Roger Ellory lives in Birmingham and writes American gangster/mystery/crime/thriller novels. It really is that difficult to categorise him. Also his style varies from novel to novel. If you want to know more about him as a person and writer, he has his own web site.
Suffice it to say that I have read all his books (apart from the latest) and they leave you with a feeling of wonder. The research undertaken is stunning and Roger's depth of knowledge on the American condition is simply amazing and at times frightening.
I first came across his writing through his novel "A Quiet Belief in Angels" which was picked for the Richard and Judy book club on television. It's a good starting point, but probably a better one is "Candlemoth" which was his first published novel. Some of his work is quite dense and needs plenty of concentration. He can write both in an American slang vernacular, in a crisp Americana style or in a straightforward prose style.
The unique thing about Roger and his books is the fact that he is an Englishman writing American novels and beating the Americans at their own game. This lead to problems when he was originally attempting to get his books published (he had written over 20 before getting a publishing deal). In Britain they wouldn't publish him because he was a British author writing about America and in the USA they wouldn't publish him (yes you can guess why) because he was a British author writing about America. He eventually had the breakthrough and has never looked back.
But there is another side to Roger Ellory. Yesterday we travelled to a small venue close to the Angel Islington in London to see Roger front a rock/country/blues band The Whiskey Poets who have just brought out their first CD. This was an acoustic set featuring former Electric Light Orchestra guitarist Martin Smith and a couple of other Rogers on bass guitar and congas.
Roger and Martin have written the songs for the album and they were intriguing - many telling stories of murder and mayhem that made me think of Nick Cave's murder ballads LP/CD. Elsewhere the influences are as diverse as Roger Ellory's novels. There's blues, country slide guitar and pounding rock in there as well. Yes Roger Ellory is an insanely talented guitarist and songwriter as well as novelist.
Another thing about this guy is how he relates to his fan base. I hooked up with Roger via the internet a number of years ago. I wrote to him saying how much I enjoyed his novels. The reply was swift and modest and that started a conversation on numerous topics that culminated in an electronic interview for my former web site. I will be putting these interviews on this site shortly. Roger answered all my questions honestly and with a passion and the last time I spoke to him he said "let's do another interview."
I finally did get to meet the guy when he did a short presentation at Norwich Forum Library on the art of writing thrillers. At that time I had little or no knowledge of his other life as a musician. On the evidence of last night's gig it would be tough to say whether R J Ellory is a better novelist or songwriter. I just think he is excellent at both.