One of the many arguments that circulate in today’s society is
whether it is genuinely more violent, (than, say, 40 or 50 years ago), or whether
that is simply our perception. With the advent of violent video games and ever
more violent films, wider gun ownership, gang culture, terrorism and
historical paedophile cases coming to the fore from sections we should have been
able to trust, (children’s entertainers, the Church), we would be forgiven for
falling into the camp who throw their arms up in horror and retreat behind their
security gates.

The counter-argument, of course, is that society has always been
violent, and that these things we now “feel” (in a way we never used to feel)
are simply a result of better reporting, better crime investigation, and a more
rigorous approach to uncovering the truth and insisting on
transparency.

The final overlay, and the driving force that many consider to be
the root cause of the change in our culture, is drugs and their availability,
(and diversity). Regardless of the credit crunch problems in the US &
Europe, (which does not help the sense of foundations crumbling), there is
enough already to make us rush to arms.

I think this has been a gradual process, and I wonder how much of
it has to do with the rapid increase and development of the internet and mobile
technology over the last 20 years or so. We are living through something more
potent than the last industrial revolution.  Consider the 3D printing of tangible
parts that will effectively wipe out current manufacturing in years to
come.

So I am both pleased, (and yet saddened), to find evidence this
week that books, and the language used within books, is still considered a
barometer of cultural shifts. The New Scientist carries an article (link below)
that shows the trend in language use over the last 30 years based on 5 Million
books digitised by Google. In simple terms it confirms that the language has
become less emotive (as in sensual) and more fear-based. Does the increase in
the use of fear-related words indicate a cultural societal shift to a more
fearful world community? Is it just writers having to stab an ever-increasingly
de-sensitized readership deeper for a reaction?

Click here to see the full New Scientist article:

I am delighted to say that The Scarlet Tessera has received a number of excellent reviews lately, and I am grateful to all those readers who have taken the time to post their support. One particular comment, (made within a recent 5-star review), related to the definition of the word "Tessera". I thought it might be helpful to readers for me to set the record straight on this.

"Tessera" is defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, 10th Edition, as follows:
"1. A small block of stone, tile, etc used in a mosaic. 2. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a small tablet of wood or bone used as a token".

Those who have read the book will be familiar with the "necklace" that appears around the neck of some of the victims, and that the forensic analysis of the small brown tile on that necklace reveals it to be of London Clay, (a vital piece of evidence which assists the Police in identifying that the victims may be being held in the network of tunnels beneath London). This idea is further supported by the fact that it is the network of underground tubetrain tunnels that they are specifically concerned by - (hence the "tile" link, given that all London Underground stations originally had tiles covering their curved walls, and most still do).

My earliest research when planning the novel confirmed that Ancient Rome used these "tessera" (plural "tesserae") as tickets -  small tokens of wood, clay or bone which afforded Roman citizens entrance to such spectacles as the Gladiator battles in the Colliseum and other public celebrations of violence and death as entertainment. The killer in "The Scarlet Tessera" notes early on that he is sending A Deadly Invitation (ie deadly as in "Scarlet", (as in "blood"), and invitation as in "tessera" as defined above).

It has been suggested within a recent review that use of the word "Tessera" within the title is confusing because its modern day use in Italy is a colloquial one and refers to ID cards such as those from the Health Service or Tax office. I hope the above clarifies matters.