the Greek island of Skyros, spending time
with a Murder Investigation Team… but the biggest thrill is still writing!
Thank you for interviewing
me here and keep writing!
Thanks to Leigh for sharing those thoughts about writing and giving some tantalising hints about 'Stop Dead'. I can't wait to read it now!
You can pre-order 'Stop Dead' for Kindle now here.
And you can buy Leigh's other books here.
