AN INTRODUCTION FROM MARTIN EDWARDS

Hello! Ever since I discovered Agatha Christie at the tender age of eight, I’ve had two ambitions in life. First, to read as many crime stories as I can lay my hands on. Second, to write mysteries that baffle and entertain my readers just as Agatha’s baffled and entertained me.

I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a long career as a crime novelist and writer about the genre, and crime writing has taken me around the world. But one place I always love to come back to is the Lake District, that small but unique part of north west England which is the setting for my series of novels featuring DCI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind.

The Coffin Trail, which introduces the characters and setting, is a novel with a special place in my heart. Not only was it the first book in a series that I love writing, it was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year, along with books by luminaries such as Ian Rankin, Susan Hill, Stephen Booth, and Val McDermid. A wonderful experience – and highly motivating!

Each book explores a cold case mystery in a different part of the Lake District. My aim is always to blend people, place, and plot in a way that doesn’t only keep readers guessing about whodunit, but keeps them turning the pages to find out more about Hannah, Daniel, and this wonderful part of the world.