Smith and Houston.

One of the first thriller writers I ever read was Lionel Davidson, whose books, I am delighted to say, have now all been collected and reissued by Faber and Faber. The covers are rather pale and demure, ‘classical’ in a wreathed 18th Century way rather than ‘classic’ but the main thing is they are there.

Lionel Davidson is a classy popular writer - not limited to one genre - and his versatility and powers of invention may not have worked entirely to the advantage of his reputation. There are some writers who write to a formula or a fantasy and do so again and again and again, certainly from a marketing point of view a coherent strategy. You know what you are going to get.

Lionel Davidson is not like that. I’d guess that, having tried one angle he wanted new challenges. I think The Chelsea Murders is his only crime novel.

My own favourites amongst his books are The Rose of Tibet and Smith’s Gazelle. Both are beautifully constructed and resolved. But I know people who prefer his first book, The Night of Wenceslas, and the tremendous selling A long way to Shiloh (US The Menorah Men.) I think there was a film version of that first book, with Dirk Bogarde, but I am not aware of other movies. Most would be difficult to film.

But, in one sense, the book of his I find most persistent is called Making Good Again. It was published in 1968 and is set against the background of German Reparations for Nazi Atrocities. It involves the legal and social aftermath to the Second World War, the concept that a government can sign up for guilt, but that a population can grow fatigued and begin to doubt an ideal rather than a realistic judicial process – most of us know that reparations may be pursued but, even if they are successful, will always emphasise what is irrecoverable, and often leave absolutely untouched those who see nothing to apologise for.

What I admire is Davidson’s effort to make accessible an historical reality in which present agendas and appetites cloud attempts to fix the past.

Can a popular book deal with historical complexities without simplistic resolutions, and still provide the kind of satisfactions a thriller/adventure/mystery reader wants? Honestly? It’s really tricky, particularly if the subject matter deals with the power and cruelty inherent in some fantasies.

The attraction of Lionel Davidson is that he is not vengeful - no ‘I am the law’ stuff - but almost always ingenious. The thrill is in the curiosity, research and energy he brings to his novels. At his best he stretches the narrative lines with wit and the kind of tension that delights.

If you haven’t read him before – try now.

Goldsboro Books

On Thursday 20th I went to Goldsboro Books in Cecil Court, London, to sign 250 copies of The Maze of Cadiz, which they had picked as November Book of the Month. They had prepared a fantastic window display!

Run by David Headley and Daniel Gedeon, Goldsboro is a lovely find. They specialise in signed first editions of a wide variety of different books. I wish I had had more time to look around, but I had to rush off to my publishers after the signing. If you’re in the area (between the Charing Cross Road and St. Martin’s Lane), it’s worth popping in. They have a new website up, too, so you can browse their collection online. A great idea for a special present for someone.

David and Daniel gave me a really warm welcome and sat me down with a pile of 250 books – all carefully covered with a clear protective removable film on the cover. We chatted as I signed – and I tried not to lose track of how to spell my name, or what the date was. Strange how, after about a hundred signatures, you begin to doubt!

I feel honoured that The Maze of Cadiz was picked as November Book of the Month! Lovely shop and lovely people.

Heffers - Crimecrackers

On Wednesday 19th I had an enjoyable evening at the great Heffers Bookshop in Trinity Street, Cambridge, where I had been invited by Richard Reynolds to meet the Crimecrackers Reading Group and to talk about The Maze of Cadiz.

It was good to meet a group of people enthusiastic about reading and with varied ideas about what constitutes a satisfying book. Does the fascination lie in seeing how all the pieces of a puzzle fit together? Is it important for good to triumph and the bad to be punished, settling the world into a safe place once more? What is the role of fear? Is it, as in a child’s fairy tale, that we like to be frightened – but in a comfortable, controlled setting where the fear is dispelled when all comes right and we close the book?

Several people said that they didn’t like reading about real crimes. But how much reality did they want in the stories they read? Is it important to feel that the story might really have happened? Do you want a book to make you consider questions about yourself and your possible reactions to circumstances? Or are you reading for a respite from reality?

These are some of the topics that were raised during the evening – food for reflection for both reader and writer.

Not everyone had read The Maze of Cadiz yet, but I am grateful to those who showed appreciation of my young protagonist Peter Cotton, interest in the background and setting of the story and curiosity about how he would develop in future books. Thank you, too, to the Crimecracker who said the beginning of the book reminded him of The Quiet American. It’s nice to feel that people are tuned in to what you write.

