99: Simon Mason: Crime, Class and Chaos in The Dangerous Stranger

This week on In My Good Books, I’m joined by award-winning crime writer Simon Mason to discuss his latest novel, The Dangerous Stranger — the fifth instalment in his DI Ryan Wilkins series.Set in Oxford, the series follows mismatched detective duo Ryan Wilkins and Ray Wilkins — two men who share a surname but could not be more different. In this episode, Simon talks about creating one of modern crime fiction’s most compelling detective partnerships, why their differences make them work so well, and how their relationship has evolved across the series.Along the way, we chat about:Why Simon deliberately gives readers just enough backstory to jump into the series at any pointThe inspiration behind Ryan and Ray’s unusual dynamicHow little police procedural research he actually doesWhy entertaining the reader always comes firstHis move from children’s fiction into adult crime writingThe pressures and pleasures of writing a long-running crime seriesSimon also shares some brilliant book recommendations, including Lazare by Nelio Biedermann and the work of Flannery O'Connor.Buy The Dangerous Stranger: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-dangerous-stranger-the-latest-instalment-in-the-pacy-oxford-set-di-ryan-wilkins-series-simon-mason/f6322c01045ab322?ean=9781529439595&next=t