John Dean – Crime Writer

I have been asked by several readers recently which themes drive my work and some subjects do spark my imagination more than others and keep coming back to me time and time again.

One is isolation and I find myself writing about people who live in areas like the North Pennines valley in the DCI Jack Harris series of books. The themes that keep bringing me back include the impact that the magnificent but bleak landscape of the northern hills has on people.

The isolation faced by people living in such areas is a terrific theme for a writer because people who feel isolated find their mind playing tricks on them and also experience vulnerability and that can trigger strong reactions in your reader. As someone whose home is a 20 minute walk from our nearest neighbour, I understand it instinctively, particularly when it comes to the role that darkness plays. Those winter days when it is dark by 3pm make and you are alone on the hillside and can’t see beyond the garden fence (if that) make for rich imagery.

I also find myself drawn to the idea of the constant conflict between rural and urban life and what happens when big city criminals venture into the country and a world they do not understand.

Another theme is motive, why people commit crime, which allows you as an author to toy with the reader, presenting a character as good when in fact they have a dark side. It’s classic crime writer’s terrain because it includes the lies that people tell other people and themselves to justify their actions, the lengths they will go to protect their secrets and the feelings of betrayal that such crimes leave behind, including in readers who had grown to like the characters only to be disappointed particularly in families.

I also find myself increasingly drawn to the idea of ageing, the changes in life that colour the reactions of characters as the years pass. Ageing criminals is an interesting theme to explore and I also find the crumbling mind is something that sparks ideas, so dementia is an interesting theme. As is hallucination; I recently underwent brain surgery and the hallucinations that followed for the next two days are something that I may yet return to as the basis for a novel.

All these themes are valuable for the author  because they constantly throw up the new ideas that are crucial to creativity.