Bamburgh inspires new Northumberland Christmas murder mystery novel

A castle on the Northumberland coast, inspired by Bamburgh, is the setting for The Midwinter Murder, a 1920s Christmas mystery by Anna Sayburn Lane.

In the novel, London private detective Marjorie Swallow travels north on the Flying Scotsman to a castle full of family secrets, where a murder upends the festivities on the midwinter eve of 1925.

Anna’s own family come from the North East – her grandparents lived in Whitley Bay, and childhood holidays often took her up the coast to visit Craster, Bamburgh and Seahouses.

She described how a recent cycling trip to Northumberland inspired the novel.

"Last year we stayed in Alnmouth and cycled up the coast past the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle to Bamburgh, and of course we also visited Alnwick and Warkworth castles,” she said.

"The magnificent coastline and the dramatic castles were so impressive and brought back memories of those childhood holidays.

“When I came back, I began mulling over the idea of setting a murder mystery in a castle like Bambugh at Christmas – cut off by snow, on the edge of the North Sea, with ghosts and legends adding to the atmosphere.

"The fictional Ashwick Castle is very much inspired by Bamburgh and I loved the chance to revisit Northumberland.”

The Midwinter Murder is the latest mystery in the Marjorie Swallow series.

It is published by Starling Street Books in paperback and ebook formats, and can be ordered through good bookshops or online from November 12.