Crime writer

I imagine writing a crime novel is close to the middle of human experiences ranked by difficulty. It isn't brain surgery, but neither is it a walk in the park (although, conceivably, you could write a novel while doing either of those things, and I'm sure plenty have). I was fortunate to come from a family that loved books, and lucky to go to good schools, where books were bountiful.  Read more

For years, crime fiction titles have topped the bestseller lists and library lending tables. That sales of the genre have now overtaken general fiction, as revealed at the London Book Fair last week, comes as no surprise to its readers, practitioners, critics and industry professionals.

Between 2008 and 2012, I was a judge for the Eric Gregory award for poets under the age of 30. The prize was founded with the aim of encouraging young poets. Who could possibly object? One person did: a friend of mine in his 60s, who grimaced when he heard I was judging the prize. "Why is all the encouragement directed at young writers?" he asked.  Read more

This won't be an objective appraisal of Sue Grafton, who died today of cancer at the age of 77. I was a fan first, reading her Kinsey Millhone novels in high school and sticking with the series all the way to the end. I interviewed her twice: once for the Los Angeles Times in 2009, and four years later, onstage at the Toronto Public Library.  Read more

My readers are probably going to kill me," Val McDermid announces cheerfully when we discuss the ending of her latest novel. Her new Tony Hill and Carol Jordan book, Insidious Intent, is published on Thursday, and the reaction of fans to how she has chosen to end it will be interesting. "There's a certain fear of being stoned in the street," she chuckles.