I’m a crime writer. That’s why we make the best contestants traitors Crime fiction

TDuring his time last year, a rumor swept through the close-knit British crime writing community, not whispered in a quiet moment in the pool room but shared in group chats and message boards. The producers of The Traitors were recruiting contestants for 2026, and they wanted one of us to participate. to turn They did! Traitors is a stylized, disciplined, low-stakes version of the Gilded Age country house, which is itself a stylized, disciplined, low-stakes version of real-life murders. The mission of crime writers is to examine the dark side of human behavior. Betrayal of trust and manipulation all in one day’s work. We often write from multiple perspectives, empathizing with the victim, the criminal, and the detective, which gives us a unique kind of empathy. We spent the rest of the year wondering who it would be. (I didn’t receive the call.)

Last November, in that no man’s land between the Celebrity Traitors finale and the broadcast of series four, 13 of my fellow crime novelists and I went to the Traitors Live Experience in Covent Garden. Despite being professional pattern finders with highly accurate observational abilities, none of us at the Round Table would have guessed that the Chosen One was among us, and that he had actually completed his mission on the real thing.

Harriet Tice, the lawyer turned suspense writer, is perfect for the series, says former detective and novelist Claire Mackintosh. “The cat-and-mouse game in crime thrillers is not just between detective and villain, but between author and reader – who will get to the truth first? Whether traitor or loyal, the crime writer makes a formidable opponent.”

Mark Edwards, Traitors fan and author of The Wasp Trap, agrees. “When I talked to my family about The Traitors, I referred to the players as ‘characters’, a faux pas that proves that I watch it in the same way I read crime novels. Writing crime novels makes us very skilled at games. That’s why Harriet could see right away that Hugo was a traitor.”

Ah yes, the takedown that launched thousands of memes. Harriet’s revelation of the traitorous Hugo in episode three was brilliant. It is one thing to have your doubts, but it is another to present them convincingly. Her speech was the stuff of courtroom drama she was writing. Eloquent, controlled, incisive. “It occurred to me from the moment I discovered that you were a lawyer that you would be a prime target for traitors to get rid of,” she said, as the nation watched with uncontrollable lust. “You have experience in cross-examining opposing witnesses, you are good at presenting your case and you speak very clearly.” She concluded her speech by saying: “These are established facts for me.” At Ardros Castle, hard facts are thinner on the ground than armor, but by presenting theory as data, Harriet makes sure of it. become fact. Misdirection is about presenting nearby facts so subtly that the reader does not question them. In a show where so much of the casting is based on emotion (“I’m voting for you because you ate the last croissant for breakfast”), the novelist’s persuasion skills are strong.

Harriet, in the parlance of traitors, “plays blinder.” (We’ll overlook her mistake for Ross, the most doomed believer ever. All good detectives have a fatal flaw.) I’m not sure about writing mysteries. automatically It qualifies one to excel in the game. We spend most of our time alone, writing and wearing wool covered in pet hair. Yes, I practice deception, but it takes me months to get this plot down on paper. In conversation, I stumble over my words, and like the traitorous Stephen, I blush. However, the authors develop personal skills that may prepare them well for life in the castle. During my time at literary festivals and bookstores, I learned how to approach a room full of strangers quickly. “To be a successful author, you have to be comfortable talking to people and making them like you,” Edwards says. “Players who communicate well, like Jesse, are less likely to get sent off.”

That’s how we fit in as believers, but what about the dark side? “For twists to work, we have to be able to create characters who are good at lying and pretending to be good people,” Edwards says. “These villains are always the most fun characters to write, and I think we’d all enjoy the chance to be one of them, if only for a few weeks.”

When we played Traitors Live, Harriet started out as a believer but was recruited as a traitor midway through the game. If she exceeds the minimum offer, a day job will give her an extra edge. Crime writers love to play with dramatic irony. We’re puppet masters, and we’re never happy when readers know something the characters don’t. What is this if not the essence of betrayal? That, and the inability to resist the opportunity to cause harm.

• The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly was published by Vintage in July. To support The Guardian, pre-order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery fees may apply.