'Is it spies or crime'? Why I'm trying to do both’ by Patrick Worrall

Talia in Waterstones Cambridge asked me an interesting question when I thrust a proof of my new book The Exile into her hands last week.

"Is it spies or crime?"

A bit of both, I replied. We need stories that can span both genres now. Because that's the world we live in, isn't it?

Look at Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I certainly did, when I was writing The Exile. It's the closest thing to a third world war that I've lived through.

If the Russian President was a fictional character, how would you write him? Sure, he's an ex-KGB officer. But we're a long way from the intellectual fencing match of the Cold War. 

Vladimir Putin likes "active measures", and he's not subtle about it. Recent aktivnye meropriyatiya include countless hacking operations, a bomb at an ammunition depot in the Czech Republic and a poison plot which left a civilian dead in Salisbury. 

He's also as keen on amassing personal wealth as he is on plotting intelligence exploits. So is Putin a politician, a spy chief or simply a thief and murderer?  Is it spies or crime?

What about Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man who almost unseated the boss? Oligarch? Military leader? Aspiring statesman? Perhaps - but Prigozhin was also a convicted gangster who swelled the ranks of his private army with recruits from the same kind of penal colonies he knew from the inside.

When the new Cold Warriors are ex-cons and their leaders are warlords who order bloody hits on their rivals, we've come a long way from cerebral MI6 men sniffing out Cambridge-educated moles. Intelligence work "rests on a kind of gentleness", said George Smiley. Not anymore.

The brazen, lawless quality of the Putin age was very much on my mind when I wrote The Exile. I mostly do historical novels, and my new book is largely set in France during the early 1950s - the closest analogue I could find to modern Russia.

The France of the Fourth Republic was a fading empire too, unsure of its place in a new world order and desperately trying to hang on to its rebellious colonies. Post-war France was hurting - and lashing out. Political violence is nothing new on the other side of the Channel, but the really astonishing thing was the level of collusion between various agencies of the state and organised crime, particularly the Corsican underworld.

I hadn't set out to write a crime thriller, but I couldn't do justice to the period without trying to get into the minds of the spivs, seductresses, con-artists, gunrunners and godfathers who got caught up in the secret war.

Espionage fiction is tough enough, with its geopolitics and tradecraft, its complex characters leading double lives. Crime writing has its own special demands too. To my mind, it's all about the dialogue. Is it authentic? Does it smell of the streets?

Why attempt to combine the two genres, if it's so hard to pull off? Because that's the world we have to deal with. The boundaries between state actors and criminal organisations are disappearing. High diplomacy and low lives are intertwined.

Writing fiction that reflects this reality is a worthy aim, I think, even if the books that emerge from the process end up being harder to categorize. 

It's certainly an idea that will keep me occupied for my next few novels. I hope you find them somewhere in good bookshops, although I'm not sure about the section.

 The Exile by Patrick Worrall is published by Bantam Press on 11th July at £16.99

It's 1951 and the servants of Stalin are closing in on the occupied nations of eastern Europe. As the Red Army tightens the net, Greta - best and bravest of freedom fighters - is told to escape to the West and undertake a dangerous mission. Greta's task is to find a missing girl: the precious daughter of a partisan general who was sent into exile in the final days of the war. But the so-called Free World is no place for vulnerable young refugees. Europe is in ruins, the old Empires are dying, and a spectacular cast of spivs, gangsters and rival intelligence agencies are fighting over the scraps. Crossing the Iron Curtain will require nerves of steel as Greta faces down the French mob, ex-Nazis, Soviet spies, all the glamour and temptation of Paris and ultimately, her own demons. The Exile is the stunning prequel to The Partisan, which introduced the world to the force of nature that is Greta. This is her white-knuckle ride into the black heart of post-war Europe - a terrifying world in which allies and enemies are impossible to tell apart.

Patrick Worrall can be found on “X” @paddyworrall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drama, Conflict, and Cruelty, The Real Appeal of Reality TV.

In the basement of the psychology department at Sheffield University, where I studied for my degree, there was a nursery school in which one whole wall was a two-sided mirror. Students such as myself would file in to a thin dark room on the other side of that wall and watch. It was a sneak peek into how kids behave when they think no-one can see them. And we saw some fascinating things – like the boy behind the bookcase who hit three or four children as they were sent to fetch a book, only to then join them crying at the teacher’s table. A sign of intellect or criminal prowess? Only time would tell.

