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Today I am chatting with Val Penny about Murder in the New Town, the third novel in her Detective Hunter Wilson Mystery series.
Set against the elegant streets of Edinburgh’s New Town, Hunter’s latest investigation becomes uncomfortably close to home when a brutal murder is discovered in his son’s flat. I caught up with Val to talk about returning to Hunter’s world, using Edinburgh as a setting, the complicated relationship between Hunter and his family, and what goes into creating a mystery that keeps readers guessing.
But first, let's check out Murder in New Town
Publisher: Joffe Books
Print Length: 258 Pages
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Behind the elegant Georgian terraces of Edinburgh's New Town, a killer is hiding in plain sight . . .
Detective Hunter Wilson is dragged from his bed by a frantic call in the early hours of the morning.
A young woman has been found dead in a flat above a betting shop on Frederick Street.
By the time Hunter arrives, it’s clear this wasn’t a crime of passion.
The victim has been beaten beyond recognition. The tips of her fingers are missing. The kitchen floor is soaked red with her blood.
Someone wanted to make sure she could never be identified.
But that’s not what stops Hunter in his tracks.
The flat is the home of his own son.
I wanted to set the story in the Edinburgh New Town. Because it is central and a beautiful part of the city. I also wanted to centre the story around Hunter’s son and his recovery from drug addiction. It is important to me that my books show that, even when people take a wrong turn, there is always the opportunity for redemption.
The victim has been deliberately made difficult to identify, immediately giving Hunter and his team two mysteries to solve: who she is and who killed her. What interested you about beginning the investigation without even being able to give the victim a name?
I am fascinated by challenge and by the difficulties the emergency services are faced with. Therefore I wanted to compound the issues for the police in this book and show Hunter’s team working the clues I give them.
The discovery that the murder scene is Hunter’s son’s flat changes the investigation completely for him. How did you explore the conflict between Hunter the experienced detective and Hunter the father?
Hunter has a rather chequered relationship with both of his children because of his divorce from their mother. However, he does at least see his son Cameron. It was for this reason that I wanted to set the action in Cameron’s flat and give Hunter the additional headache of having to walk that fine line between professionalism and paternalism.
Edinburgh’s New Town is renowned for its beautiful Georgian architecture and elegant streets, which creates a striking contrast with the violence at the centre of the novel. How important was that juxtaposition when creating the atmosphere of the story?
Every city has an underbelly, and at the time this book is set, there were parts of the New Town which were notorious. I therefore wanted to play with the physical beauty of the area and some of the wicked characters I created to thrive there.
Frederick Street and the surrounding area give you a very recognisable Edinburgh setting for the investigation. Do you enjoy using real locations in your novels, and how do you decide which parts of the city will become settings for particular crimes?
I use the city of Edinburgh as an additional character in my novels. This is deliberate. Many of my readers have visited the city and others would like to. I therefore do try to take them on a tour of parts of the city as Hunter and his team solve each mystery.
Hunter’s family connection to the crime inevitably raises the emotional stakes. What challenges did you face in making the case intensely personal without allowing that aspect of the story to overwhelm the police procedural element?
Hunter’s relationship with his son is fragile and therefore his determination that his team solve the mystery is particularly important so that Cameron can sleep at night knowing he did nothing wrong.
The killer has gone to disturbing lengths to prevent the victim from being identified. Without giving too much away, what did this allow you to explore about the importance of identity in a murder investigation?
It was fun to explore the horror of murder as well as the wit and experience of Hunter and his team. I’m relieved my readers enjoy following investigations with me.
This is the third Detective Hunter Wilson Mystery. At this point in the series, how had your understanding of Hunter changed from the character you first introduced, and were you beginning to discover aspects of him that you hadn’t originally planned?
When I first created Hunter, I hadn’t really thought about his romantic side. I thought his team member, Tim Myerscough, would be my love interest. However, since Hunter met Dr Meera Sharma and their relationship is developing, I am more aware of Hunter’s more rounded, human character.
Crime novels often depend as much upon what characters are hiding as upon the evidence detectives uncover. How do you decide when to reveal a secret to the reader and when to hold something back?
That varies from scene to scene and story to story. The contract with the reader is to give them all the tools to work out who has committed the crime, but not to make it too obvious too early.
For readers discovering the series through Murder in the New Town, what would you like them to take away from their first encounter with Hunter Wilson, his family, and the darker side of Edinburgh?
Each of my books works as part of the series or as a standalone. In Murder in the New Town, I think the readers will enjoy Hunter’s relationship with Meera and with his son as well as the interactions of the characters and the reflections of good and evil in the story.
Thank you, Val, for joining us today and giving us a glimpse behind Murder in the New Town. It has been fascinating to hear more about Hunter, his changing relationships and the Edinburgh that has become such an important part of the series.
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