Blog Tour: Exclusive Q&A with Mark Billingham and review of his new book Die Of Shame

The Crime Warp is so lucky to have dragged Mark Billingham away from novel writing and his collaboration with  My Darling Clementine in their The Other Half tour, to answer a few questions for us about his latest novel Die Of Shame

Liz: I found it really refreshing to read a crime fiction novel that
explored rehabilitative therapies and recovery, as well as the effects
of addiction on the life and families of the addicts.   Die of Shame
explores various forms of addiction in great detail I wondered if
you could summarise what lasting impression you want the reader to take with them regarding addiction?

Mark: Well, thanks for the kind words. What’s important first and

foremost is that readers find the book entertaining. It’s certainly not supposed to be didactic in any way. But, if they were to take away an impression regarding addiction, I would dearly love it to be that addiction is not just a disease and is certainly not something caused simply by chemical hooks in whatever drug is being taken, but is far more to do with a lack of connection. The majority of those dealing with addiction have dealt with trauma of some sort. They have suffered from isolation and do not have the bonds with others that the majority of people enjoy. All the evidence points to this and to treat addicts as criminals seems to me inhumane and ignorant.

Liz: Do you think there is always a ‘shameful’ incident combined with a later ‘triggering ‘incident that puts people on the road to addiction? 

Mark: Not always, but there is usually trauma and when that is

combined later on by isolation and fear, drink and drugs can offer the only solution. Sometimes, they are the only things an individual can bond with. The only way to cope with the terrible inability to be present in your own life.

Liz: Now, Mark, imagine you have complete control of the UK purse strings (and to be honest I suspect you might do a better job than those that actually do have control), what initiatives would you implement to help addicts in the UK?

Mark: Very simply, I would decriminalise all drugs, immediately. I would ensure they were regulated and that existing addicts received proper medical care and counselling. The money saved in pursuing a pointless war on drugs and in demonising addicts would pay for this easily. This has been done with enormous success in Portugal, where rates of addiction and HIV have plummeted, as has crime. It just seems like common sense to me…

Liz: Now, moving onto a different topic.  I’ve noticed that you focussed more on Helen Weeks as lead detective in Time Of Death and In the Dark, which are being televised on BBC later this year, and Die of Shame too has a female lead detective, in Nicola Tanner.  I wondered how you find the process of writing from a female perspective?

Mark: Well it’s nice to step out of your comfort zone and, to be honest, if I just wrote from the point of view of a bloke in his mid-

fifties I would get bored very easily, as would my readers. It’s great to step into the shoes of a woman in her forties, or a teenager, or an old man. That’s the job, as far as I’m concerned. I hugely enjoyed writing about Nicola Tanner. In many ways she is the Anti-Thorne and it was fun spending time with her. Actually, I couldn’t bear to say goodbye to her and she and Thorne are teaming up in the novel I’m currently writing. There will be fireworks.

Liz: I look forward to that Mark.  Last but not least.  Are you going to do a ‘Lee Child’ and have a wee cameo role?   

Mark: Actually, I HAVE got a cameo role. Viewers will need to keep their eyes peeled during a very important courtroom scene in episode one…

Liz:  Thanks very much for your time, Mark.  Lovely to talk to you.

Now if any of you out there want to buy Die Of Shame click here    for  the Amazon Link.
If you fancy buying a ticket for My Darling Clementine's The Other Half tour click here

The Crime Warp Reviews:  Die Of Shame by Mark Billingham


‘The circle is a safe place.  It cannot be broken or violated and that which is discussed within it should never be taken outside’
… but what happens when something from outside is taken into the circle.  Die Of Shame is Mark Billingham’s newest novel and it takes us into the world of the rehabilitating addict.  Billingham probes deep and searches hard into the soul of the addict and delivers an utterly compelling story that makes the paranoia and self-destruction of the struggling addict very real.  Billingham makes no apologies for writing it as it is and this is a profoundly moving, albeit, fictional account of the addicts’ struggles. 

A group of six addicts meet weekly with psychologist Tony De Silva.  They suffer from a variety of addictions and the group provides security and support for them.  Then, one of the group is murdered and all of a sudden loyalties become divided and the sanctity of the circle is put in doubt.  Billingham skilfully weaves the addicts’ stories from the past to the present, leaving the reader to piece together the cues leading to the death of one group member.  A strong female protagonists and a wealth of believable characters make this an enjoyable read.  A must read for Billingham fans or those keen to experience a gritty novel with heart and honesty.