Your Alice Quentin series is set in London. What prompted the switch to the Isles of Scilly for your new Ben Kitto series?
London is my home town, so it was ideal territory for my first crime stories. I loved writing about such a huge, complex city, but felt tempted to try something different for my new series. I still wanted to set my books in a place I knew intimately and the Isles of Scilly were a logical choice. I’ve loved visiting them since my childhood. They seemed like the ideal place for a series of ‘closed room’ mysteries. The five inhabited islands lie in the Atlantic, west of Land’s End and haven’t featured in a crime series before. Bryher, St Agnes, Tresco and St Martin’s all have less than 200 permanent inhabitants, making them great terrain for crime stories that would rip a close community apart.
Community dynamic within a remote setting is very important in this new series - how did you make it feel so authentic? Experience or research, or both?
That’s a lovely compliment, thank you! Yearly holidays on the islands throughout my childhood helped a lot with authenticity. The islanders are also very friendly and inclusive towards visitors. I spent a month on the islands during 2012 and asked lots of questions, which people seemed happy to answer. I feel like I have committed the islands’ geography to memory after such a long stay, which was a bonus when plotting each book.
You began your writing life as a poet, which is why your novels are so beautifully written and also why your writing has lyrical rhythm. Why did you choose to write crime fiction?
I could be cynical and say that I wanted to pay my mortgage, because so few people buy poetry these days, but the truth is more complex. I loved reading crime from the age of twelve upwards, starting with Agatha Christie and then moving on to American noir. I think that great crime novels have all the style and precision of poetry, and it always thrills me when readers say they enjoy the flow of my prose.
Do you plot out the whole book before you start or just start writing and see where it leads you?
I write a one or two page synopsis and numerous character outlines before embarking, but sometimes things change radically. Characters can push themselves into the foreground unexpectedly, or I suddenly see a better twist and everything has to change. I can get bored if I nail everything down too tightly. A loose plan works best for me. So long as I know the beginning, the crisis, and the ending when I set off, everything usually works out fine.
Describe your writing style in 10 words or less?
Clear and simple, with occasional outbreaks of poetry.
Do you have any strange writing habits?
Too many to mention! I rarely start writing until the afternoon. My brain takes a long time to warm up, so I’ll procrastinate for as long as possible by doing the laundry, going to the supermarket, or taking a walk. I usually begin writing straight after lunch, then work solidly for five or six hours.
If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
(AKA 'Vicki's Killer Question')
A Life of Crime and Lucky Breaks by a South London Girl.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Have more confidence. I think that 90% of writing is having the nerve to tell your tale. I waited until I was 38 before giving serious writing a try, too terrified to take the plunge.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Try to carve out a few regular time slots each week, so you get space to write. If you can join a writing group, or go on a course, that will help you develop your ideas. Also, don’t be afraid to take a few risks. It will help you enormously if you can make your book just a little bit different from what’s already available.
And lastly, why should people read Ruin Beach (and Hell Bay)?
If you enjoy crime novels set on tiny, remote islands, these books are for you. They’re also going to appeal to anyone who loves Cornwall’s dramatic scenery. The series has been optioned for TV, so if you read them now, you’ll be able to see how the production outfit that brought us The Fall and The Line of Duty interpret them on the small screen.
About Kate Rhodes
Kate Rhodes grew up in Greenwich, in South London. Her first job was as an usherette at a London theatre, where she dreamed of becoming an actor and had the luxury of watching hundreds of plays without having to pay for a ticket. She studied in the UK and in Texas, completing a PhD then becoming an English teacher. Before her career as a crime writer began, Kate wrote two award-winning collections of poetry. Kate's favourite hobby is travelling with her husband Dave, an artist and short story writer. She lives in Cambridge, where she enjoys a view from her office of cows roaming across Stourbridge Common, and enjoys regular visits from her three grown-up step-sons. Kate is one of the original members of the influential crime writing group, Killer Women. She visited the Scillies frequently as a child and continues to return there.
Ruin Beach
Published by Simon & Schuster (21 February 2019
The island of Tresco holds a dark secret someone will kill to protect.
Ben Kitto has become Deputy Commander in the Isles of Scilly Police. As the islands’ lazy summer takes hold, he finds himself missing the excitement of the murder squad in London. But when the body of professional diver Jude Trellon is discovered, anchored to the rocks of a nearby cave, his investigative skills are once again needed.
At first it appears that the young woman’s death was a tragic accident, but when evidence suggests otherwise, the islanders close ranks. With even those closest to the victim refusing to talk, it seems that plenty of islanders had reason to harm her. As the community remains guarded, Ben Kitto discovers that terrible secrets lie beneath the waters around Tresco, and the killer may soon strike again.
Everyone is a suspect.
Nobody is safe.
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