About the author:
James Delargy was born and raised in Ireland and lived in South Africa, Australia and Scotland, before ending up in semi-rural England where he now lives. He incorporates this diverse knowledge of towns, cities, landscape and culture picked up on his travels into his writing. 55 is his first novel.
55 is a thriller set in Western Australia. Can you tell us a bit more about the book?
‘55’ is a thriller set in Western Australia involving a search for the truth.
Two men enter Sergeant Chandler Jenkins remote Western Australian police station.
Both tell the same story. That they were kidnapped and escaped becoming the 55th victim of a serial killer.
And claiming that the other is the serial killer.
Wilbrook in Western Australia is a sleepy, remote town that sits on the edge of miles and miles of unexplored wilderness. It is home to Police Sergeant Chandler Jenkins, who is proud to run the town’s small police station, a place used to dealing with domestic disputes, noise complaints and the occasional assault.
All that changes on a scorching day when a stranger, an injured man, stumbles into Chandler’s station covered in dried blood. His name is Gabriel. He tells Chandler that he was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains. The man who took him was called Heath. Heath told Gabriel he was going to be number 55. His 55th victim.
Heath is a serial killer.
Gabriel escaped and made his way to town to deliver his incredible story.
Before Chandler has a chance to begin investigating, Heath himself walks into the station. He tells Chandler that he was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains. The man who took him was called Gabriel. Gabriel told Heath he was going to be number 55. His 55th victim.
Gabriel is the serial killer.
Which of the two men is telling the truth and will Chandler solve the case before the killer can strike again?
55 is your first novel. It has already been sold in 19 countries and has just been optioned for film. Had you written anything before this?
It’s been a very pleasant surprise to appeal to such a wide range of territories and we’ve made it 20 territories recently. I’m not exactly sure what the latest one was, I want to say Lithuania but don’t quote me on that.
In answer to the question I have dabbled in a number of different genres but I have always found my way back to thriller, crime and mystery novels, the whodunit and whydunit.
Since I started writing novels about 8 years ago I have written 6 full-length pieces excluding 55, including horror and historical fiction, plus a couple of crime thrillers, a contemporary drama and a zombie novel, set all around the world from Newfoundland to Ireland to London but this is the first to be published.
What’s your daily writing routine like and what are you working on at the moment?
I have a full time job so writing is usually confined to 10pm to 2am, alone on my computer in the semi-darkness, trying to wade through the latest plot conundrum or busying myself at the keys drafting or some dreaded rewriting. It helps that I’m a night owl in that way. I find that the end of the day is best, with little noise and less distraction. This enables me to immerse myself in the world and story I am trying to create.
Presently I am drafting another novel set in West Australia. It’s about a family who move to an abandoned town in the Great Victoria Desert but promptly disappear. A detective is brought in to investigate and finds out that both the town and the family have plenty of secrets that might cause them to go missing.
What was your favourite book of 2018, and which book are you most looking forward to reading in 2019?
Now this is a tough one. There are so many great books that I read last year, that I read every year, so narrowing the choice to one seems almost cruel.
If I had to choose one from 2018 it would have to be Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. And not just because it has a number in the title! It kept me guessing until the end. Amazingly tense and superbly told.
And one from 2019. Again lots to choose from but I’ll go for The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. What has happened in Gilead? What has happened to Offred?
You’re Irish and now live in England. Why did you choose to set 55 in Australia?
Australia – and especially West Australia – lends itself to a story like this. Two men entering a police station and telling the exact same story. The remoteness of the area affords no opportunity of third-party corroboration and allows the story to be kept narrow helping the tension. The small town and its inhabitants dragged into a hunt for a serial killer, upsetting the relative tranquillity, stirring the silt from the bottom of the lake and muddying the water.
Australia is also such a wonderful place to write about. There is nothing and there is everything, dangerous and beautiful at the same time. I like to class it as murky and magnificent, malevolent and majestic.
It also allows places to hide, both literally and figuratively. For example, Chandler could be said to be hiding himself, remaining in a town he knows is safe and comforting, a place where nothing happens, and where he doesn’t have to stretch himself. He is also in a way trying to shield his kids from that outside influence for fear of losing them.
The plot is good, but research poor. WA has no State Police. Each state in Australia has their own police force – no distinction. In Western Australia – one force – WA Police. We have a Federal Police Force that handles federal crimes. That’s it. They do not wear sheilds on their chest(thats American). There is no rank as Captain(again American). Bit of research on the net would give those results!