Exploring the world’s wicked problems: Alan Carter on his new crime novel
Devastating earthquakes, floods and landslides … and now a killer on the loose. Franz Josef, a tiny South Island of New Zealand town, is the setting of Alan Carter’s latest crime novel and the third instalment of the Nick Chester series.
Below, Alan chats to us about the making of this thrilling new novel.
Why did you choose Franz Josef as the setting for this Nick Chester novel? Is it a place you have been to yourself?
I’ve visited FJ a few times and, in particular, on the last occasion (a good ten years after the previous) I was struck by how far the glacier had receded in that decade or so – nearly a kilometre. It was good I checked because my first draft of this novel was based on my ten-year-old memories, and scenarios I had envisaged for the opening were no longer possible.
I was drawn to setting a novel here after reading about the possibility of the town being closed and relocated because of the earthquake risk. The doomsday scenario of an abandoned town offered fertile ground for the setting of a crime story. Of course the relocation plans never eventuated, but this novels posits a speculative ‘what if?’.
The tiny town of Franz Josef is the pinch point for some bigger events that have taken place far away. What drew you to these include these particular plotlines?
In part, it was becoming aware that there are enterprises in New Zealand and Australia whose expertise in tracing and tackling corruption lead them into some precarious situations in a precarious world. Having previously worked in the international aid sector, I’m aware both of the good work that is being done, the potential for corruption there (as in any industry), and the vicious politics that accompanies it. It’s never far from the news headlines these days, too. But as the world turns ever grimmer, I try to find some light in the darkness.
What do you see as the role of the crime novelist in exploring some of the world’s wicked problems?
Crime fiction, with its universal themes of good versus evil, greed, betrayal, ambition and any other deadly sins you can think of is well placed for explorations of a wicked world. Furthermore it does so with characters you can cheer for or boo, a usually compelling plot-driven storyline, and a sense of right triumphing in the end. If only it were so in the real world.
What is next for Alan Carter and Nick Chester?
I’m writing a sequel to the Tasmanian novel Prize Catch – sending Sam Willard and Jill Wilkie into the heart of more Tasmanian darkness. As for Nick Chester, well he can’t keep himself out of trouble, can he?
Franz Josef is available now from all good bookstores and online.
