Colin Bateman at the Anthony Burgess Centre

A girlfriend who believed in Bateman’s first book convinced him to send it directly to a major publisher. “Divorcing Jack” was retrieved from the Harper Collins slush-pile sixteen years ago and the rest as they say…

Journalist, Dan Starkey, has since featured in eight books and Bateman has also established himself as both screen writer, with Murphy’s Law to his credit, and as a children’s storywriter.

Bateman’s acerbic humour, influenced by Robert B. Parker, which pervades the dialogue and Starkey’s inner thoughts move the pace along and engage the reader. ‘Comedy is not fashionable in crime writing these days,’ he says, ‘if Chandler had been alive today he might be classified in a sub-genre of comic crime’ he suggests.

Where do the characters come from? He writes about what he knows; journalism and life in the Troubles. However, it is an exagerrated representation of his own personal history, Starkey would fight or wisecrack his way out of trouble whereas when the chips are down Bateman would ‘scream like a girl.’

And the question we all want to ask. How does he write? He writes a chapter a day, probably finished by lunchtime, his journalistic training grounding him in writing quickly. When he is writing he tends to read little fiction as he feels it is all too easy to be influenced by others.

He had two dreams when he was younger, to be a writer and to play for Liverpool. He is still waiting for the call from Dalgliesh…

Host Nicholas Royle speculates that Bateman’s experience in Northern Ireland gave him the character and courage to stand before an audience in Manchester, the home of the greatest football team in the world, who play in blue…


Guilt by Lynn Steinsondp_seal_trans_16x16 Colin Bateman at the Anthony Burgess CentreCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 Lynn Steinson
Guilt by Lynn Steinsondp_seal_trans_16x16 Colin Bateman at the Anthony Burgess Centre
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About Lynn Steinson

Author of psychological thrillers "Deluded" and "Guilt" about members of The Sun pub quiz team.
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