"... that I have ever read." So said Hugh Hewitt on his radio program yesterday about The Death of a Pope, by Piers Paul Read, the British author who was Hewitt's guest for an hour. The entire transcript is available on 
Hewitt's site; here is the opening:
HH: This hour is a special hour of the Hugh Hewitt Show. As you know, I have a great love of thrillers. And next week, in fact, is fiction week on the Hugh Hewitt Show. I’ll be interviewing among others Brad Thor, Alex Berenson, Dan Silva, Vince Flynn, talking about the great thriller writers of America. But I’m giving you a taste of that by today introducing you to Piers Paul Read, whose brand new book, The Death Of A Pope, is one of the most interesting, provocative and very different thrillers that I have ever read, an accomplished nonfiction author as well. Pleased to welcome to the Hugh Hewitt Show Piers Paul Read. Mr. Read, welcome, it’s great to speak with you today.
PPR: Good to speak with you.
HH: Now you’ve written fifteen different novels, and a half dozen more nonfiction books. Most of the American audience that I talk to will know Alive, the story of the Andes survivors, which you wrote thirty five years ago. When do you decide to go back and forth between the fiction and the nonfiction?
PPR: Well, I started out doing fiction, then I wrote Alive, and then I really alternated, more or less, between fiction and nonfiction. I like doing both. Novels are very exciting, because you never quite know what’s going to happen, and what the character’s going to do. Nonfiction is more like a sort of job of work. You know, you’ve got material, and you put it together as best you can.
HH: Now of the fifteen fiction works, how many would you characterize as thrillers, Piers Paul Read, like The Death Of A Pope is clearly a thriller?
PPR: Probably three or four.
HH: And is it a uniquely difficult task? Or is it easier than the others?
PPR: The plot has to be quite tight and precise, which makes it more difficult than a kind of general novel. And in particular this one, The Death Of A Pope, it’s quite an intricate plot, and so that, it was quite difficult.
PPR: Good to speak with you.
HH: Now you’ve written fifteen different novels, and a half dozen more nonfiction books. Most of the American audience that I talk to will know Alive, the story of the Andes survivors, which you wrote thirty five years ago. When do you decide to go back and forth between the fiction and the nonfiction?
PPR: Well, I started out doing fiction, then I wrote Alive, and then I really alternated, more or less, between fiction and nonfiction. I like doing both. Novels are very exciting, because you never quite know what’s going to happen, and what the character’s going to do. Nonfiction is more like a sort of job of work. You know, you’ve got material, and you put it together as best you can.
HH: Now of the fifteen fiction works, how many would you characterize as thrillers, Piers Paul Read, like The Death Of A Pope is clearly a thriller?
PPR: Probably three or four.
HH: And is it a uniquely difficult task? Or is it easier than the others?
PPR: The plot has to be quite tight and precise, which makes it more difficult than a kind of general novel. And in particular this one, The Death Of A Pope, it’s quite an intricate plot, and so that, it was quite difficult.
You can listen to the interview here...http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=5
Posted by: Tim | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 07:29 PM