I thought it would be fun to fast forward to the present and interview DI Frank Lyle at 72. Thanks to my good friend, Caroline Lee, for the suggestion as I admit I hadn’t thought of it.
WARNING: THIS INTERVIEW CONTAINS POTENTIAL SPOILERS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE DI FRANK LYLE SERIES.
JULIET: It’s good to speak to you again, DI Lyle.
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) I’m retired now, Juliet. Frank is fine.
JULIET: You’ve been retired since 2003, do you still keep in touch with your Ashbeck CID colleagues?
FRANK LYLE: Yes. DI Redfern often comes round to have dinner with Jayseera and I. DI Fox, as he is now, is married to my son, James. Retired ACC Chief Constable Henderson sadly died last year. DS Mahon (You knew her at DC rank) married her girlfriend, Janet, and transferred to Bristol CID.
JULIET: So how do you relax now you’re retired?
FRANK LYLE: (smiles) Well Jayseera and I have been on a few holidays, plus I’ve finally been able to catch up with all the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episodes on DVD. Jasmine bought me a complete box set for Christmas.
JULIET: So did Jasmine follow her parents and step-brother, James, into the police force?
FRANK LYLE: No, Jasmine thinks we’d be a hard act to follow. I’m very proud of her as she took two years out after her A-Levels. The first year she worked and during the second she went travelling. She got a First Class Honours degree in Criminal psychology and is now doing an MA in forensic science as she’s still not sure whether she wants to be a criminal psychologist or a CSI. She was twenty-four this year.
JULIET: How does Jasmine feel about her step-brother having a husband?
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) Jasmine grew up believing that James and Thomas were just friends, but when she was fourteen she caught them kissing. She has no problem with it at all and was an usher at their wedding last year.
JULIET: So what do you think about the advancement in technology and the difference it makes to crime and the people who solve it?
FRANK LYLE: The advances in forensic technology are astounding. I believe that it is now possible to tell the difference between the DNA of identical twins for example. People will always be murdering and/or blackmailing each other, that doesn’t change, but now there are more sophisticated crimes such as identity theft and the ability to steal and move large sums of money by virtual means. It means that coppers need to stay one step ahead all the time and sometimes that isn’t easy.
JULIET: So did the types of crime you investigated towards the end of your career change?
FRANK LYLE: Yes, Murder will always happen of course, but I found myself investigating murders which were the end product of a campaign of cyber bullying or stalking. I’m not really up on technology although Jayseera has tried to get me to use a Kindle fire tablet. I know I’m showing my age, but I remember when tablets were for headaches (laughs)
JULIET: So has the law and police procedure changed much since you retired?
FRANK LYLE: It was changing all the time while I was serving. I think the most significant changes during my career were the introduction of PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) in 1984. We have never been into beating up our suspects at Ashbeck nick (smiles), but when we had Bob Kenyon in believe me a lot of us were tempted. In 1995 the official caution changed its wording and also it became possible for one man to accuse another of rape. If I’d been working the Unholy Alliance case these days I would have been issued with a stab vest before I went into the late Reverend Hayes home to rescue Canon Rice, but they were not around in 1991. If they’d been around as early as 1982 DS Desai might still be with us.
JULIET: So has James noticed a difference in the type of political crimes he’s asked to investigate?
FRANK LYLE: When James joined the Political Activism Monitoring Unit (PAMU) in 1993 it was mainly homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic hate crime, but these days it’s radicalisation of Islamic youth, terrorist threats and action by political groups such as the English Defence League (EDL).
JULIET: With the benefit of hindsight, if you could have your time over again would you change anything?
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) I know you’re expecting me to say I wish Sunil hadn’t been murdered and of course I wish that could have gone a different way, but believe it or not I’m happy with the way my career went. I learnt a lot about human nature and criminal motivation, as well as making invaluable friends and contacts so I would not change anything.
JULIET: One fun question finally, did you ever get to see Joan Baez perform live?
FRANK LYLE: (sighs contentedly) Yes, Jayseera surprised me with a ticket when she came to Ashbeck Playhouse a couple of years ago and she was truly awesome, as I’m sure you know having seen her twice.
JULIET: Well, thank you for talking to me Frank. May I finish by wishing you happy birthday and many happy years ahead?
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) Thank you Juliet, I’m not supposed to know, but Jayseera is taking me out to dinner later. Well I found the note on the pad by the phone. You can’t hide things from a detective, which by rights she should know.
Returning to the past, the next DI Frank Lyle Mystery Dead on Arrival will be out later this year.
