The team
Ruth Harrison
Angela Hicken
Madelaine - the book thief
Penny- Rose Ratcliffe
Rachel the editor- Jane the Archivist
Cordelia Gray- Friday Next
- Jacky Percival
Other teams
Crime Connections to the City Find!
Portsmouth was famously the one time home of Arthur Conan Doyle, the place where he created Sherlock Holmes. He also penned historical novels, his favourite 'The White Company' set in part of the New Forest, an area he loved, and where he had a second home near Cadnam at Bignell Wood.
Incidentally several of Doyle's detective stories mention the county's capital Winchester including 'The Copper Beeches' and 'Silver Blaze'. He died in 1930 and is buried in Minstead churchyard in the New Forest.
One contemporary crime writing connection to Portsmouth that stands out for me is Graham Hurley. His ninth DI Joe Faraday book came out earlier this year and continues the action packed, tense thrillers set in 'one of Britain's most turbulent cities'. I've read a number of the earlier titles and my favourite was 'Angels Passing', a superb, intricate plot, mixing public and private tragedies, with a wide cast of well drawn characters (most of whom you'd wish never to meet). Its been called both bleak and compassionate in its portrayal of a society in turmoil. The author himself is a superb speaker and a great friend to public libraries.
I wonder just how widely read he is? His reputation has grown as the series extends, and although very well known in the city and surrounding areas I wonder if the Portsmouth setting attracts or alienates further flung readers. His recent position in the bestseller lists point towards location not neccessarily being a factor for readers, but familiarity certainly added to my enjoyment of the books - a fact that all us Reading Detectives are experiencing I'd say.
Pauline Rowson is a newer name on the Portsmouth writing scene, author of a series of Marine Mysteries and resident of Hayling Island. Her DI has turned his back on the streets of Portsmouth crime to investigate the surrounding sea - backdrop to murder, treachery and revenge.
4 September 2009 from Angela Hicken
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Finds
- A Daughter of Winchester
- And here is one we missed
- And, finally, one for Hallowe'en
- How did we miss this one?
- John Wyndham's Hampshire connection
- Reading the countryside
- New Milton's new Milton
- Heywood Sumner in South Gorley
- PG Wodehouse in Emsworth
- Walking In My Sleep
- Nicola Slade's Victorian Mysteries
- England's Lost Eden
- June Tate
- Bullington
- Speed The Plough: A Country Song
- A Hampshire scarecrow: Worzel Gummidge
- Queens Arms
- Haslar Hospital Memories
- Magical writing for children
- Inspired by the Tichborne Claimant
- Gypsy Girl Trilogy
- Rev. Gilbert White (1720-1793) and The Natural History of Selborne
- Coffee with Date and Walnut Loaf
- The Play Room
- Kipling's dislikes
- Deadman's Plack
- Netley Abbey Ruins
- Portsea Sagas
- Lilian Harry's Family Connections
- Crossing the Bar
- John Betjeman and Bevis Hillier
- Growing up in Portsmouth
- More Edward Thomas
- Two blokes and a shed
- In the shadow of the Cathedral
- Hampshire Days
- Mr Hardy Writes a Poem
- "Steep" is apt
- Thackeray in Fareham
- Forgotten Favourite?
- Daniel Clay's 'Broken'
- Pell and Tess
- Edward Thomas and Froxfield
- Betjeman explores hidden corners of Hampshire
- Rebecca Smith
- Right of Access
- Hampshire songs, poems, and ditties
- In this house
- Words & Walks
- England, Their England
- An Ode to a Road
- The story of a house
- Crime Connections to the City
- John Keat's Ode to Autumn
- William Lisle Bowles, poet
- Future Princes of Winchester
- Spike Island by Philip Hoare
- The marriage of souls
- Rural Rides: William Cobbett
- Elinor Brent-Dyer remembered
- Dornford Yates' Hampshire connection
- The Marlows, their maker and stealing a corner of Dorset
- Saint Cross: England's Oldest Almshouse
- Winchester the whole day through
- HOW TO BE A BETTER PERSON
- Otterbourne's Enid Blyton? Charlotte M. Yonge (1823-1901)
- Odo's Hanging is missing
- The Warden
- Charles Kingsley's Letters
- Owslebury Bottom
- See it My Way
- Introduction to Melesina Trench
- Some Hampshire road signs read Jane Austen Country
- Flora Thompson: published poet
Recent posts
- Postscrpt to a previous find
- The uses of a detective
- Reading Detectives film
- Virginia Smith remembered
- Mary Sumner
- A272: An Ode to a Road (by Andy)
- The hunt continues
- Winchester MP Mark Oaten to publish book
- Chalet School
- Bags of Books and Enthusiasm
- Chalet School author
- Poetry in the pub
- Wealth of words in Winchester
- Hampshire Gets Going
Help the team
Have you got something to contribute? You can contact us to report your clues and you can comment on our blog posts. It doesn't matter where in the world you are!
Not sure if it's quite right to 'comment' on one's own entry! But the Havant Literary Festival organisers have just reminded me that Conan Doyle set part of his historical story 'Micah Clarke' in Havant, Hampshire.
Find out more about the Festival at www.havantlitfest.org.uk