Mark Timlin
Encyclopedia
Mark Timlin is a British author best known for his series of novels featuring Nick Sharman, a former Metropolitan Police
officer who takes up the profession of private investigator in South London
. The Sharman books are characterised by their noir
tone and their fast action, and feature a high casualty rate among their characters; Sharman himself is frequently injured or even hospitalised in the course of the novels. The books formed the basis for the TV series Sharman
, in which Clive Owen
played the eponymous detective; Timlin made a cameo appearance in the pilot episode.
Before commencing his writing career Timlin worked in a variety of jobs such as being a roadie for rock groups including T Rex
and The Who
, running a Clapham Junction music venue, minicab driver, and proprietor of a skateboard
company. In 1985 he was unemployed and living in a friend's abandoned bus. Turning to writing as a way out of living on benefits, he wrote his first novel, A Good Year For The Roses, which was published as a paperback original in 1988. The Sharman series is now in double figures; in early years Timlin published prolifically. Almost all of the Sharman books carry titles which are taken from songs.
He has cited influences on his work as including Ed McBain, Raymond Chandler
, Ross Macdonald
, Richard Stark and John D. McDonald.
Both the violent nature of the Sharman novels, and remarks made by Timlin himself, have made the author a figure of controversy. He resigned from the Crime Writers' Association
saying he "would rather stick needles in my eyes" than ever rejoin, and was scornful of comments made by P. D. James
who argued that cosy mysteries presented opportunites to depict moral
choices which hardboiled
style novels lacked; Timlin claimed "I write about the reality I see on the streets of south London" and insisted that Sharman "has his own morals". Other writers such as Val McDermid
were also critical of James' opinions.
Timlin lives in London's Docklands. For many years he reviewed crime fiction for the Independent on Sunday newspaper.
Romeo's Tune, 1990 – Sharman tangles with a shady music firm in pursuit of a reclusive ex-rock-star’s missing royalties.
Gun Street Girl, 1990 – Sharman spots a wealthy young woman shoplifting and becomes drawn into sordid drama involving her rich family.
Take the A-Train, 1991 – Sharman finds himself caught in a turf war between two crime families.
The Turnaround, 1992 – Who massacred a carpet dealer’s entire family? The police have given up on solving the case, but Sharman finds some stones have been left unturned.
Hearts of Stone, 1992 – Sharman is coerced into assisting the drugs squad with investigating criminals who have already killed two police officers.
Zip Gun Boogie, 1992 – Sharman is hired as protection by a rock band whose members have a long tradition of dying prematurely. (The fictional band, Pandora’s Box, has some
similarities to Fleetwood Mac
.)
Falls the Shadow, 1993 – Sharman investigates shady goings-on at a radio station.
Ashes by Now, 1993 – As a new constable, Sharman connived at the unfair conviction of a man for rape. Now the prisoner is out of gaol, and turns to Sharman to clear his name.
Pretend We're Dead, 1994 – Sharman discovers that a famous musician of the 1960s, thought to have died young, may still be alive. (The fictional band Dog Soldier and its singer Jay Harrison bear some similarities to The Doors
and Jim Morrison
.)
Paint It Black, 1995 – Sharman is married and looking forward to a quiet life at last, but fate has other plans for him. (This was intended to be the final Sharman novel, with Sharman dying at the end.)
Find My Way Home, 1996 – Pieces of a dismembered corpse begin to turn up around south London. Sharman is an old acquaintance of the dead man.
A Street That Rhymed At 3 AM, 1997 – Sharman’s Christmas is interrupted by the news that his ex-wife and her new family are dead following a terrorist bomb explosion.
Dead Flowers, 1998 – Sharman is hired by a lottery winner and finds several dubious characters are very interested in his newly acquired riches.
Quick Before They Catch Us, 1999 – Venturing away from his home turf, Sharman finds himself embroiled in a violent family feud in Manchester
.
All the Empty Places, 2000 – Sharman becomes entangled in a plan to rob a City bank.
Stay Another Day, 2010 – Sharman abandons his Caribbean retirement when his daughter, now a police officer, needs his help.
Sharman and Other Filth (short stories), 1996 – Contains several Sharman stories (one of which was originally written as a plot treatment for The Bill
), plus one non-Sharman novella.
I Spied a Pale Horse, 1999 – Science fiction. A plague destroys civilisation in the UK and the anti-hero, a police officer, fights for survival.
Answers from the Grave, 2004, rewritten as Guns Of Brixton, 2010 – A non-Sharman thriller, though Sharman appears in a cameo role.
101 Best TV Crime Series, 2010 – Non-fiction.
As by Johnny Angelo:
Groupies, 1993
Groupies 2, 1994
Champagne Sister, 1995 (Features a character from the Sharman novel Zip Gun Boogie)
As by Jim Ballantyne:
The Torturer, 1995
As by Holly Delatour (erotica):
The Downfall of Danielle, 1993
What Katy Dunn Did, 1994
As by Lee Martin:
Gangster's Wives, 2007
The Lipstick Killers, 2009
As by Martin Milk (anagram of 'Mark Timlin'):
That Saturday, 1996
As by Tony Williams:
Valin's Raiders, 1994
Blue on Blue, 1999
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
officer who takes up the profession of private investigator in South London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The Sharman books are characterised by their noir
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
tone and their fast action, and feature a high casualty rate among their characters; Sharman himself is frequently injured or even hospitalised in the course of the novels. The books formed the basis for the TV series Sharman
Sharman (TV series)
Sharman is a television series starring Clive Owen, based on the "Nick Sharman" books written by London based author Mark Timlin.-Cast and characters:...
