A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: FEATURING COLIN CAMPBELL

This week, I’m pleased to turn over the floor to my good buddy (or, as Colin, a proper Brit, would say, “mate”). Colin Campbell, a Yorkshireman born and bred, is the author of The Resurrection Man series of novels, Jamaica Plain, Montecito Heights, Adobe Flats, and Snake Pass. He spent 30 years on the West Yorkshire Police force, serving at times as a uniformed officer, a gaoler, a Scenes of Crime Officer, and a plainclothes Crime Manager. Colin shares his thoughts on developing a New York state of mind. —Ken Isaacson

The sun blazes out of a clear blue sky. Prospect Park, Brooklyn is ablaze with colour. Eighteen thousand competitors from fifty-six countries gather for the opening ceremony of the 2011 World Police/Fire Games. All police officers and firefighters and assorted emergency services. Almost the 10th anniversary of 9/11. What a fantastic welcome for my first visit to New York City. What a great time to be part of the brotherhood of blue. And I’m loving it.

Being a police officer for 30 years provided me with many things, excitement, camaraderie, dirty jokes, and a sense of doing something worthwhile. Two benefits in particular brought me to New York. Tennis and crime fiction. From crime fighter to crime writer, with a healthy dose of competitive sport. The opening ceremony of the 2011 Games and a week of tennis wasn’t the only highlight of my first trip to NYC however. New York was a highlight in itself.

The funny thing about visiting somewhere you’ve only seen in the movies or on TV is that you feel like you’ve been there before. With Clint Eastwood in Coogan’s Bluff or Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee. Watching Andy Sipowicz in NYPD Blue. The iconic buildings feel strangely familiar. With the exception of some that aren’t there any more. That was one of the other big draws of the 14th WPFGs. Paying tribute to fallen colleagues and a city that rose above the tragedy. We did that in typical cop fashion. By having a drink at O’Hara’s Pub, the bar that survived the collapse of the Twin Towers, and visiting the memorial wall.

Other highlights included surviving Hurricane Irene, which closed the Five Boroughs transit system for the first time in history and dumped soot on my tennis shoes down the chimney. Cycling in Central Park (my doubles partner Colin Mackenzie’s idea, also retired police). Playing at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. And visiting the New York City Police Museum, converted from the old First Precinct building in Lower Manhattan. Looking at the history of the police service in New York was a humbling experience and a reminder of why we joined the police in the first place. To fight crime and protect the innocent. Something that carried over into my new career. Author of crime fiction. And the reason for my second visit to New York.

Customers at Katz’s Deli on East Houston Street are practically queuing out of the door. My agent, Donna Bagdasarian, explains the system then I’m swept away in a noisy rush of craziness that could only happen in New York. The place is a madhouse. And that’s before I sit down with the fattest pastrami on rye I’ve ever seen. If Harry gave Sally her orgasm today nobody would notice. Even so, I avoided sitting under the sign that read: WHERE HARRY MET SALLY… HOPE YOU HAD WHAT SHE HAD!

In September 2013 I embarked on a three-city book tour that was really just an extension of the Albany Bouchercon with a visit to my agent at the beginning and some events in Boston to finish. When Donna first suggested setting my books in America, New York was my first choice of location for bringing Jim Grant to the U.S. It kind of made sense since Grant is from Yorkshire, not far from old York, but it also felt a little clichéd. As mentioned above it had already been done with Coogan’s Bluff and Crocodile Dundee. New York was too big to get my head around so I sent Grant to Jamaica Plain in Boston instead. New York would play a big part in my future as a crime writer though.

I am sitting with my agent and several authors in the bar of the Grand Hyatt, NYC. In the shadow of the Chrysler Building and right next door to Grand Central Station. It’s about as iconic a location as you can get. Minding my own business. Chewing the fat. Then I feel a slap across the back of the head and I spin around. Lee Child is standing over me so I get up. “Campbell,” he says. “Mr. Child,” I reply. Then it’s all smiles as we catch up with each other’s career news. His more widespread than mine.

Thrillerfest in July 2014 was a landmark for me in many ways. After several Bouchercons and a couple of Left Coast Crimes it was my first Thrillerfest. As a result I joined the ITW to compliment my membership of the MWA and was featured in The Big Thrill for the first time. It was also a chance to catch up with old friends such as Reed Farrell Coleman and S.J. Rozan. I had a business lunch that almost sealed a book deal with a major publisher. Spent quality time with Donna Bagdasarian. And got slapped in the head by Lee Child.

It also cemented my love for New York. So much so that I have now set three Jim Grant short stories in the Big Apple. I’m sure that eventually I’ll take the plunge and set an entire novel there, clichéd or not. Whether it’s playing tennis, surviving hurricanes, or meeting famous authors it is a city that truly has its own mindset. From the World Police and Fire Games to Thrillerfest nothing is bigger than the city itself. Lee Child may tower above the world of action thrillers but in New York he is just another man making his way around the city. And that the way it should be. It stops you getting bigger than your boots. And is a very New York state of mind.

—Colin Campbell