The Blakely Affair - The Inspector Fenchurch Mysteries (One)

This story is the result of the collaboration between the authors Alp Mortal and Chambers Mars. Seeing the potential of the story as a series and of the collaboration as a whole, we decided to create a separate author, ‘Carter Seagrove’, to provide the vehicle for what we hope will be a long and productive union.

‘The Blakely Affair’ is the fictitious book referred to in our first project, ‘Dust Jacket’. Writing this story has been a lot of fun for us both; particularly as it has again stretched us in terms of style and genre.

‘The Blakely Affair’ is a more traditional ‘whodunnit’ and we have created a police inspector by the name of Alfred Fenchurch to carry the investigation forward; not that it majors on the police procedural aspects of the many stories which fit into the genre. Ours is more character-led … and of course, we both had absolutely no hesitation in casting Alfred as gay or in giving a romantic side story with the relationship between the Inspector and the character of PC Adam Cowley.

Part play, part opera and part farce is probably an accurate description of this story which centres round the death of the Dowager Baroness Anglemere and the theft of her fabulous diamonds. Who did it? Jane the maid, James the houseman, Cook, Samuel the one time stage-hand, Doctor Fulke or the Dowager’s daughter, Theophilia or perhaps it was her husband, William Dorchester … nothing is quite what it seems …

We hope that you thoroughly enjoy the story and feedback is always welcome. Please feel free to email us and please visit the websites to find out what we’re working on next.

Thank you!
Carter Seagrove