THE STORY BEHIND: 'DIVE' A BREATHLESSLY TWISTY CRIME MYSTERY BY JON BARTON

Jon Barton is a London-based screenwriter with ten years’ experience as a dramatist, writing continuing drama for the BBC, and new work for young people. His theatre work has been produced onstage at major London venues, including The Old Vic and The Almeida. When he’s not writing crime fiction, he’s running, walking, and binging podcasts.

Read about Jon's writing journey for Dive below!

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER DIVE BY JON BARTON FOR £0.99 | $0.99.

What’s your inspiration for the book?
My side hustle starting out was pulling pints at the Captain Kidd, next to the Marine Police in Wapping. Those guys would sometimes come in to unwind after a shift and share war stories with trademark black humour. It struck me that divers are neglected characters in crime fiction, yet they have one of the diciest jobs in the Met. Sitting down to write Dive, I wanted to explore this shadowy world of policing, with the Thames at the heart of the action.

What’s your favourite thing about this book?
Because this is an area of policing that’s largely ignored in crime fiction, it offers a whole world of investigation and procedure that’s rarely written about. I loved writing those characters and the fact that it's a full-blooded crime thriller meant I had the opportunity to subvert what readers expect from a police procedural. I also hope it’s a satisfying mystery and that readers won’t be able to see the twists coming.

Tell us about the characters?
David Cade is a workaholic diver for the Marine Policing Unit in Wapping. He struggles to be a father figure to his teenage daughter Lex due to a tragic event that still affects them both. It’s only when Lex disappears, and bodies surface on the river matching her description, that he starts to suspect something more sinister is going on.

David Cade is a workaholic diver for the Marine Policing Unit in Wapping. He struggles to be a father figure to his teenage daughter Lex due to a tragic event that still affects them both. It’s only when Lex disappears, and bodies surface on the river matching her description, that he starts to suspect something more sinister is going on.

Tell us about the setting?
The Thames is such an evocative and atmospheric place. Statistically, it’s the UK’s deadliest crime scene. The river holds secrets and has a habit of exposing them. If you’re lucky you’ll find treasure on the foreshore; if you’re not, you could see a body being dredged from the mud. It is the perfect setting for a thriller exploring a part of London that’s rarely glimpsed, this undertow of criminality concealed beneath the surface. It also feels like a great way to get under the skin of the characters.  

How do you want readers to feel when they’ve finished your book?
I hope readers feel like they’ve read an entertaining and intriguing mystery featuring twists, red herrings, and characters they’ve not encountered in crime fiction before.

Dive is a wild ride. I hope readers enjoy the ride as much as I enjoyed writing it.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER DIVE BY JON BARTON FOR £0.99 | $0.99.