Kintyre inspires author of crime thriller book series
Kintyre’s land and seascapes inspired the author of a gripping new murder mystery novel.
Murder on the Clyde, the third book in Daniel Sellers’ Detective Lola Harris series, was part-written near Campbeltown, as were sections of the preceding publications, Murder in the Gallowgate and Murder in Lovers’ Lane.
Published on Thursday April 18 by Joffe Books, it tells of Detective Lola Harris, a tough woman with a good heart, solving crimes in gritty Glasgow.
The book’s synopsis reads: “Detective Lola is heading back over the river from a rare night out when she spots a crowd of people looking over the parapet. Someone’s gone in.
“A young man called Cammy witnessed everything. He swears it’s the work of the Clyde Pusher, but is terrified of the police.
“The Clyde Pusher is the stuff of urban legend. A hooded figure who throws men into the river to drown. Eight victims in five years.
“But according to the police, the Pusher doesn’t exist. There are no reliable witnesses, nothing to link the victims.
“Lola starts looking into the case unofficially but gets a rap on the knuckles from her higher-ups for nosing around. Someone is trying to derail the investigation. What are they trying to cover up?
“Because the Pusher is real. And he has Cammy in his sights…”
Despite being part of a series, the book’s Helensburgh-based author, who regularly visits Kintyre to “clear his head”, says Murder on the Clyde can also be read as a stand-alone book.
“I live full time in Helensburgh, but spend a lot of time near Campbeltown, staying with my friends Simon and Chris near Lussa Loch, where they now live full time,” Daniel told the Courier.
“I finished book two (Murder in Lovers’ Lane) and book three (Murder on the Clyde) at their cottage and wrote part of the ending of Murder in the Clyde in the café at Muneroy Stores.
“I like to go on long walks with my wheaten terrier Rasmus while I’m working out parts of the plot. Two of my favourite ‘thinking walks’ are in Kintyre: on Saddell beach and at Carskey Bay.
“The sea seems to soothe my brain and help the ideas fall into place!”
Daniel grew up in Yorkshire and lived and worked in Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin and Vaasa in Finland, before moving to Argyll.
A huge fan of crime fiction, his own detective thrillers are described as “pacy and dark, with as much interest in whydunnit as who”.
Murder on the Clyde can be purchased on Amazon, where Murder in the Gallowgate and Murder in Lovers’ Lane are also available, with audiobooks expected to be released later this year.
Signed copies of the first two books are also on sale at Muneroy Stores.
The future looks bright for Daniel and Detective Lola as Joffe Books has recently bought three further titles in the series.