Countdown

Thriller writer John Connolly races against the clock

AT VARIOUS points in his life John Connol ly has worked as a journalist, barman, local government official, waiter and dogsbody at Harrods department store in London.

But with the publication of his first novel, Every Dead Thing, in 1999 he at last found his true calling – as a fiction writer.

It introduced the world to Charlie Parker, a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter and who’s featured in many of the Irish author’s subsequent novels.

John (50) lives in Dublin with his family and travels regularly – to Maine in the US where his bestselling thrillers are set as well as to the Western Cape where he and his wife, Jennifer Ridyard, who grew up in South Africa, have a holiday home.

In this fun interview John – whose 16th Charlie Parker novel, The Woman in the Woods, recently hit shelves – opens up about his obsessions and his life as an author. 10words to sum up your working life to date Contentment, despite the lingering fear of finally being found out. 9things you can see from where you’re sitting 1 Dog. 2 Another dog. 3 A third dog. 4 Dog treats. 5 A Paddington Bear (much desired by Dog A). 6 A drawing by Welsh artist Augustus John. 7 Some oranges. 8 A lot of ’80s music. 9 An Edward Gorey [American artist known for creepy drawings] bat puppet. 8minutes to prepare a meal. What’s it going to be? Dry toast. I love dry toast, as long as it’s nicely charred. 7 people you’d like to go for a drink with My two sons; their girlfriends; Jennifer, my better half; my oldest American friend, Joe Long; British author John le Carré. Random, but that’s my current mood. 6 things you can’t live without 1 Dogs. 2 Wine. 3 Books. 4 Music. 5 Family. 6 Toast. 5favourite words Axolotl [a Mexican salamander]. The other four are unprintable. 4places you’d run away to 1 Maine, US. 2 Kerry, Ireland. 3 Barcelona, Spain. 4 Prague, Czech Republic. 3books you’ve bought recently 1 Wounds by Fergal Keane. 2 Some Fantastic Place by Chris Difford. 3 Munich by Robert Harris. 2things that make you rant 1 People who talk loudly on cellphones in coffee shops. 2 People who watch videos on their phones without using headphones. 1thing you’d tell your teenage self You can’t actually die of embarrassment.