Murder, Mysteries, and Twists: Mari Hannah Talks Crime Writing, Gruesome Research, and Her New Thriller
Read our exclusive interview with crime writer Mari Hannah below. Don't forget to book tickets to Mari's event at Alnwick Story Fest 2nd March 2025. Tickets selling out fast.
Buckle up, crime fiction fans, because Mari Hannah is here to thrill you. With a background in criminal justice, a partner who’s an ex-murder detective, and a killer knack for weaving intricate plots, Mari is the expert in gripping, gritty mysteries.
Here we tracked her down for a quick interview:
What do you love about writing crime?
Everything. Storytelling is my passion. It never feels like work. I try to hook my readers from the first page and never let up. My opening is key. If I get that right, the rest will follow. But first I must convince myself that my idea has the legs to carry 100/120 thousand words. That’s the scary part! Once I’m convinced, I start by creating a protagonist that readers will grow to love—and an equally sinister villain. Putting the puzzle together is what fires my imagination: setting up the mystery, blindsiding readers, holding onto reveals, creating good plot twists. From set up to resolution, the clues are there. It’s a question of whether readers can find them. It’s a game we both love to play.
How do you research the gruesome murders?
All writing is research, whether I’m hunting for a suitable crime scene or investigating an aspect of the story, like the geology of the place where the victim was found, a forensic science or CSI issue or the psychological makeup of a suspect. Coming from a criminal justice background, it was my job to explore the dark side of human nature, to analyse offending behaviour and the impact of crime on victims. And with an ex-murder detective partner, I have the procedural elements of a police investigation covered.
What do you read when you're not writing?
The only downside of being a busy writer is that you have less and less time to read. Crime fiction was my chosen genre before I became a writer. Publishers regularly send me other crime writers’ books to quote for, so I read a lot of it. I never read digitally (the eyes won’t take it after looking at a screen all day) but I do love audio books when travelling. I also read autobiographies that interest me, like Carrie Gracie’s Equal – a brave, thoughtful, hugely important book on inequality.
Who is your crime writing hero?
Michael Connelly, without question. I’m a couple behind, but I’ve read most of his backlist. The writing is superb. Michael has created some of the most iconic characters and his plots are expertly woven together. He’s a master storyteller who never fails to deliver.
What's your new book and what's it about?
Her Sister’s Killer is book five in the Stone and Oliver series. Like all the books across my three series, it can be read as a standalone. When Frankie Oliver was eleven years old, her fifteen-year-old sister Joanna was murdered, an event that blew apart her family. The case remains open and unsolved.
I knew from the outset that if new evidence came light, Frankie could take no part in the investigation. It’s why I left the previous book Black Fell on a cliffhanger, promoting her out of the MIT and back into uniform, choreographing her separation from her boss, David Stone.
At Frankie’s leaving party, David hears coppers talking—a conversation he wishes he could ignore. But what did he hear, and why does it trouble him enough to review Joanna’s case while struggling to keep it off Frankie’s radar? After decades without answers, who knows where the trail might lead, and will knowing the answers be the very thing that breaks Frankie irreparably?
David is at full stretch in this twisty thriller, but in no way will Frankie be missing from this narrative. She has a traumatic case of her own to deal with, a second storyline that is threaded through the first.
Don’t miss Mari at the Alnwick Story Fest
Join multi-award-winning crime writer Mari Hannah in conversation with ITV’s Ian Payne for an unmissable event. Known for her Stone & Oliver, Ryan & O’Neil, and DCI Kate Daniels series, Mari’s captivating thrillers have earned her accolades such as the CWA Dagger in the Library and Capital Crime’s ‘Crime Book of the Year’. With her latest release Her Sister’s Killer, Mari will discuss the secrets behind her success and the influence of living in Northumberland with her partner, a former murder detective. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of crime fiction’s most celebrated authors.
Mari Hannah is the author of the Kate Daniels series of police procedurals, the Ryan and O’Neil thrillers, and the Stone and Oliver series. She lives in a small Northumberland village with her partner, a former murder detective.
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