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In this book, I have left the realm of SciFi and come closer to home with tales based in the local area. It is edited by Angela McMillan. This is a collection of a dozen detective stories. It introduces the Durrington Detective Agency and the heroes, Craig McLairy, his wife Micah McLairy and their dog Barker. There is a host of other characters who fulfil the roles of murderer, murderee or that classic in detective fiction the red herring.
 

It deals with the cases which Craig and Micah solve. The fictional murders which the fictional detectives fail to solve are not included. Eleven of the stories involve a murder. The other one has an apparent murder

 

We were inspired by Jeanne M Dams whom we met in Alderney. Her detective stories are referred to as 'cozy'. All that means is that there is no graphic sex or violence. The same term could apply to most of Agatha Christie's books.

 

I do hope this book does not give Durrington the same image as Morse's Oxford, or Barnaby's Midsomer – a place where you won't live long. I live in Durrington and I have not been murdered even once.

 

In fiction, detectives often get information from the police. Holmes has Lestrade, Poirot has Japp. The Durrington Detectives use Micah McLairy's dark arts on the computer.

 

Many of the locations are real. The John Selden, for example, is a first-rate pub and within walking distance of our home which is convenient. All the references to people are fictitious.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Derek-McMillan/e/B009FUXHWY My Amazon page