Hi alllll! So it's been a hot minute a post over here. Today we've brought you a lovely guest post from author
Rachel Lynch following the release of her latest novel "Dead End", explaining her some of her research process.
Guest post: Rachel Lynch
In the Kelly Porter novels, I’m always looking for new angles to explore pathology and police procedure. The research never stops, and it’s vitally important for me to learn new procedures and technologies, and incorporate them in my books.
For example, in Dead End, Kelly makes an aerial search of a mountainous area, looking for two missing girls. I loved researching this! I’ve been in helicopters and I’m a bit like Kelly: they shouldn’t work but they do! I know the police use them all the time now, but resources are tight in Cumbria, and sometimes they use the mountain rescue helicopters, or borrow from neighbouring constabularies, such as Lancaster. It has to be plausible to me, and Kelly is used to having technology on tap in London, but this is very different and she’d got to use her resourcefulness.
Police dive teams appeared in Dark Game and they make a reappearance here in Dead End. I trained to be a Sports Diver in Cyprus, when I lived there for almost three years. It meant I could dive to fifty metres in open water, and it involved a lot of exams and technical knowledge. I love the atmosphere that’s made possible in the confine space of a wetsuit and a tank of air- it’s adrenaline pumping and then some! There’s also a commercial dive scene in Dead End, and I do like to throw in the odd curve ball here and there, and that dive instructor was fun to create.
I also like to have the coroner use different techniques and face new challenges in his work, and so this time, for Dead End, I did a lot of research into brain pathology, without giving too much away. Ted Wallis is obviously a very experienced pathologist and I always like to give him slightly different angles to work with. This is a good source of tension for Kelly, too, because results take time, and sometimes, dead bodies throw up real surprises.
Nowadays, it’s quite easy to research topics on the internet, but my joy is gained from taking that research, and turning what I find into a proper job for my developing characters. Also, things don’t always go to plan in the real world and mistakes are made and opportunities lost. I also have to keep in mind that a lot of police work, and pathology, is fairly dull: crunching data and looking for detail. It can take weeks to follow a lead on one carpet strand, as it can take months to wait to see if DNA can be replicated and harvested. Obviously this would make a pretty flat plot, and so I take liberties with time and space, but always make sure the investigative detail is plausible.
One example of this is the Lake District terrain. Accuracy is important to me, however, sometimes, Kelly has to cover distances and altitudes quickly, to keep the story moving forward. For example, it’s possible to get up to Martindale as quickly as she does, but, in summer, stuck behind a mini-bus, on narrow lanes choked with tourists, it’s probably a long shot. The same is true about the geography of Place Fell- the location that first inspired Dead End, and if ever you get chance to visit, it’s a cracking walk to start with. From the summit, the whole of Ullswater spreads out before you, majestic and vast. It’s truly breath taking. There are several ways up to the summit, and Kelly and Johnny could easily jog up it, given their level of fitness. It is deserted most of the time, it’s wind swept, and these features are what planted the seed of a major plot thread for me in Dead End. I remember sitting up there one day, looking down on Ullswater, Dead End beginning to form in my head.
Having said all that, research has to be handled with care. Like William Faulkner said, the novelist has to kill their darlings, and it’s true. For every paragraph on technical detail, I’ve probably researched a book load of facts. In the final edit, they all have to be culled, to leave just enough nuggets to thrill the reader!
Book Spotlight:
Title: Dead End
Author Name: Rachel Lynch
Previous Books (if applicable): Dark Game and Deep Fear
Genre: Crime Fiction, Police Procedural
Release Date: 8th October 2018
Publisher: Canelo
Book Blurb:
When the seventh Earl of Lowesdale is found hanging from the rafters at Wasdale Hall, everyone assumes the aging, hard-partying aristocrat had finally had enough of chasing the glory of his youth. But when the coroner finds signs of foul play, DI Kelly Porter is swept into a luxurious world where secrets and lies dominate.
At the same time, two young hikers go missing and it’s up to Kelly to lead the search. But digging deeper reveals ties to two other unsolved disappearances and Kelly and her team find themselves in a race against time.
Now, as all roads of both investigations and Kelly’s own family secrets lead to Wasdale Hall it becomes more important than ever for Kelly to discover the devious truths hidden behind the walls of the Lake District’s most exclusive estate...
Don't miss this gripping crime thriller featuring an unforgettable detective. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney and Robert Bryndza.
Links to Book:
Amazon (UK)
Kobo (UK)
Google Books (UK)
Apple Books (UK)
Author Bio: Rachel Lynch grew up in Cumbria and the lakes and fells are never far away from her. London pulled her away to teach History and marry an Army Officer, whom she followed around the globe for thirteen years. A change of career after children led to personal training and sports therapy, but writing was always the overwhelming force driving the future. The human capacity for compassion as well as its descent into the brutal and murky world of crime are fundamental to her work.
Twitter:
@r_lynchcrime
I can't wait to read this one!!
Abi x
