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Correspondence, Background Reading and General Prep
WhatsApp messages between me and my agent Nita Cawley, 26 May 2021:
Amanda Bailey
The murder cases I’ve covered so far are all the same. Dead blonde, media frenzy, police fumblings, lucky psychopath.
Nita Cawley
It’s our bread and butter.
Amanda Bailey
Already chewed over and spat out by every newspaper and crime reporter in the land. Same old, same mould.
Nita Cawley
I hear you. What do you have in mind?
Amanda Bailey
Something else. Different. New. Oh, I don’t know … a novel?
Nita Cawley
Shit! Didn’t realise things were *that* bad Look, on my way to lunch with Pippa at Kronos. If certain rumours are true, I might have something interesting for you later today.
Email from my agent Nita Cawley, 26 May 2021:
TO:Amanda Bailey
DATE:26 May 2021
SUBJECT:Your next book
FROM:Nita Cawley
OK. Why novels? Flowery language describing every wrinkle in the carpet … What you do is miles better. You’re a master of real life, Amanda. You connect with the common reader. People want mainstream, accessible books that explore violent crime in a safe space, and that’s what you give them. Which leads me smoothly to Pippa at Kronos.
She’s planning a new series of true crime books called Eclipse. Each will put a fresh, dark spin on a well-known crime (like when the moon passes across the sun during an eclipse). Could be a new angle, a new theory, a new link to popular culture; anything that breathes life into an old story.
Nothing too fancy. She wants a holiday page-turner for connoisseurs of the genre. Core reader is likely familiar with the cases already, and happy to revisit ‘old friends’ if they think something new will get them intrigued all over again.
She rattled off a few classics. Basically, cases you think have no mystery left and nothing to uncover. The usual suspects: Jack the Ripper (yes, really), Fred and Rose West, Harold Shipman, Moors Murders … So nothing to get us excited until she mentioned the Alperton Angels.
Remember it? Early noughties. A chilling story ripe with possibility. Inspired so many tacky horror things it’s stayed in the public eye – so still has legs. But that’s not why she mentioned it.
Alotcouldn’t be reported at the time (several of the bods were underage) and that brings me to why they’ve flagged it: the baby is due to turn eighteen this year. She said they want to look at the case from the grown-up kid’s POV. Never been done before. Now, Amanda, this is exactly what you’re looking for. A story you canown, am I right?
Also,youare exactly what Pippa is looking for. She has no budget for a private investigator to find the baby. She needs your lovely contacts in social services, and your endless creativity when convincing reluctant bods to talk. If you can find the baby, I can negotiate something else, listen to this …
Pippa’s gf has a TV production company and went to school with Naga Munchetty. Once you’ve found the baby, she wants to nail them to an exclusive deal, so they talk only toyou– and eventually Naga – with TV timed for when the title is on the shelf. I’ve already suggested they interview you prominently in that documentary. Not that I’ve confirmed you’ll do it, of course.
Don’t want to hurry you on the decision, but like she said we’re not the only ones with the baby’s birthday in our diaries, so the sooner we can start to mine those connections the better …
There are no tragic blondes. Just a wacky cult, four dead, mutilated men and a mystery no one’s had the chance to uncover properly yet. You’ll be the first. Imagine that. N x
