Written by Sam Ali
Although the title leads you to believe that this story is a light and fun mystery… it is in fact loaded with dark themes and an almost sinister storyline. The Love Detective by Angela Dyson is a story about a woman who realises her place, and what she wants out of life, all while involving herself in a world of mystery and snooping. When I got this novel, I was excited to indulge in a chick-lit type of novel after all the thrillers and suspense reads I get into. But—I was in for a surprise! The book takes quite a dark turn, and honestly, I loved that part about it!
I was thrilled to have author Angela Dyson discuss her debut novel, The Love Detective with me! Check it out below:
Who’s your favourite author?
Oh, this is a tricky question. If I choose only one, it feels almost like being unfaithful to all my other favourites! But Sue Grafton I always enjoy.
Favourite book or genre to read?
There isn’t really a genre that I don’t read…except maybe Science Fiction. What’s so wonderful about novels is that you can choose them to match your mood, but one of my all-time favourites has to be Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne Du Maurier. Written in 1941, it’s about Lady Donna St Columb, a headstrong heroine who escapes from the tedium of life with her dull husband in 17th century London to live in Cornwall where she meets an infamous French pirate. I love it!
When was the moment you realised that you loved literature?
As a child I read The Wind in The Willows by Kenneth Grahame over and over again. I wanted to live by the river bank with Ratty and Mole and stay in Badger’s house right in the heart of the Wild Wood. I remember distinctly how alive their world seemed to me, how vividly their different personalities and individual voices shone out from the pages. And even today, many, many years on, I re-read it regularly. This novel brings me comfort, peace and has always made me feel safe. Literature does that and I’m a life-long devotee.
What made you want to be a writer?
It allows me to dream. To create worlds that provide an outlet for escapism, not just for myself, but for my readers.
What draws you to the “detective” type genres?
I love the idea of the amateur detective meddling and asking questions and stirring up trouble. And by creating my own young female private investigator, Clarry Pennhaligan in The Love Detective, I could make her so much bolder, braver and more of a bad-ass than I, in real life, could ever be! She gets to do things that I long to do… but don’t have the chutzpah.
What gave you the inspiration for your newest novel, The Love Detective?
Female friendships are very important to me. Throughout your life, lovers, boyfriends, and husbands may come and go, but your girlfriends can be depended upon to offer sympathy, understanding, and many glasses of wine. Oh, and tough-love too, when it’s needed. Clarry in The Love Detective is enlisted by her best friend, Laura, to check out whether the new man in Laura’s life is on the up-and-up. What Clarry discovers does not go down well with Laura. It’s that whole don’t shoot the messenger thing. I wanted to explore the strength of friendship. In fact, the very first question in the book club notes that accompany the novel is: What did you think of the row between Clarry and Laura? Have you ever experienced the issue of jealousy (or at least the perception of it) with a friend? I will be fascinated to hear how my readers answer that question!
Did your writing process change at all when you began writing this book, compared to any writing you’ve done before?
I have always written in spurts. I’m not someone who compels themselves to write every day. Honestly, sometimes I’m just not in the mood! And I’ve learnt that there is nothing more depressing than sitting down at the computer trying to find inspiration and coming up empty. But with The Love Detective, there were definitely far fewer gaps between writing binges. I just wanted to keep going because I so loved the experience.
Can we expect any more books from you coming up?
I am currently working on the second in the series featuring Clarry. It’s called The Love Detective: Next Level and it will be out in 2019.
Do you have any advice for young writers out there?
Yes, and it’s to find your own way to becoming a writer. Let it become organic. Write when you have something to say, when a story is so vivid to you that you absolutely have to get it down. And, to prepare yourself for this, write about what you see… in a casual way. Get used to expressing yourself on paper. This can take some of the fear out of the process and will ultimately release that particular voice that is yours and yours alone.
Dyson’s debut novel The Love Detective is now available and you can find it on Book Depository and other good book retailers. You can also visit her website.
Have you read The Love Detective? Will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
“He’d thought himself the hunter, that I was easy prey but what he hadn’t bargained for, was contending with a woman who hadn’t eaten a square meal in twenty-four hours. I get mean when I’m hungry.”
Clarry Pennhaligan, low on ambition but high on energy, can’t seem to come up with a proper grown-up plan to kick-start her life. Planning really isn’t her thing. But then she happens upon her true vocation: Snooping. Discovering other people’s secrets and getting paid for it. What could possibly go wrong? Well……as it turns out, just about everything and soon Clarry finds herself in real danger.
