Ilfracombe sunset inspires new crime novel of voodoo and murder

Sunset over Hillsborough does not usually provoke thoughts of voodoo, crime and the occult but for an Ilfracombe author it gave him the idea for his latest novel – Vengeance for a Fallen Angel.

Christophe Medler was enjoying the evening sunset from his balcony overlooking Ilfracombe Harbour when inspiration struck for his new gritty and powerful crime novel, published by The Conrad Press.

He said: “The sun was going down to the west casting its last vestige of light over the magnificent sight of Hillsborough Head to the east.

“Since moving down to Ilfracombe I had always wanted to write a crime novel based in North Devon. I wasn’t interested in writing the stereotypical ‘who done it’ crime novel.

“I knew from local history and folklore that the Head was a mysterious place, with an ancient Iron Age fort atop, the site of pagan and witchcraft rituals over the ages. So that was it, Vengeance for a Fallen Angel was born.”

The novel opens with the murder of a young girl by a local voodoo sect and a string of murders follow – are all the crimes linked and is a serial killer on the loose?

The novel takes a deep dive into rampant immorality in 1960s society and puts an unusual spin on the classic murder investigation plot, with an insight into the worlds of voodoo and the occult.

Christophe added: “I have always loved the rugged north coastline of Devon and Cornwall. I had an inbuilt yearning to return someday to write a novel, when I retired from my hectic life as a corporate trouble-shooter in the printing and publishing industry and now I have achieved my dream.”

He is already hard at work on a sequel to the novel, called The Devil Incarnate, which he hopes to finish by the end of this year and publish in early 2025.

Christophe has already published one novel - Madrigal: A Closely Guarded Secret, a story of love, betrayal and retribution featuring the fictional Douse family and set against the backdrop of real events during and after the English Civil War.

Other projects in the pipeline include a second historical fiction novel set in Tudor times entitled Orphan and a supernatural thriller set on Salisbury plain.

Vengeance for a Fallen Angel can be ordered from Amazon and all good bookshops.