ALL DI FRANK LYLE KINDLE BOOKS ARE JUST 99P/99 CENTS FROM NOW UNTIL 5TH MAY 2015 SO USE THIS CHANCE TO FILL ANY GAPS IN YOUR COLLECTION
WARNING: THIS INTERVIEW CONTAINS POTENTIAL SPOILERS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE DI FRANK LYLE SERIES.
JULIET: It’s good to speak to you again, DI Lyle.
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) I’m retired now, Juliet. Frank is fine.
JULIET: You’ve been retired since 2003, do you still keep in touch with your Ashbeck CID colleagues?
FRANK LYLE: Yes. DI Redfern often comes round to have dinner with Jayseera and I. DI Fox, as he is now, is married to my son, James. Retired ACC Chief Constable Henderson sadly died last year. DS Mahon (You knew her at DC rank) married her girlfriend, Janet, and transferred to Bristol CID.
JULIET: So how do you relax now you’re retired?
FRANK LYLE: (smiles) Well Jayseera and I have been on a few holidays, plus I’ve finally been able to catch up with all the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episodes on DVD. Jasmine bought me a complete box set for Christmas.
JULIET: So did Jasmine follow her parents and step-brother, James, into the police force?
FRANK LYLE: No, Jasmine thinks we’d be a hard act to follow. I’m very proud of her as she took two years out after her A-Levels. The first year she worked and during the second she went travelling. She got a First Class Honours degree in Criminal psychology and is now doing an MA in forensic science as she’s still not sure whether she wants to be a criminal psychologist or a CSI. She was twenty-four this year.
JULIET: How does Jasmine feel about her step-brother having a husband?
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) Jasmine grew up believing that James and Thomas were just friends, but when she was fourteen she caught them kissing. She has no problem with it at all and was an usher at their wedding last year.
JULIET: So what do you think about the advancement in technology and the difference it makes to crime and the people who solve it?
FRANK LYLE: The advances in forensic technology are astounding. I believe that it is now possible to tell the difference between the DNA of identical twins for example. People will always be murdering and/or blackmailing each other, that doesn’t change, but now there are more sophisticated crimes such as identity theft and the ability to steal and move large sums of money by virtual means. It means that coppers need to stay one step ahead all the time and sometimes that isn’t easy.
JULIET: So did the types of crime you investigated towards the end of your career change?
FRANK LYLE: Yes, Murder will always happen of course, but I found myself investigating murders which were the end product of a campaign of cyber bullying or stalking. I’m not really up on technology although Jayseera has tried to get me to use a Kindle fire tablet. I know I’m showing my age, but I remember when tablets were for headaches (laughs)
JULIET: So has the law and police procedure changed much since you retired?
FRANK LYLE: It was changing all the time while I was serving. I think the most significant changes during my career were the introduction of PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) in 1984. We have never been into beating up our suspects at Ashbeck nick (smiles), but when we had Bob Kenyon in believe me a lot of us were tempted. In 1995 the official caution changed its wording and also it became possible for one man to accuse another of rape. If I’d been working the Unholy Alliance case these days I would have been issued with a stab vest before I went into the late Reverend Hayes home to rescue Canon Rice, but they were not around in 1991. If they’d been around as early as 1982 DS Desai might still be with us.
JULIET: So has James noticed a difference in the type of political crimes he’s asked to investigate?
FRANK LYLE: When James joined the Political Activism Monitoring Unit (PAMU) in 1993 it was mainly homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic hate crime, but these days it’s radicalisation of Islamic youth, terrorist threats and action by political groups such as the English Defence League (EDL).
JULIET: With the benefit of hindsight, if you could have your time over again would you change anything?
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) I know you’re expecting me to say I wish Sunil hadn’t been murdered and of course I wish that could have gone a different way, but believe it or not I’m happy with the way my career went. I learnt a lot about human nature and criminal motivation, as well as making invaluable friends and contacts so I would not change anything.
JULIET: One fun question finally, did you ever get to see Joan Baez perform live?
FRANK LYLE: (sighs contentedly) Yes, Jayseera surprised me with a ticket when she came to Ashbeck Playhouse a couple of years ago and she was truly awesome, as I’m sure you know having seen her twice.
JULIET: Well, thank you for talking to me Frank. May I finish by wishing you happy birthday and many happy years ahead?
FRANK LYLE: (Smiles) Thank you Juliet, I’m not supposed to know, but Jayseera is taking me out to dinner later. Well I found the note on the pad by the phone. You can’t hide things from a detective, which by rights she should know.
Returning to the past, the next DI Frank Lyle Mystery Dead on Arrival will be out later this year.
ALL DI FRANK LYLE KINDLE BOOKS ARE JUST 99P/99 CENTS FROM NOW UNTIL 5TH MAY 2015 SO USE THIS CHANCE TO FILL ANY GAPS IN YOUR COLLECTION