Murders in the bush

Press, 10 June 1980, Page 14

Murders in the bush

A Lower Hutt housewife, Laurie Mantell. writes thrillers set in New Zealand that are read around the world. Set a thriller in the New Zealand bush and expect English readers to catch the atmosphere? Easily done. Just add a strangler with some pantyhose as his weapon, a flasher and a peeping Tom. and the bush setting is accepted by thriller lovers the world over. The real name of Maungaraka Bush would have been heavy-going for readers overseas, so in Laurie Mantell’s latest book, ".A Murder of Three” it becomes Larsen’s Bush. Maungaraka Bush is near Mrs Mantell’s Wainutoinata home. Wainuiomata would have been hard to swallow too, but Lower Hutt is an acceptable name for a town in anv country’-' There’s a bit of writer’s licence in “Murder of Three.” The bush was moved near to a railway station to provide a shortcut. home for commuters, and a shopping centre was added.

‘‘You have to be very careful to be authentic,” Laurie Mantell believes. “One woman who ready my. first book, “Murder in Fancydress,”' actually drove a visitor from England round Lower Hutt to

all the spots mnetioned to check on it. Then there is Kiwi jargon: should it be retained for the sake of that authenticity or modified for the readers (the majority of whom are English)? At first. Laurie Man-

tell followed her English publisher’s suggestion and went the English way. Now she sticks to Now Zealand expressions. Wainuiomata earns, its place' in her next thriller, abbreviated to W’ainui for her English audience.

“Murder and Chips’’ • investigaies a. man pasheci to death with a wooden, mallet , in'Ta shopping centre.” ’’■"■A.. Isn’t’she: contributing to violence in an all too volatile society? Laurie Mantell- -points out that it usualiv takes one. sl.ior: .paragraph to commit a murder, while the rest m _ the book unfolds the wa>s and “mean's. and .the -.;ouicnnie. . . ” Mrs Mgiitell’s accounting logical mind spotlights the needi-to. follow loose ends and tie<therii tip. and to get rid ofta.-red' herrmg before the book’is clone. When she retired in 1976 as accountant’jwith a manufacturing ...firm in Lower' Hutt, Laurie 'was already - a. grandmother. She knew she hadrto -do something with)lier*.tjriie. “I had to get. started before I left work so” that mv husband would be used to the idea. I wrote mv first book and sent it direct to • Gollancz, an established firm of thriller writers.” “Gollancz said the script was too long. So it. was painfully trimmed back by 15,000 words.” Now she writes everyday, first thing in the morning, sometimes with the connivance of her husband who urges her towards the typewriter. Although no thrillerreader, he gives constructive criticism and shares his knowledge of geography, the sea, fishing and bush lore An engineering son provides data and technical references for the scripts. It all adds to the thriller’s reality. Why thrillers? “I’d-read so many thrillers that I reckoned were only half as good as I could write.. So, I thought, why not ) try?”