Diana’s Autumn Book Reviews (6) Interleaved Lives by Roderick Hart

Available from Waterstones

Why did you choose this book?

Initially, I met Roderick Hart on twitter, as you do, and we linked because he is a fellow author living in Scotland; just over the Forth in Edinburgh to be precise. I enjoy crime novels and I was promoting my first murder mystery at that time, as well as ‘The Healing Paths of Fife.’ I think it was the latter which intrigued him. Rod has recently become an Eventispress author too; joining what we call the ‘Eventispress Family.’ (that sound a bit like the mafia doesn’t it?)

Did I feel empathy to any particular character?

Yes to both Alison Ogilvie and to Douglas Hunter in Interleaved Lives, in the sense that life’s tough at times, as are relationships. I always feel very close to my own characters and Dot in MISSING Past and Present, whose husband went missing, would have had an enormous amount of empathy for Douglas Hunter, whose wife had disappeared and he had no idea where she was.

Both Dot and Douglas handled their circumstances with resilience but their reactions were very different. Douglas threw himself into his new career, although he didn’t really have a clue how to set himself up as a private detective by himself. However, Dot escaped from the world she knew; a homeless character who became familiar to those who passed her by.

Is there a lasting thought or memory from the book which remains with you long after the novel is finished?

Life can move on in a positive way in the end, despite the traumas life throws at us.

Interleaved Lives (available on Amazon) is a great crime novel, set in Edinburgh. It has complicated and unexpected twists and turns but it is the characters who draw you in. Great book!

Author Roderick Hart takes up the ‘Throw a Dice Challenge’

I’m really pleased to welcome author Roderick Hart who is taking part in my

‘Throw a Dice Challenge’

Please can you share your author bio:

 

Roderick Hart

has published poetry in anthologies of verse, made bubble gum in Philadelphia, studied folk music in Afghanistan, and worked for many years in a recording studio, training students in scripting, recording and editing. He lives with his wife in the grounds of an old convent in Edinburgh.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS ROD

Louise Galbraith is a lawyer in my novel, Interleaved Lives. She is first asked to defend her wealthy friend, Alison Ogilvie, who is accused of arranging the death of her husband. She is later persuaded, against her better judgement, to defend the main character, Douglas Hunter, a private detective employed by Alison Ogilvie to investigate the real cause of her husband’s death.

I am part way through Interleaved Lives and believe that I am just about to meet Louise Galbraith, so this is really interesting for me:

Now can you reveal more about Louise by sharing some of her memories?

We throw a dice. One is the most tragic or horrific memory to a six which is the most fantastic or beautiful memory. Here goes:

 

Memory 1

Louise is described by her friend Alison, as career-oriented, with no family of her own but two nieces kindly provided be her sister.

Memory 2

When Douglas Hunter first meets Louise she is wearing a t-shirt bearing words which typify her in-your-face approach: SEE YOU IN COURT

Memory 3

When defending Alison against police accusations, Hunter finds she is also defending her against him, at first on grounds of conflict of interest and later because she believes that Hunter is after Alison’s money.

Memory 4

On arriving at the police station to represent Hunter, Louise is outraged by DS MacNeil’s attitude, which stops in her tracks – but the tassels on her ethnic headgear don’t stop with her, a comic effect at odds with her ability.

Memory 5

At first misled by Louise Galbraith’s shambolic appearance, it gradually dawns on DS MacNeil that Louise Galbraith is much sharper than she looks.

Memory 6

As Hunter is being interviewed, very aggressively, by DS MacNeil, Louise notices something about MacNeil which Hunter, though a detective, has failed top pick up.

Click photo for Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Now I really am intrigued! I must say that I’m really enjoying ‘Interleaved Lives’ so far and hope to review it for readers soon. 

JUST RLEASED!

Interleaved Lives by Roderick Hart is a crime novel with the protagonist a private detective, ex policeman living in Edinburgh, a city the author knows well.

I wish Rod well deserved success with this novel which has just been released in e book format worldwide!