It’s ages since I last spent an evening with Trevor D’Silva chatting all about Fateful Decisions. I’m delighted that Trevor wasn’t put off by staying in with me, but instead has returned to tell me all about his latest book.

So, let’s see what he has to say:

Staying in with Trevor D’Silva

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag, Trevor. I’m delighted you were happy to return. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me once again. 

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I brought along my latest novel – A Bloody Hot Summer, which was released on November 14, 2019.

I chose it, since it will be of interest to people living in the UK, because it is set in England in the 1920s. Even though it is a murder mystery, the novel touches on some history of the British empire. So, you can also call it a historical fiction novel. It is written in British English and has some characters speaking in Cockney and Scottish accents too.

A major portion of the story takes place in England, but there are some chapters where the story takes place in Scotland, India and South Africa. For those who do not speak British English, I’ve added a glossary at the end for people to look up words and terms. Of course, some words are spelled differently and I have pointed that to the readers before the novel begins.

I very much like the sound of A Bloody Hot Summer Trevor. What can we expect from an evening in with it?

A Bloody Hot Summer is a murder mystery set in the summer of 1927 during a heat wave in a small village on the outskirts of London called Meadowford Village.  Hence the unusual title of the book. The lady of Fitzhugh Manor is found brutally murdered after her eightieth birthday party. A young detective called Dermot Lucian Carlyle is tasked with solving the case by his superior in London, because he is holidaying there. This is his first solo case and he’s not very confident of solving it.

Sounds great – very much in the tradition of British crime fiction.

Stuart Nulman, who reviewed the book for the Montreal Times said that the story had an Agatha Christie feel to it. British author Paul Beatty had a similar opinion. Another reviewer from the Wishing Shelf Book Awards felt that it reflected many aspects of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work within it. Celia Sandys the grand daughter of former British Prime minister Sir Winston Churchill said that my novel is – “A real page turner, full of suspense”.

Wow. What wonderful feedback. You must be delighted.

I was very honoured that the reviewers said that, since the literary works of Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle inspired me to write my first murder mystery and I’ve mentioned that fact in the Acknowledgements.

Those reviews from the people mentioned above including Sublime Book Review, are on my website. So, please feel free to read them on the pagespecifically for this novel (My novel won the Author Shout Recommended Read Award for 2019. The logo for that is on this page. I recently got the news that I won the Coffee Pot Book Club Award. The logo for this new award will be on this page in February.)

Congratulations. That’s fantastic news.

So, judging from the reviews, you can be sure to have a thrilling evening as we discuss the book.

I think you’re right. What else have you brought along and why?

Well for food, let’s do something very English, shall we? I have brought steak and kidney pie, vegetables and also some sherry.

You can have all the sherry Trevor but I’m happy to eat your share of the pie.

I also brought some Indian tea and we can have it with biscuits after dinner. All these food items are mentioned in my novel, especially the tea (many times).

Now you HAVE enticed me to read A Bloody Hot Summer Trevor. I’m addicted to tea! I’m off to India soon so I shall look forward to drinking proper Indian tea. Thanks so much for staying in with me and telling me all about A Bloody Hot Summer. In the meantime, pass those biscuits whilst I tell everyone a little more about the book: 

A Bloody Hot Summer

It’s 1927 and Great Britain is sweltering in an unprecedented heatwave. On the morning after her eightieth birthday party, Lady Fitzhugh is discovered bound and butchered in her bed, with her family and staff the prime suspects…

Whilst holidaying at nearby Meadowford Village, Detective Dermot Carlyle is asked to help investigate the brutal murder. The clues all point to a robbery gone wrong, but Dermot suspects that there is more to the horrific crime. The Fitzhughs’ secrets take Dermot along a path linking some of the biggest events of the British Colonial Empire – from India to Africa, to the dark days of the Great War itself.

As more murders take place, Dermot is racing against time to discover the killer’s identity. What are the family hiding, why did Lady Fitzhugh have to die, and what horror was committed in the colonies that led to this trail of death and deceit?

Published by Black Rose on 12th November 2019, A Bloody Hot Summer is available for purchase here and directly from the publisher here.

About Trevor D’Silva

Trevor D’Silva has several degrees in engineering and accounting. He has lectured in mechanical engineering and environmental science subjects at various colleges. Trevor’s debut novel, Fateful Decisions, a historical fiction, was released in October, 2017. A Bloody Hot Summer is his second novel and first murder mystery. An avid anglophile, Trevor loves all things British and uses his free time to expand his knowledge in history and reading crime, thriller, and mystery novels.

You can visit Trevor’s website for more details, follow him on Twitter @TrevorDAuthor, and find him on Instagram. Trevor is also on Facebook.