Analysis of published crime novels.

[John Barnett]

One of the most useful things a budding novelist can do is to examine current crime fiction to see how a crime novel is constructed, how it works if you like. This can be a very time consuming business but will put you ahead of 90% of other writers if you can do it.

[Simon]

You're right, John. I'm reading all sorts at the moment - got three on the go at once: Mo Hayder's Ritual, John Harvey's Gone to Ground and The Price of Darkness by Graham Hurley. What are you reading?

[John Barnett]

At the moment, I'm reading Stephen Booth Dancing with the Virgins , Black Dog and One lLast Breath.

He writes great Police Procedurals about my local Force, Derbyshire Constabulary. At the moment I'm looking at how he is building the relationship between DS Diane Fry and the main protagonist DC Ben Cooper.

Fascinating stuff.

[Simon]

Yeah, I read Blood on the Tongue and liked it. That's one of the things I am working on at the minute: the relationship between two detectives who are also friends. It's more difficult than if there is tension between characters.

[John Barnett]

Even friends hae disagreements, the main point to expolore I suppose is their methods of working. Dalzeil and Pascoe are a case in point. Even as friends, working together and if they socialise together, they are in each others pockets so to speak.

[Simon]

Yeah, I agree. My two have a relationship that is more akin to Starsky and Hutch than Dalziel and Pascoe or Regan and Carter, but they are good coppers. There's obviously a level of tension that comes from the nature of their work, and the occasional disagreement is unavoidable, but they are friends above colleagues. What about your characters? Do they have a rocky relatoinship?

[John Barnett]

My lead is a cranky Australian guy called Cunningham who likes to shall we say bend the rules a bit when he can. He is a bit of a ladies man, as well as the Aussie Rules Football and the new DS is right up his street. I'm trying to avoid comedy but Jack Cunningham can't help it. He's took on a life of his own,

God Help Blackpool

[Simon]

Great name, great idea to have a protagonist that can look at the UK as an outsider. Being an Australian, I imagine he's not one to keep his opinions to himself?

[John Barnett]

Definitely not. his greatest gripe is British brewed Fosters Lager. "It tastes like something that a Kangaroo would p**s out on a thursday after the match."

[Simon]

Of all the Australians I've met, their biggest gripe (after Fosters) is the class system that underpins UK society. I think that could make for a fantastic commentary on our society. Never tried Australian Fosters, but now I definitely want to.

[C. M. Albrecht]

Simon, I'm glad you thought to mention a friendship between two detectives. In so many books and films, the detectives dislike one another but have to work together. This creates an excuse for a lot of extra tension during the investigation, but it's also sort of run of the mill. So far my detectives have partnered up pretty well. They dón't always agree, but they don't hate each other for something that happened in the past. They don't even dislike each other. In a novel I'm working on right now, River Road, the only partner the detective has is his cat, Toby, who thinks he's a dog. I guess Toby likes his partner as much as any cat likes anyone. But since he thinks he's a dog, maybe he just doesn't know how to express his inner feelings. But by golly like any good partner, he helps solve a murder.