From her Q & A at Declan Burke's blog, Crime Always Pays:What crime novel would you most like to have written?Learn about McDermid's literary influences and her hero from outside literature.
ON BEULAH HEIGHT by Reginald Hill. Fascinating characters with real depth, terrific story-telling, beautifully written, it’s as much an elegy to love and loss as it is a crime novel.
What fictional character would you most like to have been?
Jim Hawkins, in TREASURE ISLAND. A great adventure, then coming home to a lifetime of possibilities.
Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.
Most satisfying writing moment?
Solving the. ...[read on]
See Val McDermid's top ten Oxford novels.
--Marshal Zeringue