Interview with Daniella Bernett, author of Viper's Nest of Lies

Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview Daniella Bernett, whose new release, Viper's Nest of Lies, we featured on September 20.

We talked about a year ago on release of your last novel in the Emmeline Kirby-Gregory Longdon mystery series, Old Sins Never Die. Now the next book in the series, Viper’s Nest of Lies has just been published. Can you refresh our readers’ memories about Emmeline Kirby and Gregory Longdon. Who are they and what brought them together?

 

Emmeline is the editorial director of investigative features at The Clarion newspaper in London. The core fabric of her being is uncovering the truth and ensuring that justice is served. She never gives up until she has all the answers. While this is a noble endeavour, her probing questions and killer instincts in sniffing out corruption and murder often have her dancing on a precipice of danger. This is only exacerbated by her impetuous streak and her temper.

 

Gregory, her dashing husband, is the chief investigator for the insurance firm Symington’s. This is a fairly recent job for him. Although he is admired for his professionalism in recovering clients’ possessions and saving the firm from making large pay outs, his skills lie elsewhere. He is a…jewel thief. He was born with an innate gift for stealing. Why deny it? When he married Emmeline, he promised he would give up this illicit life. She is his world and he would rather die than do anything to hurt her. On the other hand, a man must have an outside interest. He thrills at the electric feel of gems between his fingers and the way their fiery facets trap the light. He also enjoys the surge of adrenaline after a successful heist. Of course, this is quite different from his love for Emmeline, which is unwavering and eternal. But it is love nonetheless. Is it a character defect? An addiction? Perhaps a psychiatrist would say it is a bit of both. After all, no one is perfect.

Alas, what brought Emmeline and Gregory together is murder. In Lead Me Into Danger, Book 1, she literally runs into him after witnessing two men attempting to kill her colleague in Venice. They then become ensnared in a hunt for a Russian spy in the British Foreign Office. Those who want nothing more than a peaceful life would say that sometimes it’s better not to know. Emmeline and Gregory have a penchant for throwing caution to the wind. It takes courage to face the truth because one never knows whether the consequences will be fatal. It also means that their lives are never dull.

 

Tell us more about Viper’s Nest of Lies, book seven in the series. Is it safe to say that Emmeline Kirby finds herself in very deep water at the outset?

Mea culpa. I confess that I am wicked. Nothing appears safe for Emmeline and Gregory when the book opens. During a random search, a stiletto knife with a crust of dried blood is discovered in her bag at Heathrow Airport. This triggers an avalanche of trouble. The body of Sebastian Jardine is soon found in the boot of Detective Superintendent Oliver Burnell’s car and accusations begin to fly that he and Emmeline conspired to commit murder. None of her close friends is left unscathed by these evil machinations. Philip Acheson of the Foreign Office is forced to go on the run, after Special Branch agents come to arrest him. At the heart of this web of deception is Jardine, a man who supposedly died five years earlier, and his obsession with a fancy vivid pink diamond with a murky provenance.

This is a mystery and thriller with hints of espionage. Where will the journey take Emmeline and Gregory?

As my readers will tell you, I relish creating a complex story with lashings of intrigue. To achieve the right mood, setting plays a critical role. I can always plunge Emmeline and Gregory into turmoil in London, although it’s their home. To give Viper’s Nest of Lies another layer of spice, and to heighten the tension, the story also takes them to Malta. The Mediterranean island nation is absolutely enchanting, but it is a haven for money launderers and criminals of all persuasions as well. Meanwhile, the political landscape is rife with corruption. In 2017, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered. Only an author with lethal tendencies would find these all delicious ingredients for a novel.

They are an ‘odd couple’: though Gregory has a criminal past, they share a passion for justice. Why is that?

Humans are a bundle of contradictions. Although Emmeline and Gregory approach life from different vantage points, they are of one mind when it comes to murder. It is taboo. An offensive transgression. A line that should never be crossed. They also are against schemes that are intended to hurt another person. Gregory’s morals are a bit more malleable when it comes to stealing gems. But I think my readers are willing to overlook this fact because we all have flaws.

You’ve mentioned that you’re an Anglophile. Is there a quintessential British spy narrative?

Generally what springs to mind for most people when the U.K. and spies are mentioned in the same breath is the Cambridge Five, the notorious spy ring that passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II and was active from the 1930s into the early 1950s.

However, there are two other stories that captivated me. The first is Operation Mincemeat, the daring deception conceived by British intelligence during World War II to make the Germans believe the Allied invasion would take place in Greece rather than Sicily. As an author, I marvel at the imaginative brilliance of those cunning intelligence officers who concocted the plan. Unlike the fiction world my characters inhabit, they created a story that had life and death consequences for millions and changed the course of the war. It involved obtaining the body of a dead man, which was then dressed up in the uniform of an officer of the Royal Marines. “Top secret” papers were placed on him to fool the Germans. The Man Who Never Was, a 1950s film starring Clifton Webb, sought to tell the story. If you’d like to learn about it, though, I highly recommend journalist Ben Macintyre’s book Operation Mincemeat. It reads like a thriller, rather than a nonfiction tome.

Agent Zigzag is the second enthralling World War II spy narrative that piqued my interest. It’s about Eddie Chapman, a charming, convicted safecracker who MI5 turned into a double agent. Chapman was sent on top secret missions between England and Germany, as well as into occupied France and occupied Norway. Chapman was an erratic opportunist, who thrived on danger and remained cool under pressure. In the end, one wasn’t certain which side he was really on. Again, Ben Macintyre wrote a riveting book about Chapman and the film Triple Cross, starring Christopher Plummer, was made about his adventures.

