I’ve loved crime fiction since I was a kid. My dad got me into authors like Agatha Christie and James Hadley-Chase from a young age. Point Horror books were also a firm favourite in my early teens. As I got older, I veered more towards psychological thrillers like James Patterson and Karin Slaughter. TV-wise, I love the gritty British crime classics like Prime Suspect, Cracker and Touch of Frost.

It starts with a visual snippet in my head, maybe a scene between two characters. Sometimes, I might come across a compelling real-life location. Either way, these seeds start to grow and I gradually knit them together. I talk more about character development in my blog

Absolutely, yes. Whilst my books aren’t directly based on real cases, I’ve drawn inspiration from my experiences to give my writing authenticity. I’m privileged to work with some absolute heroes, so it’s hard not to be inspired by them when I’m creating my characters.

I’d say my work intersects noir, psychological thriller and police procedural. As a serving detective, I do my best to weave procedural realism into my stories. I’m also really keen to add to the growing diversity of UK crime fiction, which is reflected in my characters and some of the issues they face.

There’s an element of meticulous planning. There’s nothing worse than writing a truly gripping sequence, only to later realise that it doesn’t fit with the characters’ shift patterns or some similar stumbling block. I find that ‘gridding’ the sequence of the main events helps me get the right structure; but I allow room for spontaneous scenes to develop organically too.

I do my best to write about crimes that I’ve had experience investigating. I’m also fortunate to have friends I can call on if I need some deeper insight into a specific area of policing. Of course, I also draw on my previous experiences as a child protection social worker too.

For me, it’s getting the character’s psychology right and ensuring they behave in accordance with that. I spend a lot of time reverse-engineering the person in my mind’s eye, trying to work out what’s led them to this point. The other challenge, especially for villains, is trying to identify some of their endearing qualities. It might be that they’re genuine characteristics (i.e. as a person, they’re not all bad) or a mask of pro-social traits that allows them to hide in plain sight.

It’s a tricky balance. My work deals with a lot of social issues (child abuse, domestic abuse, children in care) and I tend to portray them in a dark, gritty way. You’ll also see from my blog that I draw on any number of contemporary safeguarding issues. The levity often comes from, say, the banter between Louis and his colleagues or Connor’s cutthroat sense of humour. I think the entertainment and indeed the social commentary arises from the way my characters interact with the issues they’re faced with.

Through Louis and Connor, I explore trauma, loss and resilience. I love throwing a spotlight on that interplay because it feels honest and hopeful. My experience has been that people can achieve tremendous things in spite of horrific life events. Sometimes, that’s down to the love and care of others; sometimes, it’s down to the sheer bloody-mindedness and indomitable nature of the human spirit. I can’t wait to bring my readers more through the exploration of characters like Sabina and Damien, who are carrying some dark secrets.

I’m grateful every day for my readers and the time they take to not only read my work but also interact with my social media and blog. It’s always wonderful to receive praise and compliments for my writing, but one thing I absolutely love is hearing about how certain characters grab their hearts. Connor is a great example. People often ask me whether he will be alright in the end – the frustration and worry on their faces when I tell them I don’t know is really something! I get similar reactions when I can’t reassure them that Louis’ love-life is going to run smoothly. To evoke such strong reactions through my characters feels like a real privilege.

Start at the beginning with Care & Control. You could read The Voodoo Room first and it would make sense, but you’d get the spoilers without any of the build-up. They are quite different books, as I mention in my blog, so it’s worth experiencing both. Once you’ve got those under your belt, check out the vignettes within my blog – these are just some fun, cheeky snippets involving your favourite characters that nevertheless add an extra dimension.