Five Books With Victoria Dowd

Time for something new for the blog – hopefully, this will be a regular feature on the blog – where authors get the chance to say a bit about themselves and their latest book by answering six simple questions and recommending five books.

First up is friend of the blog, two-time Grand Puzzly winner, Victoria Dowd. Over to you, Victoria.

Please Introduce Yourself

Hello, I’m Victoria Dowd and I write crime fiction that’s inspired by the Golden Age. I used to be a criminal defence barrister, but I prefer my crimes on the page these days. I’ve written two series, the Smart Woman’s Mystery series and the Blood Chronicles, which is historical crime. I also have a standalone coming out next year.

What book inspired you to write crime fiction?

And Then There Were None. I’ve been obsessed with it since I was very young, the unravelling of all the layers of wickedness, justice and retribution is utter perfection. Every time I read it, I find some tiny point I’ve missed before.

Which of your own books are you the most proud of?

I’m not sure pride is necessarily what I feel. Relief that they’re over usually! There are some that I think are slightly better than others but I’m always looking to make the next one better. I suppose I would have to say The New Rules of Murder. I’ve been working on it for many years. I poured all the love I have of detective fiction into that book. It represents a lifetime’s devotion to the genre. Basically, ten crime writers are sent to a castle at the turn of the millennium to rewrite the old rules of detective fiction which were set down in Knox’s Decalogue. All of them die and the killer is never caught. As you can see, it’s heavily influenced by the Golden Age and Agatha Christie! That book doesn’t come out until June next year though. I’m both incredibly excited and nervous for people to read that. I may have to go and sit in a cave for a while when that comes out.

Which crime novel should everybody read?

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It’s an absolute masterclass in how to bend the rules to the point where they almost break. I love how Christie places the solution right in front of the reader’s face and everyone overlooks it.

What’s your favourite non-crime novel?

Rebecca, although it’s arguable that it is a crime novel given that there’s a murder and a lot of mystery. Other than that, I’m a huge fan of MR James. I do like the mysteries that can never be solved.

Please plug your latest book.

Threefold Death is the second in the Blood Chronicles. It follows Charlotte Blood, a young war widow and journalist, who is sent to report on the discovery of Boudica’s tomb. However, when it’s opened, they discover a lot more than they bargained for. This is a locked tomb mystery that seems impossible. Charlotte is faced with solving the mystery of the threefold death, seemingly a sacrifice where the victim is killed in three different ways, strangling, stabbing and drowning. What she doesn’t realise is how close she herself is getting to danger.

I loved the research for this book, particularly around the Iron Age and Boudica. Although separated by almost two thousand years, there were so many parallels with my main character and the obstacles she faces. They still resonate today. I not only wanted to make this book a puzzle, but also quite fast paced and, hopefully, at times, quite dark and eerie. It was originally set in Egypt but, for various reasons, I shifted it to North Norfolk. I’m always drawn back to the cold, bleak landscapes. One day I’ll set a book in the sun.

Many thanks, Victoria. I’ll be reviewing Threefold Death on the blog tomorrow, although I’ll slip a rare spoiler in here – it’s fabulous!

And if you have a mystery book coming out soon, and can think of five books to talk about, then give me a shout at puzzledoctor AT gmail DOT com.

Victoria Dowd Bibliography

The Smart Woman’s Mysteries

The Blood Chronicles