It was a pleasure to research The Long Grave (formerly Attrition), the first of what I hope to be several Constance Crowley mysteries that span historic events and global locations. I consumed hundreds of books, articles, blog entries, diaries, letters, podcasts, films, photos, maps, etc.; some for historical accuracy, some for tone and context and some for pleasure. I’ve created a list below of some of my favorites.
This is a fictional story and in order to create the characters and plot of my mystery I adjusted, borrowed and took inspiration from historic figures, events and analysis. For instance, the timeline of Baghdad’s 1926 flood probably doesn’t line up precisely with Constance’s investigation there, but that historic event served to deepen the setting and theme so I used it. Likewise with the timing of the opening of the museum and how long the Red Cross’ Missing and Wounded Office in Boulogne, France was operational.
In several instances I was inspired by historic figures. In the case of Imogen Pearce, I drew inspiration from the life, political career and death of Gertrude Bell. Bell was my entry point into adopting British-occupied Baghdad as my main setting, but Imogen Pearce does not represent the real-life Gertrude Bell. If you don’t know much about Gertrude Bell, I urge readers to dive into her story. She lived a fascinating life.
Helen Rogers Reid, wife of Ogden Reid, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, is fictionalized here as Constance’s friend and publisher. Razzuq Ghannam, real proprietor of al-Iraq newspaper, is fictionalized here as Saad Ghannam, fixer and mentor to Constance. The character of Bibek Gurung was inspired by the story of Kulbir Thapa, the first Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War 1’s Battle of Loos and my subsequent research into the history of the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army. King Faisal I of Iraq is, of course, a historical figure. His interactions with the characters in my story are fictional.
Reading List
Here is a smattering of books I really enjoyed while researching. Some were amazingly helpful in creating my story; others were a pure pleasure to read:
Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson
Regeneration by Pat Barker
A Line in the Sand by James Barr
A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert by Gertrude Bell and edited by Georgina Howell
The Arab War by Gertrude Bell
Testament of Youth, Vera Britain
Front-Page Women Journalists, 1920-1950 by Kathleen A. Cairns
Fear: A Novel of World War I, Gabriel Chevallier
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
An Unladylike Profession: American Women War Correspondents in World War I by Chris Dubbs
American Journalists in the Great War: Rewriting the Rules of Reporting by Chris Dubbs
Gurkha Odyssey: Campaigning for the Crown by Peter Duffell
Women of the World: The Great Foreign Correspondents by Julia Edwards
A Land of Aching Hearts: The Middle East in the Great War by Leila Tarazi Fawaz
Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs
Lines of Fire: Women Writers of World War I edited by Margaret R. Higonnet
Reporting Under Fire by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell
The Watermelon Boys by Ruqaya Izzidien
Violence Against Prisoners of War in the First World War: Britain, France and German, 1914-1920 by Heather Jones
The First World War by John Keegan
The Excavations at Babylon by Robert Koldeway
Assigned to Adventure by Irene Kuhn
The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan
Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood by Justin Marozzi
Baghdad Arts Deco: Architectural Brickwork, 1920-1950 by Caecilia Pieri
Gurkha Guns by Ganesh Rai
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Kings, Queens and Pawns: An American Woman at the Front by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Arc of the Gurkha: From Nepal to the British Army by Alex Schlacher
Baghdad Sketches: Journeys Through Iraq by Freya Stark
How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The Syrian Congress of 1920 and the Destruction of its Historic Liberal-Islamic Alliance, Elizabeth F. Thompson
Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning by Jay Winter
Barbed Wire Disease by John Yarnall
Other helpful and interesting websites, articles and media
The Ur Online Project (http://www.ur-online.org/about/ur-online-project)
Roads to the Great War (http://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com)
Women Come to the Front, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0001.html
International Encyclopedia of the First World War https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/home.html
Film Footage of Excavations in Iraq, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (https://royalasiaticsociety.org/film-footage-of-excavations-in-iraq/
Harrison, Marguerite; “Gertrude Bell A Desert Power”; The New York Times; pg. 178; July 18, 1926. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/07/18/issue.html
The Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk
“Baghdad Flooded”; Reuter; The Register (Adelaide, SA: 1901-1929); pg. 9; April 12, 1926 (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/55024836)
“The Beginnings of the Iraq Museum”; Dr. Juliette Desplat, November 15, 2016; The National Archives https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/beginnings-iraq-museum/
Voices for Iraq www.voicesforiraq.org
The Archeological Map of Iraq, Baghdad, Directorate General of Antiquities, 1967; Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/gm70005037/)
“It’s Disturbingly Easy to Buy Iraq’s Archeological Treasures”; Sigal Samuel; The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/iraq-war-archeology-invasion/555200/)
The World War I Document Archive https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page
The Long, Long Trail: Researching Soldiers of the British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918 üühttps://www.longlongtrail.co.uk
The Western Front Association https://www.westernfrontassociation.com
“Blueprint for Armageddon”, Hardcore History Podcast Episodes 50-55; Dan Carlin www.dancarlin.com
British Pathe YouTube channel
National WW1 Museum and Memorial YouTube Channel
The Great War YouTube Channel
American Experience: The Great War; PBS
Letters From Baghdad, Directed by Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl, PBS Documentaries