In crime fiction, the dark deeds of the antagonists are hugely important, and they’ve got to be fresh, convincing and dramatic. But the main protagonist has got to be the gel holding everything together. My heroine is DI Kelly Porter, and she’s refreshingly normal: she’s feisty and strong, but also vulnerable and incomplete. A lot of reviewers have said that Kelly is very relatable and three dimensional, and that’s about as big a compliment as I could hope for. However, her life has to constantly move alongside the action in her cases.
Rachel Lynch writes for Female First
So far, there are three Kelly Porter books and each time I write a new one I think long and hard about what’s going to happen to Kelly. She is the story. Her personal life has to be balanced well with her professional life, with a few surprises on the way. I want to reflect that life moves forward, it’s never static, so why should it be for a character in a book? Things never stay the same; whether it be her location, her family dynamic, her lovers, her mistakes, or her learning.
I enjoy spending time with Kelly, and I’d like to go for a drink with her. I think she’s loyal, intelligent and passionate, and that gives her some real heroic potential. The way she tackles her cases is reflective of what she’s like as a person, and she never gives up. So, there are certain elements of Kelly’s character which stay the same over the three books. There also has to be things that change. Things readers have said about why Kelly is an entertaining character are: she deals with situations head on, she’s not a cliché, she is a strong woman but not one who has a chip on her shoulder, she proves herself but isn’t aggressive or intentionally abrasive, and she cares.
Each book can stand alone as a one off read, but readers love following the journey of a character they love and so I hope I’ve provided both. Fans of the whole series have commented that they’ve enjoyed finding out what happens to the familiar cast book by book, but equally, many have dipped straight into number three without a problem- if they have done this, they usually want to go back and read numbers one and two!
To achieve this, I try and balance new developments with hints at what’s gone before and it’s a delicate one: readers don’t want pages and pages of recaps, just the odd explanation will do. It’s always fun creating new characters and Kelly meets plenty of them through the three books, and it’s her interactions with these people that help the reader follow her journey. Her relationships with those familiar to her, such as her family, friends and colleagues, are important too, and she’s surrounded by a solid team at the fictional Eden House in Penrith.
One method I employ to keep Kelly relatable is her interaction with her fabulous surroundings. She adores her home county, even more so since rediscovering it on her return from the Met, in London, and she explores it whenever she can. She shares this love with Johnny, who, working for the mountain rescue, has an equal respect and joy of the lakes and fells of Cumbria. Kelly’s knowledge of the local area is key to her progress and I think helps to keep her entertaining and interesting.
A large part of keeping Kelly entertaining is asking myself what I think of her. Would I enjoy working with her? Yes. Would I enjoy hiking with her? Yes. Would I trust her to get justice for me? Yes. She’s not perfect, but that’s also part of her charm, because no-one is perfect. She needs to have flaws and vulnerability to keep her real. She hasn’t found a lasting, meaning relationship yet and in book three, she’s getting closer to forty, but in Johnny, she’s found a soul mate: an outsider in many ways, like herself, even though she grew up in Cumbria, she left for many years to try to follow her dream of working in the Met.
Those who surround Kelly, also define her; so her relationship with the Coroner, Ted Wallis, is always pleasurable to write about; her on/off bond with her ill mother enables me to delve deeper into Kelly’s emotional range; the energy sapping irritation of her sister gives Kelly a true reality because few of us have perfect families; and her colleagues’ admiration for her enables readers to appreciate her skill and tenacity. They’re all important for keeping Kelly moving forward on to the next instalment. There are plans for another three books in the series and I look forward to sharing with you what happens to Kelly in the coming months and years of her life. She’s facing some milestones, some tough decisions and some shocking news, and I can’t wait to tell you how she copes…
Rachel Lynch's new book Dead End is out now, alongside books 1 and 2 in the series, Dark Game and Deep Fear.