Introducing the first murder mysteries set in the world of advertising since 1933.

I wrote my very first novel back in 2011 — almost by accident. Allow me to elaborate. 

Back in 2011, I was waiting to be made redundant from a large advertising agency that was undergoing a worldwide merger with New York’s second oldest agency. The merger of these two ailing giants was equated at the time to the Titanic coming to the rescue of the Hindenburg. As it turned out, the whole process took the best part of a year during which all work dried up. So to occupy my brain and to do something constructive, I decided to write a story for my young kids. 

Fast forward twelve months and I was eventually given my marching orders and departed from said agency with a small crate of laminated press ads, a tatty Collins Dictionary, and a thick manuscript entitled Sleeping with the Blackbirds. Six months later the manuscript was converted into a nicely produced paperback with an endorsement by the actor and screenwriter, George Layton, courtesy of the independent publisher PenPress.

Today I have written four published novels, one short story, a collection of essays, and a collection of 100 author interviews. My most recent novels form part of a series of murder mysteries set in the pre-digital world of advertising. A Brand to Die For is set in 1983 and the sequel One Man Down in 1984 respectively. One Man Down will be published on 25 February 2025 by Roundfire Books, which is the fiction imprint of Collective Ink. The reason I chose to write them is twofold: firstly, it’s a world I know well having served at the sharp end of the industry during the ’80s. And secondly, there have been, as far as I can tell, no published murder mysteries set in the world of advertising since Dorothy L. Sayers penned Murder Must Advertise back in 1933.

The books are slightly unconventional murder mysteries in that my two unlikely protagonists aren’t particularly good sleuths and my criminals, or at least some of them, don’t always get banged up. While copywriter Angus Lovejoy is the product of an upper middle-class dysfunctional family, his art director partner in crime Brian Finkle is the only child of neurotic and over-protective Jewish parents.

The 1980s was arguably the Golden Age for the creative industries. And creative advertising in the UK was at its peak with agencies like Collett Dickenson Pearce, Boase Massimi Pollitt, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Abbott Mead Vickers leading the way with iconic campaigns that managed to plant themselves into the national psyche. These were the days when TV campaigns for the likes of Cadbury’s Smash, Heineken, and Yellow Pages to name just a few, were held in great affection by the British public and hailed as some of the best things on TV.

It’s little wonder then that this was also the industry in which some of our finest directors and writers cut their teeth. People like Alan Parker, Fay Weldon, and Salman Rushdie. This, of course, was also the age before the internet and mobile phones.

Politically, the 80s saw the rise of Margaret Thatcher and Thatcherism. It was a time that saw bitter conflict both at home and overseas with the miners’ dispute and the Falklands War.

So it was for all these reasons that I thought the ’80s would be a really interesting backdrop against which to set my murder mysteries. And I also made the conscious decision to have well-known characters from the period rub shoulders with my fictitious inventions. Indeed, One Man Down includes the appearance in one scene of the much loved comedian Julian Clary whose career was just beginning to take off in 1984. Julian very kindly read a couple of pages of dialogue attributed to his character and gave me permission to publish it, for which I remain extremely grateful. 

This is the book blurb to A Brand to Die For:

WORKING IN ADVERTISING CAN BE MURDER — LITERALLY.

It’s 1983. Margaret Thatcher has been waging war on the Argentinians in the Falkland Islands. The miners are about to wage war on Margaret Thatcher. And Angus Lovejoy, once sent down from Charterhouse for shagging the Chancellor’s daughter in the cricket pavilion, has now landed himself a job as a copywriter at London adland’s creative hot shop Gordon Deedes Rutter where he is teamed up with art director Brian Finkle whose neurotic Jewish parents are the bane of his life. The two are an unlikely duo, but their mischievous and sardonic take on the world makes them a brilliant creative team. Everything goes swimmingly until a bizarre and mysterious murder rocks the world of Gordon Deedes Rutter and ripples out into the national media.

While the dearth of evidence leaves the police baffled, Lovejoy and Finkle, take it upon themselves to apply their creative brains to solve the mystery, and in so doing, inadvertently get themselves into particularly deep water.

And this is the book blurb to the sequel One Man Down:

THE TALE OF A STUMPED POLICEMAN, A THIRD MAN, AND A WELL-PLACED SHOT.

It’s 1984. Princess Diana has just given birth to her second child. The legendary comic Tommy Cooper has died on stage (quite literally). And Angus Lovejoy and Brian Finkle are gloriously oblivious to it all as they strive to enthral the nation with their television commercials for the advertising agency Gordon Deedes Rutter. But all is not as rosy as it might seem in the frenetic world of Soho. Following a disastrous presentation to a manufacturer of diarrhoea tablets, Lovejoy and Finkle let off steam by playing cricket for an old school friend — but in doing so, stumble upon a nest of vipers involving a gay vicar, a small-time antique fraudster, a photographer, and blackmail. There can only be one outcome and it’s going to entail murder.