This was way before I had ideas of being a crime thriller writer, I just wanted to study people and find out what makes them tick. And TV was about to help out with that, big style, because a few years later, in July 2000, Big Brother launched and a new era of Reality TV was born. Here was the chance for all of us to stand on the other side of that two way mirror and see how real people behave in the real world. 

But no one could have anticipated the fame and shame consequences that would befall Reality TVs participants. We came to love them or we loved to hate them. And there was no going back. Ever since, the nation has tuned in to watch everything from people competing for a job on The Apprentice, to looking for love on First Dates and Married at First Sight. We’ve rooted for our favourites on The Hunted, revelled in the drama of Made in Chelsea and relished secrets and lies in The Traitors. A recent survey of 2000 people in the UK by ONEPOLL found that nearly 40% of us watch some kind of reality TV every week, and this rises to 50% for under 35s and 48% for females.* 

Why do we love it so much? Some psychologists believe it is all to do with Social Comparison Theory. We enjoy watching confrontations, people making a fool of themselves, or doing anything to entertain us, because it makes us feel better about ourselves. Others believe the shows we choose say something about our individual motivations: some of us are looking for companionship, some are looking for escapism and the competitive amongst us are enjoying taking sides. 

The truth is we love human drama in all its forms – from the books we read to the movies and TV shows we watch. But Reality TV provides something more on top. Dr Carol Lieberman, a psychiatrist who works on reality shows says, “We love reality TV because it allows us to live vicariously through the show participants without being publicly humiliated ourselves.” Many reality TV shows now employ psychologists to help them to pick the right ‘characters’ and much time is spent on designing the best scenarios to elicit an emotional reaction. So if the scenes are staged and the characters hand-picked, what is real? It turns out this question is what many people have come to most enjoy about such shows. We have to figure out what part of the show is Reality and what part is Television, so we become ever more engaged in the experience. We become part of the game.**

And so, it turns out the two-sided mirror is not enough. What we really want is to watch real people in extreme situations, and we don’t mind if this has to be stage managed. We might have been happy to watch the best of the best compete to be Sir Alan Sugar’s apprentice back in 2005, but by the time he was Lord Sugar it was more interesting to watch the egotistical being put in their place, or the whole team imploding in conflict. Perhaps this is why in 2019 the New York Times branded British Reality TV a ‘Theatre of Cruelty.’ ***

All this got me thinking, if Reality TV shows have to keep evolving to apply ever more pressure on participants so that they react in ways that keep us interested and entertained, how far would they go?

And if someone making such a show really hated the genre and the kinds of people who chose to participate - people they see as fame hungry, shallow, attention seekers – what then? What dire situation would they be willing to put people in to grab attention and make the public watch. This is the premise of The Escape Room. A reality TV show to end all Reality TV shows.

I decided that an escape room was the perfect vehicle to explore a reality TV show gone dark, because people readily volunteer to be locked inside such places to experience the thrill of being trapped. And so, my protagonist Bonnie and seven other contestants are taken to The Fortress, a three story cylindrical, concrete sea fort off the coast of Portsmouth. They arrive feeling confident that they can solve the puzzles and break free, but what they soon come to realise is that when you’re trapped inside a structure built to keep the enemy out, it can easily keep you in. 

And when one contestant’s failure on a challenge leads to his death everything changes. It’s not about fun anymore, it’s about survival. 

The death of a contestant seemed like a logical step in the dark evolution of such shows. We have all heard of the deaths sadly associated with reality TV, but thus far all have occurred outside of the show. In The Escape Room the contestants are unsure if the death is accidental or intentional. What they are sure of is that to escape they only have one option: to win. 

The Escape Room by L.D. Smithson is published by Bantam (£14.99).

Everything is a clue. Bonnie arrives on a remote sea fort off the coast of England to take part in a mysterious reality TV show. Competing against seven strangers, she must solve a series of puzzles to win the prize money, but this is no game - and the consequences of failure are deadly. No one leaves. Under scrutiny from the watching public, the contestants quickly turn on one another. Who will sacrifice the most for wealth and fame? And why can't Bonnie shake the creeping sense that they are not alone? The only way out is to win. When the first contestant is found dead, Bonnie begins to understand the dark truth at the heart of this twisted competition: there's a killer inside the fort, and anyone could be next. If Bonnie wants to escape, she needs to win... Are you ready to play?

