We’re thrilled to welcome author Daryl Nilbett to the blog as he prepares to launch his gripping debut psychological thriller, Down in the Attic. Set against the eerie backdrop of the New Forest, this twisty, emotionally-charged novel follows DI Krystal Roark as she faces not only a chilling case of abduction and buried evil, but also her own inner demons.
In this exclusive Q&A, the author shares the challenges of writing dark subject matter as a parent, how horror and true crime shaped his approach, and why DI Roark offers a refreshingly grounded take on the crime genre’s troubled detective. From crafting suspense and emotional depth to plotting unexpected twists, Daryl Nilbett gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a thriller designed to linger long after the final page.
Down in the Attic is available now from your favourite bookshop, or online from Amazon | Waterstones | Bookshop.org
n one sentence, can you tell us what to expect from down in the attic?
In a race to save several abduction victims, Detective Inspector Roark is confronted by an evil born many years ago in the darkness of the New Forest, a terror that forces her to confront her own fears and failings, and risk the lives of those she cares about.
The book is a psychological thriller. Did you feel like you had to get into a darker headspace when writing the book?
Some of the subject matter was quite difficult to deal with while writing Down In The Attic, and as I have a young son, the journey was even more uncomfortable. Imagining the trauma that plays out in the novel was difficult in that context; however, it was important not to shy away from entering that dark space when it was relevant to the story I wanted to tell.
As a debut author, did you take inspiration from other authors, filmmakers, or real-life cases when writing this book?
The inspiration for this book came from many years of reading and watching high-quality crime fiction and true crime stories, but a recent return to the horror genre, which I loved so much in my youth, has given the novel a darker edge.
The New Forest is such a haunting setting, as well. Why did you choose it, and how does the landscape shape the mood and tension in the book?
I wanted to find a location that was equally beautiful and ominous, a contrast that naturally creates tension. There’s also something about what goes on unchecked in isolated parts of the countryside that can be disturbing and how that lends itself to terror and, ultimately, tragedy.
You’ve written DI Roark, the book’s lead character, with great depth. What do you think sets her apart from other detectives in the genre?
A lot of great fictional detectives have significant character faults and quirks that make them ripe for conflict and tension, but I didn’t want my lead to have too many obvious tropes.
DI Krystal Roark is a driven professional who works hard and is good at what she does, but she has reached a reflective period in her life, where she regrets past decisions, questions her own mental strength, and feels lost and alone. She also works in a highly stressful profession in an unrelenting, unforgiving city that is London. Dealing with life and death situations at work while processing these normal, but sometimes unspoken, personal challenges in parallel creates an interesting and relatable character.
There’s an emotional depth to the story that, again, makes it feel very real. How do you tap into the psychological elements while still delivering a gripping, fast-paced plot?
For me, it comes down to the characters in the story.
As a writer, if you respect the characters and stay true to their beliefs, motivations, and emotions, the psychological elements will resonate and rise to the top, no matter how fast-paced the plot is. In fact, it’s through the characters where the pace is set, through their desires, concerns, self-doubt and trauma.
Down in the Attic takes readers to some really dark places. What’s your approach to maintaining suspense while keeping things grounded and believable?
It’s a balancing act between creating drama and suspense while not asking too much of the reader in their suspension of disbelief, but every time I thought I may have gone too far with what horrors occur in my novel, my wife would tell me about the latest true crime documentary she has watched, and I know that what I’ve written is both reasonably believable and tame in comparison.
I always aim for a degree of realism amongst the suspense, as readers are very knowledgeable and it is foolhardy to hand-wave a lack of believability in the search for drama. That said, if the story is gripping and the characters are relatable, the readers will gladly go along for the ride, regardless of the degree of artistic licence taken.
How do you plan and structure a twist-heavy thriller like Down in the Attic? Are you a plotter, a “pantser,” or something in between?
I’m a plotter, but not to the point where I am completely beholden to that plan. I will set out the timeline, making sure I know where everyone is at any given time, and thread those through so that they blend towards a satisfying conclusion.
The most exciting and carefree stage of writing is when you are generating ideas in your head, before anything is written down or thought through. The challenge then becomes putting that onto the page, and I find that plotting it out helps achieve that goal. That said, I’m not inflexible and will always look to find the best way to tell the story as I go along. Halfway through this novel, I switched things up quite considerably, adding a new voice to the narrative, and messing with the timeline, which was also a lot of fun.
Without giving away spoilers, were there any plot twists that even surprised you during the writing process?
There were no surprise plot twists during the writing process, but some dramatic images manifested out of various drafts that were a pleasure for me. One image came to me near the end while rewriting a key scene and it was one of those punch-in-the-air moments where everything clicked in a nice, not too obvious or forced, way.
Also, in a very early draft, I had a completely different twist that, during the second draft, was replaced with something I think is more satisfying and interesting.
What do you hope readers feel or think about after turning the final page of Down in the Attic?
A sense of relief, satisfaction and resolution, but not so much that the reader doesn’t have intriguing questions to ponder, while wondering if a similar horror could be waiting for them outside in the darkness of the night.
Finally, for aspiring crime writers, what’s the one piece of advice you wish you’d heard when starting out?
Write every day. In fact, I was told this by many other writers, family and friends, but I wish I’d adhered to that advice more often than I did. Whatever goes on in your life, to be a great writer, you must write every day, whether it’s a paragraph, a page or a chapter. Keep on writing. And reading. Do loads of that too.
Down in the Attic marks a powerful debut for Daryl Nilbett, blending psychological tension with emotional honesty to deliver a thriller that lingers long after the final page. With DI Roark, he introduces a detective as layered and compelling as the case she’s investigating, and his unflinching approach to trauma and fear sets him apart as a bold new voice in crime fiction.
If you’re drawn to stories that are as character-driven as they are chilling, this is one to watch.
Down in the Attic by Daryl Nilbett is available now from your favourite bookshop, or online from Amazon | Waterstones | Bookshop.org
