Dark Themes

What inspires an average Joe, or Jane, to sit down at night to write a chilling crime thriller?

Debut author Amy Cronin from Cork has been pondering that question hen Amy Cronin wrote her first thriller, people began to ask her where it all came from. “I’ve written stories since I was very young, and they’ve all been slightly on the dark side. Now that I have my first novel published, everyone is asking why that is,” she says.

Friends and family have been surprised by the direction of her debut novel Blinding Lies, which tells the story of Anna Clarke, a young woman who, in trying to help a friend, is unwittingly drawn into the dangerous world inhabited by Cork city’s biggest criminal family. It’s a work of fiction that has caused those close to her to ponder where the plot came from and what it means.

“It’s funny – the reaction has been hugely positive but I guess there’s a perceived juxtaposition between making the school lunches, cheering the kids on from the side-lines of their activities, tucking them into bed, and then sitting down to write a crime thriller.”

In recent times the term “Emerald Noir” has been coined to chart the rise in Irish crime fiction, and female crime writers do thrillers exceptionally well. Indeed in the recent An Post book awards Crime Fiction category, four of the six nominated writers were female, with the award going to another Cork writer, Catherine Ryan Howard. So it’s quite likely the nice lady beside you in the queue at the supermarket is actually mulling over a grisly murder.

Amy says that for her it simply comes down to writing the style of book she loves to read. “Like so many people I love reading thrillers and crime novels, discovering who the ‘bad guy’ is and feeling that rush when a plot twist pulls the rug from under my feet.”

Some readers assume that authors that write sinister plots with dark subject matter can portray a “warped mind”. However Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and lecturer Katrina Dennehy, who runs the Smaointe CBT centre in Carrigaline, Cork, states that this is arguably not the case.

“Writing dark subject matter doesn’t mean that one has dark or ill intentions necessarily, in fact it merely allows the mind to discover a pathway through exploring the intricacy of one’s thoughts.”

It is true that a well-rounded thriller draws on the universal balance of human nature.

“Creating the characters that are dark is usually vastly overshadowed by the hope, initiative, determination and intelligence of the “good” characters,” Katrina adds. She further states that writing such stories is a way to process the dark reality of the world around us, be it in the news or in film or in daily life.

“In today’s world, there are many things we do not control and within that world all we want is control. Writing such materials as these shows an abundance of imagination and the ability to interweave through darkness and ultimately find the light to what may seem an impossible situation.

Once plots and characters are created, so is control.” Amy agrees this could offer an explanation as to why so many people enjoy reading dark crime thrillers and why some authors are drawn to write them.

“Perhaps that’s true – fiction is certainly a filtered blend of everything that’s absorbed throughout our lives.

Overheard conversations, news reports, everyday life – it’s all in there. The world is a scary place at times; at least in writing dark plots I can control the outcome.”

As a writer, she is conscious that novels that really hook readers must contain the balance Katrina Dennehy speaks about – the darkness and light.

“Characters are the backbone of every novel; regardless of how gripping the plot, the central characters can tip the scales for the reader. For me, certainly, I enjoy characters I can connect with, an individual who is dark enough to feel real, yet light enough that I will root for them. A reader needs to become invested in the outcome of their story.”

Blinding Lies by Amy Cronin is available now.

Blinding Lies contains a mix of characters that impact on Anna’s life. On the dark side of the novel, there are criminals and characters masquerading as good to hide their mal-intent. However, weaving through all of this are characters full of light; Anna’s brother Alex, her colleagues in the Garda station, her friends. The writer’s “ability to interweave through darkness and ultimately find the light” is what makes a novel truly gripping.

Blinding Lies by Amy Cronin is available now.

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