My good friend and editor, Maureen Vincent-Northam once told me that when men write as a woman, there’s always the danger of them turning out a ‘bloke in a skirt’. Ever-eager to accept the challenge, I created Christine Capper, a fifty-something blogger, vlogger, former police officer, and Haxford’s only licenced private investigator.
She’s a solid, down to earth Yorkshire lass, witty, plain spoken, but with an innate sense of inquiry (all right, then, she’s nosy). She passes her days looking after her long-suffering husband, Dennis, a man with an obsession for all things automotive, and putting him right when he goes wrong, which is more often than not. She takes care of their pet moggie, Cappy the Cat, a feline with attitude, dotes on her granddaughter Bethany, and is openly proud of her son, Simon, now Acting Detective Constable Capper of the Haxford force.
She’s choosy about the cases she will take on but seems destined to be dragged into more serious affairs, and passes on her findings to her friend, Detective Sergeant Mandy Hiscoe and her boss, DI Paddy Quinn, a man who is Christine’s sworn enemy.
And best of all, Christine has Maureen Vincent-Northam looking over my shoulder to ensure that Mrs Capper does not become a bloke in skirt.
Mrs Capper’s Casebooks are exclusive to Amazon. Four titles are available in Kindle format and paperback, a fifth is due out in August, and many more are planned for the immediate future.
