The Good Books, Gordon J. Brown: ‘Stephen King nearly got me fired from my job as a bar man because I couldn’t put his books down’

Founder of crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, Gordon J. Brown, talks about his love of Stephen King, why he could never finish Lord of the Rings, and the latest book from Denzil Meyrick after his death. 

The first book I remember reading:

Although I read The Famous Five and The Secret Seven when I was young, the first book that really sticks in mind was The Hardy Boys – What Happened At Midnight. I loved the series. The idea that boys could get involved in grown up crime cases was magical. It was only in later life that I discovered that Franklin W. Dixon, the credited writer of the Hardy Boys, was fictional and that there was a series of ‘ghost’ writers over the years who penned the books. Of late a friend of mine discovered a whole pile of Hardy Boys on sale at a book fair, and I’m now reading them in between other books.

A book I recommend to everyone:

There are two books I’d recommend. The first, a leftfield choice, is Nightmare Blue by Gardner Dozois and George Alec Effinger. A story of aliens trying to conquer the world and the last hope for humanity lies with a German private detective and an alien slave that resembles an octopus. I’ve read it half a dozen times. The other is 11/22/63 by Stephen King – a time travelling piece of wonder revolving around the assassination of John F Kennedy. That was a true ‘can’t put down’ book.

The best book I have read in this year:

I loved The Secret by Lee and Andrew Child. I’ll admit to personally knowing Andrew but the Jack Reacher series was a favourite of mine long before I met him. The Secret is not your typical Reacher book, and that’s what appealed so much to me. For a start it’s set in 1982 when Jack was a recently demoted member of the Military Police, well before his days of wandering the backwaters of the United States. In addition, Reacher is not a loner in this one, but part of a team. I felt the book gave the series some real freshness, all be it the puzzle-solving, hard-fighting Reacher is still at the core of the novel.

The book I am most looking forward to:

Sadly, Denzil Meyrick died earlier this year. Denzil was a great writer, on the top of his form when he passed. He was also someone who helped me a lot. His Daley series was a real tour de force in Scottish crime writing but when he moved publishers he put Daley on hold for a few years. This summer Daley is returning in a book called Last Orders. It’s devastating to think that there will be no more of this wonderful series – but I’m sure Last Orders will be wonderful.

A book I didn’t finish:

I’ve attempted to read Lord of the Rings on a number of occasions and never got anywhere near the end. I flew through The Hobbit but there is something about Lord of the Rings that I can’t stick with. In truth there are quite a few books that I have never finished. With so many books to choose from and, as I get older, I’ve neither the patience, or spare time, to persevere with a book that I’m not enjoying.

An author that has inspired me:

Stephen King, specifically, his book Christine – a novel that nearly got me fired from my job as a bar man because I couldn’t put the darn thing down. The other author is James Herbert, again a single book springs to mind – The Fog, a horror story about a mist that escapes from a crack in the earth and turns people insane. Why this book? Well as a kid my grandmother said she’d get me a new book from the library. For reasons that were never clear she brought back The Fog. For a teenager the content was more than a little eye opening. 

The book I am reading now:

I’m on a JD Kirk binge at the moment, although I stopped to read An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris for the new Bloody Scotland podcast I’m part hosting. As for JD Kirk I’m reading The Last Bloody Straw from his DI Logan series – the fourth of his books I’ve read in a row. His turn of phrase is a real treat. And can I put a shout in for Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin.

Morgan Cry is the pseudonym of Gordon J. Brown, crime author and a founding director of the crime writing festival, Bloody Scotland. The Cost by Morgan Cry (Severn House) is out now.

Read more of The Good Books here.

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