“Edwin Craugh’s death has a profound effect on journalist Will Lofthouse. As Will tries numbly to find meaningful words for his late friend’s obituary, he reflects upon the countryman’s impression on his own childhood and Edwin’s indelible presence on Essex’s remote Dengie Peninsula.
But when it transpires that the old Marshlander wanted him to discover a carefully hidden secret, Will’s sorrow turns to stomach-churning horror. Clues about Edwin’s last days surface, convincing the mistrustful reporter of foul play.
Delving into the tortuous mystery, Will begins to decipher heinous patterns which appear to be inextricably entwined with events from his past and his connection to the isolated Essex landscape.”
Sometimes a story demands to be told, even if it means diverging from the writer’s usual style. THE FATE OF EDWIN CRAUGH was a change of scenery for me, although it retains elements which link it to the thriller genre. Action and jeopardy were not the priorities with this one; it was more about building a deeper story.
This novel isn’t just about a character. It’s a tribute to a corner of my home county, its landscape and history. More importantly, it’s a call to remember the people who have gone from us and are sadly missed. We’re too young to know we ought to speak to our forebears about their lives when we have the chance to do so.
Telling the story non-chronologically was the only way the book could work. It needed first-person narration in the present tense, so it is journalist Will Lofthouse who recounts events for us over several years, giving the reader his perspective on Edwin Craugh’s life as well as the clues about his death.
A challenge with this novel was how to preserve the dialectal language of Edwin’s era. The traditional Essex accents are seldom heard nowadays, especially in the part of the county where the book is set. I felt the story would feel unauthentic if I only used standard English. Find out more on the EDWIN’S ESSEX page.
The second and final book in the series, BENEATH DEAD OAKS, is set during World War II when Edwin was seventeen years old. Placing the novels out of sequence felt like the right way to tell Edwin’s story. Themes are foreshadowed in the first book which are explained by events from Edwin’s young life.
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