This book has several elements that drew me in – firstly its set in my home town of London, which is always a plus. Add to that its set in Victorian London, which is even cooler. Then add a Private Detective and Egyptology and there you have the recipe for a brilliant adventure novel! And of course – there being a whole trip to ‘The Land of the Dead’ thing set this firmly on my radar.
The author Columbkill Noonan hails from beautiful Maryland, USA, so I was very excited when she agreed to have a long distance chat with me about her book.
Tell us the basic premise of your novel?
Barnabas Tew is a somewhat neurotic, extremely anxious, and rather particular sort of person. He also happens to be a somewhat sub-standard private detective. Through luck (or misfortune, depending on your perspective!) he is whisked off to the Egyptian afterlife to solve a case for Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead. Things just keep going wrong from there…
Why did you choose Victorian London and do the locations hold any real life significance to you?
I love historical fiction, and I love London, and everything that is quintessentially British. I’m also fascinated with ancient mythologies, so I figured I’d marry the two.
Did it take a lot of research for your locations and story line?
It did! I spent a lot of time researching the Egyptian gods and goddesses. But I think researching is fun, so it wasn’t really like work at all for me.
If you could have a few drinks and an evening of conversation about the afterlife with any 3 famous figures (alive or dead) who would you pick?
Eleanor of Aquitane, for one. Was she really as much of a pip as history makes her out to be? If so, then I want to hang out with her for sure. Cleopatra, for pretty much the same reasons. And lastly…Genghis Khan. Was he so warlike out of a need to preserve and protect his people from invasions? Or was he just kind of a jerk? I need to know…
Do you believe in an afterlife? What do you think it would be like?
I do believe in an afterlife, and I rather hope that it’s not like the ancient Egyptian idea! I tend to think of it in terms of the Buddhist or Hindu theology, where a person would be reborn until they figure things out and then they can get off the merry-go-round, so to speak. Heaven sounds pretty nice, though. It would be great if that’s how it was. I guess I’ll find out…someday!
What are you working on next?
The sequel to “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab”, of course! Can’t just leave him hanging. He and Wilfred are off to the Viking afterlife, and they are really in way over their heads this time.
‘Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab’ is published by Crooked Cat Books available in paperback and Kindle.
Buy the book from Amazon.co.uk
Connect with Columbkill Noonan for news about her next book;
Anne-Marie Ormsby 