Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

There are many, many charitable groups, both large and small, that try to make things better, even just a little. Many of their members are volunteers, and in the best of these groups, donations go directly to those most in need as much as possible. If you’ve ever worked or volunteered for a charity, you know how much what they do matters. They’re an important part of our lives, and they find their way into crime fiction, too.

In Aditya Sudarshan’s A Nice Quiet Holiday, for example, we are introduced to Justice Harish Shinde (called the Judge throughout most of the novel) and his law clerk Anant. They’ve been invited to escape the Delhi summer heat and take a holiday at the home of the Judge’s friend Shikhar Pant. He lives in Bhairavgarh, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Pant has invited other guests, too, including his cousin Kailish Pant, who is a well-known writer. There are also Kailish’s friends Ronit and Kamini Mittal, who run an NGO. Shikhar has also invited his old friend Pravin Anand and Anand’s son Avinish, as well as Dr. Davendra Nath and his daughter Mallika and sons Ashwin and Nikhil. Things soon get tense. The Mittals’ NGO is a charity that works to raise AIDS awareness, and educate people on AIDS prevention. That doesn’t sit well with everyone. Some of the guests think that what the Mittals are doing is pornographic and doesn’t reflect well on the state of Rajasthan. Kailish Pant is one of those people. So, when he is murdered one afternoon, the Mittals become suspects. Inspector Patel investigates, and he and the Judge put together the clues to find out who the murderer is.

In one of the plot lines in Deborah Crombie’s In a Dark House, Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector (DI) Gemma James investigate the death of a young woman whose body is discovered in the ruins of a London warehouse fire. Part of the trail leads to a group called Helping Hands. This group provides shelter and assistance to women and their children who are fleeing domestic violence. Run by Kath Warren, the members of the group work hard to provide shelter and assistance to those who need it. It’s a group that runs on the proverbial shoestring budget, but they do the best that they can.

Denise Mina’s Glasgow-set Garnethill trilogy features Maureen ‘Mauri’ O’Donnell. In Exile, the second novel, she is working at a women’s shelter called Place of Safety. She serves as a counselor to those who are escaping domestic violence, and helps them re-start their lives. One of her clients, Ann Harris, goes missing, and at first, no-one is really concerned. Residents can come and go as they wish. But when Ann doesn’t return, Mauri begins to be concerned. Then, Ann’s body is pulled from the Thames, and the matter becomes a murder investigation. Marui believes that Ann’s husband Jimmy is the killer. But his cousin, who runs the shelter, says that he is innocent. Mauri starts asking questions and finds out Ann had a secret life that no-one really knew.

 Peter Temple’s Bad Debts is the first of his novels to feature Melbourne-based, sometime-lawyer Jack Irish. He’s a recovering alcoholic who still grieves the death of his wife. But he’s been trying to put the pieces of his own life back together. Now he works as a sort of PI, who’s gotten fairly good at finding people who don’t want to be found. One day, he gets a message from Danny McKillop, a client he defended in the drink-driving murder of activist Ann Jeppeson. Irish botched the case and McKillop went to prison. Now, he desperately wants a meeting with Irish. By the time Irish gets around to returning the call, it’s too late: McKillop’s been shot. Out of a sense of guilt as much as anything else, Irish decides to find out who the killer is. Part of the trail leads to the Safe Hands Foundation, a charity group that assists homeless children. Run by Father Gorman, its goal is to get young people off the streets and into safety, so they can finish their education and find decent work. It turns out Safe Hands provides an important clue to the mystery of Ann Jeppeson’s death.

One of Kerry Greenwood’s sleuths, Corinna Chapman, is also based in Melbourne. She is a former accountant-turned baker, who lives and works in Roman-style building called Insula. She’s very much a part of the local community. In Earthly Delights, we learn that Corinna volunteers with a charity called the Melbourne Soup Run. Run by the indomitable Sister Mary, the charity’s focus is Melbourne’s street people. Members of the group take turns providing them food, medicine, coffee, tea, juice, blankets, extra clothes, and other essentials. Even when she’s not taking her turn on the soup run, Corinna donates loaves of bread and other baked goods. The charity is a lifeline for those who live on the streets, and it’s also a helpful source of information when Corinna needs it.

Charities don’t always grab the headlines, especially when they’re small, local groups. But they do essential work, often for little or no money. And they have their own unique cultures, which can add to a novel.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from David Foster, Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance,  Rachel Paiement, Paul Hyde, and Bob Rock’s Tears Are Not Enough.