John Nicholl extols the beauty of Wales as the setting for his darkly psychological thrillers.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in Wales are surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful countryside and diverse coastal areas, much of which remains surprisingly uncrowded, even in the best of the summer months, when the sun sometimes shines. For me, this green and pleasant land provides the ideal base to live, write and set my stories, all of which have a strong Welsh flavour, being based in the country I love.

I have written eight darkly psychological thrillers to date, the most recent of which – The Girl in White – will be published by Bloodhound Books on the 4 September. Like all my other books, the novel draws to some extent on knowledge gained during my working life as a young police officer, and my much longer career as a social worker and lecturer. I started writing after leaving my job heading up child protection services for Carmarthenshire, and I hope this real-life experience offers the reader an air of authenticity and gritty realism they will find interesting.

Any reader of my books who is familiar with west and or south Wales will recognise many of the locations featured, although the central market town of Caerystwyth is entirely fictional, as is the West Wales Police Force, who investigate the various heinous crimes featured in the stories.

I’m very pleased to be part of the Crime Cymru group of authors. Membership has allowed me to meet some great Welsh writers, many of whom have become friends. I like to think that the group will continue to go from strength to strength, raising the profile of our work both in the UK and further afield.

Read more about John Nicholl

26th July 2019