As I’m currently just under two-thirds of my way through writing Incarnate Justice, the first Psychic CID title, I thought I’d spend some time telling potential readers about the ethos of the Psychic CID series.
Essentially this article is paving the way, preparing readers for what they might expect from the series.
It is not merely a police procedural series set in the future. I want to make this clear from the outset. There are aspects of the standard procedural novel; the visiting of the crime scene, forensic analysis and the usual details. These aspects are what qualify it to be placed in the crime category, but Psychic CID is much more than that.
Psychic CID officers rely on far more to solve the crime and unwrap its paranormal aspects. If the mention of Psychic abilities and the paranormal disturb you then I would suggest you look somewhere else for your next read. If you are looking for a standard police procedural then may I suggest the DI Frank Lyle Mystery Series, which you can learn more about here. Set as it is in the nineteen nineties when forensic technique and knowledge was not as advanced as in the twenty-first century more margin for forensic error was available.
In the time of the Psychic CID series those with psychic powers are viewed with far less disdain than is currently the case. Psychics are even able to testify as Expert Witnesses in a court of law and psychics who claim to know information with regard to current cases are not given the obligatory pat on the head and sent on their way as happens in 2015. Their skills are employed to assist the police with their enquiries in whatever way they can. There is a division between normal police and Psychic cops, not simply due to lack of psychic ability but old school coppers who don’t think attitudes should change.
The fictional city of Ashbeck, created for the DI Frank Lyle series, is a place I am familiar with and so I decided to set Psychic CID there too. Indeed DI Lyle and one or tw of his cases are referenced in Incarnate Justice. In autumn 2040 DI Frank Lyle would be ninety-seven years old.
In 2040, the time of Incarnate Justice, I am using what I know of modern forensic technique and merely speculating on what may be possible twenty-five years from now. No one can slam the book for forensic inaccuracies as they have no idea what may be possible in the future, unless they have a crystal ball.
The remains of a young woman have been found in Ashbeck Forest. With just her bones available for analysis I believe that, even twenty-five years from now, it will still be not possible to confirm or deny sexual assault or make a rape kit from a skeleton, but I may be wildly wrong. However it serves the purpose of the story for that to be fact.
Incarnate Justice is a somewhat loaded title and I can’t really explain much about it without giving away major plot spoilers. All I know is that the title popped into my head one morning last week when I was doing something totally unrelated, but spirit messages often come that way for me.
A lot of psychic terms come into play in this book and I will provide a reference guide at the end.
Certain Psychic practices are also used. Automatic writing, self-regression and lucid dreaming are but a few of them. If you’re still reading this then I hope to hear from you once the book is out there.
Reference is also made to the Seven Principles of Spiritualism, which are
1. The Fatherhood of God
2. The Brotherhood of Man
3. The communion of spirits & the ministry of angels
4. The continuous existence of the human soul
5. Personal responsibility
6. Compensation & retribution hereafter for all the good and evil deeds done on earth
7. Eternal Progress open to every human soul
As a former Christian who believes God let her down I have a serious problem with the first principle, but am able to accept all the others..However these principles are far easier to remember and accept than a whole thick tome holy book of killjoy do’s and don’ts and conflicting ideas.
You can learn more about these seven principles by reading The Philosophy of Spiritualism
The Philosophy of Spiritualism - Amazon.com
The Philosophy of Spiritualism - Amazon UK
I am trying to provide a balanced view of the psychic world without the usual stereotypes and there are skeptics in the book to balance this view.
Dr Monica Kaufman, the forensic pathologist, has a long running enmity with DI Evelyn Lynch because she is totally closed to the psychic world. Whether that means she is in denial about psychic powers of her own or not I will leave to the reader to decide. Kaufman is adept and skilled at her job, but she cannot conduct a post-mortem on a skeleton and this galls her more than anything; especially when the case of the unidentified remains is handed over to Psychic CID because of sensory experiences new recruit DS Joe Lamont experiences at the site.
At a later scene a young CSI tells DI Lynch
“You’re so much easier to deal with than Dr Kaufman,”
DI Lynch replies “That’s because her mind is closed to everything apart from her sense of self importance, mine is open to everything but.”
I’m actually quite pleased with this quote and hope it will prove memorable and not overused in future.
I’ve decided that playing down the use of symbolism is the best way to go here, because books can be so full of symbolic ideas that they choke the flow of the story being told. I’m keen not to make that mistake, especially not with the first book in the series.
The Psychic CID officers are totally open to sensory experiences and dreams, as well as the presence and wisdom of their spirit guides. DS Joe Lamont is the key character in the story; the continued intervention and presence of his Native American spirit guide Running Fox are a force to be reckoned with. But what is DS Lamont’s connection to the past? Well you’ll have to wait and see won’t you.