Desert Island Crime with Mark Griffin

By Laura Vile
Related Categories: The Crime Vault Exclusives, The Crime Vault Interviews

Welcome to Desert Island Crime, where each week a bestselling crime writer reveals their top chilling titles. This week, we ask Mark Griffin, author of the thrilling Holly Wakefield series to reveal his top picks.

 

Over to you Mark:

 

Sparkling cyanide by Agatha Christie – At thirteen years old, this was my first foray into adult fiction and murder mystery. It had me hooked straight away. Webs were weaved and I had no idea who the killer could be.

 

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle – My first introduction to Sherlock Holmes. The bleak setting, the mist-wrapped manor-house, the isolation of Holmes and Watson away from the busy streets of London heightened the stakes and it’s a theme that I still love to this day.

 

The Name of The Rose by Umberto Eco – I love history and to set a murder mystery in an Italian monastery in the Middle Ages is genius. There is a certain darkness to the novel that permeates every chapter and the final destruction of the abbey is the ultimate finale.

 

Dissolution by C. J. Sansom – Another historical fiction. It’s grim, unforgiving and I loved it.

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson – A strong female lead with a harsh past but incredible resilience. There’s a savagery within Lisbeth Salander, but she elicits such sympathy as well, a beautiful and deadly mix.

 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick – The book is so different to the film (Blade Runner). I was raised in the 70’s and 80’s so was fed a wonderful diet of dystopia with Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World etc. I do love bleak and despair. Perhaps I needs more greens in my diet.

 

The Day of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth – Again, I saw the movie first when I was in my early teens and was gripped. I re-read the book about three months ago and couldn’t put it down. There is very little dialogue. So much action and character work. I could read it again tomorrow.

 

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris – It spawned Hannibal Lector. I thinks that’s all I need to say.

 

 

Mark Griffin’s first book When Darkness Calls is out in paperback and ebook now.  And you can get your hands on the ebook edition of the second book When Angels Sleep here