On a cold, January day, wouldn’t we all like to be on a cruise on the Mediterranean? Maybe not if it means murder! Jonathan Whitelaw’s latest book, All At Sea, is a cosy crime caper that sees a captain of a ship slumped at the wheel with a knife in his back and two reality TV stars ready to go on the hunt for the killer. BooksfromScotland asked Jonathan Whitelaw to reveal his favourite sea-faring stories that inspired his setting.

All At Sea
By Jonathan Whitelaw
Published by HarperNorth

I have always loved the sea, ever since I was a little sprog. There’s something wonderfully endless about it, not to mention calming, soothing and all of those wonderful things. So it is, of course, natural, that I would set a murder mystery amongst the glistening blue waters of the Med. One of the requirements of being a crime writer, you get to do horrible things to and in places you love! Here is a list of five nautical favourites of mine to celebrate the launch (see what I did there) of All At Sea:

Moby Dick – Herman Melville
No list of sea related shenanigans would be complete without this epic. I recall reading it for the first time when I first went to university. It’s not the page-turning thrill-fest we’re all used to nowadays. But it paints character and setting perhaps better than most that have come after.

Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie
As a cosy mystery writer, I’m contractually obliged to mention Ms Christie at every turn. She is, after all, the guvnor-ess when it comes to golden age crime writing. And with good reason. While technically the action takes place on a river, it’s no less nautical for its plot and passion.

Jaws
I’ve opted for the movie version here, over the novel. Sacrilege, I know. But it’s purely through sentimentality. Many happy Christmas nights were spent gathered with my relatives watching the umpteenth rerun of Jaws on the TV, stuffed to the gunnels with turkey, ham and far too much chocolate. It’s such a summer movie that it always shone like a bright beacon in the bleak mid-winter of the festivities. And its portrayal of a deadly deep ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard is so potent, I swear I can smell the salt of the ocean every time I watch it.

The Ocean – Led Zeppelin
Okay, I know I’m sort of cheating here as there’s nothing very sea-related about this song other than the name. A bit like the movie Moonraker and the original Fleming book. The ocean in this masterpiece is the crowd lapping up against the stage during Zeppelin’s 1970s pomp. But it has a catchy riff, some wonderful drumming and always takes me back to my carefree student days at Glasgow University.

Erebus – Michael Palin
I make no bones about how much of a hero Sir Michael is to me. A wonderful writer and all-round great bloke, his account of two expeditions made by the Royal Navy’s HMS Erebus to opposite ends of the planet is both riveting an insightful. Delivered with his usual aplomb and style, it’s a book that brings history to life in the very best way.

All At Sea by Jonathan Whitelaw is published by HarperNorth, priced £9.99.