Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in Volume 2 of our yearly anthology.
Today, Ian Tucker is sharing what inspired his stories “Whispers in Bars” and “The Old Book.”
Both the stories entered are intended to be classic whodunnits with a traditional cozy sleuth living in a modern but largely sanitized world. The stories are therefore essentially golden age structures taking into account how the world has moved on in 80-90 years. They are intended as puzzles where the pieces are all available (no ‘psychology of the individual’ insights, dependence upon confessions or last minute telegrams from Somerset House allowed). James Hamilton Ross himself is no prodigy of a Sherlock or Marple type, because I’ve never met any people who are actually like that. Instead he is a common sense thinker, who could be anyone, provided they take the time to tot up the clues. If Hamilton can solve it, then the reader can too.
Hamilton is also no flag carrier for the law or doctrines. There are no worthy speeches from Catholic priests about criminals saving their souls, because that would seem anachronistic now. For the whodunnit set in a world where morals don’t have the hard edges they had during the golden age, the sleuth necessarily operates in a more flexible and shifting context. Hamilton himself feels no confidence in traditional interpretations of justice or loyalty to them. He is a modern cynic, a free actor who takes action as he sees fit and applies his own judgement to the consequences. He consequently resolves rather than solves crimes and he does so as he sees fit. He is as likely to let the culprit go as he brings in the police and he certainly isn’t going to try to reform or change anyone.
Overall, however, these stories are intended to be entertaining rather than having any message or world view to impart. They are apolitical. And sometimes, I hope, they are funny.
Ian Tucker writes crime mysteries and humour with a focus on the puzzle to be solved. He has completed three full-length novels and numerous short stories and continues to write for fun.
Website: http://tilebury.com
Thank you for sending us your stories, Ian! We know people will love reading it as much as we have.
In the meantime, don’t forget to order your copy of A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 2.
Cendrine & David
