What Got You Hooked on Crime, Crime Thriller Fella?

Sometimes it all gets too much…

Crime Thriller Fella finds crime of any type exciting, as you might have guessed from his name. Whether it comes in book form, on the silver screen or the small screen, he will read it, review it, muse on it… oh, and he also writes his own novels and screenplays. You can find him chatting about life in the dark lane on his blog or you can engage with him on Twitter, which is where I met him. So today it is with the utmost pleasure that I grill him in a little more depth about his reading habits.

How did you get hooked on crime fiction?

Back in the mists of time I think I must have read the Secret Seven and it’s all been downhill from there. I remember being gripped after picking up one of the Bonds as a kid – Dr. No, I think – and films were a big influence on me. I grew up during a classic age of crime movies – The Godfather, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Get Carter – and I’d go out and find the source material.

Are there any particular types of crime fiction or subgenres that you prefer to read and why?

I’ll read anything, but I guess I tend towards procedurals and psychological thrillers. The books I review for Crime Thriller Fella are all incredibly different, and I like picking up books I’d never usually read. It takes me out of my comfort zone. The crime genre is so diverse. There’s something for everyone.

What is the most memorable book you’ve read recently?

The imagery in Hold The Dark by William Giraldi is powerful and stays with you long after you’ve put it down. Set in Alaska on the edge of civilization, it examines what happens when we come into contact with the primeval forces that we long ago lost inside of us. Or something.

If you had to choose only one series or only one author (crime fiction) to take with you to a deserted island, whom would you choose?

I’d probably have enough to worry about without reading about crime and murder, and other dark themes, but I’d probably take Charles Willeford’s Hoke Moseley novels with me. They always make me smile. Or any book with a photo of the author on it. I could chat to it. It could be my Wilson.

What are you looking forward to reading in the near future?

Neil Gaiman’s Trigger Warning collection. Still haven’t got round to reading the latest William Gibson, and Denis Lehane’s latest novel World Gone By.

Outside your criminal reading pursuits, what author/series/book/genre do you find yourself regularly recommending to your friends?

They don’t listen to anything I have to say, so we mostly drink in tense silence.

Thank you, Crime Thriller Fella, and stay positive! I know just what you mean: my friends ask me for my reading recommendations and then proceed to ignore them, while my family never even ask for them in the first place. As for Charles Willeford – that’s a new author for me, so I’ll be tracking him down shortly. And I love the clone trooper guarding your precious pile of books…

For previous participants in the series, just follow this link. This series depends, of course, on your participation, so please, please let me know via Twitter or comments if you would like to share your criminal passions with us.