Fact and fiction by John Escott

Writer John Escott tells Crimestoppers about his fascination with crime fiction and how it's moved on apace since the 'golden age' of the detective story. He goes on to examine some real-life crimes, looking in particular at the case of the Great Train Robbery and one of the robbers, Ronnie Biggs.

I'm a book addict. Separate me from a book for more than 24 hours and I have withdrawal symptoms. And whilst I read quite widely, it would be fair to say I'm a crime fiction devotee above all else. But it's not just me that's hooked. Crime and mystery stories are more widely read than any other genre of fiction.

My first encounter with mystery stories was with Agatha Christie's book, 'Murder is Easy'. I read it when I was thirteen years old, then had nightmares about one of the characters for weeks afterwards. It was the first time I'd been forced to consider the fact that a murderer could be a conventional, apparently amiable person like my favourite aunt or the woman who kept the corner shop.

No thirteen-year-old today would lose sleep over such a cosy little murder plot. Youngsters, like the rest of us, are fed an almost daily diet of newspaper and TV reports about the most violent of crimes. And a significant minority of young people are involved in crime themselves.

Crime fiction has moved on apace since the 'golden age' of the detective story. Realism is the order of the day – and the bloodier the better it seems. However, the detective story is usually on the side of law and order, thus it's comforting for the reader to believe that the criminal gets punished, and that the natural order of things is restored.

Of course, real life isn't as simple as that. In many cases, the criminal isn't caught, the crime remains unsolved, justice isn't even seen to be done. Often, even if a case goes to trial, the accused is let off as a result of some technicality. Even so, I personally like to believe that, more often than not, right prevails over evil, and fiction generally reinforces this belief. (OK, call me naïve if you like.)

When it comes to real-life crimes, many end in a question. Who really killed President Kennedy? Did Marilyn Monroe kill herself? What really happened to Shergar, the famous racehorse?

One of the cases examined in my book, 'Great Crimes', is that of the Great Train Robbery of 1963. The repercussions of that robbery continue to this day, with the imprisonment of one of the robbers, Ronnie Biggs. Biggs escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965. He went to live in Brazil, after first escaping to Spain and then Australia. He lived in Rio de Janeiro for many years. Then in May 2001, at the age of seventy-one and in poor health, he decided to return to England, where he remains in prison. He's been in the news again recently because he wants to be considered for early release. He's a sick man, and wants to spend his last days with his family. Should he be released?. On the face of it, there seems little harm in allowing him to go home, but without knowing more about his personal circumstances, it's difficult to judge.

Behind all crimes, there are human stories – personal tragedies, drug and sexual abuse, social injustices, social deprivation - and it is these stories that have fascinated me in the past, and will continue to fascinate me for years to come – both fact and fiction.

Author note
John Escott worked in business before becoming a writer. Since then he has written many books for readers of all ages and has written or retold more than twenty stories for Oxford Bookworms. He has been interested in crime, both fact and fiction, since a young age and many of his stories feature crime in some form. His most recent book, 'Great Crimes', is now on sale.