Publication day is always an anxious twenty-four hours for any writer. Will the loyal readers of your series, and reviewers, like it or loath it? What if there is a glaring pothole or a stupid error? Luckily, with so many eyes on your book before publication, the latter is rare. (Still gives one nightmares all the same!)
The Carver Affair is out today. This book has had a very long history as it is actually a cannibalised version of a previous manuscript, written way back in 2016. It never quite worked, but the core of the book was something I kept coming back to. I even tried several approaches (there are about 3 different versions of it) but none were ever quite right. So, I filed it away and tried to forget about it.
However, as I thought about a possible new story in the series, The Carver Affair, languishing in a forgotten and dark corner of my computer, was calling out to me! I read the multiple versions (yes, that was painful) and realised that the nub of the story only needed Lucy Lawrence’s presence to make it work. So, you see; keeping those old manuscripts is always a good idea.
Setting this novel in Victorian Dublin was a joyful adventure. Luckily, researching my family history meant I knew quite a bit about my native city at that time, and when it came to my research, I’m lucky enough to be good friends with a retired garda, Jim Herlihy, who happens to be an expert on the history of the Dublin police force at the time – the Dublin Metropolitan Police [DMP], the forerunners of An Garda Síochána. Huge thanks to Jim for all his help.
I also spent most of my working life in the Georgian quarter of Dublin, close to Fitzwilliam and Merrion Square, where some of the action in this book takes place. As I walked past those magnificent houses on my way to or from work, I often wondered about the lives of those who lived in them. Merrion Square in particular was home to the well-to-do and often famous, including Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, and Daniel O’Connell.
Notwithstanding the desire to produce a cracking who-done-it, I wished to paint a picture of life in Victorian Dublin. Like most large cities at the time (and Dublin was once the second biggest city in the British Empire, c. 1800), it was a melting pot and a city of contrasts. The settings in the book range from the affluent Georgian quarter to the squalor of the kip and flash-houses (brothels), of The Monto, the largest and most infamous red-light district in Europe at the time.
So, when Lucy, Phin, Mary and George, and the five-year-old twins arrive in Dublin in 1894 for the first time, I was able to explore Dublin through the eyes of newcomers. This book also introduces a new character, DI Fergus Ryan of the DMP, who I have half fallen in love with. He may even merit his own series someday!
But of course, this book is essentially a murder mystery with twists that should surprise. I hope readers enjoy it and the final reveal will have you wondering how a certain individual fooled you (and Lucy and DI Ryan) all along!
Happy Reading!
When Peggy O’Reilly steps off the Wexford train, she dreams of a fresh start. Within days, she’s vanished into Victorian Dublin’s shadows, and soon the search for a missing girl has become a hunt for a killer…
Dublin, 1894. Lucy Lawrence arrives in Ireland expecting a pleasant summer holiday while her husband Phineas investigates security at Dublin Castle. But when her maid’s young cousin disappears and is found murdered in the notorious Monto red-light district, Lucy cannot stand idly by, especially when the girl’s sister is still missing.
In Merrion Square, banker Myles Carver grieves his dying wife with his beautiful daughter-in-law Olivia. In the Monto’s brothels, madam Celine Burton rules through violence and fear. Between these two worlds stands Detective Inspector Fergus Ryan, hunting a killer while the powerful protect their secrets. As bodies mount and time runs out, Lucy must decide who to trust in a city full of contradictions.
From sumptuous drawing rooms to squalid brothels the police dare not enter, this is a gripping Victorian mystery and a thrilling addition to the bestselling Lucy Lawrence series.
Universal Buy Link: https://geni.us/1207-al-aut-am
Pam Lecky Books 
Leave a comment