WHAT BOOK would author Andrew Child take to a desert island?

. . . are you reading now?

Killing Thatcher, by Rory Carroll. This book is expertly researched and deftly written but on top of that it hits three notes that particularly resonate for me personally.

Firstly, for someone who spent their teenage years in England in the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher and her political agenda cast a shadow that was impossible to escape. 

Love her or loathe her, she left fingerprints everywhere — the economy, culture, housing, industry, job prospects, the UK’s standing on the world stage and the concept of society itself.

When I was 18, I moved from the comfort of the Home Counties to Sheffield, a city which was still reeling from the devastating impact of her policies.

Author Andrew Child – who is Lee Child’s brother – says he is currently reading Killing Thatcher, by Rory Carroll

Both these experiences helped to form my own memories and understanding of that era, so now I find it intensely fascinating to look back through the broader lens that Carroll focuses with four decades of historical context.

Secondly, my father’s side of the family came from Northern Ireland, so I welcome everything that helps to throw light on the tragic circumstances that shaped the lives of those who lived there.

Finally, as we know, the attempt on Thatcher’s life did not succeed. But what if it had done? How different would my life, the country, the world, have been?

And for a novelist, ‘what if?’ is the most important question a person can ask.

. . . would you take to a desert island?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. (Or, preferably, a box set of all five volumes.) As well as containing useful advice for anyone who finds themselves marooned (Don’t Panic!) and valuable information to help pass the time (the meaning of life, the universe, and everything), the hilarious insights into the less attractive aspects of human nature and behaviour would no doubt soften the blow of being separated from the rest of the species.

. . . first gave you the reading bug?

Small Pig, by Arnold Lobel. I found this at our local library when I was quite small myself and it’s still one of my favourite books. It has everything — an appealing hero, a stroke of misfortune, a resulting quest, danger, imminent doom, last minute rescue and redemption.

But, more than that, it’s so beautifully written. Lobel crafted the most perfect sentences — the rhyme, rhythm, the flow — and his example is something I always try to live up to in my own writing.

. . . left you cold?

I forget the title but it was a self-help book I came across at Heathrow airport years ago when I was killing time between flights. 

The first chapter was entirely devoted to tips and techniques for giving up coffee. It didn’t just leave me cold — it left me running to the nearest cafe… 

• No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child is out now in paperback (Penguin £9.99).