The Geography Of Murder

The Penguin interweb thingy is hosting a fascinating essay by Ingrid Black to mark the publication of THE JUDAS HEART, in which the delectable Ms Black (right) delves into the dark art of ‘geographical profiling’ as a tool for tracking killers, to wit:

“The obsession with geography which inevitably grips any crime writer who claims a city as their own and tries to stamp their own personality on it is not mere self-indulgence or authorly vanity, though. It’s an essential counterpart to what the killer, that invisible and unknown protagonist who haunts the pages of every crime novel – the ghost in the machine of the narrative, as it were – does too. The only person who knows the city as well as the detective is the perpetrator. They match their knowledge of the city one against another. Killers have an intimate and profound relationship with landscape. Think of Jack the Ripper, the Moors Murderers, the Green River Killer, or Moscow’s so-called “Chessboard Killer” who lured all his 50-plus victims to Bitsevsky Park in the city after dark. What strange synchronicity must they all have felt to those dangerous places? Mapping the connections between an offender and the space through which he moves and in which he operates is the ultimate aim of geographical profiling, which, whilst lesser known than the psychological profiling made famous in such films as Silence Of The Lambs, is increasingly being used by police to identify possible suspects.”

So – the Big Question: which fictional killer do you – yes, YOU! – most closely associate with his or her killing ground?

The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books

This week’s competition comes courtesy of those wonderfully helpful and generous folk at Penguin (hi, Katya), who are giving away three copies of Ingrid Black’s latest novel in the Saxon series, THE JUDAS HEART, which is officially released on Thursday, November 25. To be in with a chance of winning your gratis copy, just answer the following idiotic question:

Is Ingrid Black …?
(a) Benjamin Black’s daughter;
(b) Benjamin Black’s mother;
(c) Neither, you moron, they’re both pseudonyms.

If you think you know the answer, drop us a mail at dbrodb(at)gmail.com, putting ‘Neither, you moron’ in the subject line, before noon on Monday 29. Bon chance, mes amis …

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?” # 894: Ingrid Black

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time again, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...
What crime novel would you most like to have written?
THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco.
Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
Joanna Farrell, author of the classic SIMPLY CHOCOLATE – 100 TEMPTING RECIPES. Who needs literature anyway?
Most satisfying writing moment?
The last page!
The best Irish crime novel is …?
THE STATEMENT by Brian Moore.
What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
Mine and only mine. Don’t want anybody else getting the deal!
Worst / best thing about being a writer?
The two best things are starting and finishing. The worst thing is that long bit in the middle.
The pitch for your next novel is …?
Well, somebody dies ... and I think by the end you’ll know who did it. Who are you reading right now?
Martin McDonagh, THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE.
The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Atmospheric. Wry. Pacy.

Ingrid Black’s THE JUDAS HEART is published on October 25