Thriller Women

SH: Thank you! I studied psychology at university, and started out with a ‘proper job’ in HR. I enjoyed it, but I always had stories in my head, snippets of bits and bobs that wouldn’t leave me alone. After a few abandoned efforts, I eventually managed to shape a novel, and this coincided with a time when I wasn’t enjoying my job. My son was about to start school and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new. So, I quit, submitted my novel to agents and – long story short, many rejections later – here I am!

SH: I was watching a lot of David Fincher (strange how you mention this below) – Se7en, Fight Club, Mindhunter – and really liked the bleakness of it all. The scratchy nature of the filming, the unrelentless rain, the dark. I knew I wanted to write something where I didn’t hold back, in both the language and the content, and the thought occurred to me about serial killers. In this age, where culturally serial killers are frequently regarded as ‘celebrity’ I knew it would be too much for a sadistic killer to resist. And, with all that ego and narcissism, they would want to take it one step further. And The Echo Man was born!

SH: A huge amount. I read over two dozen serial killer biographies, and many more on the subject of profiling and the psychology of psychopaths. I have friends who help me with both the policing and the medical side of things, as well as textbooks on police procedure and anatomy. I have an old, battered copy of Simpson’s Forensic Medicine - invaluable for anything involving the forensic pathology of a dead body. (Of which there are many in the book...)

SH: My short attention span helps! I love reading and writing stories that move fast, so it comes naturally to have things go at quite a clip. I do plot, but only after a base draft is written. I’ll write that very quickly – often five to six thousand words a day – then once that’s done, go back with my whiteboard and index cards and post-it notes, and rigorously plot to make sure all the clues fit and the balance of characters is right.

SH: I was writing it alongside some other work, and I also felt quite tentative at the beginning. I’d write a few thousand words, then send it to my agent for his views – and reassurance! Each time he’d tell me to carry on and offer suggestions for change. It took me four months to write a first draft, then a further five to get it into a decent shape.


TW: Elements of the book reminded us of a Thomas Harris novel, or even the David Fincher movie Se7en, in the sense that elements of the story were quite gruesome. What would be your response to readers who felt the book was too explicit, and that it takes the serial killer narrative too far?

SH: I accept The Echo Man isn’t for everyone. But serial killers are, by nature, very violent and nasty, so if you’re going to take the plunge and write about them, my feeling is it shouldn’t be sanitised or vanilla. I wanted to represent their crimes as the abhorrent acts they are. It’s not pleasant, and shouldn’t be shown as such.

SH: I knew nobody in publishing so applied through the slush pile submissions process. He liked my book, we met, got along, and the rest is history. I’m not sure what he’d say about me – probably that I’m ridiculously impatient – but he’s incredibly knowledgeable about the industry and is excellent company. He also delivers an epic motivational speech when needed.

SH: Yes! Well, kind of. Next up is The Twenty (disclaimer: title may change). It’s set in the same world as The Echo Man, but is a stand-alone with a completely new case and cast of characters. It’s about a serial killer counting down from twenty (with a trail of dead bodies, of course), but it’s much more than that. It’s about past trauma and hidden fears, lost love, and the duality of personality – for better or for worse. Like The Echo Man, it’s quite a ride! Cara makes a few cameos though, so you’ll get an update on what she’s been doing since.

SH: To get words down. The old adage of ‘you can’t edit a blank page’ is so true – and the beauty of a book is often not clear until after the edit.


Quick fire questions:

SH: I’m currently preparing to moderate a panel at CrimeFest, so have been reading all the books by those authors. It’s been a great way to discover new books – I read Cold Reckoning by Russ Thomas (out 12 th May), and loved DS Adam Tyler, so am now going back to read the whole series.

SH: Walking the dog, running, or just chilling out on the sofa. I love writing, so day to day life isn’t that stressful!

TW: Your favourite book of all time?

SH: The horror of having to choose! There are very few books I’ve read more than once – the exceptions to this being The Crow Road by Iain Banks, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. A real range. The Crow Road gave me my first taste of crime writing – and I loved it.

SH: I adore all overly dramatic American medical dramas, so Grey’s Anatomy, New Amsterdam, Code Black – that sort of thing. I’ve only just discovered Chicago Med so am happily making my way through all seven series. Never feel guilty for it though 

SH: I am the rarest of creatures – the writer who doesn’t doesn't drink. So I'd have to say tea. However, I am partial to the occasional glass of fizz.

Thanks Sam!

More about The Echo Man:

The murders have begun...