Inside the Mind of DCI Calder: Why Procedure Matters in Crime Fiction

Crime fiction lives or dies on authenticity. Readers don’t just want a gripping mystery — they want to feel the weight of real investigation, real stakes, and real consequences. When I began writing the DCI Calder series, I knew I didn’t want cosy crime or light‑touch mysteries. I wanted the grit of Somerset’s coastal edges, the quiet menace of rural isolation, and the relentless pressure of a detective who refuses to cut corners.

One of the most fascinating parts of writing Calder is exploring how procedure shapes personality. He’s methodical because he has to be. Every scene I write begins with a simple question: What would a real detective do next? That question drives everything — from how he approaches a crime scene to how he interviews a suspect, to the way he handles evidence with almost ritualistic care.

Readers often ask how much research goes into each book. The answer is: a lot. Police timelines, forensic processes, witness psychology, and even the way officers speak to one another — these details matter. They’re the difference between a story that feels imagined and one that feels lived.

Somerset itself plays a role in every investigation. The coastline can be unforgiving. The quiet lanes hide secrets. The marshes swallow sound. Calder knows this landscape intimately, and it shapes the way he works. A suspect’s route, a missing person’s last known location, even the weather rolling in from the Bristol Channel — all of it becomes part of the puzzle.

As I continue drafting the next instalment, I’m exploring a case that pushes Calder further than he expects. It’s a story about pressure, loyalty, and the cost of getting things wrong. And as always, the procedure will guide him — even when instinct tries to pull him off course.

If you enjoy crime fiction grounded in real investigative detail, I hope you’ll follow along as Calder’s world expands. Somerset has many secrets left to reveal.