Last year will be a tough act to follow – top interviews, panels, reviews and festival coverage but naturally we are aiming to up our game. Here’s the kick off for January:
The first show on In Person With Paul was recorded live at Newcastle Noir where I caught up with new writing team Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger. We chatted about their collaboration Son, the first novel in a Norway set series features a police consultant psychologist, Kari Voss, who has a very particular expertise. While investigating the murder of two teenagers in a small village just outside Oslo her own past comes back to haunt her. As Johana is French and Thomas Norwegian they have worked together in English to bring this new venture to life. We talk about some of the hurdles they had to overcome in that. Beware when you read the book, released in March, the denouement is heartbreaking.
It was also a pleasure to finally pin down Rob Parker, The Troubled Deep, for a chat not just about the new book but everything he does for the crime community and young aspiring writers. His talent, belief and perseverance could bolster any budding writer’s nerve. This is Parker’s first Cam Killick novel for Hodder and I can safely say the crime fiction world would love to see it become a big hit.
A few months ago I spoke to Bond franchise writer Kim Sherwood, actually for my book An Encyclopedia of Spy Fiction, 2026, but the chat was a lot of fun and so I’ve shared it on the podcast. I love the depth of thought that has gone into her characters for her double ‘O’ series.
And I like to think we got a little coup to end the month attracting a very special guest, (out 27/1). I chat to Dame Stella Rimington, the former Director General of MI5 and popular thriller writer about her new novel The Hidden Hand. After eight Liz Carlyle of MI5 novels, this is the second to feature CIA agent Manon Tyler. For my money this is her best book, both literary and terrifying in its relevance. The Prince Andrew and the Chinese spy affair broke in time to reveal the zeitgeist of this novel. Dame Stella wasn’t one of the first women in British intelligence but she was among a cohort who tackled the misogyny of the organisation making it more inclusive on the way to becoming the first woman to lead the organisation and to be acknowledged in public.
The finale of Season 7 of #OnTheSofa with Victoria was another show recorded live in front of an audience, this time at Waterstones in Reading, worth a visit if you don’t know it. Apart from the engaging rapport between Victoria and her guest TM ‘Tim’ Logan the crowd got involved in an intriguing and entertaining discussion. Victoria is busy working away on her next novel at the moment but I have no doubt Season 8 is percolating in her mind as we go to press. More anon.
Finally, the review show for January will be out on 24th and it’s an eclectic mix as ever; popular sellers, blockbuster new titles and a few top notch indie novels too. Check it out if you’re looking for something to read, be it humorous or dark.
So I’m off now to make sure February on Crime Time FM is as intriguing and entertaining as January.
