Back in July I posted about the serialisation of an abridged version of Michael Duffy's novel The Tower appearing in "The Sydney Morning Herald". That novel has now been published and the author has been interviewed by Karen on the "AustCrime Fiction" weblog.
AUSTCRIME: Good crime fiction seems always to address issues of social concern - no matter what period in history the books come from. What issues do you think really should have a light shone on them? Are there any particular issues you were trying to draw upon in THE TOWER?
MD: Globalisation (see above) and post-natal depression. When I decided to make Troy a pretty ordinary bloke in his early thirties, I looked around for a plausible reason why his life might become upset. Problems with marriage are pretty high on the list for many people at that age. In this case it's Anna's (his wife's) long-running post-natal depression and how it destroys the emotional and physical intimacy they once had, and how he finally responds to that.
AUSTCRIME: Are you planning a next book featuring Troy and McIver? What other characters do you see reoccuring from THE TOWER?
MD: I'd like to do a series in which Troy matures, which is something we don't see in a lot of crime series but which I think they're well suited for. I'd be very keen in a second book to get Susan Conti, a detective in The Tower, into the Homicide Squad where she will work closely with Troy. It was my original intention that she be a more major figure in this novel, but unfortunately it became too crowded.
