Scotland’s oldest working theatre is under the Spotlight as it sets the stage for a grisly murder.
Author David Cargill, who was brought up in Dumfries and Lockerbie, returns to his roots in his new novel, The Cinderella Murders, the third novel in his Locked Room Mysteries series.And he will be in Dumfries next week at a special launch of the book at the Ewart Library.
David told DGWGO : “I was looking for inspiration for the third book and had the idea of the Theatre Royal, Dumfries, a place that has intrigued he since childhood.
“I visited the theatre in 2012 when members of the Guild of Players kindly gave me a unique personal tour and told me all about its history that spans over two centuries.
“The Theatre Royal has changed a lot since I was a child visiting the Electric Theatre,” he explained.
“Sandy MacDougall, Joyce Ferguson and Alan Ritson of the guild showed me around and we looked at everything from costume room to props.
“It’s a great theatre; a place where mystery can develop. There are so many nooks and crannies inside the building and a really large stage. “There’s even a lot underground and the guild has done a great deal to improve things over the years.” The Locked Room series is a trilogy of contemporary murder mysteries with a nod to the golden age of “whodunnits” and a few magic tricks. David’s first novel, Statue of Three Lies, was published in the UK last year and was based in a fictitious Lockerbie mansion. His second book in the series, Gauntlet of Fear, is set in the south of England, where David also has connections.
The Cinderella Murders is set in 1967 where Giles Dawson, Professor of Magic and Illusion, is invited to join the cast during their rehearsals at the oldest working theatre in Scotland.
“The Cinderella Murders”, destined to become a West End hit needs a wow factor and Giles is the man to create illusions which will mesmerise and delight audiences. But the rehearsals themselves are dogged by Illusions, misdirections, tricks and random inexplicable happenings.
When a member of the group dies suddenly there appear to be no reasons for anyone to suspect foul play. Anyone, other than Giles.
But the unsuspected killer has made one fatal mistake. Failure to factor in the presence of Giles with his astute understanding of the human mind and his uncanny powers of deduction which have been used to such effect in solving crimes previously thought to be insoluble. Tragically, there is a heavy price to pay.
David said: “I wanted authenticity of place and, having been to the theatre in my early days when it was a cinema, I wanted to use a 
real place that was familiar to me to base my third book on,
“The members of the Guild of Players were really helpful and encouraging. They gave me such a lot of useful information that will authenticate my story and help to develop it.”
Born in 1927, the former Dumfries Academy pupil and PE teacher left the town for Lockerbie in1938 when his father landed a job as a butcher in the Co-operative store. David stayed in Lockerbie until 1955 when he met his former wife and moved to Fort William, where he has lived ever since. Between 1951 and 1955 he taught PE at Sanquhar and Kirkconnel. He was a principal teacher at Lochaber High School until his retirement over 20 years ago.
David started writing after his retirement and has always held a fascination for stage magic and mystery stories.
The Cinderella Murders will launch in Dumfries at the Ewart Library on Thursday, 9 October, at 7pm when David will give a talk and signing. The event is free and everyone is welcome.
You Can order a copy of the book from Amazon
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