A SCOTS forensics expert who has worked on high-profile cases including those involving Madeleine McCann and Millie Dowler is writing a new series of crime novels.
Professor Dave Barclay, a senior lecturer at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, has signed a multiple book deal that will see the university become the setting for a string of murderous plots.
The former head of the UK National Crime and Operations Faculty and adviser to a UK Parliamentary inquiry into forensic science was approached by literary agency Curtis Brown in 2010 after he delivered a lecture at a national crime writer's conference.
The agency teamed him up with crime writer Margaret Murphy and the pair are currently putting the final touches to their first novel, Dead Reckoning, which is set for release in spring 2013.
Prof Barclay said: "I always wanted to be Sherlock Holmes. My career as a forensic scientist has brought me as close to this dream as anything could, and it's fantastic to be contributing to the genre that initially inspired me to follow this line of work."
Dead Reckoning will introduce readers to Professor Nick Fennimore, a failed genetics student, successful gambler and toxicology specialist who now lectures at Robert Gordon.
Prof Barclay claims that the central character bears a lot of his own characteristics.
He said: "Fennimore is someone who enjoys puzzles and drawing inferences, devising hypotheses to prove or disprove later. He is an ideas person but still has a very strong work ethic once he has started something. He tends to synthesise apparently weird solutions from what seem to be unconnected facts, but always goes back to prove them logically later.
"Unlike most scientists, Fennimore is ruled by the creative side of his brain. His tastes in music – folk rock from the 60s and 70s – and reading emerge in little casual asides. I would expect some of my students to recognise these latter characteristics in me, particularly in some of Fennimore's literary and musical allusions, puns and anecdotes."
The School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences lecturer will draw on his significant experience in forensic science and crime scene investigation to help develop the plot and characters in the novels.
His expertise in the field means there will be a strong element of forensic science principles running through the series.
In the first instalment, Fennimore is approached by a young female senior investigating officer who is dealing with her first murder inquiry.
Tensions rise as the case rapidly becomes more complex, with Fennimore uncovering connections to a series of drug importations and other murders. The policewoman also encounters obstruction within the police force, and it gradually emerges there is a link between the drug dealers and a senior police officer.
Prof Barclay said: "The home location of Fennimore is based at RGU, and everything to do with that aspect will be realistic such as the lecturing style, facilities and ethos of the department. However, the plot really doesn't mirror RGU or any police force I know of, I'm glad to say."
The professor added that, although he has worked with other authors providing technical advice, he is excited to have more creative input in the series.
He said: "It's wonderful working in concert with an accomplished writer. Margaret and I share a strong vision of what works in this genre."
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