GIANINA TURNER caught up with Oldland Common-born author Stephen Cook to talk about his book Saints & Sinners, the next instalment in his series set in Bristol
Can you give us a short synopsis of Saints & Sinners and tell us why you chose that title?
Corruption is something DI Page won’t tolerate – even if it did take place nearly forty years ago. So when he is made aware of allegations concerning corrupt police officers back in the 1980s he can’t ignore it and decides to search for the truth himself. But at the same time he and his partner, DC Connor, are faced with a series of mysterious deaths in the here and now. Not knowing who they can trust, or even whether these deaths are even related, they have their work cut out to discover exactly what is going on. The title Saints & Sinners comes from the idea that you can never judge a person’s character perfectly; that it is rarely the case for somebody to be either good or bad. Even the people we think of as being the very best can also be fatally flawed. Or as Shakespeare put it: we are sinners all.
How does this new book connect to your first novel, Angels In The Architecture?
Saints & Sinners follows on from Angels In The Architecture. The central relationship between the lead characters of DI Page and DC Connor has developed and matured since their first case working together. In Angels In The Architecture they had only just been put together as a team and Louise Connor was struggling to understand how her new boss wanted to do things. In this novel, they are an established team and their partnership is based on trust and respect.
Why did you choose to set your books in Bristol?
I was born and grew up in Bristol and am still very proud of the city. By basing my stories here I am able to share some of my interest in the city’s history with readers, and I am also able to weave some of our important landmarks into the narrative.
Many of the positive reviews received for the first book made specific reference to it being set in Bristol and how much this had added to the narrative.
The second book just had to be set in Bristol too.
Q: How did writing Saints & Sinners compare to your experience writing your debut novel?
In some ways it was easier to write because I knew the process and understood some of the pitfalls that I had encountered the first time around. But in other ways it was a challenge. There was always the risk that I was repeating myself and it took a lot of planning to keep the second story fresh.
Can readers expect more from the Inspector Page series?
Hopefully, yes! Work has started on the next one, but it is still early days.
Will you be doing any local events to promote the new book?
I am in the process of arranging some book events to mark the publication of Saints & Sinners. The first confirmed date is a book reading and signing over coffee and cakes at Yate Library on Saturday November 15. Details will be on the Yate Library events page.
Saints & Sinners is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.