logo
Jeremy Vine: Can an AI Agatha Christie help me to write a crime bestseller?

Jeremy Vine: Can an AI Agatha Christie help me to write a crime bestseller?

Times08-05-2025

Simeon Lee was my first murder victim. He died brutally. He had — foolishly, in my view — invited members of his family to his country estate. A controlling and domineering man, he told his relatives he was rewriting his will. They seethed with resentment.
He went to his study and locked the door. Then there was a loud racket, the sound of struggle in the room. When the door was forced open, Lee lay dead in a huge pool of blood. The only clue was a small piece of rubber on the floor.
I didn't kill him. He died in Agatha Christie's novel Hercule Poirot's Christmas. If you were hooked by the first two paragraphs of this article, you have the makings of an

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Two dead after car falls 300ft off cliff at beauty spot
Two dead after car falls 300ft off cliff at beauty spot

Telegraph

time43 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Two dead after car falls 300ft off cliff at beauty spot

Two people have died after a car plunged 300ft off a cliff at a beauty spot. Police, ambulance crews, firefighters and the Coastguard rushed to the scene at Alum Bay in the Isle of Wight just before 7.30pm on Friday. Hampshire Police said in a statement at the time: 'We're currently at the scene of a serious incident in Totland. 'We were called at 7.21pm this evening after a car, which was being driven along Alum Bay New Road, left the road, came off the cliff top and came to rest in the water below.' Pictures of the aftermath show the grey vehicle submerged in water. A member of the Coastguard can be seen searching the shore around the car, which had its bonnet and roof crumpled. A man was hauled to shore and given CPR. On Sunday, police confirmed to Isle of Wight County Press that both victims have been pronounced dead. A spokesman said: 'Formal identification has yet to take place, but their next of kin have been notified. 'As part of the ongoing investigation into the incident, on behalf of the coroner, officers have been carrying out enquiries at an address on Arctic Road, Cowes.' Detectives were carrying out searches at an address in Cowes earlier on Sunday.

Nottingham victim's parent complain about ‘offensive' IOPC meeting
Nottingham victim's parent complain about ‘offensive' IOPC meeting

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Nottingham victim's parent complain about ‘offensive' IOPC meeting

The family of a student killed in the Nottingham attacks have formally complained to the police watchdog over an 'offensive' meeting with one of its directors. Valdo Calocane killed Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates in a spate of attacks in the city in June 2023. He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility as a result of paranoid schizophrenia and three counts of attempted murder. It was announced in February that prosecutors, police and medical professionals would be scrutinised in the two-year inquiry, including the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Grace's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said that an IOPC regional director had behaved inappropriately when the bereaved families met the watchdog in March 2024, including by starting the meeting with a prayer. 'I found it patronising and offensive,' Kumar told the Sunday Times. 'I didn't want a prayer, I wanted answers. I've lost my daughter and it was his job to give me the truth, not a prayer. 'There are plenty of places to pray and the IOPC isn't one of them.' The regional director at the meeting, Derrick Campbell, is now the watchdog's director of engagement, the newspaper reported. An IOPC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm we've received a complaint about one of our directors and we are dealing with it in line with our complaints and feedback procedure.' The watchdog previously prepared a report that concluded Leicestershire police officers had failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane which could have stopped his killing spree a month later. Three officers were due to face a misconduct meeting but the force postponed this. In March, the IOPC said it would reinvestigate whether Calocane's previous history and an outstanding arrest warrant were seen by officers before the investigation was closed down. The watchdog said it had made its decision 'after the force provided new evidence, which had not previously been available to the IOPC' and 'representations by the bereaved families which led to further inquiries with Leicestershire police'.

Migrants, lawyers, smuggling gangs and the French cash in – while Brits are left to foot the bill
Migrants, lawyers, smuggling gangs and the French cash in – while Brits are left to foot the bill

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Migrants, lawyers, smuggling gangs and the French cash in – while Brits are left to foot the bill

Gloom service THE Left has preached for years about how mass migration benefits the cultural and economic vitality of our nation. But it seems the main people it enriches are human rights lawyers, hotel owners, criminal gangs and the French authorities. 1 Official figures lay bare the eye-watering cost of Britain's broken borders, funded directly from the wage packets of hard-working taxpayers. French police, given £480million of your cash to stop people-traffickers, stand and watch as more and more people climb aboard small boats to cross the Channel. — nearly 3,000 more than at the very end of the Tories' time in office — are currently housed in 210 hotels at a cost of £4.7million a day. And that isn't even anywhere near the extent of the burden on taxpayers, as there are even more migrants being put up in non-hotel accommodation. There's little chance of the illegals among them being booted out any time soon, either. Lawyers claiming £1million a week in taxpayer-funded legal aid to mount endless appeals will see to that. Labour won power after pledging to ' smash the gangs ' and 'end asylum hotels'. Yet illegal migrant numbers — and the bill — keep on soaring. Patience is wearing thin. Sir Keir Starmer must stop the boats, or lose the votes of millions who supported him only last year. An easy call PARENTS are finding it increasingly difficult to protect their children from risks posed by smartphones. One in four kids spends more than four hours a day online and many secretly use social media during lessons and in bed. Hull residents react to migrants living in iconic hotel So it is a welcome step for ministers to consider a daily two-hour limit for under-16s and a 10pm watershed. But what are they waiting for? They can start in schools by giving teachers clear guidance — and power — to ban phones in classrooms. Not much cop They could save millions if they stopped sending officers to arrest law-abiding citizens who post 'hurty' comments on social media.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store