L D Smithson can be found on “X” @LeonaDeakin1

* OnePoll (2016) The reality TV habit 

** Rose, R.L, & Wood, S. L. (2005) Paradox and the consumption of authenticity through reality television.

*** The New York Times (2019) British Reality Television Is A Theatre of Cruelty

The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd (review)

The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd

Publisher: ‎ Bantam Press

Release date‏: ‎ 8 July 2021

Price: £12.99

Format: Hardcover ‏[also available as eBook and Audiobook}

Reviewed by Adam Colclough

Lucy has, outwardly at least a perfect life with a husband, two children and a thriving arts business in a picturesque village on the Devon coast. Scratch the surface and there are problems, but these are as nothing compared to the troubles that are, literally, about to knock on her door.

 

In the space of a few hours the family yacht is found adrift and abandoned, her husband and children have disappeared, and an epic storm is disrupting attempts to find them. The world Lucy thought she had created for her family suddenly looks terrifyingly fragile.

 

Lloyd’s second novel, looks like a strong candidate to be one of the thrillers of the year. He shows a master’s touch for using the dramatic landscape of the Devonshire coastline to ramp up the tension and mirror the turmoil experienced by his characters. Unsurprisingly given the setting, one county along from her stamping ground, the ghost of Daphne Du Maurier hovers over the book making approving and even slightly jealous noises.

 

Lloyd has written a narrative that is often painfully dark and that refuses to shy away from the cruelty of which humans are capable, leavening the lump of this with an awareness of how tragedy can bring out resilience in those experiencing it. This is shown by a cast of characters who are defined by their flaws as well as the exceptional situation they find themselves in.

 

This is a darkly atmospheric and sometimes deeply unsettling thriller from a writer with a powerful gift for keeping his audience permanently on edge.

 

 

Four Finalists for the McIlvanney Prize Revealed

THE FOUR FINALISTS ARE REVEALED FOR
THE McILVANNEY PRIZE
SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019

Winner to be presented at the opening reception of Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival at the Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling on Friday 20 September

A panel of judges including Alison Flood, James Crawford and Stuart Cosgrove today reveal the finalists for The McIlvanney Prize 2019.

They include the multi-talented Doug Johnstone who has a PhD in nuclear physics and moonlights as the manager and drummer for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, Manda Scott who studied veterinary surgery before turning to crime writing, a former McIlvanney winner Denise Mina and half a former winner in the form of Ambrose Parry – aka husband and wife writing team Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman.

The winner of the Scottish Crime Book of the Year will be awarded The McIlvanney Prize in memory of William McIlvanney at the opening reception on Friday 20 September and will lead a torchlight procession - open to the public – with David Baldacci on their way down to his event. The award recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, includes a prize of £1000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones.

The judges explained why each book made the final four:

Breakers by Doug Johnstone (Orenda)
A tightly written and compelling exploration of two sides of Edinburgh, touching on social topics rarely examined in crime fiction. A brilliant and moving portrait of family dynamics and loyalty as a young boy struggles to break out of his powerlessness.

A Treachery of Spiesby Manda Scott (Bantam Press)
A powerful, complex and remarkable espionage thriller: a present-day murder links back to Resistance France. An intricately plotted novel which keeps the reader guessing right to the end.

Convictionby Denise Mina (Harvill Secker)
A highly original and timely rollercoaster of a read, a caper which takes the reader on an unforgettable journey from central Glasgow to the Highlands, France and Italy. The novel fizzes with energy and brims over with a love of storytelling.

The Way of All Fleshby Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
Intensely and brilliantly researched piece of writing, casting back to 19th century Edinburgh when the art of surgery was just emerging at the same time as body snatchers were at large on the streets. Vivid, original, compelling, playful.

This year’s judges are Alison Flood, books reporter for The Guardianand a former news reporter for The Bookseller; James Crawford, chair of Publishing Scotland and presenter of BBC series, Scotland from the Sky and Stuart Cosgrove, writer and broadcaster who was formerly a senior executive at Channel 4.

Previous winners are Liam McIlvanney with The Quaker in 2018, Denise Mina with The Long Drop in 2017, Chris Brookmyre with Black Widow in 2016, Craig Russell with The Ghosts of Altona in 2015, Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012. The 2019 winner will be kept under wraps until the ceremony itself.

Five authors are also shortlisted for the inaugural Bloody Scotland Debut Scottish Crime Book of the Year:

All the Hidden Truths by Claire Askew (Hodder)
From the Shadows by G R Halliday (Vintage)
Black Camp 21 by Bill Jones (Polygon)
In the Silence by M R Mackenzie (Bloodhound)
The Peat Dead by Allan Martin (Thunderpoint)
The winner will be revealed on the opening night of the Festival.
 

