MARGARET MURPHY ON HER WRITING JOURNEY FOR 'THE SCARECROW KILLER'

What’s your inspiration for the book? 

Bombing down the motorway into Liverpool at 70 mph early one morning, I saw a boy careering down the side of the embankment, arms pinwheeling, heading straight into the path of my car. Braking hard, heart stuttering, I realised it was only a brightly coloured tracksuit jacket caught in a sapling. That phantom youth was destined to become seventeen-year-old ‘scally’ and gang member, Damian Novak, in The Scarecrow Killer. His death, an apparent accident, is heralded by a sinister ‘doppelganger’ effigy. It launches Cassie into a hunt for a serial killer.

Tell us about the characters?

Detective Constable Cassie Rowan is impulsive and unguarded — a woman of action, rather than reflection. She has been Mum, Dad and homemaker to her teenage brother Neil since their parents’ death in a car accident some years earlier. Balancing her job with parenting hasn’t been easy, and her absentee brother, Alex, is little help. To make things worse, during her first major investigation, Neil was seriously injured, and he isn’t coping well with rehab. Cassie is volatile and passionate, but she has a sense of humour — even about her own foibles. Her obstinate determination means she will always see a case through to the end.
 
Chief Inspector Pat Warman is as cool as Cassie Rowan is hot — and ice and fire can be an explosive mix — so she has benched Rowan more than once. But a wary respect has grown between the two women, as Rowan begins to understand ‘Warhorse’ Warman better, and despite herself, Warman recognises Cassie’s instinctive flair for detective work. 
Alan Palmer is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. When he and Rowan first met, the exchange was bad-tempered on both sides. Yet he risked his career and even his life to help Rowan bring a dangerous man to justice. A platonic relationship has developed between them in the year since, and Palmer occasionally offers professional advice and personal support.

Tell us about the setting?

Liverpool is a city of contrasts. It boasts a stunning Insta-worthy waterfront, architecture of World Heritage pedigree and, inland, the Mersey River is dotted with picturesque villages of sandstone and thatch, nestling on the edges of misty salt marshes. Steeped in antiquity, these secret havens can seem beyond modern cares. But scratch the city’s glossy façade — take a few steps beyond these enclaves of affluence and privilege — and you might stumble upon an edgier landscape of crumbling tower blocks looming over grimy courtyards, where danger lurks in every shadow. Here, decaying social housing huddles around grey rows of tightly shuttered shops — sad remnants of what were once thriving neighbourhood hubs. The Scarecrow Killer takes a close look at both sides of the social divide, and at the courageous few who fight for a better, safer world for their communities.

How do you want readers to feel when they’ve finished your book? 

Entertained, satisfied, curious. And if you do have questions, please get in touch on any of my social media platforms — I love to chat!

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