A Q&A FROM DAVID HODGES
QUESTIONS OF DETECTIVE KATE LEWIS (née Hamblin)
What were your first thoughts as you were called to Pagan’s Clump?
To be honest, I thought much the same as my detective chief inspector when he suggested sarcastically to me that it would probably be just the remains of a sheep or cow, which is often the case in rural areas where you have lots of livestock loose on farmland. But I also considered the possibility that the skeleton could be that of a person who died in battle or as the result of disease many hundreds of years before, which would mean that it was only of historical significance and not a police matter. When I realised that what I had got was a possible victim of violent crime, I was immediately hooked on the challenge of getting to the bottom of it all, but I had little idea at the time what I was in for.
What do you get out of being a detective?
Satisfaction, mainly. The satisfaction that comes from the cerebral challenge of investigating a crime where there is often very little to go on and everything hinges on the effectiveness of your detection skills to outwit a ruthless, devious criminal and bring them to justice. In a way, it is all about winning, and proving yourself to be cleverer and more tenacious than the villain you are after. It can become a cause célèbre, where you pit your wits against an adversary who seems at first to hold all the aces, but when you finally clap the cuffs on him and say the words, ‘you are nicked, mister,’ it’s a massive adrenaline rush that is like no other.
Why do some of your colleagues call you by the nickname ‘Maverick’ or ‘Go It Alone Kate’?
In my opinion it’s because I am single-minded and like to get things done. The police service is hidebound by regulations, and I have no time for red tape which interferes with the job that has to be done. If I see the means of getting a result on an investigation by disobeying instructions or going against the rules, I will usually go for it. This tends to rub the powers-that-be up the wrong way, as they see me as a rebel, and it has earned me the name ‘Maverick Kate’ or ‘Go It Alone Kate’, costing me backing and promotion. But, what the heck, I usually end up getting the right result, don’t I?
Do you find having a partner in the same line of work helpful or a hindrance?
It is very unusual for a husband and wife to work together in the same police department. It happened with Hayden and me by accident, because we were already working together at Highbridge nick when we got hitched, and things sort of stayed like that. I have to admit that this does present difficulties at times, particularly when one partner, like me, is of a higher rank, and the other is an untidy, pompous so-and-so, who despite his fine analytical brain — which has helped me solve a number of cases in the past — is more interested in filling his belly and saving shoe leather than actually working for a living. Okay, so it’s true that we are chalk and cheese in many respects, and at each other’s throats half the time. But in reality, we are a pretty happy couple, who love each other to bits — honest, guv . . .
If you would love to find out more about the location of David’s books, why not take a trip to Somerset and meet him at his talk: Words In Watchet — the Watchet Literary Festival in Watchet, Somerset from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm on Sunday 23rd February at the Methodist Church, 3, Harbour Road, Watchet. (Contact https://www.wordsinwatchet.com, or festival@wordsinwatchet.com for tickets)