If you would like to talk to any of the finalists, the judges or the Director of Bloody Scotland Bob McDevitt please contact fiona@brownleedonald.com 07767 431846.

There is a reason I like desk research!

I know what it’s like to be lost in Northumberland. To look all around and see no sign of civilisation, to have not the slightest clue which way to turn. I’ve experienced the feeling of casting a nervous eye on the sky, wondering when (not if) the weather will turn. I’ve checked water supplies, wished I’d brought food along, wondered if I was ever going to make it home. In many ways my predicament was better than that of my protagonist in Dead Woman Walking. I wasn’t injured; nor was I suffering the grief of the recently bereaved. But I did have a child in my care, and the thought that I might have led him into danger…

It had seemed like such a good idea. During my son’s school holiday, he and I would drive north, as far north in England as I’d ever been. (Hal had the benefit of a geography field trip, the wild north was no novelty to him) We’d take our new tent, sleep under the stars, and in the daytime, we’d scout out all the locations for my new book. We’d walk the pilgrim’s trail through the Northumberland National Park that my main character uses to escape danger, we’d brave the tides and drive to Holy Island, we’d find the perfect location for the fictional Wynding Priory. Most of all, we’d have some wonderful mother/son bonding time.

It was all going to be quite a change. I do most of my research safe and warm at my desk in Buckinghamshire. I earn the scorn of fellow crime writers, because I don’t think it necessary to get on a plane to the Caribbean or the south of France every time I start a new book (Research trip. Business expenses. Yeah, right!) Google maps and a few good textbooks have been all I need. 

This time, though, I was going to do it right. I was going to live this book. 

Bloody hell, camping is boring. Stuck under a sticky, damp piece of canvas, with no company but a teenager glued to his iPhone and nothing to see but the surrounding hedge. Trying to keep a groundsheet clean of grass cuttings. Having to trudge half a mile in the night, torch in hand, to go to the loo. Who the hell does that for fun? 

Next up, Hal had no interest in culture. He’d already visited Bamburgh Castle (geography field trip) didn’t like it the first time and had no intention of seeing it again. Nor could I tempt him with Alnwick or Warkworth.

And then, Holy Island is seriously scary. I mean, who drives to a place where you might get stranded if you stay too long? The causeway, a narrow, damp, spit of land that takes you over the sands to the island scared the living daylights out of me: rotting marker posts, danger signs everywhere, sand-strewn tarmac, not to mention all the photographs of half submerged cars, of pensioners trying to outrun the waves, of young children being swept away by the returning tide. I’m exaggerating a bit, but you get the drift. I swear I looked at my watch every five minutes we were on Holy Island. Time to go back? Thank God. Hang on, what if the car breaks down? 

And then, we got lost. Our plan had been to follow St Cuthbert’s Way, an ancient pilgrims’ trail, just as my protagonist does in the book. It’s clearly marked, it’s walked often, we had a very detailed ordnance survey map. What could possibly go wrong? 

Well, maybe we shouldn’t have tried to walk it from the wrong end. Starting in Wooler, the signposts just weren’t in the places we needed them and we soon learned Ordnance Survey isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Within an hour, we’d lost faith in the map. Within two we were going round in circles. Chance got us to a road. The road took us, blistered and weary, back to our campsite where our damp tent gave us a soggy welcome. 

‘Where do you want to have dinner tonight,’ I said to Hal. ‘We could drive to Berwick, find a place overlooking the sea?’

‘Could do.’ Heavy sigh.

I looked at my watch. Four o’clock. It would be a seven-hour drive home. ‘Shall we pack up and go?’ 

‘God yes,’ 

Next time, I’m staying at my desk. 

Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton is published by Bantam Press on 20th April 2017

“A cold nugget in her heart told her that she hadn’t escaped after all, that five, ten, twenty years weren’t enough, that there was no escape and that the day would come when he would find her.”  Just before dawn in the hills near the Scottish border, a young woman is brutally murdered. At the same time, a hot-air balloon crashes out of the sky. There’s just one survivor.  She’s seen the killer’s face – and he’s seen hers. Now he won’t rest until he’s eliminated the only witness to his crime.  Alone, scared, trusting no one, she goes on the run. But the biggest danger of all could be where she least expects to find it.

More information about Sharon Bolton and her books can be found on her website.  You can also find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @AuthorSJBolton