Cases 7 & 8 from the DCS Palmer and the Serial Murder Squad series. In Burning ambition an organised crime gang leader wants one last big heist as a signature to his career. He chooses the Royal Mint in Wales. But other criminals have learnt of this planned heist and want 'in'. The answer is 'no' but the arguments develope into murders which brings in Palmer and his team. Will they be in time to stop the job and prevent any more murders?
In Takeaway Terror two organised crime families fight over the lucrative London West End drugs trade. Are the fast food delivery lads on their mopeds delivering more than takeaways? Why have three been killed by a hit and run driver? Old school gangsters go to war with an incoming foreign drugs lord family. Palmer needs to get inside, but once inside will he get out? alive?
Burning Ambtion & Takeaway Terror by BL Faulkner are cases 7 & 8 in the Serial Murder Squad series.
I'm delighted to welcome the author here to Random Things today as part of the #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour.
Ten Things about author BL Faulkner
1. My dad, elder siblings, uncles and cousins were petty criminals who ran with the Richardson gang in the 50s-90s.
2. My mother was a fashion model who was determined I would not follow that career path and she enrolled me into a drama school where I lasted a month before they kicked me out as 'no visible acting talent has surfaced.'
3. My first job was going round offices in the West End selling reams of carbon paper to the typists for cash.
4. I got lucky with scripts sent to the BBC and ended up as a script editor on the LE side for them and other independent TV companies in a freelance way. I wrote for Bob Monkhouse, Tom O'Connor, Russ Abbot and others of that period.
5. I give a talk on the Big Heists and the Geezers of UK crime 1940-2000.
6. I played football for Crystal Palace juniors.
7. I didn't do well at school, came out with just 2 GCEs, English Lit and Art.
8. 49 years married,
9. Some of my fictional characters are not fictional, but most are departed so I think I'm safe!
10. I write between 11pm - 1am. Guaranteed no interruptions.
Faulkner was born into a
family of petty criminals in Herne Hill, South London, his father, uncle and
elder brothers running with the notorious Richardson
gang in the 60s-80s, and at this point we must point out that he did not
follow in that family tradition although the characters he met and their
escapades he witnessed have added a certain authenticity to his books. He
attended the first ever comprehensive school in the UK, William Penn in Peckham
and East Dulwich, where he attained no academic qualifications other than GCE
‘O’ level in Art and English and a Prefect’s badge (though some say he stole
all three!)
His mother was a fashion model and had great
theatrical aspirations for young Faulkner and pushed him into auditioning for
the Morley Academy of Dramatic Art at the Elephant and Castle, where he was
accepted but only lasted three months before being asked to leave as no visible
talent had surfaced. Mind you, during his time at the Academy he was called to
audition for the National Youth Theatre by Trevor Nunn – fifty years later,
he’s still waiting for the call back!
His early writing career was as a copywriter
with the major US advertising agency Erwin Wasey Ruthrauff & Ryan in
Paddington during which time he got lucky with some light entertainment scripts
sent to the BBC and Independent Television and became a script editor and
writer on a freelance basis. He worked on most of the LE shows of the 1980-90s
and as personal writer to Bob Monkhouse, Tom O’Connor and others. During that
period, while living out of a suitcase in UK hotels for a lot of the time, he
filled many notebooks with DCS Palmer case plots and in 2016 he finally found
time to start putting them in order and into book form. Eight are finished and
published so far, with number 9 at the editors.
Faulkner is a popular speaker
and often to be found on Crime Panels at Literary Festivals which he embraces
and supports wholeheartedly.
He has recently been seen on screen in the Channel 5
Narcos UK series, Episode 2 The London Gangs and his Palmer book ‘I’m With The
Band’ has just been serialised in 16 parts by BBC Radio Bristol. He has been a
subject of Corinium Radio’s Writer’s Room programme, Manchester FM’s Hannah
Kate Book show, Hawkesbury Upton Lit. Festival ‘Best of British’ panel
chairman, Evesham Festival of Words Crime Panel and Bristol Crime Fest Indie
Author Panel amongst others
Faulkner is a member of ALLI
(Alliance of Independent Authors) and publishes a blog about the ‘geezers’ of his
youth, the criminals and their heists. It goes in depth about the Krays, Brinks
Mat, Hatton Garden ‘Nipper’ Read and all the other major heists and who ‘dun
‘em’. Take a look at geezers2016.wordpress.com
He also speaks about that era in
illustrated talks for social clubs,
WI and others.
As a crime writer Faulkner
is quite particular about ‘getting it right’ and as well as his own Facebook
page he publishes a page called ‘UK Crime Readers and Writers Page’ which has lots
of information about the forensic crime detection methods, police procedurals
and other facts of use to both reader and writer of crime and detective books.
Faulkner now lives in the
glorious Forest of Dean with his wife and three dogs.
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