Helen Smith
Beyond Belief is murder mystery featuring amateur sleuth Emily Castles and her side-kick, eccentric philosophy professor, Dr. Muriel. The Belief and Beyond conference has been arranged by the Royal Society for the Exploration of Science and Culture and will take place in Torquay. Leading philosophers, psychics and sceptics will gather for the weekend to debate the nature of belief, and a famous magician called Edmund Zenon has offered £50,000 to anyone who can prove the existence of the paranormal that weekend. Unfortunately a psychic called Perspicacious Peg has predicted that someone will die from drowning. On the recommendation of her friend Dr. Muriel Crowther, twenty-six-year-old Emily Castles is hired by the president of the RSESC to make a report about Peg’s prediction and its outcome. When she suspects a murder has taken place, Emily teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.
To what extent do you believe in psychics?
I believe that there are people who can help interpret the past and give advice about the future because they’re good at understanding people. I think that most of us have or can develop a kind of sixth sense where if we trust our instincts we can quickly get a deep understanding of situations and people, including getting a bad feeling about something or someone – or a good feeling, for that matter. Much as I would like to believe otherwise, I haven’t yet seen any evidence that psychics can communicate with spirits or predict the future. However, I’m keeping an open mind.
Please can you give us some insight into the character of Emily Castles?
Emily is an intelligent young woman who is good at solving mysteries because she is observant and thinks deeply about people and situations, instinctively using a kind of “free association” methodology that looks to the outsider as if she’s daydreaming. She’s resourceful and cheerful, which means that potential employers are always keen to hire her, but she hasn’t yet found a job that’s right for her. She takes a lot of temporary assignments that put her into all sorts of interesting situations... some of them involving murder!
What was the appeal of setting the book in Torquay?
I wanted a very English feel to the book, so I came up with the idea of setting it at the seaside, with fish and chips, a pier and a grand old hotel. I set the story in a fictionalised version of Torquay as a nod of respect to Agatha Christie – most readers of traditional mysteries will know that the Queen of Crime once lived there.
Can you give us a short review of the book you are currently reading?
Daniel Defoe’s Captain Singleton, published in 1720, gives a detailed fictional account of the life and times of a boy who is stolen from his family and becomes a celebrated pirate.
Did you spend any time with a psychic to get some first-hand experience of their role?
Yes, I’m fascinated by psychics. I have done a development workshop with a famous psychic who has appeared on TV and I have also attended spiritualist meetings and psychic readings.
As you mentioned; Torquay is the former home of Agatha Christie so how much of a fan are you of her work?
I love Agatha Christie. Miss Marple is my all-time favourite amateur detective. As well as being a fan of Christie’s work, I admire her success as an author. She was a prolific writer whose achievements were recognised in her lifetime, both at home and abroad, and yet she remained modest and hard-working. She set an example to all the writers who came after her.
What is next for you?
I’m writing the next book in my Emily Castles series. It’s set at the Edinburgh Festival. Emily has been hired to work for an innovative theatre company that sets out to blur the distinction between fiction and reality. Soon her life is in danger, but no one will believe her. She has to outwit the bad guys to save herself and those around her.