Sheffield-born author Karen Charlton 'comes home' to Yorkshire with first historical crime fiction novel to be set in York

Yorkshire author Karen Charlton has ‘come home’ with her latest historical crime fiction novel, which is set in York in the Second World War. Laura Reid reports.

‘Where there’s muck, there’s brass’, so goes the traditional Yorkshire saying - though author Karen Charlton isn’t quite sure her American readers will know what she’s talking about.

She’s included the phrase in her latest book Smoke and Cracked Mirrors, the eight novel from the historical crime fiction writer, and the first she has set in the region she calls home.

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It’s the initial instalment in a series which features two enterprising young women who launch a private investigation business in wartime York.

Yorkshire author Karen Charlton has set her latest book in the region.Yorkshire author Karen Charlton has set her latest book in the region.
Yorkshire author Karen Charlton has set her latest book in the region.

Beginning in 1940, the budding detectives quickly find themselves embroiled in a series of mysterious cases shadowing blackmailers and bigamists -and they also stumble across an unsolved murder.

“The crime fiction genre has always fascinated me, particularly the golden age of the 1930s and 40s,” says Sheffield-born Charlton. “York is a stunning city and is steeped in history and intrigue, so it’s the perfect backdrop for a mystery novel - especially during the grim years of World War Two.”

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Charlton had her sights set on becoming a writer from childhood, announcing to her family at eight her intentions to follow in the footsteps of Enid Blyton.

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After growing up in Leeds, she studied English in Hull and worked as a teacher for 14 years, with her first two books being published in 2010.

She is known for her Detective Lavender Mysteries, based on the fictional adventures of Stephen Lavender, who was a real-life detective in London. Much of her fan base is in the US.

“I could have set this book anywhere really,” says Charlton, who now lives in Marske-by-the-Sea, on the coast. “It just seemed a natural thing to come home. One of my editors also said to me you’ve got a tremendous American fan base, think how much they would adore a book set in historic York.”

It actually includes much more of the region, with cases taking the detectives to Charlton’s former stomping grounds in Leeds, as well as to Scarborough and Whitby. “One of the most enjoyable parts of writing a home-based novel has been the chance to use my own dialect in the speech of the characters,” says Charlton, who wrote during the pandemic.

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“Their dialogue is peppered with all sorts of Yorkshire sayings and phrases. That’s been a lot of fun. I’ve even managed to squeeze in the saying: ‘Where there’s muck, there’s brass!’ Although what my American readers will think of that, I don’t know.”

Charlton delved into newspaper and museum archives as part of her research for the book, to gain a better insight into the lives of people in York during the wartime period.

“York wasn’t considered a particularly dangerous place [at the start of] World War Two. It was famous worldwide for its chocolate and that wasn't considered a threat to the Germans.

“The [city] didn’t evacuate children, they actually took in evacuees. But they did have lots of air raids, lots of scares and there was the occasional bomb dropped on the outskirts of York.”

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Come 1942 though, with the Baedeker raids, the Luftwaffe was targeting the city and causing substantial damage to livelihoods and buildings.

Charlton’s research is also shaping her future work. She is on with writing the second novel in the series, Dancing with Dusty Fossils, which features the mysterious murder of a museum curator from the York’s Castle Museum and will be published in September.

For now though, “it would be a real thrill to achieve a greater literary presence at home with Yorkshire and UK readers picking up the first book and following the new series closely,” she says.

Smoke and Cracked Mirrors is out now.