The Bookmarked Q&A... with Michael Dylan
Crime writer Michael Dylan is October's Bookmarked interviewee and the author behind the London-set DI Simon Wise books. The series began with Rich Men, Dead Men in April 2023, and has seen six books published since the character's debut, with the seventh, Don't Get Dead Greedy, released this month.
As well as DI Wise, Michael is also the author of the Jo Batten MI5 thrillers, and the DI Roy Hicks crime series, which is set in Brighton. Away from crime Michael also writes in the dark fantasy genre as Mike Shackle.
London born and bred, Michael now lives in Canada but perfectly captures the grit, grime, history and intensity of the UK's capital city in Wise's intricate and pacey investigations.
Below, he talks about how a celebrity murder inspired the first Wise book, why a man named Mr Pickles was crucial for the Jo Batten novels, and why he'd like to be Dylan, Michael Dylan.
where did the inspiration for the character of DI Simon Wise originate?
The idea for the first book, Rich Men, Dead Men, actually began with a murder a long time ago. On the morning of April 26 1999, BBC presenter Jill Dando stepped outside the front door of her home in Fulham, West London. Seconds later she was dead, killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. The killer, dressed in full motorbike outfit with helmet, left no clues behind.
I followed the case closely at the time. The idea that someone could commit such a shocking murder in broad daylight on a quiet London street — and vanish without trace — stayed with me for years and, eventually, that question became the seed for the novel.
"The idea that someone could commit such a shocking murder in broad daylight on a quiet London street — and vanish without trace — stayed with me for years."
Then I had to think about what sort of detective I wanted to write about. The name was easy — a good friend of mine is called Simon Wise, and I’d always thought that was a great name for a detective. And I wanted him to be smart — but not be egotistical about it. He would more likely put himself down than stick his chest out. ‘Wise by name, pretty stupid by nature’ is more how he views himself.
Finally, I wanted him to look different. And somehow, the image came to me of a big, well-built man in a sharp suit. His new Detective Sergeant describes him as "a gorilla in a suit".
When you’re writing, what comes first, the crime itself, the theme of the novel, or something else?
For me, it starts with a crime, and hopefully a crime that is different from the ones that have come before. Then I work out how the team would investigate that crime which forms the structure of the book, then weave the on-going subplots and personal stuff around it all. With the Wise books, I don’t really think they have a theme as such. They follow a classic police procedural format that readers (including myself) love.
Last year you published the first Jo Batten MI5 spy thriller, then this year released the inaugural DI Roy Hicks novel; why is it important to you to have a variery of different books/characters within the genre?
It’s probably not a smart thing to do in a business sense — I’d be much better off just writing the next Wise — but they are important for me creatively. I need to write different things to keep my mind excited.
"It’s probably not a smart thing to do in a business sense."
The idea for Jo Batten actually dates back some seven or eight years, and I always wanted to write it. As modern events seemed to be catching up to what I had thought back then and, in some cases, outpacing it, I thought if I didn’t write it now, it would miss its moment. It was really tough to write, but I love the book, and people’s reaction to it has been amazing.
How much time do you spend researching the police procedural elements of the Wise stories and, for the Jo Batten thrillers, from where does the research around MI5 come?
I work with the incredible Graham Bartlett, who is the police advisor to Peter James, Mark Billingham and many other authors, as well as being a fantastic author himself. He used to head up Sussex Police, so his knowledge is incredible. When I start writing a new book, I chat with him for an hour or so, going over the crime and learning how the real police would actually investigate it. That framework gives me the spine of the book.
"I was also introduced to someone who I knew only as Mr Pickles, who advised me on all sorts of nefarious things."
I also research locations and all sorts of strange things. I recently planned an armed heist with Google Maps and Street View, working out estimated casualties, how I’d immobilise vehicles and what the escape routes would be. Most of that planning doesn’t make the page because I’m not writing a ‘how to’ manual but everything does have to feel real.
The first Jo Batten book took a long time to come together as it was inspired by lots of things that I was reading. The article that really kicked the whole idea off was in Politico magazine about Russia’s Chaos Warfare. I was also introduced to someone who I knew only as Mr Pickles, who advised me on all sorts of nefarious things, including how to hack MI5.
In the Wise books, one of the central characters is London itself; how important is a sense of place to both you and to your books?
Place is really important, particularly with crime fiction. In 99% of great detective series, the location is almost as important as the character. You couldn’t imagine Morse working anywhere else other than Oxford, or Rebus moving out of Edinburgh. For me, I had to set Wise in London as it’s where I grew up and where I still feel a connection. That link gives the books a sense of authenticity that they need.
you now live in Canada; what do you miss most about London?
