Hands Across the Ocean Ask me what my favourite British crime movie is, and you’re likely to get a rather guilty pause before I answer. You see, anyone with connections to the North East of England is supposed to say Get Carter. It’s kind of hardwired into the northern cultural consciousness. But the reality is… [Continue Reading]

The Seduction of Violence By Julia Madeleine I like violence. I like it in movies, on my TV and in books. I like MMA fighting. It gives me an adrenaline rush, increases my heart rate, has me holding my breath, my entire body tensing. I like Jason Statham, old marital arts movies with Bruce Lee,… [Continue Reading]

Ben Wheatley’s Kill List and My Unsettling Films List Late last night I attended a packed screening of Kill List and to say that it fucked me up is to put it tres-fucking-mildly. Wheatley’s debut film Down Terrace is one of the true sleepers of the last decade, a crime film by turns loose and… [Continue Reading]

Shooting off about Guns by Eric Beetner Here’s my dilemma: I don’t care for guns. They make me nervous. I think the streets would be safer without them. I’d never have one in my house. Perfectly fine, you say. I’ll never be elected to public office with views like that but that’s not the issue… [Continue Reading]

Fuck (Some of) Tha Police When it comes to crime fiction, especially in the UK, the police procedural is king, and it’s no secret I’m not much of a fan. My issues with the sub-genre boil down to my distaste for cheap characterisation and sociological Manichaeism, and my fundamental belief that the circumstances of crime… [Continue Reading]

When I was writing my first book I dreamed about getting published, but didn’t think much about what interviewers would ask me if I did. I supposed they would enquire about my life, and where I got the idea for the novel, but never imagined I’d have to be a spokesperson for an entire genre.… [Continue Reading]

Some Unsolicited Advice Regarding Advice by Eric Beetner The worst writing advice ever is also probably the most common: Write what you know. For anyone out there thinking of writing that amazing novel you know lives inside you, please, for the love of all that is Holy, DO NOT WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. Make something… [Continue Reading]