Author, Chris Carter in Conversation at Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

By Sarah Morgan, July 2024

Ruth Ware describes him as “one of the most chilling and thrilling writers in the crimesphere,” while his fans go weak at the knees at the mere mention of his name. Chris Carter inspires the kind of worship usually reserved for rock stars.

Many of his readers have turned up at the Old Swan to hear their hero speak – and none of them go away disappointed after Carter spends an hour regaling them with anecdotes during his appearance at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

He’s written 13 hugely successful books in his Robert Hunter series, and there are more on the way, so it may come as a surprise to learn that he never set out to be a writer. In fact, he had spells as a guitarist and as a member of a Chippendales-style exotic dance group before becoming a criminal psychologist. It was only after that that he put pen to paper.

“Most writers I know always wanted to be writers, and started when they were young, but I spent my childhood playing football,” says Carter. “But in 2007, I had a dream, it had a beginning, a middle and an end. I told my girlfriend at the time and she said it was good, you should write it. It was a love story.

“But with my background, I thought I’d be better doing a crime one. I started them both, and my girlfriend said the crime one was better.”

Carter then wrote a few chapters and asked chat room members around the world to read them.

“They all came back saying they liked it, so then I had to come up with a story!”

The result was his first novel, The Crucifix Killer, which introduced his lead detective, Robert Hunter. Some people may be surprised to learn, however, that only a twist of fate saved the character.

“It was supposed to be a standalone in which Hunter dies. My editor didn’t like it, so I rewrote half the book. Now, the more the series has moved on, the more like me he’s become. When I started, I didn’t know him, so he’s evolved over time.”

“Writing the dream”

The Crucifix Killer remains important to Carter because he was struggling to make ends meet before its publication: “I was homeless at the time, so it saved me.”

Another title close to his heart is Genesis.

“Most of my books are a combination of my work as a criminal psychologist and my imagination, but Genesis was written after my partner passed in 2019, and during lockdown, so it contains more of me than the rest.”

As fans who’ve read it will already be aware, Carter’s subsequent book Death Watcher – about a killer who disguises his crimes as accidents – has a distinct change of pace.

“After Genesis, which was difficult to write, I couldn’t write something so personal; I wanted to write something less gruesome. I know people were expecting a lot more gore, but this is slower paced. It’s a much more procedural book, and is based on a case I worked on years ago.”

Those who love Carter’s more gruesome approach needn’t worry – it’s likely to be back sooner rather than later; he claims “it’s pretty dark in here,” when describing his mind.

He also isn’t the kind of person who gets bogged down in detail before starting his next project.

“I just need a little tiny idea, and then it keeps going. I just sit down and start writing. The more I write, the more the story starts growing.”

Carter states he will never write about child abuse – it’s a step too far for him – and he genuinely seems to adore his fans. However, he’s about to shock them again. Remember that dream? It’s going to form the basis of his next book.

“I’m finally writing the dream!” laughs Carter. “It’s a twisted love story. Get ready!”

top image: Richard Maude