A Q&A WITH BILL KITSON

How was writing Valley of Death different from your previous books?

This involved a lot of scientific research from multiple sources to ensure credibility and accuracy. It also brought in characters from previous books, which made for more interest and assisted with plot construction.

Describe Valley of Death in 3 words.

Murder, Jealousy, Greed.

The central mystery involves a woman who was supposedly murdered twenty years ago. How do you approach plotting a 'cold case' that is simultaneously a 'fresh' murder without giving the game away too early?

To avoid giving the game away about a cold case, I simply side-lined everything connected to it until the revelation was necessary and fitted within the plot.

After twenty books, Mike Nash has seen a lot of trauma. How do you keep his 'grumpy but loveable' personality consistent while ensuring he still grows or changes enough to keep the series feeling fresh for long-time readers?

Mike Nash is very rarely grumpy. In many respects he is totally laid back. Like many involved in traumatic incidents on a regular basis, he builds a shield that enables him to compartmentalise the horrors he must witness. I also touch on his personal, home and family life, which is a great help in presenting a rounded character. As for the lovable side of his nature, this is simply a reflection of the author.

The 'Valley of Death' (Stark Ghyll) feels like a character itself in this book. Was this location inspired by a specific spot on the Yorkshire moors, and how much does the bleak landscape dictate the 'heart-pounding' tone of your writing?

The Valley of Death isn't a specific location as such, more a combination of many settings. In rural North Yorkshire there is such a wide variety of countryside, from bleak moorland to lush arable pastures, picturesque dales with sweeping valleys that all provide dramatic scenery, making it easy to imagine dark deeds being perpetrated there.