The Honest Truth: Author Peter Ritchie’s tales shaped by a career solving notorious cases

RETIRED detective Peter Ritchie is using his wealth of knowledge to make his mark in the talented Scottish crime fiction market.

He told Murray Scougall the Honest Truth about his previous career and how it has shaped his new novel, Cause Of Death.

What is your background?

I was brought up in Fisherrow, Musselburgh, and come from generations of fisherfolk. It was a wonderful community and they were amazing storytellers. I went to sea at the tender age of 15 and believe me, it was a hard education.

Why did you decide to join the police?

I’d been at sea for nearly nine years and wanted to try something else. I had a friend who was in the police and he loved it. I was walking past the old HQ one day and decided to walk in the door and that was it.

What were some of the positions you held?

The beat in Musselburgh and then CID before joining the Serious Crime Squad. Then I went back to CID and a lot of murder investigations before running a surveillance team in the Scottish Crime Squad. Back to CID once again before moving to London and the National Criminal Intelligence Service.

From there I took up a post in Holland as a UK liaison officer in Europol. I returned to head the Major Crime Team in Edinburgh before I became involved with a project in Croatia. I retired and did some private work before taking up a role on a public inquiry into the murder of Billy Wright in the Maze prison in Northern Ireland.

What were some high-profile cases you worked on?

I was involved in a lot of murder investigations in Scotland, including the World’s End murders and the serial killer Robert Black.

When did you begin to write?

I had enjoyed writing from a young age and have always dabbled with poetry. I had the ambition to write but not the time. About four years ago I decided it was time to sit down and get on with it.

Have you always enjoyed reading crime fiction, even when in the force?

Not really, although I did love the William McIlvanney stories and his Laidlaw character.

For the plots of your novels do you take inspiration or borrow from some of the cases you worked on?

It’s fictional but I do draw on my own experience to shape the stories. It’s really where something has affected me in a particular way.

I also try to make the interaction between characters as authentic as possible. I’m keen to give what would normally be minor characters a strong voice.

Crime novels and police procedurals are popular in Scotland. Do you feel your authenticity sets you apart?

I hope my experience adds something and that’s the feedback I get. Having said that, I wouldn’t want to take anything away from the many fine writers we have in this small nation.

Why do you think there are so many esteemed Scottish crime novelists?

Scotland has such a thriving arts scene and crime writing has been a huge success. We can’t ignore the role of McIlvanney, the success of the Taggart TV series and then, of course, Ian Rankin in building such a huge following for crime fiction. There are just so many good Scottish writers at the moment.

Tell me a little about the character of Detective Grace Macallan and if you’ve based her on elements of people you knew.

I tried to make Grace like most of us – very human, flawed, wants what most of us want, trying her best in a confusing world. I always leave her slightly in the distance.

She’s not based on any single character, although try telling my friends that! They all seem to see different people in her but I leave them to it.

Cause Of Death is out now from Black & White Publishing.