I love living where I am now, but I’ll always be a Londoner, and I still feel it in my blood. Whenever I go back, I just start smiling the closer I get to the city and ‘home’. I love the sights, the sounds, the food, the people, and even the smells. There’s history on every corner fighting for space with cutting-edge modernity. There’s really no one else in the world like it.
"I love the sights, the sounds, the food, the people, and even the smells."
I miss being able to go to see Chelsea play with my dad every other week, like I did when I was a kid. Or going vinyl hunting with my friends around Soho. Or having lunch in Spitalfields with my sister. But I do love walking my dog along the beach or wandering through the fishing village I now call home.
What other crime writers do you most admire?
My favourite authors are Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin, Tony Parsons, and Lynda La Plante from the UK, and Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos, and Don Winslow from the US. However, I must give a shout out to the incredible Sean Watkin, who’s Liverpudlian crime novels, Black Water Rising and Better Off Dead, are just incredible — dark, riveting and emotionally powerful stories.
As a successful self-published author, what one piece of advice would you give to other aspiring authors?
Just make the best book you possibly can make, work with the best people you can afford (editors, designers etc) and have fun. It’s not a road to overnight success but it’s a wonderful way to spend your days, and I feel blessed that I get to do this for a living now.
What's the first book you remember loving?
I read so much as a kid. I could devour a book in a few hours. I read all the Secret Seven and Famous Five books by Enid Blyton when I was quite young, and Just William and Billy Bunter and all that kind of stuff. But the book I remember having a really incredible impact on me was Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I was eight at that time. Star Wars had just come out, and it blew my mind.
"The book I remember having a really incredible impact on me was Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs."
Afterwards, my grandmother took me upstairs at her house to see her bookcase. She told me that if I loved Star Wars, I’d love reading about John Carter’s adventures on Mars, and she was right. After that, every week when I visited her, we’d go upstairs to that bookcase and I’d pick another book to take home with me.
Which literary character would you most like to be?
I remember going to see a James Bond double bill of Thunderball and You Only Live Twice with my dad when I was a kid and being blown away. I’ve loved Bond ever since, so I’d have to go with 007. My dad used to have first editions of all the books tucked away up in the attic and I had to beg to read them.
What's your favourite movie/TV show adapted from a book?
At the moment, I’d have to say Slow Horses, but that’s also really predicable. As is choosing The Godfather, Lord Of The Rings … er … Dune … Actually I’ll go with Layer Cake, starring Daniel Craig, based on the book by J.J. Connolly. The film is a million times better.
Which book do you think should be adapted for the screen that, so far, hasn't been?
We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle, The New Spy by Michael Dylan and Rich Men, Dead Men by Michael Dylan
Where's your favourite place to write?
I love my little office at home, especially when the kids are at school and it’s just me and the dog with some music on.
Describe your perfect writing set-up?
I have two monitors so, if I need to do research, I can still keep my manuscript open. I work on a Mac Mini, and have an iPad if I’m out somewhere to write. And I use Scrivener to write with. It’s perfect for my ADHD brain.
What was the last book you read, and would you recommend it?
I read Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman. It’s a brilliantly written tale about a knight and a young orphan in France during the bubonic plague. I’m not sure I can recommend it though, and I’m not sure I enjoyed it. It’s a very dark, unsettling horror.
You can have dinner with four other authors, living or dead, who would you choose?
I’m not great around famous people so I’m not sure I’d enjoy a celebrity meal. However, every couple of weeks I meet up with some author friends in Vancouver for a meal. I love their company and it’s so good for my soul. That’s why I have to pick Ben Galley, Sebastien De Castell, Andy Peloquin and Nicolas Eames
What book do you think you should have read, but still haven't?
Dune, by Frank Herbert.
Which of your own books are you most proud of?
It’s always the latest one. However, I wrote The New Spy during a particularly tough time in my life and there were points when I thought I’d never get it finished. So, that does rate quite high on the list.
How do you organise your bookshelves?
It looks like chaos because I have too many books, but I have two rows of shelves that have my favourites all perfectly lined up. The other shelves, though, are just a mish-mash of books being placed where I have room to fit them in.
"I tried explaining that buying books and reading books are two very different hobbies."
I once kept all my TBR books in one place, but my daughter would count them and snitch about how many I had to my wife. I tried explaining that buying books and reading books are two very different hobbies, but no one believed me, so now they are mixed up all over the place as well.
What are you working on next, and when might we see the next Michael Dylan novel?
Don’t Get Dead Greedy [DI Wise book seven] will be out in October, and then I’m working on the next Jo Batten novel, The Old Foe, which I hope to have out in the new year. If I can, I want to squeeze out another Hicksy misadventure in Brighton as well.
To purchase Michael Dylan's novels on Amazon click here.
If you Are a published author and would like to be considered for a Bookmarked interview, drop me a line at maxelwoodwrites@gmail.com
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