‘Seven: Distracted Detective’ was inspired by dad

Seven: Distracted Detective is Nacoa’s chosen book for World Book Day 2026

Seven: Distracted Detective is dedicated to my Dad. He always wanted to write a children’s book, and he’s kind of written his way into this one.

I see him in Seven, my funny and determined main character; and in Mr O’Reilly, who looks out for Seven.

And Seven’s Mam, who has a late-stage alcohol problem, definitely takes inspiration from my Dad’s behaviour during the final years of his life.

After he died, in 2013, I found Nacoa. In the years that followed, I took part in creative projects that Nacoa were supporting – I stitched words from songs that remind me of my Dad into silk, and wrote a poem inspired by his favourite mug.

Perhaps those ideas were still floating about, when I started to write Seven.

Maybe this story is another way of trying to make sense of what still feels, to me, like a real-life mystery.

An extract – Seven: Distracted Detective

This extract is taken from Chapter 17, towards the middle of the novel.

I’m surprised, when I get to the park, that Mam’s already there, sitting on the swing next to mine. She’s wearing reasonable ‘park in October’ clothing, too. She waves at me.

“Hi, darling,” Mam says, as I take my usual spot. “I heard about what happened.”

“Right.”

“Got you a hot chocolate.” She passes me a takeaway cup from the cardboard holder on her lap. “With extra marshmallows.”

“Thanks, Mam.” Her drink looks like coffee.

“What’s the mood like at school?”

“I don’t know. We were off yesterday.”

She can sense I don’t want to talk about it. She bumbles on for a bit, tripping over her words occasionally, telling me about how she phoned Nana. About Dad’s birthday coming up, and what we might get him. About a neighbour’s cat that got into the house, and a funny story about trying to get it to leave again.

Mam seems remarkably ok today, actually, if a bit shaky and paler than usual. Clearly my message worked. Maybe she’s tried to drink less this morning, or maybe she drank too much last night, and I’m seeing the after-effects, but either way, this is the least drunk I’ve seen her in a while.

I sip my drink. Maybe this is a chance. I’ve got to try.

“Mam, this situation at school – it’s got me thinking. I’m worried about you.”

“Oh, you don’t need to be concerned about me, Seven.” Mam shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine to me. You could barely stand up last Saturday morning, and then on Monday night, we had to pick you up in the woods. You were so confused, you didn’t even know where you were.”

Mam takes another gulp of her hot drink and frowns. Maybe she remembers it differently. Or maybe she was hoping for vodka in there.

I press my luck further. “And your moods are very up and down, Mam. I really think you should go and see Dr. Hough at the surgery. She might be able to help.”

Mam shakes her head very slightly, which could be because she’s not going to. Or maybe she’s just a bit jittery this morning.

“And I wish we could see each other more, but I hate your drinking.”

“It’s just coffee,” Mam says. She has never admitted that she has a problem, and I guess I shouldn’t expect her to start now. “And honestly, darling, I’m doing well.”

I turn and look at her closely. She doesn’t look it. Her hand is trembling as she holds her coffee cup and she’s getting whiter by the second.

“Are you, Mam?” I say, more gently. I reach out and touch her arm. “Do you need to go?”

“Yes,” Mam answers my second question, as she stands up. “I’ve got to get back.”

We hug, briefly. Her whole body is shivering. She feels thinner, too.

“Love you, Mam.”

“You, too.”

And Mam leaves. She’s walking fast, like those wiggly speed walkers in the Olympics. As she gets close to the park exit, she breaks into a jog. My own Mam, running away from me.

I put my cardboard cup down and kick off the ground. As I swing higher and higher, I go over the list of unanswered questions I have about my Mam:

1. Why did she start drinking?
2. Why can’t she stop?
3. How did she keep this a secret for so long? This one makes me feel really dumb, and like maybe I don’t know her very well at all.
4. Will I ever see her sober again? (Maybe I did this morning…)
5. Will she see me turn 18? Linked to the related question – how ill is she? I’ve tried to work this out, but I can’t recommend searching for ‘stages of alcoholism’ to set your mind at rest. I did this when I was struggling to sleep when Dad and I were still living with her. It didn’t help the nightmares.
6. What would my life be like if I didn’t have a Mam that drinks? (I can’t think like this for very long. It would be a completely different one, that’s for sure).
7. How many chances should I give her to let me down? But I know I’ll probably give her all of them. Because she’s my Mam.

Seven: Distracted Detective by Rachel Pattinson is available from major retailers including the Great British Bookshop, Amazon and Blackwell’s, as well as local bookshops.