The Washington Times published my On Crime column on Peter May’s Lockdown.
Peter May’s “Lockdown” (Mobius) is a suspenseful and interesting crime thriller set during a global pandemic. The novel might appear to have been written over the past few months, but it was actually written in 2005. The novel was universally rejected by publishers then, as the idea of a major city being locked down due to a global deadly virus seemed too farfetched. Of course, today we can identify easily with the notion.
I reached out to Peter May (seen in the below photo), a Scotsman living in France, and I asked him how he would describe the novel.
“‘Lockdown” was always conceived as a fast-paced crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of a major Western Capital city in full lockdown because of a global pandemic that was killing millions. I chose London because it was a city I knew well. I almost picked Paris because I live in France and know that city almost as well,” Mr. May replied.
“I used research I had done for a previous book [looking] into the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, as well as specific research carried out for this book — namely a Bird Flu pandemic, and the social consequences of the steps the government would be required to take to lockdown society to stop the spread of the virus.”
While researching his novel “Snakehead,” Mr. May visited the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Maryland. He was granted access to all four levels of laboratory security.
In “Lockdown,” even with millions dying from the pandemic, London Detective Inspector Jack MacNeil is intent on investigating the death of a small child whose bones were discovered in a gym bag at a construction site.
You can read the rest of the column below or via the below link:
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