Crime Mystery set in Cornwall (featuring a Q&A with author, David Coubrough)

30th April 2016

Half a Pound of Tuppenny Rice by David Coubrough, crime mystery set in Cornwall.

Another interesting book that may not be on everyone’s radar and excellent for creating a brooding, mysterious Cornwall (St Ives).

A regular Summer get together near St Ives in Cornwall brings several families together, milling about, eating, a bit of sport, and illicit activities that fall beneath the radar. Nothing untoward, really. That is until hotel porter, Tom Youlen, is found poisoned in a country lane, muttering “It was him…him from the hotel…he said he would…if I spoke”. A little while later the body of a young woman is found washed up on the shore.

This happened in 1972, a year that is vividly evoked in the book, platform shoes and plenty of music tracks to take the reader straight back to the era. Hum along with all the old songs as you read.

Now, Grant, a teenager amongst the group then, returns to the area with Brigit, his wife, because something just hasn’t sat right for him. He is beginning to feel obsessed. Add into the mix some very odd occurrences that are baffling and concerning, things are evidently not as they seem…potential film footage, what might it reveal, a message in a bottle…

This book is very much in the Agatha Christie mould where groups of people come together and a death happens in their midst.

At the beginning of the book there is a list of the families and family members and although that keeps the reader on track as the characters slide in and out, it can feel a little daunting having to grapple with them all.

The setting is mainly Cornwall – from St Ives, to Mevagissey and Zennor…

Tina for the TripFiction Team

Over to David who has kindly agreed to answer our questions:

David Coubrough

TF: Locations is very much the driver behind TripFiction. You clearly know Cornwall extremely well and have set the book largely there. What particularly drew you to this part of the world and do you have any personal top tips?

DC: Yes I have drawn very much from my childhood holidays in St.Ives and Bodmin Moor; I retain a deep affection for the county and my favourite places are; St. Ives, St. Mawes, Constantine Bay, Bodmin Moor, Mevagisssey and Sennen Cove.

TF: You have had a high flying career in hospitality for many years.  Becoming an author must be quite a contrast to the hurly burly of executive life. What do you relish about your lifestyle as a writer now and what do you miss from your previous life?

DC: I enjoy taking time to think through plot lines and building characters from a very outlined profile. I am drawing from a lifetime of observation of people, their behaviours and their relationships, not necessarily from business experiences but from a very broad canvass .I don’t miss corporate life, although I retain two Non- Executive roles. I certainly don’t  miss the endless meetings, often getting bogged down with business plans and balance sheets and drinking far too much coffee!

TF:  When you wrote this book, did you have the scenarios mapped out or did the storyline evolve organically?

DC:  I had some scenarios mapped out but some of the twists occurred organically; some are lifted straight out of dreams, or nightmares!

TF:  What was your path to getting your book published?

DC:  I got a copy of ‘The Writers and Artists Yearbook’, and then started writing to Literary Agents referenced therein. This was proving a dispiriting experience for several months until David Godwin, DGA, wrote back very positively, having taken the trouble to read the whole novel; he put me right on various things and several months later we felt ready to send it to Publishers. It got through three readings at Orion Books, culminating with a rejection but Alan Samson, Publishing Director saying ‘it was very close.’ Shortly after this Peter Owen Publishers agreed to take it on, which was a cause of great celebration! In summary it took me about 18 months to write and a further year to get a Publishing contract.

TF:  What are you working on now?

DC: My new novel is called ‘Everyone’s  gone home’. It is a sequel to ‘Half a Pound of Tuppenny Rice’ and I’m enjoying it immensely.

Thank you to David for taking the time to answer our questions.

You can follow David on Twitter and Facebook

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For more books set in CORNWALL, just click here

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