It’s great to see the wealth of talent that comes from Peterborough and we’re pleased to see one of our local authors is back with another in his series of successful crime novels.
Peterborough author Ross Greenwood has had more great reaction to his latest book, The Cold Killer, set in and around the city in his popular DI Barton series.
His DI Barton character works at Thorpe Wood police station and the crimes in his latest storyline occur in Longthorpe, Glinton’s Nine Bridges, Sugar Way and Peterborough prison so the local links will certainly add realism for any readers living in Peterborough.
Ross used to work at HMP Peterborough and told ESP that’s given him lots of inspiration.
“It’s quite tricky to think of new ideas because there are about 400,000 books a year published,” says Ross . “I wanted to do something different, so I used my prison knowledge. This book starts with a death in custody, which should be new ground for most people. Barton knows that the person who did it has to be on the wing, but people are getting transferred or released shortly, which makes solving the crime urgent.”
DI Barton is a popular character in Ross’s novels so how has this character developed throughout the series?
“Barton is about my age (48), so he’s beginning to feel his age. Being in the police for 25 years takes its toll, so he’s getting a bit frayed around the edges, but he’s good at his job and believes in what he’s doing, so he perseveres.
“There are some dark themes, murder obviously, but I touch on historic child abuse. The death in custody occurs on the VP wing of the prison where sex offenders are kept. Barton is also under pressure at home because his mother comes to stay due to not being able to look after herself. Classic sandwich generation, caught between young children and aging parents, which I’m experiencing myself!”
How do you get into the DI Barton mindset – is he a character that’s always floating about in your head?
“Yes, he’s never far away. He’s based a bit on my personality, so it’s not too hard. I’m often thinking of ways to get away with crimes. It’s not easy with all the CCTV and DNA help that the police get. My Google search history would be worrying taken out of context.”
Having penned a series of successful stories now we wonder if Ross feels like a seasoned author and whether he’s developed more as a writer?
“The Barton series has sold 150,000 copies now, which is hard to believe. I hope I’ve improved! You learn all the time. The big things to focus on are to keep the pace moving along and make the characters likeable or at least relatable, or no one cares too much about what happens to them.
“Nothing is as exciting and nerve wracking as your first book, but you’re still anxious, especially waiting for the first reviews. As you write more, you realise the publishing game is very fickle and some books sell and others don’t. My old publisher said they never knew which was going to fly off the shelves and which were going to get dusty.”
You can’t beat curling up with a good book over the winter months so we’re sure this one won’t be left on the shelf.
The Cold Killer will be available in November on Amazon in Audio, Kindle and paperback.
Ross adds – “Hopefully anyone will enjoy it - certainly, if you come from Peterborough because you’ll know the area. I deliberately made it not too gruesome, and Barton and his crew and family are all people who you’d like to know. There are plenty of laughs on the way to hopefully solving the crime!”
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