By MATT WUNSCH From Southern Rhode Island Newspapers

WAKEFIELD–Known for exploring local issues and expressing an opinion in these editorial pages, C. Davis Fogg has a reputation for writing intelligent, balanced and revealing viewpoint pieces. With his first non-fiction book, he also proves to have an edge.

Fogg has just released “Murder in Grand Cayman: An Inspector Thompson Mystery,” a self published murder-mystery novel set in the Caribbean that unravels the murder of a fictitious millionaire, Gil Baxter.

Set at a brisk, highly readable pace, Fogg’s book is 371 pages of grand whodunit which follows inspector Harry Thompson’s search for Baxter’s murderer.

Time Out caught up with Fogg via email for a question and answer session.

Q: What is your experience with the subject matter, i.e., Grand Cayman, scuba diving, detective work?

A: I started scuba diving in Grand Cayman in 1976 and got my instructor’s rating shortly thereafter. My great love was underwater photography both in Grand Cayman and the South Pacific—specifically Vanuatu, Palau, Truck and the Solomon Islands. My wife, Kate Driesen, and I, owned a condo on Cayman, and were residents of the isle at one point. I’m therefore familiar with the island in general, its inhabitants, its businesses, and settings for scenes.

Q: How did the idea for the book come about? Why the murder-mystery genre?

A: I’d written three business books. One, I’m happy to say has become a classic, and is still on the market twenty-one years after publication. I turned to short stories and fiction about seven or eight years ago, seduced by writing classes at The Neighborhood Guild in Peace Dale. One summer, without writing prompts from the classes available, I started to write a short story about a murder in Grand Cayman. I just kept going.

A good friend and classmate of mine, who specializes estate law, told me about a case that he handled in Puerto Rico. A man was murdered there and the executrix of his estate, asked him to immediately to fly to the Island and find out the facts of the murder of her brother, and the prospects for catching the criminal.

Q: What was the writing process like and how long did it take? Are you happy with the results?

A: I’m very happy with the result. My writing habit is to get up at 5 or 6 every morning, closet myself in my “man cave,” and write for one and one half hours. I kept going until the book was finished. It took three years.

The writing process was fine. I love to write. The revisions of the book after completion however, were horrible. I think any writer of a novel will tell you that revision is like living in a tornado of words: dancing on hot coals in hell. The attention to grammar and punctuation, fixing broken details, writing missing parts, reconciling early events with later happenings, and keeping character names consistent throughout, are just a few of the instruments of torture.

I spent a good deal of time on web research, which I always enjoy. It was great for finding locations and details about them, “real” characters whose attributes I could use, the politics of the island, and so on.

Q: The subtitle of the book is “An Inspector Thompson Mystery.” Would it be accurate to infer there may be more coming? Is the book a part of a series?

A: There is a second book, “Submarine,” planned and partially written. It, of course, stars Inspector Thompson, and many of the other key individuals and culprits are in play. I’ll come back to it after a research visit to Grand Cayman next spring.

Q: Are any of the characters in the book based on real people or is it pure fiction?

A: Yes the “Book Store Lady”, and “George Savage,” the dive boat operator are based on characters I know well.

“Gil Baxter, his wife Brenda, and the resident “trainers,” are partially based on a chance encounter with a similar couple. Zane, the photographer is an amalgam of several real Islanders. The rest of the characters are pure fiction.

A typical question that I get is: “Won’t using real people anger them or cause trouble? I hope not, and not that I’ve heard to date, even though two of the characters are identifiable.

Q: What else is in store for you as a writer? Do you have any other long or short-term projects you are working on?

A: I’m now working on a book of short stories titled: “Me My Motorcycle and a Brick of Coke.” I’m finishing the last story for the book, “The Jazz Man.” It tells the story of a high school trumpet prodigy in the 1950s who goes to New York, makes the big time, becomes addicted to heroin, and falls from grace. It’s based in part on my experience as a jazz trumpet payer in the 50s, and knowledge acquired being part of the jazz scene in that era

Q: Who are your literary influences?

A: I like a myriad of mystery writers. Some of my favorites are Dashiell Hammit, Raymond Chandler, Lee Childs, and David Baldacci. But movies, television and newspapers had a strong influence on my work. Series like The Wire, Narcos and Breaking Bad spawned lots of ideas about murder and the drug culture. The movies Pulp Fiction, Natural Born Killers and the Usual Suspects are top of mind for movies.

Q: Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

A: Wakefield Books, The Book Nook in Grand Cayman, and Amazon.com

For more on this story go to: http://www.ricentral.com/arts_entertainment/south-county-writer-releases-a-page-turning-novel-for-underwater/article_1f534486-8be0-11e6-83cf-6788bfc50b60.html