When I began to write, I was surprised at how little London had been used in crime fiction. Places such as Edinburgh or Oxford or L.A. seemed to have stronger identities.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Scottish writers are particularly successful in the crime genre.
I suppose most crime writing is urban. There's not a lot... certainly not in Australia, people don't often set books in the countryside.
London has been used as the emblematic English city, but it's far from representative of what life in England is actually about.
The Thames Torso murders almost fell into my lap. After deciding to use a real historical crime as the focus for the book, I went to Google and searched for unsolved murders in Victorian London, and they basically popped out at me about halfway down the first results page.
It's no secret - I love detective fiction. One of the reasons I love being in London is because I like to watch all the shows on TV. I watch them all. I like 'Detective Frost.'
My neighborhood in South London was very Dickensian.
If you turn a blind eye to fare evasion, if you accustom people to getting away with minor crime, you are making it more likely that they will go on to commit more serious crimes. That is why we have so much disorder in London. It is a disgrace.
I feel like all Londoners relate more to New York - L.A. doesn't feel like a 'city' city. It's like a sleepy town.
London and L.A. are two opposites - I like the difference.
The part of London where I grew up has the highest crime rates in the country.
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