Behind the story of Nearly Departed by Lesley Diehl

Lesley Diehl grew up on a farm, eventually became a college professor and university administrator, then returned to the world of books. She is the author six previous Eve Appel Mysteries. Nearly Departed is the seventh book in the series.

The ties that bind

Lesley said she comes from an odd family. She was an only child, raised on a farm and had few playmates until she entered school. “I had to rely on my imagination to create stories and games for entertainment. Because my mother was ill most of my childhood, I spent much of my time outside in the haylofts, barns and fields creating fantasy worlds in my mind. I also loved being in the dairy barn with my father when he milked the cows morning and night. My two grandmothers, one a strict German woman, the other a sweet Swedish lady were important in my life. The German one encouraged my interest in dancing by sewing costumes for me. She made the best fried chicken every Sunday. She was never affectionate, but somehow, I knew she liked me. My other grandmother was loving and affectionate. My father’s sister was a bartender. When my mother was sick, my aunt would take me with her to work. I would sit at the bar and drink Shirley Temples, feeling very grown up.”

Because her family life felt so disconnected, Lesley wanted to write stories in which family is important, but where the characters struggle with the idea of family. “I grabbed bits and pieces from my own life to insert into the Eve Appel character. For example, her last name is my paternal grandmother’s maiden name. Eve’s interest in owning a consignment shop also arises from this grandmother’s passion for recycling used clothing and household items. Losing her parents at an early age, Eve is raised by her maternal grandmother. Although Eve has not had a conventional family, her grandmother has loved her and taught her self-reliance, qualities Eve embraces in her own attempt to develop family.”

Making the case personal

“I decided to give Eve, who has become a private detective, a more personal reason for working on a case,” Lesley said. “Her business partner and best friend, Madeleine is expecting her uncle to visit from Scotland. Madeline is excited to see him because she, like Eve, has few relatives living. Her uncle is special to her, but his arrival at Madeleine’s house is followed by several attempts on his life. She asks Eve to find out who is behind trying to kill him. This is a particularly difficult case not only because the killer is clever, but Eve understands how important Madeleine’s uncle is to her. If Eve fails to stop the killer, how can she face her friend?”

Character and plot equally important

Though she recognizes the importance of a good plot, Lesley also believes it’s important to have characters that are relatable, interesting and work well together. “I wanted a protagonist who is bold, but likeable, and one who can grow and develop in unpredictable but exciting ways. I like to weave into the story the importance of the setting, and rural Florida is exotic in ways few readers have encountered. Social, personal, environmental and family issues are all part of my characters’ lives, so these play a significant role in how I develop the plot and the characters’ roles in the mystery. For example, Eve is struck again and again with how construction and the development of housing as well as recreational and commercial interests have changed the rural landscape especially as these affect water resources and animal habitat.”

From brews to an air boat cruise

“I like to do hands on research,” Lesley said. “For an earlier series featuring murder in a small brewery, I visited several breweries. In one of them, the guide showed us a fermenting room containing an open fermenting tank. He said we were not allowed in the room during fermentation because of the carbon dioxide coming out of the tank. Of course, my question which shocked others on the tour was, ‘Could you kill someone if you locked them in there?’ I quickly explained I wanted to know because I was writing a mystery. I’m not sure that explanation was of any comfort to others.”

And then there’s shopping for clothes. “Because Eve owns a consignment shop and sells used merchandise, I spend most of my weekends in the summer attending community yard sales searching for interesting merchandise. It’s a passion my grandmother passed on to me because she rarely bought anything new. I browse local consignment stores frequently and have been warned by my husband that we do not have room for anything else in our small cottage. The rule now is that I must remove one item for each one I bring into the house from these expeditions.”

There are also some lessons you can only learn from personal experience, such as the one Lesley learned during an air boat ride for her second Eve Apple Mystery, Dead in the Water. In that book, Lesley wrote a scene in which dirt from the canal blows ups into the face of Eve’s friend Madeleine and Eve picks it off. “I wouldn’t have thought of this scene if the same hadn’t happened to me on an airboat ride. I picked junk off my face and was careful to keep my mouth closed so I didn’t swallow what the wind from the ride churned up.”

Learn more about Lesley Diehl at lesleyadiehl.com.