Identity Crisis for Chris
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UNLIKE the plots of his books, disappointingly there is no conspiracy behind Christopher Brookmyre’s change of identity.
For 13 books the covers of his novels of satire, slaughter and occasional sacrilege have borne his full first name. However, when book 14, "Where The Bodies Are Buried", was released early this year, it brandished the more informal name of "Chris".
As it turns out, this is only because the designer of his book covers thought it would look better.
Deeply thought out or coincidental, the change comes at an appropriate time as the latest book from Brookmyre’s computer marks a definite change of direction. His past excesses of imagination and humour have been toned down for a book that comes several mean streets closer to more typical crime story territory. It also marks the introduction of two new recurring characters for the Brookmyre stable, harassed police detective and mother Catherine McLeod and actress turned reluctant private detective Jasmine Sharp.
Except, Brookmyre suggests, things are happening the wrong way round with Chris more suitable for the irreverent older stories and "the more pompous Christopher" matching the slightly more serious tone of his latest book.
"There are a number of reasons for that," Brookmyre revealed.
"It goes back a couple of years to when my father-in-law died very suddenly and for a few good months it was obliviously quite devastating. Those feelings were still around while I was knocking about ideas for the new book. The sequel, which I’ve already finished, is still a more serious book in that there are no secret military bases and all that kind of stuff and the humour comes more out of the situation.
"I suppose you get to a certain stage. After I wrote ‘A Snowball in Hell’ (Brookmyre’s own dark spin on reality television) I didn’t think I could top that for satirical crime and that’s why I moved into the realm of science-fiction for ‘Pandaemonium’. When it came to thinking about the next book, the thing going about my head was stripping it down to the story. One of the things I really enjoyed about ‘A Snowball in Hell’ and ‘Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks’ is all the misdirections and misleading the reader, so I thought I would put that into a book without that extra layer of humour to distract from the tension."
This does not mean he is ruling out re-appearances from past characters like cynical journalist Jack Parlabane or diminutive Glasgow police officer Angelique de Xavia in future books, his fans will be glad to hear, though there is a hope that the new direction might introduce some new readers to Brookmyre’s work.
"What I’m really hoping for is someone who has never picked up one of my books and reads the new one will then pick up the back list," he said.
"Part of me wants them to be horrified — but keep reading because they secretly enjoy it."
However, books are not the only thing which could be occupying Brookmyre’s mind in the near future.
Though he says he never had any particular desire to work in other media, "Pandaemonium" had its origins in a script for an unmade horror film while Brookmyre was looking forward to meeting with representatives from a computer games company about the possibility of working on a first-person shooter. Brookmyre’s interest in gaming as well as in films is evidenced in his novels, "All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye" taking its title from a line in one game and in-jokes and references popping up in other books, notably "Pandaemonium".
"These days though, I get my son to play them for me," he added.
There are other strands to Brookmyre’s talent. He has even tried stand-up at the behest of his friend Mark Billingham, a former comedian turned fellow crime writer.
However, tomorrow’s return to Inverness, where he lived for a period in the mid-1990s, will see him unveil another talent as a singer.
For the final event of the Inverness Courier sponsored Inverness Book Festival, Brookmyre is joining up with songwriter Billy Franks, formerly of the band The Faith Brothers, to explore the links between books and music.
"I’m always looking for new ways of discussing work in front of an audience," he said.
"We were asked to do something different for the Edinburgh Book Festival last year and came up with this. We talk about the role of certain songs in the novels. If they’re his own songs, Billy sings them and with others he plays the guitar and I sing them — though it’s up to anyone else to say what I do is actually singing!"
• Christopher Brookmyre and Billy Franks appear at the OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, tomorrow at 8.15pm as part of the eighth Inverness Book Festival.
