Bedfordshire may not be well known, but if you visit you’ll find many great pubs and hotels, some of which feature in ‘Murder Now and Then’. The closest one to both murders in my novel is The Greyhound in Haynes.(real in 1919 and imaginary in 2019!) It was here that the police, incognito, listened in to local gossip, and it was the pub frequented most by the accused, Joanna Thomas.
The Greyhound is a friendly establishment with good food at lunchtime and evenings, where the locals do meet to have a good gossip. I first went to this pub back in the 1980’s when I lived in Haynes. As a church bell-ringer, it was a must to end our practice nights at the pub.
The Haynes 100
It is a typically English country establishment in the heart of the lovely village of Haynes – a great place for refreshments at the end of a good walk in the surrounding countryside. It adds flavour and a touch of realism to the lives of the characters in my novel ‘Murder, Now and Then‘ and it is only a mile or so from Haynes Park. Above are some of the locals enjoying the passing by of classic and vintage car at The Haynes 100, which will take place on 21st June this year.
This is the first of a short series of blog posts about pubs and hotels featured in my latest novel.
Diana Jackson's Muse, Views and Reviews 
This is very interesting, Diana. There was a long article on the subject of settings in the Guardian recently, which got me thinking about this. I go to great lengths to verify locations, taking many photographs to document what I see, sometimes – as recently – in places I may not be supposed to be. But I can’t deny tweaking the facts sometimes to suit my fell purposes.
Lovely to hear from you Rod. I tend to be extremely ‘place’ orientated, no more so than my next one coming out which is based in Scotland. After that I’m trying a totally fictional environment and characters, although I’m sure I will be influenced by people and places I know, even if only subliminally. Thanks for dropping by. How’s your writing going?
I have just started a new one, crime, my problem being dealing with technology without being boring and a natural habit of not being sensational.
Best of luck with it Rod. Hope the ideas flow well. Let me know when it’s complete.