Q: What connection do you have to Northern Ireland?
A: I first visited Northern Ireland in the 1990s but I am an outsider. However, so is my
hero Harry, and the book was written from that perspective. The story is not about
the Troubles, but the fictional murders and events are set during that terrible time.
Q: How can humour be used in such a setting?
A: Comedy is a tough subject to analyse and is best when kept simple. However, my
humour comes from the characters and situations, and I have tried to make a
distinction between describing the real events and those entirely fictional ones and
only injecting humour into the latter.
Q: Was there anything you put in the book which made you hesitate given the
sensitivities?
A: Not really. I thought long and hard about how to construct the novel. The only time
I hesitated was when I wondered about introducing a reading about one of the
murders. My wife told me not to, but in Carrickfergus I did ask ‘What do you want; a
murder of a Catholic or a Protestant?’ This generated at first a gasp … and then loud
laughter.
Q: Will Harry and The Squad return in another book?
A: I plan three books in this series with ‘Dead On’ being written now with a tentative
publication date of early Summer 2025. The third in the series will be my favourite
title so far, ‘Never A Happy Ending’. The question is, who is it going to end badly for?
