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Thursday, 7 February 2019

BEST OF CRIME with Andrew Reid

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 




Today I'm delighted to welcome 

ANDREW REID


to share his BEST OF CRIME ...




... AUTHORS
Christopher Brookmyre. His 1999 novel One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night is of particular note as it is custom-written to appeal to a film-obsessed nerd who grew up in the West of Scotland.


... FILMS/MOVIES
Miller’s Crossing. It’s a hypnotically dense film that rewards repeat viewing. Its sole lack is that the cast is overwhelmingly male, but Marcia Gay Harden dominates the screen every time she appears.


... TV DRAMAS
Person of Interest. What starts off as a compelling, if slightly silly, crime-of-the-week detective series spirals off into an amazing piece of speculative fiction about surveillance and Artificial Intelligence.


... FICTIONAL KILLERS
The Jackal, from The Day of the Jackal. His presence as an apparently untouchable avatar of death creates a thrilling tension even though the end of the story – that de Gaulle will survive – is already known. 


... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 
Gregoire de Fronsac, in Brotherhood of the Wolf. For roughly ninety percent of the film, he methodically gathers evidence, smoulders, and carefully negotiates the power plays between 18th Century French nobles. In the denouement, however, he unveils the conspiracy at the heart of the tale by donning war paint and punching every single person involved. It’s unbelievably entertaining.


... MURDER WEAPONS
A can of expanding foam filler. When I was a teenager, the Head of English summoned me to explain myself after I wrote a short story (based on a scene from Stephen King’s The Dark Half) where a home invasion ended with someone asphyxiating on a throat full of foam insulation. It was an awkward conversation.
    

... DEATH SCENES
Maximillian the robot killing Durant in The Black Hole (1979) by driving a whirling blade into his chest. My parents saw it was a Disney film, let me watch it way too early. I had nightmares about that for years.
  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/- a great source for ideas and fact checking when you are reading up on medicines and health.


... WRITING TIPS
Don’t be afraid to put a great idea on the page because you’re “saving” it for later. Books need more than one great idea, and once it’s down then even more interesting stuff will spiral out of it. Trust me.


... WRITING SNACKS
I hit the Pringles pretty hard. They don’t sell salt and vinegar ones here in Stockholm, so it’s Texas BBQ all the way. I had to take up running, I ate so many. 


About ANDREW REID
Born in Scotland, Andrew Reid worked as a research scientist for almost a decade, on projects including DNA synthesis, forensics, and drug development. His short fiction has featured in several anthologies published by fox spirit books and his fantasy novel serial on Wattpad amassed nearly 175,000 reads. The Hunter is his debut novel. 

Find Andrew Reid on his website and on Twitter - @mygoditsraining


About THE HUNTER



Publisher's description
ATTACK IS THE ONLY DEFENCE. 
A troubled genius who vanishes in a mysterious car crash. 
A disillusioned cop sensing conspiracy in the corridors of power. 
A ruthless team of mercenaries operating in the shadows. 
A billion-dollar business that wants the world in its grip. 
One link connects them all. 
A champion fighter. Betrayed and searching for the truth. 
Cameron King is The Hunter. 

The Hunter is published by Headline in paperback on 7 February 2019.


Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

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