Exploring human passions in fiction

[John Dean]

I am developing a talk that examines writers’ fascination with the way people flout convention, be it legal, ethical or moral. The talk has been inspired, in part, by my recently-published novel A Breach of Trust (Book Folks).

In the novel, a corrupt wealthy industrialist is found dead. When his family shed crocodile tears, DCI John Blizzard turns the screw. Why? Because the closure of the man’s factory in a northern industrial city put many people out of work. Nothing was ever proven, but suspicions of serious financial corruption were rife so when the aged owner is found dead in his home, Blizzard seizes the opportunity to investigate further.

The book sees him confront people with strong beliefs, wealthy industrialists determined to hang onto their wealth, redundant workers seeking justice and left-wing activists fermenting trouble. The strong passions this cocktail mixed up proved fascinating to me as a writer as I examined people’s reasons for crossing the line. It’s a recurring theme in my work.

The book can be purchased at https://www.amazon.co.uk/BREACH-TRUST-Blizzard-murder-mystery-ebook...