In the Spotlight - Andrew Taylor

Name: - Andrew Taylor

Job: - Author

Website: - www.andrew-taylor.co.uk

Twitter: - @andrewjrtaylor

Introduction

Andrew Taylor is the author of six different series (Dougal, Sergeant Jim Bergerac (written as Andrew Saville), Blaines, Lydmouth, Roth Trilogy and James Marwood).  He is also the author of over half a dozen standalone novels and half a dozen children’s books to name a few.  His most recent book is The King’s Evil.

His books have been nominated and won numerous wards with his first novel, Caroline Minuscule (1982), wining the John Creasey Memorial Award of the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain. He is the only author to have won the CWA's Historical Dagger three times, In 2009 Andrew Taylor received the CWA Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement.

Current book?

My work-in-progress (or regress, at present) is The Last Protector, fourth title in my Marwood and Lovett Restoration series. The third, The King’s Evil, comes out on 4 April. (See what I did? Just thought I'd slip that in.)

Favourite book

In crime fiction, it's probably Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley, the novel the made me think differently about crime fiction and led to my own first novel, Caroline Minuscule.

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why?

I will probably regret this, but let's have Griselda, the vicar's lively wife Christie's Murder at the Vicarage, and C.J Sansom's melancholy Shardlake. She would cheer him up, and I think he could be good company when relaxing among friends. We'd probably need a lot of wine.

How do you relax?

By plodding through muddy countryside, plus the usual adult pleasures...

What book do you wish you had written and why?

This afternoon it's Donna Tartt's The Secret History, a novel that reminded the world that the barrier between crime fiction and literary fiction is sometimes so thin it's not really there at all. 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer?

Writers write - preferably every day. Nothing happens if you don't write. Also, network more, if possible.

How would you describe your series character(s)?

In the current series, Cat Lovett is one of life's fighters, and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. James Marwood has been forced to take too much responsibility too young. He's ambitious, too. But there's a lighter side to him, and a more sensual one...

The King’s Evil by Andrew Taylor (Published by HarperCollins April 2019)

A royal scandal that could change the face of England forever.  London, 1667. In the court of Charles II, it's a dangerous time to be alive. A wrong move could lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a murder at Clarendon House, the palatial home of one of the highest courtiers in the land, could have catastrophic consequences.  James Marwood, a traitor's son, is ordered to cover up the murder. But the dead man is Edward Alderley, the cousin of one of Marwood's acquaintances. Cat Lovett had every reason to want her cousin dead. Since his murder, she has vanished, and all the evidence points to her as the killer.  Marwood is determined to clear Cat's name and discover who really killed Alderley. But time is running out for everyone. If he makes a mistake, it could threaten not only the government but the king himself.