A number of people asked how they could contact me when they had finished reading the book. You can, of course, post a comment on this blog, but you can also contact me at the following email address: contact@alymonroe.com .

You will find also find this email address on the contact page on my website – as well as other things to explore. I will be delighted to receive any feedback from you – and will respond and answer any questions just as soon as I can.

So, thank you Pippa, Richard from Edinburgh, Jane and all the rest of the Crimecrackers, for allowing me to be part of your meeting on Wednesday. Special thanks, too, to Richard Reynolds for inviting me in the first place!

Apologies and Reprint.

I have to apologise for going blogless for nearly a month. I have been working on the next Cotton book, to be called WASHINGTON SHADOW, set in 1945, the year after THE MAZE OF CADIZ.

I keep running across famous names in Washington at that time - from Isaiah Berlin, who had just been sent to Moscow, through Roald Dahl (something of an information stud) to Donald MacLean of Burgess and Philby fame, who was the First Secretary when Cotton arrives. Also there, was Lady Baba Metcalfe, sometimes called ‘Baba Blackshirt. She was sister-in-law and lover to Oswald Mosley, grandmother of the Metcalfe who presently runs ‘Prêt à manger’, and close friend to the Ambassador Lord Halifax.

I did begin to worry that I had somehow stumbled into a gossip column. I found out who Millicent Rogers was (Standard Oil heiress), but am more intrigued by Helen Laurenson - author, apparently, of ‘Latins are still lousy lovers’. In the reference I found, she was described as a better writer than Clare Booth Luce (one of Roald Dahl’s more rigorous assignments), but I haven’t yet found examples of her prose.

On The Maze of Cadiz I am delighted to report there was news of a second printing announced on publication day. I have also been lucky enough to get reviews - with one exception, good reviews. This is due I suspect to the hard work of all the people at John Murray: Kate Parkin, my editor, Lucy Dixon who is handling the publicity and James Spackman who is the person who encouraged me to put up a website in the first place.

The Nominal Emoticon.

If you want a crash course in humility – publish a novel. In the last couple of days I have been asked if my main character is called Cotton because a) he absorbs atmosphere and information or because b) he ‘cottons’ on.

No, no, this is entirely fair and my response - that the character just came to me as Cotton - is beginning to sound rather ethereal, even to me. What was I thinking of?

Well, first off, I don’t think of Cotton as quite a hero. He is not Richard Hannay from The Thirty-Nine Steps. Hannay is a good name. The nearest word to Hannay is probably ‘handy’ – sometimes used in Edinburgh to denote anything between ‘knowledgeable’ to ‘useful.’

Against that, I didn’t, as I understand some writers do, scour obituaries or telephone directories for a likely sounding name. A Laidlaw, perhaps. Or a John Deed. And I wasn’t looking for something odd or puzzling like Rebus. I read somewhere that James Bond came from the author of a book on Jamaican birds on Ian Fleming’s shelves.

I suppose Mike Hammer as a hero is fairly direct. Poirot combines pear and harlequin. Sam Spade will eschew adjectives. Philip Marlowe is knight-like if possibly not at Deptford, though Philip may hint at great expectations.

George Smiley was way before emoticons.

And that I suppose is the thing. The main character’s name is a nominal emoticon, whether the writer is thinking of that or not. I don’t think of Peter as a strong name in English. It may mean ‘rock’ (see petrified) but it doesn’t sound hard. Cotton has a little more bite to it. Peter Cotton together? A name the character could grow into.

Terrazzo and Tortilla

When I first went to Spain in the early seventies, I remembered my Italian grandmother. This was sparked off by a combination of smells. It took me some time to work out just what it was: a sofrito of garlic and olive oil and tomatoes – and bleach. Spanish women used a lot of bleach (and sometimes something they called aguafuerte, literally strongwater - diluted hydrochloric acid). When I was very young I used to watch my grandmother washing the terrazzo floors – I thought of them as ‘mosaic floors’ and as a small child I’d watch the mosaic ‘pop’ back to colour: red, green, a deep pink and what I’d now call French blue.

So much of our memory is made up of smells. Rather stronger than Proust’s in my case but the same principle. The best smells come from cooking.

In The Maze of Cadiz (due out on November 13th) Peter Cotton arrives in Spain in 1944, five years after the end of the Spanish Civil War, and gets a real taste of the poverty the country is experiencing. His first decent meal is tortilla with Serrano ham. Comforting, satisfying, simple food that has become chic with time.

