The biggest qualification to be a good police officer is to have a high degree of emotional intelligence.

I travel abroad constantly on book promotion and research, and the Internet is invaluable to me for accessing U.K. news in places such as America, which most of the time hasn't heard of England.

I like dogs. Dogs don't judge people.

Police do get obsessed with solving crimes. You know, particularly if there's been a murder, it becomes personal for the police officer very quickly, and it gets to the family. Even after they've retired, they carry on, not letting go.

I guess a lot of police keep their sanity by developing black humour.

Music is an important part of my writing process.

Brighton is a beautiful seaside city, but it's got a dark underbelly.