If you’d like to read anything more about me and my books, not to mention, over 100 interviews with other far more eminent authors than myself, just head over to my website.

 

In conversation with author Bill Arnott

Alex: Tell me a bit about yourself. Your background; where you were brought up; when you first began writing; your interests and so on.

Bill: Hi Alex, thanks for having me back! I’m Bill Arnott, an author, poet and songwriter from the west coast of Canada, where I live near mountains and sea on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land. I’ve been a writer for a number of years. Some readers might know my column Bill Arnott’s Beat from magazines and literary journals, others may be familiar with my bestselling travel memoirs, A Season on Vancouver Island and the Gone Viking travelogues, Gone Viking: A Travel Saga, Gone Viking II: Beyond Boundaries, and Gone Viking III: The Holy Grail, (RMBooks, publication date October 3, 2023).                            I grew up in British Columbia, a part of the globe that enjoys distinct seasons and a range of outdoor activities. No doubt it instilled a love of being active in nature, something that’s never gone away. I’ve written for much of my life, but only in the past few years has it become a vocation. Making a living as a writer still feels like a privilege, and I find myself excited by it each day.

Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?

Bill: While I’ve published books in multiple genres, I tend to come back to nonfiction, specifically nature, memoir and travel. Much of it could be called nonfiction narrative. I write what I love to read, and that often falls into each, sometimes all, of these classifications. I feel great writing can supersede genre parameters. If the story’s a good one, written exceptionally well, then it ought to be shared and enjoyed. This is something I strive to accomplish each time I put pen to paper, or more accurately, finger to keyboard.

Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?

Bill: I certainly start out with a plan, but rarely have a detailed synopsis. Each of my books has begun as vignettes, sensory experiences and visceral encounters or recollection. These form the narrative, gelling into an arc, plot or theme, with the story revealing itself from there. I’m still methodical in structure and cohesive flow, but find myself often panning for gold, letting intuition guide me. If it reads well, is smooth and evocative, I’ll carry on, knowing a unique route will appear. If not, I’ll let that path be, for a while, knowing it’ll become clear eventually.

Alex: Tell us about your latest book.

Bill: I’ll share a great quote and blurb. “Witty, well-read, effortlessly entertaining, Arnott may be the perfect travel companion.” This is from Thomas Lundy at Canadian Geographic Magazine, referring to Gone Viking III. (He received an advance copy). The book is another epic adventure as I trek the ancient world to unearth Viking secrets and reveal history’s most elusive treasure, the Holy Grail. I’d been granted a fellowship at London’s Royal Geographical Society for my previous Gone Viking expeditions, and now I take readers on a new excursion following legendary explorers – Scandinavians, Celts, and Arthurian knights – across Europe and into the Arctic. Together, readers and I share some adventures, learn a bit of history, and have a few laughs. In my role as narrator I serve as companion and guide on this quest, unearthing firsthand discoveries in Viking Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Britain, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Poland, and Jerusalem. A few years of intense travel and research, captured in 300-pages.

Alex: What other books have you written?

Bill: Gone Viking III: The Holy Grail, is the final installment of the Gone Viking travelogue trilogy. Following the success of the first book, my publishing team at RMBooks and I felt a trilogy made sense, and that “the story,” or in this case my travel expeditions, could be completed and effectively communicated in this manner. Each book is distinct, yet builds upon its predecessor. So, prior to this I wrote Gone Viking: A Travel Saga and Gone Viking II: Beyond Boundaries. While international travel was on hold, I spent an incredible season travelling close to home, and created the memoir A Season on Vancouver Island, another bestselling travelogue, in which I include my painted photos from the excursion. (I turn photos into stylized paintings using a series of customized apps). That southwest corner of British Columbia is a gorgeous part of the world and I happened to be there for three months of spectacular weather, so the artwork captures vibrant blue skies and ocean, rich forest greens, and a unique array of wildlife.

Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?

Bill: My social media handle, @billarnott_aps, refers to my being an author, poet, and songwriter, which is essentially how I unwind. I often find myself doing all three activities every day, jumping between creative outlets to stimulate all of it. And I love being outside whenever possible. Walking, hiking, running, ideally near water or trees. I’m a bit of an amateur ornithologist, so I love watching birds, and am frequently delighted to enjoy encounters with rather exotic animals and plants even in the heart of an urban metropolis. Although it could be considered work, I spend a great deal of time connecting with readers, replying to questions, hearing people’s stories, along with visiting bookstores and presenting to various associations. We’ve established a fabulous group of engaged readers, our #GoneVikingCommunity, in which people share photos of themselves with their copies of the Gone Viking books, often in a playful location or occasionally somewhere ridiculous. It’s a great deal of fun, with a wonderful, growing audience. It’s a genuine privilege to be part of it all.                                                                                                      Thank you again Alex, for this great connection and opportunity, and I wish you continued success with your excellent books as well!

Alex: My pleasure, Bill. Thank you for sharing your writing journey with us. Readers can learn more about Bill and his writing by visiting his website at https://billarnottaps.wordpress.com/