Perth’s past crimes

‘My first novel, Cuddies Strip, was published by Ringwood

Publishing of Glasgow in

September,’ writes subscriber

Rob McInroy.

‘It is based on true crimes committed in Perth, Scotland in 1935 and offers a fictionalised account of the crimes, the police investigation and the subsequent trial.

‘I came across the story by accident. I saw a photograph of a funeral cortege on an online football forum I’m a member of, with very little detail other than it was for a boy murdered in 1935. I did some research and uncovered the story of dreadful crimes – murder and rape – on the Cuddies Strip, a lovers’ lane on the outskirts of Perth. I got so interested I pursued the story in the National Records of Scotland and the Archives of Perth and Kinross Council. Gradually, this fascinating story emerged and I knew I had to write it.”

‘Although it’s set in 1935, it has strong resonances with today. The world in 1935 was a very uncertain place, with extreme nationalism on the rise, populism driving home and foreign policy and a strong sense of mistrust and fear settling across Europe.

‘The novel also explores the treatment of women at the time by the legal system. It’s fair to say that when Marjory Fenwick was raped on the Cuddies Strip that was only the start of her ordeal. I wanted to tell her story and set the record straight. I hope I’ve done her justice.

‘I won a Writing Magazine competition in February 2018 for a story with a single character. Although he didn’t appear in that story, the central character of Cuddies Strip was a character in the novel from which that story was adapted. Winning that competition was a tremendous fillip for me, boosting my confidence and encouraging me to carry on writing. Cuddies Strip is the result, so I’m very grateful to Writing Magazine.

‘I’m working on a follow-up to Cuddies Strip, set during the abdication crisis in 1936. All of my writing is set in and around Perthshire, from the 1920s through to the 2010s. A strong sense of place is everything to me.’

Website: https://cuddies-strip.blogspot.com/