Bringing Julia Parkes To Life
What happens when a pillar of calm elegance in a grand seaside hotel is suddenly, shockingly, no more?
In my mystery novel Checked Out at the Imperial, I set out to create a character who would embody the quiet strength and understated grace often overlooked in traditional whodunnits. Enter Julia Parkes—Head Receptionist at the storied Imperial Hotel, a woman as polished as the marble floors she walked and as dependable as the ticking clock above the front desk.
From the very first scene, I wanted readers to feel like they knew Julia. Her pearl pendant, her efficient fingers sorting reservations, her soothing but firm handling of a difficult guest—these were the traits of someone who held her world together by sheer will and grace. Julia wasn’t loud or flashy, but she mattered. She mattered to her staff, to the guests, and to the very spirit of the Imperial itself.
And then I took her away.
The moment Julia's lifeless body is discovered by her young colleague Maggie, the story pivots. What began as a portrait of seamless hospitality descends into a simmering mystery with all the makings of a classic British whodunnit. But at the heart of it all remains Julia—a woman who, in death, becomes even more compelling than she was in life.
Julia’s mystery is unravelled not by a professional sleuth, but by Paula Langford, the hotel’s head housekeeper and Julia’s childhood friend. Paula isn’t flashy either. She’s a working mother, a detail-oriented professional, and, as we come to discover, an unwilling amateur detective. Her dogged pursuit of the truth is driven by loyalty, justice, and perhaps a bit of self-preservation. After all, if murder has come to the Imperial once, who’s to say it won’t return?
Bringing Julia to life was a study in subtlety. Her story unfolds not through dramatic flashbacks or diaries, but in the small gaps she left behind—the teacup on her desk, the unfinished guest log, the cryptic notes tucked away in a leather-bound notebook. She’s not just a victim; she’s a silent architect of the plot, pulling strings from beyond the grave.
In a way, Julia is a reflection of the place she loved. Like the Imperial Hotel, she is graceful, composed, and hiding more than she lets on.
Checked Out at the Imperial is my love letter to atmospheric British mysteries, seaside towns with secrets, and the everyday heroines who step up when justice demands it. Julia Parkes may be gone by Chapter One, but her presence lingers like the scent of lavender tea in a quiet lobby—comforting, haunting, and impossible to ignore.
I hope you’ll join Paula Langford as she dusts off the truth, one clue at a time.