HAVING secured a five-book publishing deal at the tender age of 77, Christine McHaines, an author from St Austell, has seen her new cosy crime book published this month - and it’s set in Cornwall.  

‘The Mystery on the Cornish Coast’ is the fourth in Christine’s ‘Quentin Cadbury Investigations’ series, published by The Book Folks, but it’s the first to be set in the Duchy. In The Mystery on the Cornish Coast is about a the young detective, Quentin, finds himself on a fool’s errand trying to track down his nemesis, the criminal known as Cultured Voice, around Cornwall’s beautiful beaches and iconic landmarks.  

Christine said: “It’s a year this month since the publication of my first book, now I’m celebrating the release of my fourth. This one’s particularly special, because it’s set around Cornwall. I started writing in earnest after I retired and moved from a big city to Cornwall. I fell in love with the county and knew early on I’d set one of my books here.

“As I explored Cornwall, I took notes and photographs of all the places I visited and conversations I had. I captured anything that sparked an idea I might one day use in one of my stories. This is that book. I very much hope locals and visitors alike will enjoy how the plot’s twists and turns mirror the twists and turns Quentin and Wanda Merrydrew find themselves taking on their wild goose chase through Cornwall.”  

Getting her Quentin Cadbury series published was a decade-long dream come true for Christine. It took her 10 years to find a publisher who shared her vision for these books, yet during that time she never stopped writing.

Proof that one is never too old to realise a dream, Christine received news that independent publisher, The Book Folks, wanted to publish her cosy crime series – with a loveable crime solving duo. 

In The Mystery on the Cornish Coast, the young investigator, Quentin and his partner in crime, the delectable Wanda Merrydrew, are lured to the Cornish Coast when the international criminal, who the pair have helped put behind bars, escapes. 

The villain, known to them as “Cultured Voice”, demands that Quentin must deliver a package for him, or face (lethal) consequences. Fearing for their lives, the pair have little choice but to submit to his demands. And so begins a fool’s errand in this crazy caper around the Cornish Coast.  

Erik Empson, publisher at The Book Folks, said: “As sun-seekers begin to descend on the peninsula in their droves for summer fun, we hope a fair few will be taking this great novel with them. Christine’s light-hearted, bright and breezy style is perfect for holiday reading and she captures the landscape and way of life of Cornwall to a tee.”  

Christine added: “The experience of writing – the challenge, the creativity, the sense of accomplishment, I enjoy doing it. My publisher, Erik, and his editorial team, have been excellent. I think the hardest thing for any writer is to change something they’ve spent hours, sometimes days, writing, but their guidance has been sound, and I know I now have a much better book because of their input.”

When explaining where the idea for the character of Quentin came from, Christine said: “I read a lot of crime fiction and the central character in a lot of it is some kind of cop. I was keen to do something different. I had this idea for a central character who accidentally stumbles upon a crime and decides to try and solve it with no real idea of what he’s doing, and Quentin’s character began to emerge from that.

“I love Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot but when you think about those detectives, they are so accomplished, so knowing – they see things long before the rest of us. I didn’t want that. I wanted a central character who is a long way from perfect, who is learning as he goes, and is relatable because of his flaws and his naivety.   

“The idea for him originally came to me at least 15 years ago. I was writing something else at the time, but I couldn’t get him out of my mind, and he’s been with me ever since. This is the fourth book in the Quentin Investigations series but I instinctively knew from the outset that he’d have more than one adventure and that his relationship with Wanda would be a slow burn that just had to carry on.”

When discussing what her future plans are, Christine explained: “I’m just finishing the fifth book in the Quentin Cadbury Investigations series, but I’m also working on something completely different, a psychological thriller, which I’m delighted to report The Book Folks are also keen to take.”

Christine’s books can be found at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C9ZZCDR6