Thanks to everyone who came to the Poole Literary Festival yesterday, and to the organisers for such a fine event. I very much enjoyed it and hope everyone who toddled along did too.
A very good question was raised at the Crime Writing Panel, and it was this - can you explain the continuing appeal of crime in literature, particularly when the subject matter can be so very shocking and distressing?
It set me thinking, so I'll do my best to try to venture an answer, in my humble view anyway.
Firstly, if we're honest, I think there's an element of voyeurism to it, a desire to witness events which are outside of our experience, and from the safety of our imaginations. It's a kind of taboo thing, exploring that which is almost unthinkable.
There's the challenge too, the desire to try to outwit the author and uncover the killer, or perpetrator, from amongst a list of suspects. That also is a powerful allure - just look at the enduring popularity of crosswords and other such puzzles.
Finally I think there's a big element of the age old story of a battle between good and evil. In crime writing, you know which side's which and you can root for the good guys and gals and hope they come through.
Those are the main reasons I can think of - I'm sure there are plenty of others, as many as there are readers in fact. But in brief, I'm just glad crime is still appealing, as it provides me with a great pastime in writing it!
Don't forget, if there's a question you'd like to ask about the tvdetective books, or any areas of my writing, you can get in touch via the contacts page of the site - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html and I'll do my best to answer.