Secrets in the Water by Alice Fitzpatrick is an absorbing mystery set in Wales that tells the story of Kate, a recently divorced woman who returns home to the fictional location of Meredith Island after her grandmother’s passing. There, she learns that her beloved aunt’s suicide may not have been a suicide. What follows is an exciting whodunnit in the tradition of great British mysteries.
The community of Meredith Island feels so real and rooted in place that we had to ask Alice about choosing the setting of her novel.
Welcome, Alice, to our Power Q & A series!
Secrets in the Water by Alice Fitzpatrick, published by Stonehouse Publishing.
Q: Can you tell us about your decision to set this compelling mystery in Wales?
A: When I was a child, my British family moved to Wales and each summer would welcome me to Tenby, a popular seaside resort on the south Pembrokeshire coast. It was during this time that I fell in love with the country and its people. When I decided to write a mystery series, I realized I’d be carrying the setting around in my head for the next twenty or thirty years, so I wanted it to be somewhere where I felt comfortable and welcome. Since I’ve always lived near large bodies of water, and I particularly love the sea, a Welsh island was perfect.
Like most places in the UK, Tenby has a long history. With evidence of settlement dating back to the Iron Age, the town was founded in 1093, and because of this Tenby has curious streets like Merlins Court, Upper and Lower Frog Street, Tudor Way, Crackwell Street, and Paragon. My fascination with these names led me to bestow upon my islanders similarly unconventional names such as Basil and Peregrine Tully, Old Alred, Drucilla Cragwell, and Feebles, Gooley, and Smee.
But it wasn’t just the town that inspired me. All along the Pembrokeshire coast, jagged cliffs rise high above the water, creating a menacing seascape where I imagine Kate’s aunt drowned over fifty years ago. The church next door to my cousin Jim’s house was the inspiration for the island church presided over by the Reverend Imogen Larkin, and its graveyard is the islanders’ final resting place.
Because I visited Tenby during my teenage years, many of my memories are tinged with wonder and innocence. It was where I had my first crush and my first heartbreak when a young man took my address, promising to keep in touch but never did. It was also the location of my aunt and uncle’s hotel where we often sat in the large kitchen and drank tea—sherry for my aunt—ate buttered scones, and shared jokes. So my island became a place of young love and friendship, warm kitchens full of sweet smells, and a pub where people gather for a natter and a gossip.
Unfortunately, it’s also a place where people are murdered. It’s this jarring juxtaposition that sets the tone of the book as protagonist Kate Galway digs deep into the islanders’ memories of their youth to unearth clues about the identity of her aunt’s killer.
More about Secrets in the Water:
Emma Galway’s suicide has haunted the Meredith Island for fifty years.
Back on the island to lay her grandmother to rest, Kate can’t avoid reflecting on the death of her aunt. Learning that her late mother had believed Emma was murdered and had conducted her own investigation, she decides to track down her aunt’s killer. With the help of her neighbour, impetuous and hedonistic sculptor Siobhan Fitzgerald, Kate picks up where her mother had left off. When the two women become the subject of threatening notes and violent incidents, it’s clear that one of their fellow islanders is warning them off. As they begin to look into Emma’s connection to the Sutherlands, a prominent Meredith Island family, another islander dies under suspicious circumstances, forcing Kate and Siobhan to confront the likelihood that Emma’s killer is still on the island.
Author Alice Fitzpatrick.
More about Alice Fitzpatrick:
Alice Fitzpatrick has contributed various short stories to literary magazines and anthologies and has recently retired from teaching in order to devote herself to writing full-time. She is a fearless champion of singing, cats, all things Welsh, and the Oxford comma. Her summers spent with her Welsh family in Pembrokeshire inspired the creation of Meredith Island. The traditional mystery appeals to her keen interest in psychology as she is intrigued by what makes seemingly ordinary people commit murder. Alice lives in Toronto but dreams of a cottage on the Welsh coast. To learn more about Alice and her writing, please visit her website at www.alicefitzpatrick.com.