Murder Most Marvelo.

I read A LOT but I promise that no matter how much I read I am hopeless at being detective. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to ask Ruth Lauren some questions about the first title in her new series - a murder mystery with plenty of twists and teasers. After you've enjoyed this blog head over to the Armadillo Children's Books homepage for a review of Murder at Hotel Marvelo and prepare yourself for a detecting challenge!

I have to start with this one and ask, has there ever been a murder in a hotel you’ve stayed at – whilst you were there or in the past? Ooh, good question! You sent me down a rabbit hole with this one. Apparently on the Grand Canal in Venice there’s a 500 year palazzo where there have been so many deaths and murders that they call it the ‘cursed palace’! Its real name is Ca’ Dario if you want to look it up. Luckily I stayed in a hotel further along the Grand Canal when I visited Venice!

What, do you think, makes the best setting for a murder mystery and did you try out a few ideas before settling on a hotel? I love a locked room mystery or a ‘closed environment’ setting. When the list of suspects is quite small (like the number of guests at an exclusive hotel) the reader can get to know them and all their sneaky secrets really well . . .

For the first Marvelo Mystery, I always wanted it to be set at a hotel. It’s also the Marvelo family’s home, which makes it even more shocking when a wizard is found dead as a doornail in the spa! Finnian Marvelo thinks that he knows his home inside and out, but Hotel Marvelo turns out to be a far more interesting place than even he imagined it to be.

I am always fascinated by the names authors choose for their characters – do you aim to make readers laugh or encourage curiosity when choosing character names? I try to pick names that are memorable and that suit the character. Cornelius Ashwand seemed like a good name for a sorcerer to me. But yes, I also choose names that I hope will make the reader smile – like giving a huge, dignified and very proper griffin the name Emily.

You’ve written this story with a family of children as the detectives. Do you think detective stories are better when there are a group of detectives setting out to solve a crime rather than an individual one? Why is this? I think this story is better for having three detectives because they each have their own strengths and ideas. The fact that Finnian, Juniper and Teddy are so different and yet such a great team is created in part by their sibling bond and in part by their neurodiversity (Juniper is coded ADHD and Teddy coded autistic).

The Marvelo siblings wouldn’t solve the mystery and (spoiler) save the day, if they weren’t a neurodiverse trio. Finnian’s caution, logic and knowledge compliments Juniper’s full-of-ideas enthusiasm and energy. And neither of them would get anywhere without Teddy and the way she views the world, the details she notices and the connections she makes that no one else does.

It's lovely to find a story which has a group of siblings working together. Is this sending readers a message or just a good fit for the story? Both. It can be annoying to have a brother or sister (especially if they’re always elbowing you – looking at Juniper here), but there’s no other relationship like the one you have with your siblings. So try to remember that in case you ever have to deal with a faun police officer to help your parents out! 

It works really well in stories because no one knows you better than your brother or sister (and because no one can be more irritating at times). This makes it a fun dynamic to read about but it also means, for the Marvelos, that no one cares more about solving the mystery and saving their family and their home than the three of them do.

Are you a reader of murder mysteries and/or fantasy or do you tend to read other genres. Can you tell us about some of your favourites? I read A LOT, but what I’ve been reading most lately is murder mysteries. I love them! Recently I enjoyed Murder! By Narwhal! by Alex T. Smith and I’ve also read anything and everything by Robin Stevens.

I’m an avid fantasy reader too (loving the Geomancer trilogy by Kiran Millwood Hargrave right now and anything by Frances Hardinge), and really any kind of mystery story, like the Violet Veil Mysteries by Sophie Cleverly and Lucy Strange’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on Murder For Two by Niyla Farook!

Do you think children benefit more from magical stories, as the Hotel slogan suggests, taking them away from the modern, the real world, or is there more to the way they choose what to read? I think you benefit most from whatever you enjoy reading. Whether that’s contemporary stories set in the real world or fantasy stories with magic and griffins and murders, it’s all good. Very often stories for children can have the same themes whether they’re realistic or complete fantasy. You might like reading about family and friends, bravery and loyalty, learning new things and making hard choices but whether you like to read about those things set in a magical land or right here in England is up to you! (Also, you can read all sorts of stories – you don’t have to choose just one type. That’s the great thing about books.)

The map and floor plans that are at the front of the book – are these your creation or idea? They are a great idea and very useful for the reader! The map, floor plans and illustrations are all down to the amazing team at Piccadilly Press and the incredible illustrator Federica Frenna! Aren’t they fantastic?

What is the most exhilarating adventure you have ever had? I’m much happier taking my exhilarating adventures in book form. Curled up at home with a book is far preferable to me than most other things. I do like travelling to see other countries (I’m very excited about going to visit Pompeii later this year!) but to me the best way to have the most adventures is to find them at the library.

If you hadn’t chosen to be a writer would detective have been an alternative career choice for you? I would LOVE to solve a mystery – as long as I get to make the murder board! I think it’s best if I stick to fictional ones though.   

Can you tell us if we can expect to see more books from you soon? You can! The Marvelo children are about to be swept up in another diabolically tricky mystery in Murder at Sorcery Spires which takes place at a very secretive magic school and which features one of the guests from Murder at Hotel Marvelo!

With thanks to Ruth Lauren for taking the time to answer these questions, Antonia Wilkinson for making it possible, Piccadilly Press for publishing this book. Available now from all good bookshops and ready to be devoured before the Marvelo children's adventures continue!