As I’ve been finishing off the editing of I Confess, I have found myself facing a simple question. The book is set in the 1950s when the average man had a very different attitude to the women he met compared to the average member of the modern liberal metropolitan wokerati of today. So to what extent should the novel reflect contemporary values as opposed to reflecting the values of the historical times in which it is set?
Jake Adkins, the private eye at the center of the story has a roving eye and a tendency to believe that the women he mets want to bed him. In that regard, he is like a scruffy, down-at-heel James Bond, without the charisma or fancy gadgets. Some of the early feedback I have received has left me wondering whether I should rein in some of his more unpleasant thoughts as they do not chime with how we expect characters to behave any more.
If you want to judge the results for yourself, then pre-order the book now. It is going to be released in the next month and you should make sure you get your copy on the day it is born.
