Saying something true
Thoughts on attending CWA Torquay 2022 conference
On Friday last week I packed a towering heap of facemasks, set the satnav for Torquay, and headed off to that annual bonanza of goodwill and skullduggery, the Crime Writers’ Association conference. I say annual — thanks to Covid, the Torquay outing has been on the back burner for three years. All the more welcome when it did happen, especially for me in my first year of membership of the CWA.
Highlights of the weekend included a visit to the small but impeccable Torquay Museum, featuring sets from Poirot’s home; wonderful speakers Harry Tangye, Andy Costello, Sarah Burton, Karen Charlton and Karen Menuhin, and a mysterious visitor from Border Force, who frightened us accordingly. Thanks to all — I learned something new from each of you. A special mention to walking guide Graham Kerr, who made three hours flash by with his fascinating walk through the life and times of Agatha Christie.
The great Dame’s ghost smiled on us all that sunny weekend. There can be few places so imbued with the spirit of a single writer. And what a writer: the bestselling author of all time, and the most translated author in history. That's quite the legacy, and made me think about the impact of mystery writing.
PD James, herself no slouch in the crime writing stakes, said of her genre: “As I continued with my craft I became increasingly fascinated by the form, and realised that you can use the formula to say something true about men and women and the society in which they live.”
By happy coincidence, a terrific article on the same topic came out recently on crimereads.com: Why the Mystery Novel is a Perfect Literary Form, by David Gordon. David is a reader and writer of detective novels. He explains the enduring appeal of the genre thus: “As long as they are following some sort of logical trail of clues, the detective can go anywhere, talk to anyone, penetrate all sectors of society, from the highest realms of wealth and power to the lowest ditches and dives. Because of this, mysteries, despite their often wildly imagined mayhem and obscure plot points, can offer a deeply revealing and immersive portrait of a society at a given time.”
It’s the ubiquity of the detective in time and place that rings so true to the reader, whether in 20th century Botswana (The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency), 19th century London (Sherlock Holmes), the middle ages (The Name of the Rose), the distant future (Blade Runner), or my own third century Roman Britain (The Governor’s Man),
Fictional detectives have the duty to seek the truth everywhere and through all levels of society, without fear or favour. So as we follow the clues along their trail, we discover their worlds, too. By the end, whether it’s gathering the cast in the dining room with Poirot, stalking the chilly Shetland Isles with Jimmy Perez, opening the red wine in a Paris apartment with Maigret, or penetrating a dockhand opium den with Conan Doyle’s hero, we readers know we’re finding the truth — or at least as much of it as can be known.
That has to be as good as it gets. That’s why mystery fiction matters so much.
More News
My article ‘Being British in the time of Rome’ was published this month on fellow crime writer Val Penny’s excellent website. Check Val’s site out, it’s packed with interesting reviews and interviews, as well as Val’s own Edinburgh crime series.
In May, my new article on policing in the Roman world will appear in interactive historical magazine Historical Times. I’ll attach the link in my next newsletter when that’s published, but in the meantime, do browse through the magazine. It’s full of news, reviews and articles covering all periods of history.
Update on progress of the second Quintus Valerius mystery: I’ve hit well over 50,000 words, got Julia off a boat and into more trouble, and dropped Quintus and Tiro into a mire of betrayal, murder and insurrection in Rome. So not a lot left to sort out in the final act of the book. My goal is to get the polished draft off to my editor by mid/end May, so, sorry, must get back to writing now…
So jealous! Glad you had such a good time.