Tom McAndrew talks to us about the publication of his first cosy crime novel, Doocey Half-Sees Whodunnit

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Tom McAndrew talks to us about the publication of his first cosy crime novel, Doocey Half-Sees Whodunnit

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Tom, tell us a bit about yourself?

I grew up in Knocknalower, a little village ten miles outside Belmullet—next stop America.  I went to college in Galway and Dublin, graduating with an MA in Media Studies. I still live in Dublin. I’m married and have two children. Apart from loving to write, I enjoy doing Art, and I’ve studied at the National College of Art.

I have written a series of funny (well, I hope they’re funny) whodunnits which feature a scruffy, oddball detective named Doocey who starts losing his sight just as he’s assigned his first big case. Talk about bad timing! I signed a three-book publishing deal, and my first book, Doocey Half-Sees Whodunnit, is about to be published.

Here’s the book’s full plot in one sentence (although admittedly one exceptionally long sentence!)

Okay, his superiors might think him a clown, and okay, he might be secretly battling sight problems, but Shamie Doocey is determined to prove that he’s still a seriously good detective with a twenty-twenty mind’s eye by solving his first big case: the disappearance of an uptight crime writer’s wife.

Why did you decide to write about a detective experiencing sight problems?

Well, I didn’t want to make things too easy for my detective. So, I thought about something every detective is expected to automatically have to be able to do their job—perfect sight—and I thought it would be interesting to see how a detective would cope if their sight was far from perfect. “Sight” as a subject matter has always fascinated me, and having been through my own sight challenges, I believe it is a subject I can authentically write about.

I wanted to write about an “underdog” character that doesn’t let anything hold them back. A main character that, as per the book’s blurb, goes through a transformational journey:

“Doocey Half-Sees Whodunnit” is not just another cosy mystery with lots of intriguing twists and where you as the reader struggle alongside Doocey to see matters clearly right up to the very end. It’s the story of human courage, Irish drollness, resilience, and ultimately transformation, in the face of adversity.

Who do you think might enjoy reading your book?

I feel anybody who likes a book with a good twist, a decent dollop of humour, and features a main character who is on a personal journey of transformation would really enjoy it.

Where can people buy your book?

Doocey Half-Sees Whodunnit is being published by a US-based publisher, Camel Press, and it is available to buy on Kindle or in paperback through www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com

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If any of your readers would like to get in contact, my author website is www.tomcwriter.com

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