(Image Courtesy Midnight Ink) The cover of “Jamaica Plain” by Colin Campbell.
“Jamaica Plain” is the title and setting for a new hard-boiled crime thriller from English novelist Colin Campbell.
The novel, published in April, tells the story of a tough English police officer who travels to Boston to question a suspect. Things quickly go wrong, as it appears the “political intrigue brewing in Jamaica Plain could become bigger—and bloodier—than anyone ever imagined,” according to the book’s publicity blurb.
Campbell, himself a former police officer, told the Gazette that his JP is not based on personal experience. His agent is from Boston and suggested he use the city as the setting.
“We decided that New York was too clichéd for the Englishman abroad, fish-out-of-water scenario, and Boston was a good fit,” Campbell said in an email. “After that, it was Google Earth, and I loved the name ‘Jamaica Plain.’”
The novel includes many authentic local details and includes a visit to the Boston Police District E-13 Police Station at Green and Washington streets, where some explosive action takes place.
However, Campbell said he “took a couple of liberties” with JP, including adding a “strip club and a lakeside cabin. So I hope nobody goes looking for a lapdance on the strength of my book.”
“Jamaica Plain” was published by Midnight Ink and is intended as the first of at least three novels about its hero, Jim Grant. For more information, see his website at campbellfiction.com.