Madness and The Mistral: Heather Jo Reed introduces her latest thriller

From HJ Reed, author of four Inspector Crow novels who is branching out with new hero Reuben Quinn

Down in the West of England, where I live, a lot of people are very fed up! Tempers are frayed, the usual cheery greetings as I walk my dog seem to be absent, and the atmosphere is universally a bit depressing. Being British, the general low mood is being squarely blamed on the weather. Fair enough – it hasn’t stopped raining for over a month, and everyone is thoroughly tired of being stuck under grey skies, unable to do the garden, avoid the mud and, more seriously, avoid the risk of flooding and damage to homes and farmland. We blame the weather for a lot of things, with some justification, but can it lead to serious crime – even to murder? It’s a question that, as both a psychologist and a crime writer, fascinates me.

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a well-documented effect, usually connected with the winter months, as it is closely associated with levels of natural light (mostly lower, but some people are affected by SAD in summer, when it is too bright). The result is a change in levels of some brain chemicals, causing anxiety and depression. I have not, to date, though, heard of SAD being used as a defence for murder!

Wind, however, is another matter. French psychiatrists coined the term ‘Bouffée Délirante’ (a ‘puff’ or ‘breath’ of madness) to describe a sudden, short outburst of psychotic behaviour, where the victim experiences violent delusions, hallucinations and confusion. According to French folklore, the condition mirrors the behaviour of the famous Mistral – a cold, dry wind that periodically blasts through the Rhône valley. Like the disorder, the wind is violent and short-lived. It is said to last either three, six or nine days. Legend has it that if the Mistral was still blowing on the ninth day, someone committing murder during that time could claim that he or she was in the grip of Bouffée Délirante, and so could not be held responsible. Whether or not anyone was ever acquitted on those grounds is up for debate! The psychiatric condition, however, is not, and forms the basis of my latest novel, A Breath of Madness. Set in both England and France, it follows the attempts of British psychiatrist Reuben Quinn to explain a rash of murders and attempted suicides, all blamed on the condition linked to the infamous winds of southern France.

Thanks Jo for this interesting insight! Here’s a short summary of A Breath of Madness with buying links:

When prison psychiatrist Ruben Quinn takes on the case of a suspected murderess, he finds himself caught in a tangled web of crime and deceit, and pursued by a powerful organisation that will go to any lengths to stop him from uncovering the truth.