115 Quotes by Val McDermid

On one hand, you've got 'decent' men, and on the other you've got neanderthal misogynist bawbags - and the middle ground is what's disappearing.

Sometimes fear is used as a way to control.

The condition of rage is one in which I find myself starting my day - once I see the news headlines.

The contemporary crime novel is, at its best, a novel of character. That's where the suspense comes from.

The thing is that quite a few of my books have ended up as they are because of conversations I've had over the years with forensic scientists.

There is still a funny notion that women should not write violent fiction.

Walking by water frees your creativity. I don't know how it works - there's something about it that's liberating.

A lot of reality TV is repellent, but that doesn't diminish the qualities of some of the people who take part. There are decent people in there who have no alternatives.

Back in the day, when I started, you were still allowed to make mistakes. You got to make your mistakes in public, in a way. I think the world was a more forgiving place when I started my career, in the sense that we got time and space to develop as a writer.