I never thought I would write a thriller. I had read crime novels for decades, my childhood reading featuring Leslie Charteris’s Saint and John Creasey’s Inspector West among others. As an adult, I had written three books on chemicals and the environment, but had never considered writing fiction.
I turned to crime when I attended Crimefest in Bristol and found the writers who attended approachable and friendly, whether they were self-published or million-sellers. I wanted to contribute in some way, as a kind of payback for the pleasure crime writers had given me, so I set up a website where I used my scientific knowledge to offer tips to authors on how to avoid simple mistakes with things like knockouts (don’t use chloroform), firearms (silencers don’t work) and poisons (they take time to kill). At my wife’s suggestion, I pitched this concept to publishers and the result was Crime writing: How to write the science, a well-received guide, for writers, readers and students, to many aspects of science and crime.
I have advised a number of writers on a range of scientific topics, from lopping off limbs to poisoning celebrities and disposing of bodies, and I think something must have rubbed off. After writing a few short crime stories, I took the plunge and decided to write a novel. I was kick-started by a competition, run by Crime Fiction Coach, for the best first sentence of a novel. My entry ‘The small, grey-haired woman grimaced as she entered the police station, dragging a tartan shopping trolley containing her husband’s head’ won and, because someone said they couldn’t wait to read the rest, I had no alternative but to write the book.
This was a very new type of writing for me. Science writing is relatively straightforward. You decide on the subject you want to write about, and the facts you wish to convey. You do the research and then present the information in a way that suits your intended readership. You don’t have to make stuff up (unless you’re part of QAnon or wear a tinfoil hat). But, apart from factual things I needed to hang the plot on, like police procedures, everything in my novel had to come from my imagination. I had to write about people I had never met, doing jobs I had never done, in places I invented.
At the time, I didn’t know any police officers, and I certainly didn’t know any gangsters or drug dealers, so creating realistic characters was difficult. The plot was easier, although I had to keep checking that it was credible but still entertaining, and I was OK with forensics. But I needed something a bit different from other thrillers, and I found this in the form of a novel type of profitable contraband.
So, after many months of toil, I had something I thought others might want to read. I had it critiqued and then submitted synopses to thirty or so agents and publishers. After repeated refusals, some friendly and some even offering suggestions for improvements, I considered self-publishing, although that would have required me to develop a whole new set of particular skills. But, late in 2020, Hobeck Books asked for the full manuscript and, shortly after, offered to publish it. I was thrilled! The result was Fatal Trade, which came out in September last year.
I was delighted with the reception Fatal Trade received. People seemed to like the characters, the pace and the plot, giving the book an average of 4.5 stars on amazon. Hobeck were keen to publish a sequel and Fatal Hate comes out on the 12th of April.
Most of the same characters are involved, and it is set in the same imaginary town. Like Fatal Trade, it is fast-paced, twisty and has some truly odious villains. A third novel, Fatal Dose, is in preparation.
I came to realise, quite early on, that there were two pitfalls I had to avoid when writing fiction. One was information-dumping. I might be fascinated by the biochemistry of a particular poison, but is the average reader? What it is, and how quickly it kills, is probably enough, with a few symptoms thrown in. I didn’t want to make the mistake of, for instance, spending a page and a half describing a particular type of rifle ammunition.
The other danger zone was my personal attitudes. There are issues in both books about which I feel strongly, but I was careful to avoid preaching or writing an essay on politics. Readers want to be entertained, first and foremost, and I let my characters’ views and behaviours paint the picture. It is up to the reader whether they share or reject these views but, as long as they notice them, and enjoy the books, I’m a happy crime writer.
Fatal Hate by Brian Price (Hobeck Books) Published 12 April 2022
A boring office administrator is found dead outside the chocolate warehouse where he worked. But who would want to kill him and why? Did he see something he shouldn’t have or did one of his right-wing associates turn on him? DC Mel Cotton and her colleagues’ investigation takes them into the murky world of terrorism, smuggling and murder. What is in the mysterious packages moved from the warehouse in the dead of night and why did someone try to burn watching police officers to death? Meanwhile, a determined young woman vows vengeance on the two men responsible for her sister’s death. She will do anything for justice and she soon becomes involved with a member of a group of local notables with depraved tastes and extreme political views. Someone is going to die. As the two worlds converge, Mel Cotton’s courage is tested to the limit. And the presence of a hitman in town means no-one is safe. Is time running out for her?
M.W. Craven has described Fatal Hate as ‘High quality crime writing’, and Graham Bartlett called it ‘A turbocharged, complex and intelligent thriller with a stunning cast, told with the authority and authenticity we have come to expect from Brian Price. I dare you to put it down.’
Readers of Fatal Hate are invited to take part in a competition to spot the “Easter Eggs” – cultural references – in the book. The winner will receive a very special box of chocolates featuring such favourites as Strychnine Surprise, Cyanide Swirl and Belladonna Cream, plus a signed copy of Brian’s next book, Fatal Dose.
Fatal Hate is published as a paperback and ebook by Hobeck Books and is available on Amazon and Waterstones.
You can find more information about Brian Price and his books on his website. You can also find him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @crimewritersci.
No comments:
Post a Comment