The perfect scene for murder mystery plot

Marie Connolly was an academic for more than 30 years, publishing more than 20 scholarly books.

But it was a stargazing experience at Mt John Observatory in the Mackenzie Country that prompted her to turn her hand to fiction.

Dark Sky was released on April 3 and follows the story of criminal psychologist Nellie Prayle, who is called to help with the police investigation after a professor of astronomy is found dead at Takapō/Tekapo’s Mt John Observatory during its 50th anniversary conference celebrations.

“I had been up a few times stargazing and I got the kernel of an idea,” Connolly said.

“It had the perfect conditions of a murder mystery, and it went from there.”

However, she quickly realised the story needed more so obtained a copy of her friend John Hearnshaw’s non-fiction book about the 50-year anniversary of the observatory. Hearnshaw, a New Zealand astronomer, is a professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of Canterbury.

His book prompted Connolly to set her own story in 2015, about the time of the 50th anniversary.

While working at the University of Canterbury, Connolly was also able to call on the late William Tobin, an astronomer who was her colleague and friend.

“I said, ‘I’m going to do this novel,’ and I had a synopsis in place.”

She said Tobin provided her with masses of emails containing information on the observatory, the nearby Godley Hotel and telescopes, and this enabled her to set the scene.

“He had also been at the 50th so knew the order of proceedings. It gave me a great feel for the setting up there.”

Based in Akaroa, she also spent time with the Banks Peninsula settlement’s police force to learn about the policing of a homicide in New Zealand.

“It gave me a lot of ideas, such as who would be first out to the scene when something like that happens in a more remote part of the country.”

She said the process was a “huge learning curve” and it made her excited to be able to tell the story.

“It was all new, fresh and interesting. Getting the science right I think was pretty important.”

The story’s plot had been re-enacted at the observatory by her teenage granddaughter, she said.

She said the towns of Geraldine, Tekapo and Geraldine all featured strongly in the book.

And now that she has written a book of fiction, Connolly said there may be more.

“I think Nellie Prayle may still have a life beyond Dark Sky. I have already started to think about where we might take her next.”

Connolly will speak at Petronella’s Bookstore in Tekapo on Thursday from 5.30pm to 7pm, and at Timaru Booksellers on May 15 at 12.30pm.