An awful lot of thriller writers write women rather badly. So just doing it OK gets a lot of credit.

We’re all good when it suits us, he used to say: that doesn’t count. It’s when you want so badly to do something wrong—when you’re about to make a fortune from a dishonest deal, or kiss the lovely lips of your neighbor’s wife, or tell a lie to get yourself out of terrible trouble—that’s when you need the rules. Your integrity is like a sword, he would say: you shouldn’t wave it until you’re about to put it to the test.

Without books I would not have become a vivacious reader, and if you are not a reader you are not a writer.

I aim to be translucent, so you don't notice the words, just their meaning. I haven't much insight into people's motivations.

Hunger is the best seasoning.

I don't think there's any great mystery to writing female characters, so long as you talk to them. If you lived in a monastery and never met any women, maybe it would be difficult.

I might not be a good socialist, any more than I'm a good Christian, but I am one.