Would you describe your books as cosy mysteries?

No, I think of my books as a combination of classic mystery and thriller with a dollop of romantic suspense to add another layer to the story, sharpening it some ways and giving it piquancy.

With novels about espionage do you go about researching something that is secret, or secretive?

If I researched something secret, MI5 agents would have been knocking on my door a long time ago and perhaps I might have been locked away in a jail in the name of security. Those in intelligence must deal with treachery on a daily basis and are averse to sharing the malevolent schemes that come across their desks.  With good reason, they do not want to give criminals and terrorists any ideas. MI5 has nothing to fear from me, though. My tales of espionage are usually triggered by newspaper articles. Then my imagination runs free and a hornet’s nest of duplicity and mayhem is the result.  

Emmeline is a journalist. How does she find herself caught up in detective work?

A journalist is inherently curious about many subjects. His or her job is to ask questions to ensure transparency. In this sense, a journalist is like a detective but he or she is unfettered from the constraints imposed by the law. Naturally, a journalist’s instincts would be aroused by crime, especially murder. The determination to find answers and see that the culprit pays for the crime are all important. In Emmeline’s case, she tends to be overzealous.

Are you interested in the forensic aspect of crime narratives and how much do you use it when imagining your stories?

 

Forensics is a fascinating subject. Pathologists are scientific detectives. But only a person with a strong constitution can do such work. While some aspects of forensics must be present, I like to have my sleuths solve the crime. I research just enough information to give my stories an air of authenticity without subjecting my readers to a vicarious exploration of the corpse. Stories that delve into the blood and guts spilled at the scene make me shudder. I’m quite content to know that the victim was shot or stabbed. I do not need to read a description of the gruesome damage that the weapon inflicted on the human body. You’ve probably surmised that I never contemplated becoming a doctor. Fainting at the sight of blood would pose an occupational hazard.

On the other hand, I do like poison as a murder method. Poison is so sinister and tantalizing. I believe I share this view with my hero Agatha Christie, who masterfully eliminated dozens with a soupçon of poison. Some poisons are tasteless and odorless. Then there is cyanide, which smells like bitter almonds, and arsenic, when heated, gives off an odor resembling garlic. I used poison to dispatch two victims in When Blood Runs Cold.

When we spoke before, you mentioned your fondness for Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Du Maurier was once rated by some critics as a ‘light’ novelist, whatever that means. Do women writers still face such snobbery?

Women authors do not receive the same level of accolades as their male counterparts. Unfortunately, this an extension of the patriarchal society that still exists today. Meanwhile when it comes to literary snobbery, crime writers, whether men or women, are dismissed as low brow no matter how well-researched and plotted their stories or sparkling their prose. It is a sad commentary. Crime fiction not only provides a diverting escape and a challenge for the intellect, its ultimate goal is to garner justice for the victim. Isn’t that something we should strive for if we want a safe and ordered world?

 

What do you read for fun, and what films or TV dramas have you enjoyed over the last year?

This will come as no surprise. In general, I gravitate to mysteries and suspense novels. But I also like historical fiction (especially anything set in England); the classics; history; and biographies.

Among the films I enjoyed over the past year is The Last Vermeer based on the true story of Hans Van Meegeren, a Dutch painter who sold forgeries to the Nazis and was accused of collaboration. Dream Horse also was delightful. Another true story, it’s about the residents of a small Welsh town who joined together to form a syndicate to buy a thoroughbred horse, which won the Welsh Grand National. As for TV dramas, I enjoyed Atlantic Crossing about the United States and Norway during World War II as seen through the lens of President Roosevelt’s relationship with Crown Princess Martha. I’m also a longtime fan of NCIS: Los Angeles and Masterpiece Theater.

When we last talked, you were working on the eighth book in the series. Is it finished and can you tell us the title?

I’m delighted to tell you that Book 8 is finished and will be released in fall 2022. The title is A Mind To Murder. It’s set in London and Spain. I’ll let you in on a secret. Emmeline and Gregory are hard taskmasters. They already have me working on Book 9.

When this series is complete, do you have plans for another one, or something different altogether?

At this stage, my imagination is not ready to let go of Emmeline and Gregory. They still have a lot to say and I’m listening. When they no longer hold the same allure, perhaps I’ll embark on a new series or write a book in a different genre such as historical fiction. I might pen a historical mystery series set in either the Victorian era or World War II. Both periods represented times of great change and would yield endless possibilities.

 

If your stories were made into a film or TV series, who would be the cast?

Rufus Sewell would be perfect as Gregory. He’s charming, witty and handsome, and extremely talented. Emmeline is a bit more difficult, but I believe Lily James or Jenna Coleman would bring her to life with great skill because they both have such a wide acting range. Either John Nettles or Hugh Bonneville would pull off the role of Superintendent Oliver Burnell of Scotland Yard with aplomb. Rupert Penry-Jones would be terrific as Philip Acheson, who ostensibly works for the Foreign Office, but is a MI5 agent.

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About Daniella Bernett:

Daniella Bernett is a member of the Mystery Writers of America New York Chapter and the International Thriller Writers. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Journalism from St. John’s University. Lead Me Into Danger, Deadly Legacy, From Beyond The Grave, A Checkered Past, When Blood Runs Cold and Old Sins Never Die are the books in the Emmeline Kirby-Gregory Longdon mystery series. She also is the author of two poetry collections, Timeless Allure and Silken Reflections. In her professional life, she is the research manager for a nationally prominent engineering, architectural and construction management firm. Daniella is currently working on Emmeline and Gregory’s next adventure. Visit www.daniellabernett.com or follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008802318282 or on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/40690254-daniella-bernett.