Pauline Barclay : West Yorkshire Published

This week I am celebrating West Yorkshire with authors from the area and also their books that have a Yorkshire theme.

Today I am delighted to introduce Liz Mistry, top selling murder and mystery author from Bradford.

1. A little about your book (s)

My books are all police procedurals set in Bradford. They feature dark and brooding, DI Gus McGuire who has shoulder length dreads courtesy of his mixed-race Scottish/Jamaican mother. His father is a big bluff Scot who is also the pathologist. Gus is a troubled character. Having been forced to kill his best friend in self-defence, he suffered Post Traumatic Stress syndrome and even now he has to work hard to manage his anxiety. My most recent book, Uncommon Cruelty was released on 14th April. It is about a teen house party gone wrong, rogue bikers and how religion can impact on teen lives. The recurring theme in Uncommon Cruelty is about dispelling the concept of the ‘nuclear family’ being the most functional family unit.

2. What inspired you to set the story in Yorkshire

Having lived in Bradford for longer than I lived in Scotland it was inevitable that I set my stories here. Apart from that though, Bradford has a fantastic landscape for crime fiction. Its brooding mills dominate the landscapes and the Yorkshire sandstone and terraced houses are very distinctive. I wanted to create stories that represented the diverse world we live in and I also wanted to represent the North of the country. I know Bradford well, and despite the bad press it sometimes gets, I know Bradford and its people as Warm and Rich and Fearless and I hope that comes over in my books.

3. A few words about yourself, in particular about living in Yorkshire and / or your connection with Yorkshire.
I moved from Scotland over thirty years ago to do teacher training in Bradford. I met my husband who is Indian and stayed. We have three children. I taught for over twenty years in Bradford inner city primary schools and my own children attended multi-cultural schools in Bradford and I value what the city’s diversity has to offer. Apart from the diverse culture, Bradford has many wonderful museums. It’s a stone’s throw from the countryside. It’s tourist attractions include Haworth, Saltaire (which is a world heritage site) and Ilkley as well as many picturesque villages. As well as that Bradford is a renowned Curry capital and has UNESCO City of Film accreditation.

I love it!