Whispers of the Dead locations with Lin Anderson
Whispers of the Dead – Lin Anderson
A wonderful author on TheBookTrail today – THE QUEEN OF SCOTTISH CRIME FICTION!
She’s a cofounder of Bloody Scotland and is a lovely woman to boot. So, if you love cracking crime fiction, you HAVE to add Anderson to your TBR right now.
Books by Lin Anderson
Books by Lin Anderson
Whispers of the Dead is set in two locations. The city of Glasgow where an American gangster movie is being shot and the small village of Kilcreggan on the beautiful Roseneath peninsula west of Glasgow on the River Clyde.
The inspiration for the story came in the form of two disparate scenes I envisaged and wrote down. One featured a woman, Marnie, who is about to be released from prison for the manslaughter of her small daughter. On the evening prior to her release she sees a young girl dressed as a Highland dancer walking in the snow outside the prison. Is her daughter Tizzy actually alive?
Kilcreggan
The second scene is of a naked man, bound to a chair, his eyes and mouth sewn shut, being pushed towards a broken window to fall to the ground beneath. Who wants him dead and what is symbolic about his eyes and mouth being sewn shut?
I have no idea at the onset how these two scenes might be connected, but hope to find out as the story develops.
Books by Lin Anderson
When Marnie is released from prison she returns to her mother’s childhood home in Kilcreggan where she is hiding from what exactly? I chose Kilcreggan because I spent a never to be forgotten weekend there camping with the Girl Guides as a young teenager.
As for the location of the murder, it is Fairfield Farmhouse, circa 1850, situated in Elder Park, Govan close to where I lived as a student when at Glasgow University. The park itself, together with the farmhouse and grounds are exactly as described in the story.
Books by Lin Anderson
When a trio of twelve year old boys, Ally, Dreep and Kev, playing in the snow covered park on a night leading up to Christmas, attempt to visit their den in the old farmhouse, they discover the horror of the mutilated body and quickly run away. During their escape, Dreep drops his mobile phone, next to the body. So the boys are now involved. And since they think it’s a gangland murder and Dreep has taken a photo of the body, they now fear for their lives.
Books by Lin Anderson
Once Rhona is on the scene, I discover what has taken place in detail and the search for the killer or killer begins.
When Rhona then receives a hand sewn doll dressed in Highland dress from Marnie, with its mouth and eyes sewn shut, the two stories appear to collide.
As for the movie being shot in the Merchant City, it’s on a collision course too, when its lead actor goes missing from the set.
As for themes, I believe the reader decides the theme they most engage with. So I include one example below from blogger at A Little Book Problem.
Books by Lin Anderson
‘There is a description of a fairly brutal killing at the opening of the book, and the body is initially discovered by some boys. How the relationship between them and their families is affected by this occurrence, and how it is linked to the disappearance of another child years before is the real story here and it is a powerful message because the corruption and loss of innocence, and the ripples from that, are the real tragedies in this story.’
To decide which of the themes most appeals to you, you’ll have to visit the book.
