Dear Reader: A Guest Post by Emma Mason
A locked-room mystery with a holiday twist. Ahead of her retirement, detective Midge McGowan finds herself on a haunted house tour with a group of misfits in this delightfully spooky story. Read on for an exclusive essay from author Emma Mason on writing Murder Most Haunted.
Paperback $18.99
Murder Most Haunted: A Novel
Murder Most Haunted: A Novel
By Emma Mason
In Stock Online
Paperback $18.99
An unforgettable heroine is faced with an unbelievable crime in this snarky, charming locked-room mystery that asks: would you rather be snowed-in with a ghost, or a murderer?
An unforgettable heroine is faced with an unbelievable crime in this snarky, charming locked-room mystery that asks: would you rather be snowed-in with a ghost, or a murderer?
Dear Reader,
Murder Most Haunted is my debut novel. It features a retired detective called Midge. Midge was born out of my own experiences: fifteen brutal weeks at the Police Academy, a time that consisted of exhilarating plunges into icy waters, cross country runs and eventually becoming all too familiar with a CPR plastic doll called Anne.
On the final night of training, we celebrated with an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. My law tutor (a serving officer who had been seconded out from active duty) went up for second helpings. Fellow trainers, all officers, smirked and made sly digs about her plus size. Her face quickly assumed a mask of indifference, but in that instance, I witnessed her fade a little.
It didn’t matter that her classes consistently topped the academy’s exam results, or that she had received several bravery commendations during her active career. In that one moment, all her accomplishments were negated. Whether it’s your face not fitting, your brain working a little ‘differently’, or even your sex not being correct, if you stand out, more often than not, you will be ignored in favour of those that fit the mould. Not just in the police but in any large, established institution.
Midge’s character developed from there and once I had the character, it was easy enough to decide on the genre for her story. I love reading mysteries and I’m an unashamed cheerleader for ‘cosy crime’ in particular. Why say unashamed? Because I’ve often heard people refer to this genre as ‘a guilty pleasure’, tainting it as inferior to its more ‘highbrow’ psychological thriller cousin.
And why is this? Well, I’ve given the matter some thought and perhaps people are hesitant to declare their devotion due to its frequent implausibility. Yes, I’ve said it! The truth is that sometimes cosy crime does require a brief suspension of belief. Of course, there couldn’t be that number of murders in one small village in Midsommer, not without a general freefall in house prices and the frequency with which Jessica Fletcher stumbles across a crime scene would have me crossing the street if we were to ever meet. Even the great Agatha Christie didn’t mind a ridiculously convoluted family connection or two that would inevitably leave you howling at the text. But it is precisely this implausibility combined with its comforting predictability that drives cosy crime’s biggest selling point, ‘escapism’. Readers/viewers can relax knowing that, eventually, all will be right with the world. And, let’s be honest, today, people need that sense of security and comfort now more than ever. I wrote Murder Most Haunted at a particularly dark time in my personal life, when I craved the familiarity, constancy and warmth of a cosy crime. It helped me through, and I hope it helps anyone else who needs it. So yes, spoiler alert, there will be some implausibilities and possibly even some predictability and, if it has you shouting at the book, then I’ve done my job.
I hope you enjoy Midge as much as I did!
