Could Hexham Abbey become a crime scene?
She’s got the location, she’s got the title of the book – now all best-selling writer Val McDermid needs is a plot. DANIEL HALL reports
ONE of the UK’s favourite contemporary crime writers has suggested that a Northumberland landmark would be the ‘perfect setting’ for a novel.
Val McDermid, creator of the Wire in the Blood series starring Robson Green, revealed in an interview with Anna Foster on BBC Radio Newcastle that she thinks Hexham Abbey would be the perfect place to set a story.
Val will return to the town voted the UK’s happiest place to live next month to talk about her latest work 1979, the first in a brand new set of novels introducing journalist Allie Burns, at the Hexham Book Festival.
A regular visitor to the town over the years to see family, she also described Hexham as a joy to come back to and will no doubt be visiting its spectacular abbey once again.
She said: “At the back of my head, I’ve got this idea and I really have to come up with a story to go with it, but inside the abbey there’s a sign that says the Night Stair and I think that’s the perfect title. I haven’t got a story to go with it, but it’s still lurking in the back of my head.
“It might be a short story. It might be a novel one of these days!”
According to Hexham Abbey’s website, The Night Stair is actually 35 stone steps which rise from the south transept of the abbey.
The stairs have been worn by constant use since the 13th century and are a reminder of the
abbey’s history as a monastic church.
Should Val get round to setting a story in the abbey, she wouldn’t be the first to be inspired by the beauty of the North East. Each of LJ Ross’s DCI Ryan series takes place around a popular regional landmark, with her latest book Bamburgh set in the village named the UK’s favourite seaside destination for the second year in a row. LJ Ross will also appear at the Hexham Book Festival.
Susie Troup, Director of Hexham Book Festival, said: “Val McDermid has been a fantastic supporter and friend of Hexham Book Festival since 2009 when she was a guest director and introduced audiences to some fabulous new talent in the world of crime fiction and we are so thrilled that she will be joining us again 12 years on.
“The festival is all about inspiring creativity and getting the inside track from authors so this is hopefully a snapshot of what festival goers can expect from the event.”
Val, who lived in Alnmouth for 10 years, also spoke of her love for the Northumberland coast in the interview. She said: “I miss those wonderful Northumberland beaches. When you get up in the morning when the sun’s coming up over the sea and there’s a wee mist coming in – the coastline is tremendous and I love that.”
Val McDermid will be at the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre at 8.15pm on Sunday June 19. For more information, visit the Hexham Book Festival website.