Author Mike Craven on his new murder mystery which sees fingers left in Whitehaven, Barrow and Carlisle

His twice-weekly trips from home in Belle Vue to Cranstons, at Orton Grange, see Mike, 52, recognised even while wearing a face mask. “One of the butchers said ‘you’ve got a lot to answer for!’ I thought I’d been caught stealing sausages! He said his mother-in-law is a massive fan.

“We were both a bit muffled, but I think he said she neglects the housework when one of my books comes out. He’d been saying to her ‘he comes in the shop!’ That’s the kind of thing you never get used to.”

Such recognition has increased since last October when Mike won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award for best crime novel of the year. Previous winners include such crime writing royalty as Ruth Rendell, Colin Dexter, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.

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His prize-winning book, The Puppet Show, is the first of Mike’s novels with publisher Little, Brown, for whom he writes as MW Craven. The Puppet Show is also his first book to feature Washington Poe, a hard-bitten detective sergeant who lives in a cottage on Shap Fell.

Book three in the series, The Curator, was published this summer. A short story collection, Cut Short, is about to be released as an ebook.

Mike’s winning formula is his combination of twisting plots, compelling characters and humour to soften the grit. He says the heart of the stories is the relationship between Poe and data analyst Tilly Bradshaw. Her innocence brings out a protective side in Poe; his encouragement gives her the confidence to explore life away from a computer screen.

“Readers enjoy the scenes where Poe and Tilly are talking nonsense to each other,” says Mike. “But they’ll never get together. One person on Facebook said they should. Then there was a whole range of ‘No – it would ruin it!’

“At one stage I will give Tilly a boyfriend – a nerdy boyfriend. That’s partly to see Poe’s reaction. He won’t be jealous, but he will be protective.”

Ideas come easily to Mike. Something he reads or sees on TV can plant a seed which flowers years later. And now his characters are doing much of the work for him.

“The ideas come from the characters now. In the early days it was ‘what would be a cool idea?’ The characters would then populate it.

“Now I’ll think ‘what would I like to happen to Poe?’ Or ‘what would be an interesting problem for Tilly to be faced with?’ In the early books I wouldn’t have thought about that.”

Mike was born in Carlisle and raised in Newcastle, retaining a Geordie accent. After a decade in the army he returned to Cumbria as a probation officer. In 2015 he took voluntary redundancy from his job as Cumbria Probation Service’s assistant chief executive to write full time. His knowledge of the justice system helps give his novels authenticity, as does his experience of dealing with people who have done terrible things.

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He admits that the job gave him a jaundiced view of human nature. The theory that crime writers pour their own darkness onto the page is strengthened by meeting Mike. He’s chatty, enthusiastic and quick to laugh. Which makes the contrast between him and the grislier aspects of his work striking.

“I think, ‘what really bad things can happen to these people?’ The Curator was horrific. I was worried about the ending. But it’s been the best-received of my books so far, and easily the bestselling at this stage.

“When my wife Joanne finished it, she looked at me and said ‘what’s wrong with you?!’ I wasn’t expecting to get away with that ending. I get away with a lot because it’s a crime series. And because of the light I bring into it, especially the banter between Poe and Tilly.”

Another strong character is Cumbria, not always in a picture-postcard way. The Puppet Show features a serial killer burning people alive in stone circles. In The Curator, pairs of fingers are left in Carlisle, Whitehaven and Barrow.

Kent-based holiday company ATO Tours is planning a six-day Tour of MW Craven’s Cumbria, visiting the places featured in Mike’s books, hopefully without the corpses and body parts. ATO’s owner, Peter Steins, is a fan. Group tours for up to ten people will begin next year with a self-drive option for clients to follow the same itinerary and hotel bookings.

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Mike says: “I find it flattering, and not a little bit strange, that people will soon be planning their holidays around the places some fictional cops – who until five years ago only existed in my head – have visited in my books.”

Carlisle often has a starring role. The fourth Poe novel, Dead Ground, will be published next summer. Its numerous city centre locations include Cakes and Ale café.

“Lucy at Cakes and Ale said to me ‘What do we have to do to get in your books?’ I’ll try and include a local business if they ask, if it fits the story.

“If I’m going to be negative about somewhere, I’ll make it up. There’s a rough pub on Botchergate I mention in a couple of books, called The Coyote. People have said it sounds like pubs they’ve drunk in. But I just invented it.”

Mike reckons Dead Ground is the best Poe book so far. But the first is still making waves. Negotiations with a major broadcaster for a drama based on The Puppet Show are well underway. And that book brought him the Gold Dagger.

Does Mike feel he belongs in the same breath as previous winners? “I’m getting there. It’s about having confidence in what you’re doing. After writing Dead Ground, I thought ‘I like that book. I’d be happy for anyone to read that.’”

All this is much more than he expected when plunging into a writing life five years ago. Mike’s fans include one of his heroes, Stiff Little Fingers’ singer Jake Burns. “We’ve been speaking, which is surreal. In June he asked if he could use me to promote the band as there was a photo of me wearing a Stiff Little Fingers T-shirt when I was signing a load of The Curators. My life has changed considerably.”

Other readers email Mike and tell him, for example, that they’ve named their cats Poe and Tilly. “It’s just bizarre,” he smiles. “These characters have taken on lives of their own. One blogger said ‘These characters are real people to me. I wonder what they’re doing now, after The Curator?’ It’s nice to create something that people have really taken to heart.”

Nice, and a little bit scary? Apparently not. “I thought, have I ever cared about a character so much that I wondered what they were doing? And I have: Sam Grimes in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. I know it can happen. It’s just odd that it’s me doing it.”

* The Curator is out now. Cut Short was published on September 3.

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WRITER’S BLOCK

Mike Craven shares significant books in his life

Which book do you remember from your childhood?

Watership Down by Richard Adams. It traumatised a generation of children with its themes of rabbit genocide, a rabbit Gestapo, foxes, snares and roadkill. Still, it had a swearing seagull, some cool mythology and, at its heart, it was a story about friendship and loyalty. That’s why it endures to this day.

Which book has had the most impact on you?

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly. This was the book that made me want to be a crime writer. I’d dabbled in fantasy up until then, but this was my lightbulb moment. Connelly used his knowledge of Los Angeles and his experiences as a police reporter to develop what is now the best-selling crime series in the world, and The Black Echo kicked it all off for him. It pushed me to use my knowledge of Cumbria, and my experiences as a probation officer to try to emulate the great man.

Which book do you wish you’d written?

Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane. It’s a serial killer book – the finest ever written in my opinion – but instead of a gimmicky murderer like Hannibal Lecter, Lehane perfectly captures the sheer banality of evil. Scary as hell but utterly compelling.

Which classic have you never read?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet. It’s been on my bookshelf for years now. Lockdown has enabled me to read a lot more recently, but I still haven’t got round to this.

What was your last read?

Neon Rain by James Lee Burke. It’s the first in his legendary New Orleans-set Dave Robicheaux series and is stunning. I’ve always been a huge fan of American crime writing, and James Lee Burke is one of their very best.

What’s your most recommended read?

For aspiring writers it’s Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s an autobiography but packed full of useable tips. I wouldn’t be a full-time author if I hadn’t read that book. My most recommended read for the last few years has been Slow Horses by Mick Herron. Described as like John le Carré but with fewer posh people, it’s fun and very clever. The writing is beautiful too. But if you want a serious backlist to get stuck into I always recommend the American author Carl Hiaasen. He writes about lowlifes living in Florida and they are hysterically funny.