Richard Crompton reveals secret behind Detective Mollel series
Richard Crompton's book 2The Honey Guide'. His books have been well received in in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and many other territories. PHOTO | Mwikali Lati
What you need to know:
"What I found as a journalist is that the Western media have a stereotyped view of Africa and African society which does not fit in with my experience."
While working as a freelance journalist and writer in Tanzania, Richard Crompton met and befriended a Maasai warrior who introduced him to his society’s customs. He also talked to policemen on their behind-the-scenes lives.
Through this experience, the series Detective Mollel was born. His books, The Honey Guide and Hell’s Gate, have been well received in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, among other countries.
The author spoke to the Business Daily about his books and how living in Kenya, his new home, has influenced his writing.
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What is Detective Mollel like?What is Detective Mollel like?
He is an outsider, torn between his traditional Maasai upbringing and the challenges of the modern police force. He is also isolated from many of his colleagues who resent him as a whistle-blower on police corruption.
Why pick the crime-thriller genre?
It’s a popular genre which allows readers to follow a story without feeling they are being led in a certain direction. In The Honey Guide, for example, I wanted to beat a trail that would lead to a reward. In this case the mystery story unfolds towards an exciting conclusion as issues about society are explored along the way.
Did you plan to write a series or was it born out of the success of The Honey Guide?
It was always going to be a series. I have a complete idea about where I want Mollel to go, all the way through to his final story. I’ve just signed a deal for two more books, and I’ll keep writing them as long as people want to read them.
There are so many tales to tell about life in Nairobi. I’ll never run out of material.
The first Detective Mollel book came out last year and the second this year. Is it in your plan to have one book published each year?
Ideally, yes, if my publishers agree. It is my ambition to write a book every six months. I’m not quite there yet, but well on target for one a year. My experience as a journalist has taught me how to deal with tight deadlines. In fact I feel I work better under pressure.
You have been in Kenya for seven years now. How has the environment influenced your writing?
I love Kenya and find it stimulating. As an outsider, I have a different perspective from one born and bred in the country and perhaps sometimes this may mislead me. But other times it might allow me an insight into society and culture which others may be too close to see.
How has that helped you to craft Detective Mollel’s stories? I’ve enjoyed writing novels set in Kenya. It’s a country I adore and I want to portray it as realistically as possible without glossing over some of the obvious problems. What I found as a journalist is that the Western media have a stereotyped view of Africa and African society which does not fit in with my experience.
Africans, particularly Kenyans, are among the most resilient, humane, compassionate, resourceful and enterprising people I have ever met. I hope that comes across in my novels.
What are you working on next?
I am currently writing a very different novel. It is still a mystery, but it is a comedy set in London in 1900. The setting means that my research involves book work rather than leg work out on the streets. It’s an interesting change of pace.
