Interview: Crime novelist Hilary Bonner on writing stage adaptation of DEAD LIES
Best-selling crime novelist Hilary Bonner has turned her hand to her first play Dead Lies, which is about to embark on a national tour. We caught up with Hilary in the lead up to the show’s opening.
Can you tell us about Dead Lies and what inspired you to write it?
A long time ago I was approached out of the blue by a West End producer who liked my books, and commissioned me to write a thriller for theatre. I'd had no prior thoughts that it was something I might be able to do. But a commission is a commission! So I had a go and Dead Lies was born. The producer liked it and we had proceeded quite a long way down the line when the leading man had to pull out and it was decided not to go ahead. Basically I then put the script in a drawer and sulked for 15 years. Ultimately, and totally by chance, I met Lee Waddingham (Associate Producer at Red Entertainment) on a Covent Garden street corner and he asked me if I'd ever written a play. “Funny you should say that,” I replied. Now nearly four years and two Covid delays later, the national tour of Dead Lies is about to begin, produced by Red Entertainment.
You were a Fleet Street journalist for almost 25 years before writing your first novel. What encouraged you to start writing fiction and did your experience in journalism help you transition into writing fictional texts?
I think I'd half wanted to write a novel since I was a little kid. But again, I had no idea whether or not I would be able to do it. When, in the early 1990s, I came to realise that I needed to move on from Fleet Street, which was beginning to change in ways I didn't much like, I decided to give it a go. And I got lucky. My first novel, The Cruelty of Morning, a crime thriller, was published by Heinemann in 1995.
There was really only one way in which journalism helped with my fiction writing, as it has helped me with all kinds of writing - it taught me from the start just to get on with it. There's a saying in newspapers, “don't talk about it, write it!”
As a journalist, you covered the Jeremy Thorpe scandal, which in turn gave you inspiration for Dead Lies. For those who may not know about this scandal, what happened?
Jeremy Thorpe was a highly charismatic politician who, during the 1960s and 70s, led the Liberal Party to unexpected heights. But there were secrets in his personal life which haunted him, and resulted in him being charged with conspiracy to murder, allegedly to cover up those secrets. He was acquitted, but his political career was ruined. My Dead Lies hero, Peter George, is a highly charismatic politician - but you will have to come and see the play to find out if he has any dark secrets, and what he might or might not do to keep them hidden...
How is writing a play different to writing journalistic pieces or novels? Do you have a preference?
Journalism is fact - whatever some people might say! The other two are both fiction, stories you make up, and in one regard, for me, writing a play is very similar to writing a book. They're both about story-telling. But I've had to learn some stagecraft, of course. I feel very privileged that I am currently writing a new play and have just signed a contract to write another novel, my 19th. I intend to continue to write both for as long as I have a publisher and a producer willing to employ me.
What is it like to see the words you have written come to life? How much have you been involved in the process of creating the stage production?
It's quite wonderful to see Dead Lies coming to life. I have been regularly attending rehearsals over the last couple of weeks and it's been a real thrill. We have a wonderful cast, led by Jeremy Edwards, and a wonderful director in Joe Harmston. I've been very lucky in that Joe and our producers have wanted me to be involved at all stages, including casting.
What can people expect from Dead Lies and why should they come to see it?
Dead Lies is a brand-new fast-moving hard-hitting English thriller offering a feast of murder, mayhem, sexual indiscretion, political intrigue, and scandal in high places. It begins with the hint of a shocking secret which may lay in the past of its hero. Will this come back to haunt him? Will he be destroyed by ghosts from another time? If he survives, who might have to die to save him? And who might be prepared to kill for him? Dead Lies is a cracking good yarn - I hope! - full of unexpected twists and turns right to the very end. That's why you should come and see it. And to find out who dunnit, of course...
Dead Lies opens at the Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple, running from 14-16 April, before visiting Halifax, Peterborough, Chesterfield, Hull, Blackpool, Lichfield, Newcastle, Guildford, Eastbourne and Coventry. For more information, please click here.