The Good Books, Claire Wilson: ‘I learned my craft reading Stephen King from an early age’

Claire Wilson on the books of her childhood and how Stephen King and Val McDermid inspired her writing. 

The first book I remember reading:

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Maybe in primary three? My mum took me and my brothers to the library every weekend, where I then read everything he had ever written, ultimately falling in love with Matilda. I wanted to be Matilda so badly. I went from Roald Dahl to Enid Blyton to RL Stine to Stephen King all by the time I was 12. I’m so grateful to my mum for giving me the reading bug from a young age. 

A book I recommend to everyone:

For people who want to write a book: Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. For people who want a book with the best heart-stopping twist: I Let You Go by Clare Macintosh. For people who want a masterclass in fast-paced tension: Hunted by Abir Mukherjee – I swear I burned calories reading that book, my heart was galloping so fast. 

The best book I have read in this year:

Like the majority of authors, I’m a voracious reader and can get through 150-200 books a year. It’s impossible to pick just one. The ones that have stuck in my head are: The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey, All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, A Reluctant Spy by Dave Goodman, The Tomorrow Project by Heather Critchlow and Paperboy by Callum McSorley.

The book I am most looking forward to:

I’m really looking forward to Vaseem Khan’s Quantum of Menace which is very kindly released near my birthday. Vaseem has such a way with words and his recent novel, The Girl In Cell A, is so different from his Malabar House / Baby Ganesh series I’m expecting great things. 

A book I didn’t finish:

Ulysses. I borrowed it from the library as a teen, read a few pages and promptly returned it. Then, I think it was 2017 or 2018, Bloody Scotland partnered with Book Fairies. There was a book on every seat at every panel. When I got to the Allan Park Church for Pitch Perfect – a pre-loved copy of Ulysses was on my seat. It’s in my TBR pile to this day. Conquering it is in my five-year plan – along with retiring early, paying off my mortgage and finding the secret of eternal youth.

An author that has inspired me:

I learned my craft reading Stephen King from an early age but the author that has inspired me the most is Val McDermid. I read The Mermaid’s Singing as a teen and was immediately hooked. Val also comes from a similar background to my own: she’s worked hard to get where she is and she doesn’t take any prisoners. I’ve been fortunate to spend a week with her, soaking up her advice, at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre in Inverness. Five by Five would not exist without the valuable knowledge passed down to me from Val and the wonderful writing friends I made that week. When Val later tweeted about my book and provided a quote for the cover, I could have died. Stephen King made me believe I was a future horror writer, but Val McDermid showed me my true path was crime.

The book I am reading now:

I have just started reading No Mercy by Max Connor – the pseudonym of Neil Lancaster. His Max Craigie books are a must-read and I’m confident Max Connor will not disappoint. 

Five by Five by Claire Wilson (Penguin Michael Joseph, £18.99) is out now. It is shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2025. Claire will be appearing at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival in Stirling 12-14 September.

Read more of The Good Books here.

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