Isn't this a fab cover? Caroline and I got to chat about THE GATEKEEPER here in Dallas a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time and I could just kick myself for not getting a photo! But here is Caroline to share some of the things we talked about with you!
--Did you ever imagine, when you and Charles came up with the idea for A Test of Wills, that you would be writing 20 books (so far) about Ian Rutledge and Hamish? That's just an amazing achievement.
We didn’t even think the first book was going to sell—when it did, we were given only a one book contract! But St. Martin’s realized that very quickly and renewed it for two more as soon as TEST got so much attention. We’re just very glad Rutledge had a chance to do more with his career at the Yard, and we could follow it with him.
--And yet time has moved very slowly in the series. Did you make that decision early on?
We felt that the PTSD, the shell shock, was something we wanted to explore, and the only way to do that was to shorten the time period. We didn’t want to let a year pass and readers learn of what has happened in his secret life as a side bar in the mystery. Shell shock defines Rutledge, and it’s how he deals with the shame of it and with the voice in his head—Hamish—that makes him what he is. And so we’ve killed off a lot of English victims to achieve this, but I think it has been worth it.
--This case is different from any Rutledge has ever investigated in the series. Can you tell us why?
Because of the state of the English roads in this time frame, Rutledge always arrives on the scene a day—two days—after the murder, when the trail is cold and the local people have trampled all over the evidence that might have been there. We thought it would be fascinating to see what would happen if he got there just as the crime was committed. Not in time to see who did it, of course, but while the blood, so to speak, is still fresh and he can begin straightaway to look for clues. And we liked what that did to the local man who had his own reasons not wanting Rutledge there.
--A rare book about apples figures in the case. Is it based on a real book? Is there a photo?
How I wish there was a photo. Years ago someone showed me a book that was fascinating. Plates of hand drawn and painted apples that no longer are grown but were popular in medieval times. Just absolutely lovely workmanship. It obviously impressed me, because I can still remember the various plates. Charles had to take my word for them, but he liked the idea. This is what’s neat about working together. We have two imaginations to draw on.
--When you were here in Dallas a couple of weeks ago, you talked about this book exploring the dynamics of three different families--can you tell us more?
We were interested in how families work. There are several in the book, each with a different take on what’s important. For example, one woman has more or less forced her daughter into accepting an engagement with an abusive man, because he’s such a good catch. Her concerns are more social than motherly.
--What's next for Rutledge?
We’re over halfway though the next book, and it’s a cold case that Rutledge—for his sins—is assigned to look into. One that’s been revived and looked at before, with no more luck that when the murder happened. But Rutledge has one advantage. A bit of gossip, shall we say, that makes him look deeper into the case than his superiors anticipated. It’s a chase story in a way. As he begins to search, building one piece of evidence at a time, he’s not sure where this is taking him. And at this stage, neither do we! So we try to keep writing in between promoting THE GATE KEEPER.
DEBS: Here's more about THE GATEKEEPER:On a deserted road, late at night, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge encounters a frightened woman standing over a body, launching an inquiry that leads him into the lair of a stealthy killer and the dangerous recesses of his own memories in this twentieth installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series.
Hours after his sister’s wedding, a restless Ian Rutledge drives aimlessly, haunted by the past, and narrowly misses a motorcar stopped in the middle of a desolate road. Standing beside the vehicle is a woman with blood on her hands and a dead man at her feet.
She swears she didn’t kill Stephen Wentworth. A stranger stepped out in front of their motorcar, and without warning, fired a single shot before vanishing into the night. But there is no trace of him. And the shaken woman insists it all happened so quickly, she never saw the man’s face.
Although he is a witness after the fact, Rutledge persuades the Yard to give him the inquiry, since he’s on the scene. But is he seeking justice—or fleeing painful memories in London?
Wentworth was well-liked, yet his bitter family paint a malevolent portrait, calling him a murderer.
But who did Wentworth kill? Is his death retribution? Or has his companion lied? Wolf Pit, his village, has a notorious history: in Medieval times, the last wolf in England was killed there. When a second suspicious death occurs, the evidence suggests that a dangerous predator is on the loose, and that death is closer than Rutledge knows.
And more about CHARLES TODD:
Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water.
Caroline and Charles will be stopping in to chat with us on JRW today, so get your questions ready!
