The Books That Made Me: Erin Kelly

He Said/She Said is the latest book by Erin Kelly, the London-based author of three riveting psychological thrillers. While it may not be your average thriller, He Said/She Said packs in more twists and turns than some of the most explosive books in the genre, and Kelly’s social consciousness provides us with meditations on the legal system–and its frequent failure to enact the very justice it’s supposed to uphold.

Due for publication on Tuesday, 28 February 2017, He Said/She Said is already being heralded as the suspense novel of 2017, and surely can’t be missed.

But Erin has been addicted to thrillers since she was a teenager. Eagerly anticipating the release of He Said/She Said, we spoke with Erin to find out which books made her the writer she is today . . .

I’ve been addicted to thrillers since I was a teenager. Here are the ten books that have had the biggest influence on my own writing:

1. No Night Is Too Long by Barbara Vine. My favourite author: her best book. It has a gripping commercial plot with all the gorgeous prose and care for character you’d find in an Ian McEwan.
2. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. I can’t think of any other writers who keep you guessing and make you laugh out loud with recognition in the same book. She’s so acute on marriage.
3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Every now and then I see someone on social media saying OMG THAT BIT WITH THE TEETH!!! and they’re always talking about this novel.
4. A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez. I don’t read that many procedurals but love this series. This stylish noir links a murder in gritty London to child soldiers in Africa. Not for the faint-hearted.
5. Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh. It’s a literary novella with the grip of a blockbuster thriller, about the murder of Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe. Small but not a word spilled.
6. Broken Harbour by Tana French. This book about an Irish family killed in their home is her masterpiece. It’s cynical and heartbreaking at the same time. Tana’s the boss of us all.
7. A Place of Execution by Val McDermid. A journalist is writing about a historic child murder when the investigating detective suddenly pulls out of the book. It’s set in rural England and brilliant on the claustrophobia and corruption in this tiny community.
8. The Long Firm Trilogy by Jake Arnott. These books are a witty, staggering take on organised crime from swinging 60s London to the 90s rave scene. I love them.
9. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie. This Miss Marple novel kick-started my love of crime. A murdered starlet is found in a posh country house. It has all the golden age tropes you want from a Christie.
10. Chosen by Lesley Glaister. A young woman’s son is abducted by an American cult with links to her own past. It’s so horribly plausible and convincing, at times it reads like non-fiction.