Dartmoor author Holly Watt reveals inspiration behind new locally set thriller

Dartmoor-based author Holly Watt is set to release her sixth novel, The Good Listener, this May, with the psychological thriller drawing heavily on the landscape and atmosphere of Dartmoor.

The Good Listener, published by Bloomsbury, tells the story of Clara, a mother whose daughter was murdered on Dartmoor.

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Clara later volunteers for a mental health helpline, and when a caller claims her husband killed a child, she is drawn into a desperate search for answers.

Before turning to fiction, Watt worked as an investigative journalist at The Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Sunday Times, and she now lives on Dartmoor with her husband and two children. 

The Good Listener ‘draws on her own experiences volunteering with the Samaritans’ while she was studying at Cambridge University.

Watt will be appearing at several independent bookshops across the Dartmoor area to mark the book’s release.

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The Moorlander’s Jamie Townsend spoke to Holly Watt ahead of publication of The Good Listener on May 7.

Jamie: The Good Listener is set on Dartmoor; what drew you to use the landscape as the backdrop for this story?

Holly: “Dartmoor is crucial to the story. I’ve always found Dartmoor hugely atmospheric and inspiring. It’s so beautiful, and there is something magical about it too.

“The main character, Clara, lives at the top of a drover’s track, in a slightly dilapidated cottage. 

“The moorland, that wilderness, is right on her doorstep. Exeter, where Clara goes in to volunteer, is a much safer, saner environment. 

“The middle ground is a village, which has all the granite-hewn charm of Dartmoor villages, but also some slightly suspicious characters.”

Jamie: How much did your own experience living on Dartmoor influence the novel’s atmosphere and characters?

Holly: “Hugely. I walk my dog every morning, and always get flashes of inspiration while I am out. It is so beautiful all year round, and it changes every day.

“It can be eerie and uncanny too, perfect for a crime writer.”

Jamie: You mentioned your time volunteering with the Samaritans, how did that shape the story?

Holly: “I volunteered for the Samaritans while I was at university in Cambridge. I learned so much about how people behave in times of crisis, and what they want to talk about.

“I also learned a lot about voices, they change when you’re stressed, as you age, and in all sorts of other ways.”

Jamie: This is your sixth novel, how does this one differ from your earlier books?

Holly: “My first four novels were based on an investigative journalist called Casey Benedict. The first one, To The Lions, won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.

“This one is a standalone, so it isn’t part of a series. The earlier books were based on my time working as an investigative journalist… lots of international travel and war zones.”

Jamie: Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming events at local bookshops?

Holly: “I’ll be at First Draft in Bovey Tracey on 1 May, Dogberry and Finch in Okehampton on 6 May and Ivybridge Bookshop on 14 May.

“We are so lucky to have such wonderful bookshops around Dartmoor.”

Jamie: Finally, what’s next for you?

Holly: “I am currently writing the fifth book in the Casey Benedict series which is partly set in the Congo, a bit different from the drover’s track!”