Harrogate hotel famous for Agatha Christie inspires popular crime author who always writes from a cafe

A fan of Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton, Marilyn Boardman had nurtured the ambition to write since she used to make up stories for her children but only took it up in her late 50s.

Now aged 74, Marilyn’s series of novels called The Crumb Mysteries has become a hit with readers who like their crime stories cosy.

"I used to work all over the UK as an actor,” said Leeds-born Marilyn, “but I used to particularly love doing the murder mysteries at the Old Swan Hotel.

"That’s how I learned to entertain people, rather than scaring them.

"My readers say my books aren’t grisly – it’s all left to the imagination.”

The Crumb Mysteries are set in Wetherby where central character Kate Philips has a knack of solving murders while having an on-off romance with a police detective while running the local cafe.

Which is where Marilyn herself does her actual writing.

"I only write in cafes,” said Marilyn, “my two favourites are in Leeds and Wetherby.

"I find I can switch off from the hub bub and it’s a great way of coming up with characters.

"I’m a people watcher. There’s always a story there.”

Although she says she enjoys working out who to kill each time she puts pen to paper, Marilyn is a big fan of Wetherby and its people.

"I love the town. Everyone is so friendly, especially when the market is there on a Thursday.

With three books already published, Marilyn’s next instalment in the series – Murder at Davenport Manor Hotel – will see a Harrogate character, a dentist, among the victims, though she’s not revealing who inspired it.

There’s also a spin-off book called Flossie Investigate featuring Kate Philips’s pet Jack Russell called Flossie.

The author says: "Some people of my age take up meditation or go for a run.

"I like to kill people in books.”