Jen Yard
asked
Linwood Barclay:
Hi Linwood! I really enjoyed re-reading Zack Walker series earlier this year. I think Zack is such a great character, he is easy to imagine in real life. I noticed a few similarities between you and Zack - you both were writing for a paper, for example - so, I was wondering if you based Zack on some of your life experience, and if yes - did any of the funny "crazy" situations in the books come from your life?...
Linwood Barclay
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Zack books. I haven't written one of those in almost 15 years, but they were great fun to do, and they did draw, in part, on my many years at the Toronto Star. Mostly, it was in a general sense, of how a paper operates, but the story in the first Zack book, about the disappearance and murder of a young girl, was based on a story I was involved in as an editor.
More Answered Questions
Thomas
asked
Linwood Barclay:
Hi? This is not exactly a question. I've just read your list of 23 mystery books on the "off the shelf" website (see answer below) and I probably know a couple of titles which you would have wanted to include, had you remembered to: The 39 Steps by John Buchan and one of my absolute favorite of all times, The Riddle of the Sands, by Erskine Childers, one of the very first book I read in English - I'm Italian). Thanks
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