Is
there such a thing as the “perfect crime”, and how would you get away with it?
Confession
time – personally, I’ve always had a soft spot for an ending where not everyone
necessarily gets their comeuppance. Books such as Gone Girl by Gillian
Flynn, or You by Caroline Kepnes are some of my favourite examples of
how effectively this works when done well.
As
readers, we’re conditioned to expect that most things will be tied up in a neat
package, but sometimes that can come about a little too conveniently. Sometimes
we even find ourselves rooting for someone on the wrong side of the law, and
wouldn’t begrudge them if they got away with it. Maybe they’re actually a
decent sort at heart, but got caught up in terrible circumstances. Either way,
some people will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid being caught.
In
my opinion, the perfect crime is one of two things. Either nobody even knows
one has even been committed and it stays undiscovered, or it’s covered up so
well, that it’s impossible to unravel what happened, and who is responsible.
Admittedly the former might not work too well as a novel.
That
got me thinking though, nowadays, so much of our lives are open to scrutiny,
from our social media posts, to the dozens of CCTV cameras we go past every
day. In theory, it should be getting harder to get away with anything, without
leaving a trace, either digital or physical.
But
what if the crime had been committed so long ago, that none of this was of any
use?
This
was the train of thought that led me to the idea for What Falls Between the
Cracks, and provides the opening of the book. A thirty-year-old crime
scene, a girl who was never reported missing, not even by her own family or
friends. What happened to her? With no body at the scene, did she run, or did
she meet an unfortunate end?
There
could be, and probably are, hundreds of crimes that go undiscovered or
unpunished. I’m fascinated by the idea that even people we think we know, could
have secrets they don’t want airing, and the lengths they might go to, to keep
it that way.
In
fact, I’m sure we all have our secrets, some more damaging than others. The
beauty of this notion from a writers point of view, is that it can play out
equally as well in a domestic setting, as it does in a high-octane thriller,
and gives us so much room and material to work with.
By
definition, the crime in my book isn’t perfect then, as it does come to light
right at the start. Whether it gets solved or not, I guess you’ll have to read
it and find out.
Allison & Busby (19 April 2018) Hbk & eBook
When a severed hand is found in an abandoned flat, Detective
Jake Porter and his partner Nick Styles are able to DNA match the limb to the
owner, Natasha Barclay, who has not been seen in decades. But why has no one
been looking for her? It seems that Natasha's family are the people who can
least be trusted. Delving into the details behind her disappearance and
discovering links to another investigation, a tragic family history begins to
take on a darker twist. Hampered by a widespread fear of a local heavy, as well
as internal politics and possible corruption within the force, Porter and
Styles are digging for answers, but will what they find ever see the light of
day?
