Daughter of Mine

While Daughter of Mine may broadly be classified as a psychological thriller, it also falls into the subgenre of mysteries set in small towns. The stark contrast between a tranquil geographical setting and the violence perpetrated by humans who dwell in that setting has offered inspiration to mystery writers for well over a century. One of the earliest fictional detectives to contrast the beauty of nature with the evil of the human heart was Sherlock Holmes. When Holmes and Watson are called upon to investigate nefarious activities in “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” (1892), Holmes mutters darkly, “The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside” (Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,” in The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Doubleday, 1960, p. 323).

Arthur Conan Doyle’s darker perceptions of the smiling countryside were shared by some of mystery’s most famous authors during the British golden age of detective fiction. Agatha Christie based the entire Miss Marple series on a character who lives in the quaint village of St. Mary Mead. This tiny hamlet sees an inordinate number of murders for its size.