Tom Sparkes meets Pembrokeshire author Helen Noble to discuss her writing and third novel, due out later this year.

THE word ‘noir’ is incredibly evocative. Pinot Noir grapes from Côte-d’Or produce one of the finest, most powerful, wines around. For the heady world of expensive cologne, noir hints at mystery and danger disguised as sweetness.

Noir makes me think of the 1940s' silver-screen: Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall, men in fedoras, blonde femme-fatales and smoking guns. It makes me think of coffee, rich and potent. And today, noir crime fiction books are, of course, more popular than ever, with the scene dominated by Scandinavian authors like Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø and Åsa Larsson; their home country landscapes perfectly fitting for tension, apprehension, angst and dysfunction. Scotland joined the genre with a scattering of world-weary, cynical and flawed characters from the imaginations of tartan noir authors Alex Gray, Tony Black and Lin Anderson.

In Wales the noir movement is beginning to grow. Welsh screen thriller Hinterland has given us tense and moody TV drama that rivals that of Sweden (Wallander) and Denmark (The Killing).

Author Stephen Puleston’s novel Speechless starts with a tongue-less body being pulled from the River Taff in Cardiff, sending Inspector John Marco headfirst into an investigation of the East European community in the capital and their links to organised crime.

But another detective is soon to join the ranks of Welsh crime investigators: Detective Sergeant Ally McCready, the latest character from Pembrokeshire author Helen Noble.

The Deeds of the Devil, due to be released on November 5 this year, is a chilling, psychological insight into the twisted mind of a calculating, intelligent killer who preys upon the elderly and vulnerable residents of Swansea by gaining their trust and becoming integrated into their daily lives.

With very little physical evidence left at the crime scenes and the police struggling to get a handle on the case, DS McCready is handed the file. Using her intimate knowledge of the city and its people, McCready relies upon her expertise as a graduate in psychology to delve into the dark underbelly of human behaviour to seek leads that others may have missed and in the process, hopefully, save lives.

The Deeds of the Devil is set in a city that Helen has personal experience of. Using both her own extensive knowledge of psychology and law, Helen creates characters that are as real as the people you pass on your way to work or who live across the street.

“I approach characters initially from how they think rather than how they look or act,” Helen told me when we met. “I like to describe my characters through how other people talk about or act towards them. Using subtle comments and brief interactions really builds a character.”

The Deeds of the Devil is Helen Noble’s third novel and the first of The Dark Dragon Series.

“On average they’re taking me nine months each to write,” Helen said. “I consider myself to be continually learning. As a writer you can research the things that really interest you, and really dig into a subject. You don’t have to dance to someone else’s tune.”

I asked where Helen chooses to write. “I prefer writing outdoors. I don’t like to be closed away inside. If the weather’s bad and I have to write indoors I try at least to keep the windows open!”

For me, what makes Helen’s writing engaging and believable is that it is firmly set, much like two feet in cement, within reality. Aberystwyth Mon Amour it is not! Helen’s real life experiences and exploration of the human psyche are woven throughout her work. As both a director of a legal practice and a graduate in psychology, her latest work of fiction will prove entertaining and chilling because of its gritty realism and portrayal of emotion.

“For people to believe something it has to be rooted in reality.” Helen said. “Your work has to have roots, but not so much that it becomes a manual.”

Helen Noble’s debut novel Tears of a Phoenix was published in May 2012, and tells the story of Jed, a convicted violent criminal serving a life sentence, who from the confines of his prison cell embarks upon a journey of self-exploration into his own psychological and spiritual heritage. If you cannot wait until November for the release of The Deeds of the Devil, then get hold of a copy of Tears of a Phoenix now!

Helen Noble is already 62,000 words into the next title of The Dark Dragon Series which will be published by McNidder & Grace.

www.mcnidderandgrace.co.uk