Have you been surprised at how your series detective, Cmdr. Adam Dalgliesh, has developed and changed since his debut in Cover Her Face four decades ago?
I don't think that I've been altogether surprised; after all, I've been writing about him for so many years, and, of course, I've changed, too, and I think it would be natural for a character to change. I think he's become much more sensitive to the great hurt that a murder investigation inflicts on the innocent, as well as the guilty. Here's a man who values his privacy and uses his job to maintain that privacy, but he has a job that not only enables him but requires him to violate the privacy of so many other people—the suspects and everyone else concerned with a crime. So, I think he's become more introspective.
Dalgliesh has a serious romantic commitment in his latest book, The Lighthouse. How will that affect him as a detective?
The decision to introduce Emma Lavenham arose from the development of his character. Although he was widowed very young, and he had practically no experience of married life, and his other relationships were without commitment, the time had come for him to make such a commitment to a lasting relationship. I don't think his new status will change him greatly at all in his approach to his work; from a practical point of view, he might rather come to resent his long, long hours, when he would rather be at home with Emma. But to the extent that he is greatly increased in happiness as a result of her presence in his life, as I'm sure he will be, it would obviously affect his attitude to his job and his attitude to life.
You've cited Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene as some of your literary inspirations; how have they influenced you?
Waugh is just a masterful stylist—a wonderful writer of English prose, and he's fantastic at writing dialogue. He also has a lot of wit and humor in his novels, which is very important — difficult to introduce into a detective story, but I think one needs to have it there. Greene's plotting and narrative drive and the spiritual dimension of his books are also elements that I've tried to emulate.
What did you think about the new actor playing Dalgliesh in the most recent TV adaptations?
I've been quite pleased. Both Roy Marsden and Martin Shaw have been excellent choices—very fine, cerebral actors who have captured my character's essence. It's a difficult part to play because so much about Dalgliesh is what's going on in his mind; he's not an action hero, always dashing around.
