Jenny Hilborne is a British-born author who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom as she researches and plots her next thriller. Her mysteries and thrillers are set in both San Francisco and England and it was during one of those trips to the UK that she took time out for this interview. The latest novel in Hilborne’s Mac Jackson series, “The Blackest Night,” was released in late April.
During this interview, Hilborne said, “It is not my intention to address issues or arguments in my books. In fact, to keep things open and interesting, I often give my characters opinions and beliefs that are different to my own. In doing so, I’m forced to consider ‘their’ point of view.”
In “The Blackest Night,” Detective Mac Jackson is forced to consider an unconventional path to the truth when a homicide investigation connects two seemingly unrelated crimes. Hilborne said the book revolves around a central theme. “With so much crime in our world, I’m often contemplating how someone might so easily be caught up in it because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. This led me to consider how difficult it might be to prove your innocence, and what if you’d already been convicted once of a crime you didn’t commit?”
Hilborne said her background in real estate and finance provides ideas for many of the vindictive plot lines found in her novels. Even though she’s worked in an environment where financial conditions might bring out the worst in people, Hilborne says that’s not who she is. She said she wants readers to remember “it’s all fiction and I’m not malicious and cruel like some of my characters.”
She added, “Though I like to explore the darker side when I write, it’s purely from a psychological aspect rather than an interest in the crimes themselves. Fiction allows us the freedom for harmless exploration, and that’s what I enjoy about it. I try to keep author intrusion to an absolute minimum in my books, but I do tend to root for the underdog.”
“The Blackest Night” is different from Hilborne’s previous Jackson novels in that it includes a touch of the paranormal. Hilborne said, “The challenge for me in writing it is that I’m both fascinated by and afraid of the paranormal. I felt like I was dabbling where I shouldn’t.”
Book Summary
Thirteen years ago, a wrongful conviction sent an innocent man to prison. Still mentally and physically scarred six years after his release, William Law believes the darkest days of his life are behind him, until the night he is attacked in a dark alleyway.
Meanwhile, homicide inspector Mac Jackson is leading inquiries in a murder investigation. When an anonymous tip reveals some startling information, Jackson unearths new clues that appear to connect two separate cases. He also learns the unconventional path might be the only one that leads him to the truth.
More information
Jenny Hilborne’s other works include: “Madness And Murder,” “No Alibi,” “Hide And Seek,” and “Stone Cold.” Find her on the web at jfhilborne.com or read her reviews in the New York Journal of Books.
Thanks for being my guest, Jenny! It was my pleasure.
Thank you for hosting me, Terry.