The Rotting Spot
About the book:
The Rotting Spot is a crime novel about skull hunting (once a hobby of mine). The young protagonist, Erica Bruce, is a homeopath with borderline anorexia (though she loves clubbing and drinking), helped and hindered by Geordie 'charva' Stacey, who does everything to glorious excess.
There are sinister sisters in a hexagon tower, clues from William Blake's prophecies, a fit young Detective Inspector (Will Bennett), and lots of forensic detail. Close friendships and rivalries between women are central: Erica's estranged best friend goes missing, and the hunt for her unearths parallel happenings and family secrets from the past. The skull hunter's rotting spot hides a secret on its sea-lashed Northumbrian headland.
Someone's getting away with murder... and they'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way.
"A darkly intriguing debut."
Val McDermid
"Meanwhile, Valerie Laws's crime fiction debut The Rotting Spot (Red Squirrel Press, £6.99) introduces Erica Bruce: recovering anorexic, practising homeopath and all-round canny Geordie lass. Erica also collects puffin skulls, but it turns out that there are a few of the human kind around as well... The book opens with a bang - a Saturday-night birth in the middle of a Newcastle street with new mother Stacey swearing like a sailor - and interweaves a suspenseful story with graphic extracts from 'The Skull Hunter's Blog' that speak of slime, maggots and decay. As Erica crosses paths with Detective Inspector Will Bennett - he of the blue, blue eyes - and skeletons rattle loudly in closets, Laws brings her locations vibrantly to life, allowing you to relish the refreshing North Sea breeze even as it whips her more dastardly characters into a murderous frenzy."
"Valerie Laws is a fresh and talented new voice in crime-writing. The Rotting Spot takes the established form of the rural detective novel, but brings it bang up to date. Here we have practitioners of complementary medicine and a binge-drinking pregnant young Geordie; we consider the relationship between women and food and the delights of skull collecting. And all within the framework of a well-structured plot."
Ann Cleeves
Writing the book:
As a poet, writing a novel seemed daunting. But I've always loved crime fiction, and the plot ideas kept coming. I won a New Writing North 'Northern Writer's Award' for the early chapters, which included a year's mentoring from top crime agent/editor, Lisanne Radice. She helped me finish the book, many, many times!
Later on, I received some timely and valuable advice from Ann Cleeves. The resulting rewrite was accepted by Northumberland publisher Red Squirrel as the first of their crime list.
The book is set mainly in Seaton Sluice ("Stonehead"), on Rocky Island ("Stony Point") and partly in Whitley Bay ("Wydsand"). I grew up and went to school in Seaton Sluice, and as a child, wanted to live in the Octagon Tower house ("Hex Tower House" in the book).
Read the Skull Hunter's blog.
Order The Rotting Spot from the publisher, Red Squirrel Press (and read an extract on their web site).
Photo © David Hirst