Jill asked Michael Nest:

Hi Michael. Why did you decide to write COLD CASE NORTH as true crime?

Michael Nest Hi Jill, That's a great question and one another person also asked recently! I knew from the start that it was a gripping story, with a genuine mystery at its heart (the missing persons), with multiple persons of interest, and some ambiguity around 'whodunnit', so these factors lent themselves to writing in a true crime style that engages readers (accessible language, revealing some clues but only alluding to others) and structuring the book in a way that developed tension (made readers want to turn the page). However, the decision for it to be marketed as true crime, was mostly one for the publisher (clearly with an eye on how bookshops were likely to sell it). It could have equally been marketed as 'social history', but the print run and marketing budget would have been far far less, it may have only been published in hardcover (making it very expensive; effectively for libraries and academics with book budgets only), and only academic bookshops and critics would have been interested in it. Writing the story as 'true crime' broadened the potential audience on several levels.

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