Death in Paradise ... and now in Marlow
Marlow: Writer talks TV success as he publishes new mystery
Marlow author Robert Thorogood says his latest book gives other characters the chance to share the limelight as murder descends on the River Thames.
Robert, known for creating the hit BBC One series Death in Paradise, has written a novel called ‘The Marlow Murder Club’ in which a single woman living on the outskirts of the town witnesses a brutal murder.
She forms a team of women to try and solve it after the police reject her story.
The book – which took about a year for Robert to write – is the first he has set in his hometown, and said that he wanted the main characters to differ from others he has worked on before.
“For the last 10 years I have
been writing about a middleaged, middle-class white guy who goes to the Caribbean and solves crimes,” he said.
“I really wanted to write a story where a woman, who does not normally get to be a hero in a detective story, gets to be the hero of a detective story.
“I wanted to take that character of a woman who lives on her own, and adapt it to 2021, and try and surround her with other women.”
On why he chose Marlow to set the novel, Robert – who is inspired by Agatha Christie – added: “I was looking for a town to set it in that seemed very polite, successful and pretty, and you really can’t do better than Marlow.
“I love a light-hearted murder mystery novel where there is a challenge for the reader: can you work out who the killer is, or can I as a writer smuggle the killer past you?”
The pandemic has made it hard for Robert to meet his readers and sell books through bookshops, but he has urged anyone interested to buy the novel via hive.co.uk, which specialises in supporting local bookshops.
It is also on offer online at larger outlets such as Amazon and Waterstones, and has been chosen as January’s book of the month for independent bookshops.
“I am very pleased with how the book has come out; I am thrilled to bits with how it has done,” Robert said.
He added that the Advertiser also plays a key role in the story.
“The final piece of the jigsaw is provided by the Maidenhead Advertiser,” he said, adding that he has plans for a potential follow-up book.
“I am starting to plan a second novel which I think is going to be about a host of local celebrities killed in Marlow,” Robert said.
Death in Paradise has returned to our screens for season 10 and will be shown on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Thursday).
The pandemic has made filming a ‘huge challenge’ for Robert but he reserved special mention for his team, who ensured that the episodes were filmed safely.
“It was an amazing logistical achievement, it is phenomenal to see it on the screen,” Robert said. “Due to the brilliance of the crew we delivered all eight episodes on time.”