As we celebrate National Crime Reading Month, an annual initiative spearheaded and developed by the Crime Writers’ Association which runs throughout the month of June, we asked C. V. Chauhan, author of the Inspector Sharma Thrillers set in Leicester, to tell us what crime fiction means to him and how it has influenced his own writing.
“I was born and brought up in a small town in the Rift Valley in Kenya. Despite the breathtaking natural beauty of the location, my childhood was highly deprived. My local school had ninety-seven pupils, but no resources and no library. At home, my six siblings and I shared three books. I still remember them vividly, because they kickstarted my love affair with reading. Two featured European fairy tales: Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Rapunzel. The third book was about Greek myths and legends. They were probably given to my father, a cobbler, by an ex-pat British customer. I read and re-read those books by the light of a hurricane lamp in the evening, fascinated by the magical world of fairy tales and the adventures of Perseus and Medusa, Theseus and the Minotaur. This is where my fascination with heroes tussling with dark forces and sinister figures began.
“At the age of eleven I moved with my family to a Victorian terraced house in Leicester and joined a small secondary school without any playing fields. For all its faults, it did have a library, from which I borrowed copious books, and a good English teacher who introduced us to Shakespeare — I loved the themes of passion, greed, power and corruption in Macbeth, Hamlet and Julius Caesar. The battle between good and evil was a constant theme in many of the books I read.
“As an undergraduate at the University of York, my reading became turbocharged. I suddenly had access to thousands of books and met many like-minded people who were hungry for knowledge. In addition to reading the core textbooks for history and economics, I started reading more widely: Graham Greene, Agatha Christie, Aldous Huxley, James Baldwin, George Orwell. I was such a voracious reader that I often read three books simultaneously — a few chapters from one, a few from another, and so on until I went back to the first. My contemporaries thought I was mad, but I was happily lost in the many different worlds and characters created by these fabulous writers.
“Immersing myself properly in crime fiction came not long after. I trained to be a teacher and taught history in some challenging secondary schools in London and Birmingham. At one of these schools, I became good friends with an English teacher called Jim MacLachlan. He introduced me to a wonderful range of crime fiction authors, many of whom I wasn’t previously aware. I soon became embroiled in the lives of the characters in the 87th Precinct series of police procedural novels by Ed McBain, as well as the thrilling plots created by Elmore Leonard, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Raymond Chandler, Lawrence Block, Donald E. Westlake, Patricia Cornwell and Joseph Hansen. Like Shakespeare, the genre delved into complex human behaviours, grappling with morality and justice whilst immersing the reader into danger from a safe distance. I was hooked.
“As a writer, I continue to read widely in all genres. Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain are perennial favourites, as are Lee Child, Stephen King, Jeffery Deaver and James Lee Burke. The Laidlaw books by the late William McIlvanney are fabulous. I also love historical fiction with a criminal element and, more recently, have discovered the many wonderful Japanese writers of crime fiction.
“I gave up full-time work a few years ago to focus on writing crime-fiction. My thrillers are set in Leicester and feature Inspector Rohan Sharma and his idiosyncratic African Grey parrot, Fernando. I have drawn upon my love of detective fiction and police procedurals to write about the city I live in, whilst exploring contemporary themes of diversity, organised crime and human trafficking.
“As we celebrate Crime Fiction Month this June, I often reflect on the fact that crime fiction is a wonderful vehicle through which to examine social and moral dilemmas. I try to bring that to the forefront in my writing and if a reader reflects on something they have read in one of my books, then I’m happy. It’s how I remember the books that have made an impression on me. Even today, I still remember the stories of Perseus and Medusa, Theseus and the Minotaur.”
Visit C. V. Chauhan’s website for all his latest news.
For more information on National Crime Reading Month, visit: https://crimereading.com/
Gaynor Torrance is the author of the DI JEMIMA HUXLEY THRILLERS series.
Like many other people, I’m a crime thriller junkie. I can honestly say that books in this genre are my guilty pleasure — as well as chocolate, of course. As far as I’m concerned, it has to be well-written and absolutely has to have a complex plot. I need an abundance of twists and turns, along with a large helping of red herrings. If it keeps me guessing, it will offer me everything I expect from a good book.
I want the story to grab me and not let go. Whenever this happens, my own identity quickly fades into the background, and I become the protagonist. Gender is unimportant to me. I don’t care whether the protagonist is male or female. The only thing that matters is that I inhabit a world I would shun in real life. Fictional characters are instantly relying on me, and I’m desperately trying to save lives whilst I figure out what’s going on. 
From the safety of a comfy armchair, these books have transported me to places I’ll never visit. They’ve presented me with opportunities to solve mysteries. Allowed me to get up close and personal with some of the most evil and twisted minds you could ever imagine. Over the years, I’ve brought justice to victims, been caught up in life-threatening situations and sometimes even had a hand in saving the world from imminent disaster.
Immersing oneself in these fictional scenarios is my ultimate form of escapism. It’s a white-knuckle ride minus the personal risk.
Having so many ideas of my own, I decided to take things a step further. And so I began writing about Detective Inspector Jemima Huxley, whose stories are set in Cardiff, a city I know well.
I love Jemima, but that’s because I know what makes her tick. I appreciate that on first appearance, she’s perhaps not the most likeable of characters. In Revenge, which is when readers are introduced to her, she comes across a bit like Marmite. She’s not a typical lead detective, and this will polarise opinion, as you’ll either love her or hate her.
When I created Jemima, I wanted her to have an interesting backstory. Over the years, I’ve read so many crime novels that have a hard-nosed lead detective heavily dependent on alcohol. Or whose personal relationships are in tatters because of the pressures of the job.
DI Jemima Huxley is different. She’s a modern woman who gets stuck in and excels at her job. Jemima is determined to have it all. At work, she’s a capable, dedicated detective: loyal, brave and intelligent. If only she had more control over other aspects of her life…
If you’ve read Revenge, you’ll already know that Jemima has some serious personal issues. She’s hiding things from everybody. Her mental health is suffering, and she’s in danger of falling down a rather large rabbit hole.
Most importantly, Jemima hasn’t yet figured out what’s at the root of her problems. I have a feeling that that epiphany is a long way off, and until it happens, there’s little chance she’ll begin to turn things around.
Jemima’s personal torment manifests itself in a way that is guaranteed to upset some readers. And I’ll let you in on a secret — I’ve shed tears as I’m writing those scenes. What Jemima does to her body is shocking, brutal and heartbreaking. But her method of keeping a lid on things is a reality for some people.
It’s a sad fact that mental health issues are still stigmatised. And, like many others, Jemima feels compelled to hide her suffering for fear of being judged.
But Jemima isn’t the sort of person to give up easily. She has her low moments but always seems to manage to pull herself together and face whatever life throws at her. Any serial killers stalking the streets of Cardiff had better watch out, because Jemima’s returning soon to investigate her next big case, Sole Survivor!