Here is how I have always made tortilla de patatas (after watching my Spanish friends in action and eating the results). It’s similar to the frittata my grandmother used to make. But this will give you a taste and a smell of Cotton’s Spain:

Ingredients

• ½ kilo of potatoes - waxy, salad potatoes are best for texture and flavour and hold together well. Never use floury baking potatoes. They definitely do not work. (I tried this once when I didn’t have any others and, although it tasted ok, it was a soggy mess.)
• 1 small onion - or even better, several spring onions
• 4 eggs
• some good quality olive oil
• a little salt and black pepper.

Utensils

• non-stick frying pan
• a slice or wooden spatula
• a large plate for turning the tortilla

Preparation

• Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes or small slices about a third of an inch thick.
• Peel and chop the onions. If you are using spring onions, keep the finely chopped green part to one side.
• Heat some oil in a non-stick frying pan - enough just to cover the potatoes.
• Add the potatoes and fry gently, stirring and turning occasionally until they are nearly cooked.
• Add the onion and continue cooking until the onions are soft and the potatoes are cooked but only just beginning to take colour.
• Remove the potatoes and onion from the pan. Drain well and put them into a bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, and add to the potatoes and onion mixture in the bowl.
• Add the chopped green part of the spring onions and mix well.

To make the tortilla

• Drain the oil from the pan and wipe out with kitchen paper to ensure a smooth surface.
• Add some oil and swirl around the pan over the heat to coat the surface – better a little more than a little less oil, as you can always drain it off when the tortilla is cooked.
• When the oil is hot but not quite smoking, add the tortilla mixture and tilt the pan to spread evenly. Shake the pan from time to time, until the tortilla moves freely.
• Turn the heat down low (to avoid the surface from becoming burnt or too brown) and continue cooking, shaking from time to time, until it is nearly set.
• Place a plate over the pan and invert so that the tortilla is now turned over on the plate.
• Add a touch more oil to the pan if necessary and heat before carefully sliding the tortilla in, to cook the other side. Use the spatula or the slice to press in and shape the tortilla neatly around the edges.
• Turn the heat right down again and leave until the tortilla is cooked through.
• Slide on to a fresh plate and leave to cool for a while before cutting – either into wedges or into squares if serving as a tapa.
• Serve with mayonnaise

Tortilla is good to eat hot or cold, but never put it in the fridge. My Spanish friends disagree about whether it is more authentic with or without onion. I prefer it with. You can also add chopped green or red pepper when frying the onions and/or some chopped chorizo.

A different, equally delicious tortilla can be made substituting the traditional potato mix with aubergines, garlic and onions (add some courgettes and a little green pepper too if you like). This is good served with a fresh tomato sauce.

Facts and Bones

Today, 12 October 2008, Javier Marías has an interesting article in El Pais newspaper on what I mentioned in an earlier blog entry. ‘El Pais’ means, literally, 'The Country' and there was a time when the mere name of the paper was regarded as an insult to Spain’s position in the world (see 'La Patria' or 'Fatherland', beloved by hacks in times of Francisco Franco anxious about his legacy).

The subject is Historical Memory, grave-digging and relics. Marías does point out the traditional contradiction of eternal life and the enormous attention paid to bones in Catholic societies. He also uses the word ‘puerilidad’ - puerility - in the endeavour to find out what happened to, say, Lorca in what - this is me - is a kind of living archaeology. By that I mean within living memory, with relatives of the dead still alive. He mentions an uncle of his who died at age 17 or 18, and that the fact of his murder is worth more than finding his bones in a place where they have lain for seventy years beside other victims.

Our problem may be that we want to see, have, even possess what is gone. At one level this is understandable. At another, again me, this is derisory. We can’t recapture, sort out or establish justice years after. But we don’t want to forget, unless it suits us.

Marías is an exceptional novelist, quite well known outside Spain. I recommend his books. (See, for example A Heart So White published by Vintage 1997, excellently translated by Margaret Jull Costa).

Another Spanish language novelist, not so well known, is the Peruvian Alfredo Bryce Echenique. Some years ago, I tried to get him published in English and failed. His Un mundo para Julius – A World for Julius – was translated into English – not too well - for an American academic publisher, and that rather did for La Vida Exagerada de Martin Romaña, an account of a Peruvian, in 1968 Paris, that makes you laugh - until you cry.