Today, I am chatting with Val Penny about Murder at Landsmuir, the fourth novel in her Detective Hunter Wilson Mysteries series.
This time, Hunter's investigation takes him from Edinburgh to the seemingly welcoming surroundings of Landsmuir Farm, while another disturbing mystery brings the case much closer to home. When his elderly aunt Sandra becomes convinced that someone in her hospital is trying to kill her, Hunter must consider the possibility that vulnerable women are being deliberately targeted.
Val joins me today to talk about the real-life incident that helped inspire the novel, returning to Landsmuir Farm, and revealing a more personal side of Hunter as he faces his latest investigation.
But first, let's check out Murder at Landsmui
Publisher: Joffe Books
Print Length: 290 Pages
Genre: Crime Fiction
When his confused, elderly aunt turns up at the police station insisting the hospital staff are trying to murder her, Detective Hunter Wilson gently takes her back to her bed.
Days later, Sandra is dead.
She is the third patient to die on the same ward in a matter of weeks. Each victim was slight and frail. Each one had her wedding ring stripped from her finger.
The trail leads Hunter’s team out of the city to Landsmuir Farm, a remote Lanarkshire steading of warm kitchens, homemade cake and firelit singsongs.
But behind the barn doors sits a devastating secret that ties the farm to one of the dead women.
Someone is choosing victims they believe no one will miss.
To stop them, Hunter must see past the caring smiles to the lies underneath — before another life is taken.
This time, the case is personal.
Murder at Landsmuir is the fourth book in your Detective Hunter Wilson Mysteries. What was the initial idea that sparked this particular case, and how did it develop into the story we see in the novel?
The initial story which sparked this book, and which became the sub-plot, was a real case of a car accident which was mishandled by the police shortly after the Scottish regional police forces were integrated to become Police Scotland. I wanted members of Hunter’s team to see the accident and report it. From there, the rest of the story flowed easily because they saw the accident on their way to Landsmuir Farm. This is where the title of the book comes from.
The investigation becomes deeply personal for Hunter when his elderly aunt Sandra tells him that someone at the hospital is trying to kill her. How does that personal connection affect the way Hunter approaches the case?
I enjoyed keeping the story relevant to Hunter and his team. I had an elderly relative in hospital around the time of writing the book and had great fun with them drawing Sandra’s more comical scenes. Of course, because Hunter is fond of his aunt, he is genuinely concerned for her well-being.
The victims are elderly, frail women whom the killer appears to believe will not be missed. What drew you to exploring the vulnerability of older people and the disturbing idea of someone deliberately targeting those they consider invisible?
When my elderly relative was in hospital, they were fortunate enough to have family and friends visiting them often and regularly, however there were others in the ward who were not so fortunate and so I began to think about how easy it would be to ignore, or worse, harm such a person.
The story begins in Edinburgh before taking Hunter and his team to Landsmuir Farm in the country. What appealed to you about contrasting these two very different Scottish settings?
I had used Landsmuir Farm and introduced those who live there in a previous novel, Murder in the New Town. It was fun to re-introduce those characters and explore the farm in more detail as a contrast to the city scenes in the book.
Landsmuir Farm initially appears warm and welcoming, with homemade cake, firelit gatherings, and a strong sense of community. How much fun was it to play with that contrast between outward comfort and the secrets hiding beneath the surface?
That was a lot of fun! Playing with emotions and feelings is a large part of suspense that drives a mystery.
Hunter Wilson has now been at the centre of four mysteries. How has he changed since readers first met him, and was there anything about his character that surprised you while writing Murder at Landsmuir?
Before writing this novel, I hadn’t explored Hunter’s softer side much. I was able to show his fondness for his elderly aunt, but also his personal concern for the other victims and to contrast that with his professional investigation.
Your professional background is wonderfully varied, and you also have a law degree from the University of Edinburgh. Has your legal background influenced the way you approach police investigations, crime, and justice in your novels?
Funnily enough, very little! I was a contract lawyer and lectured at Heriot Watt University for many years. However, although criminal law formed part of my degree, I never specialised in that side of the discipline.
Scottish locations are an important part of the Hunter Wilson Mysteries. How important is creating an authentic sense of place to you, and does living in Scotland influence the atmosphere of your crime fiction?
I like to write about places I know well, so I can take the reader on a journey and show them the places where the action takes place. Scots also have a particular sense of humour and a mind set that is useful when writing a crime novel. All of these are important to me when I write.
Crime fiction relies on giving readers enough clues to keep them guessing without revealing too much too soon. How do you approach planting clues, red herrings, and secrets while keeping the eventual revelations believable?
The one thing a crime writer must not do is break the contract with the reader. It must be possible for the reader to work out who did it. Having said that, I always have several possible perpetrators and only decide ‘who dun it’ when I am writing the relevant scenes. If a reader tells me they knew who did it, which doesn’t happen often, they know more than I did while writing the book.
For readers who haven't yet encountered Detective Hunter Wilson, can Murder at Landsmuir be enjoyed as a standalone mystery, and what do you hope both new and returning readers take away from Hunter's latest investigation?
Murder at Landsmuir is easy to read as a standalone, as are all my books. However, this is particularly true of this novel because it is based on a true event and a new setting at Landsmuir Farm. I’m sure readers will be impressed by the humanity of Hunter and his team and sympathise with the vulnerability of the victims.
A huge thank you to Val Penny for joining me today and telling us more about Murder at Landsmuir.
If you enjoy Scottish crime fiction, character-driven investigations and mysteries with plenty of suspects and secrets, then Murder at Landsmuir is certainly one to add to your reading list.
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx