Exclusive Interview with author Clare Donoghue and a review of her new crime fiction novel
Rating: 3 Stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
“The surprising part about writing the book was that it became a crime novel at all,” says Never Look Back author Clare Donoghue. “It had started out as a psychological thriller. I began by putting together scenes, embellishing scary things that had happened to me or people I knew. In the original plot, Sarah Grainger was the lead character. However, I soon realized I needed a narrator or perspective other than hers: that’s when DI Lockyer was born.
Detective Inspector Mike Lockyer is head of homicide on the South London police force. There’s a bold killer on the lose. Three young women have been found brutally murdered in his precinct. Their bodies discarded in plain sight, people only yards from where the murders took place. A London photographer Sarah Grainger realizes she has a stalker following her every move and it paralyzes her with fear. Lockyer needs to find the murder. Helping him is DS Jane Bennett. As Lockyer struggles to find the killer, he realizes that his estranged daughter matches the victim profile. Will he find the killer before the killer targets his daughter?
This new series is quite menacing. If you really like to be scared you will enjoy this book. The story is broken down by days as you follow DI Lockyer and his fellow officer Jane. The subplot that collides with the main plot is just as suspenseful as Sarah’s life spins out of her control and she becomes more paranoid. Donoghue’s writing is clear, precise and disturbing, leaving you asking at the end, what’s next?
“I have always been fascinated, puzzled, by stalking and the motivations behind it,” says Donoghue. “My own interest became Sarah’s fear and developed into something more sinister. The idea for Never Look Back developed over time. I started writing in 2006. I had the basics, but the story was missing something. The rest of the plot came to me while I was walking on the Cornish coast. A killer preying on young women was the element I needed to bring the whole story together.”
“I’ve discovered that writing, crime fiction particularly, is perfectly suited to my personality,” says Donoghue. “I am a very organized and ordered person which comes in very handy when I’m plotting, keeping all the threads of a story together. I’m also happy in my own company, so hours and hours in my living room writing is a dream come true for me. I’m also somewhat phobic of alarm clocks and early mornings, so being able to make my own schedule is brilliant. And finally, I love a glass of cold white wine so the social occasions, launches and chatting to writers and readers alike is enjoyable too. In essence, I’m very lucky.”
Donoghue uses the Internet for much of her research. “Researching, checking the weather, social media, maps, timetables…anything and everything I might need is only a few clicks away. Modern writers are certainly very lucky in that respect. You can find out pretty much everything without ever leaving the comfort of your writing room.”
Donoghue consulted a pathologist, a coroner and several police officers. “My main contact now is a retired Detective Chief Inspector who actually worked in the murder squad in London,” says Donoghue. “I’m able to talk through my plots with him and discuss how the police would react and deal with each situation.” She says she’s careful not to get bogged down in research, that she writes the book first and fixes mistakes later.
Donoghue was born in the Cotswolds and is based in Somerset.
Never Look Back Series: Mike Lockyer Novels (Book 1) by Clare Donoghue. Hardcover: 336 pages, Publisher: Minotaur Books (June 10, 2014), Language: English. ISBN-13: 978-1250046079 $24.99
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