, in which Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
played the eponymous detective; Timlin made a cameo appearance in the pilot episode.
Before commencing his writing career Timlin worked in a variety of jobs such as being a roadie for rock groups including T Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, running a Clapham Junction music venue, minicab driver, and proprietor of a skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
company. In 1985 he was unemployed and living in a friend's abandoned bus. Turning to writing as a way out of living on benefits, he wrote his first novel, A Good Year For The Roses, which was published as a paperback original in 1988. The Sharman series is now in double figures; in early years Timlin published prolifically. Almost all of the Sharman books carry titles which are taken from songs.
He has cited influences on his work as including Ed McBain, Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
, Ross Macdonald
Ross Macdonald
Not to be confused with John D. MacDonaldRoss Macdonald is the pseudonym of the American-Canadian writer of crime fiction Kenneth Millar...
, Richard Stark and John D. McDonald.
Both the violent nature of the Sharman novels, and remarks made by Timlin himself, have made the author a figure of controversy. He resigned from the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
saying he "would rather stick needles in my eyes" than ever rejoin, and was scornful of comments made by P. D. James
P. D. James
Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, OBE, FRSA, FRSL , commonly known as P. D. James, is an English crime writer and Conservative life peer in the House of Lords, most famous for a series of detective novels starring policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh.-Life and career:James...
who argued that cosy mysteries presented opportunites to depict moral
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
choices which hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
style novels lacked; Timlin claimed "I write about the reality I see on the streets of south London" and insisted that Sharman "has his own morals". Other writers such as Val McDermid
Val McDermid
Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill.-Biography:...
were also critical of James' opinions.
Timlin lives in London's Docklands. For many years he reviewed crime fiction for the Independent on Sunday newspaper.
List of Sharman books
A Good Year for the Roses, 1988 – Sharman is hired to investigate a missing teenage girl.Romeo's Tune, 1990 – Sharman tangles with a shady music firm in pursuit of a reclusive ex-rock-star’s missing royalties.
Gun Street Girl, 1990 – Sharman spots a wealthy young woman shoplifting and becomes drawn into sordid drama involving her rich family.
Take the A-Train, 1991 – Sharman finds himself caught in a turf war between two crime families.
The Turnaround, 1992 – Who massacred a carpet dealer’s entire family? The police have given up on solving the case, but Sharman finds some stones have been left unturned.
Hearts of Stone, 1992 – Sharman is coerced into assisting the drugs squad with investigating criminals who have already killed two police officers.
Zip Gun Boogie, 1992 – Sharman is hired as protection by a rock band whose members have a long tradition of dying prematurely. (The fictional band, Pandora’s Box, has some
similarities to Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
.)
Falls the Shadow, 1993 – Sharman investigates shady goings-on at a radio station.
Ashes by Now, 1993 – As a new constable, Sharman connived at the unfair conviction of a man for rape. Now the prisoner is out of gaol, and turns to Sharman to clear his name.
Pretend We're Dead, 1994 – Sharman discovers that a famous musician of the 1960s, thought to have died young, may still be alive. (The fictional band Dog Soldier and its singer Jay Harrison bear some similarities to The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
and Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
.)
Paint It Black, 1995 – Sharman is married and looking forward to a quiet life at last, but fate has other plans for him. (This was intended to be the final Sharman novel, with Sharman dying at the end.)
Find My Way Home, 1996 – Pieces of a dismembered corpse begin to turn up around south London. Sharman is an old acquaintance of the dead man.
A Street That Rhymed At 3 AM, 1997 – Sharman’s Christmas is interrupted by the news that his ex-wife and her new family are dead following a terrorist bomb explosion.
Dead Flowers, 1998 – Sharman is hired by a lottery winner and finds several dubious characters are very interested in his newly acquired riches.
Quick Before They Catch Us, 1999 – Venturing away from his home turf, Sharman finds himself embroiled in a violent family feud in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
All the Empty Places, 2000 – Sharman becomes entangled in a plan to rob a City bank.
Stay Another Day, 2010 – Sharman abandons his Caribbean retirement when his daughter, now a police officer, needs his help.
Sharman and Other Filth (short stories), 1996 – Contains several Sharman stories (one of which was originally written as a plot treatment for The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
), plus one non-Sharman novella.
List of other works
Under his own name:I Spied a Pale Horse, 1999 – Science fiction. A plague destroys civilisation in the UK and the anti-hero, a police officer, fights for survival.
Answers from the Grave, 2004, rewritten as Guns Of Brixton, 2010 – A non-Sharman thriller, though Sharman appears in a cameo role.
101 Best TV Crime Series, 2010 – Non-fiction.
As by Johnny Angelo:
Groupies, 1993
Groupies 2, 1994
Champagne Sister, 1995 (Features a character from the Sharman novel Zip Gun Boogie)
As by Jim Ballantyne:
The Torturer, 1995
As by Holly Delatour (erotica):
The Downfall of Danielle, 1993
What Katy Dunn Did, 1994
As by Lee Martin:
Gangster's Wives, 2007
The Lipstick Killers, 2009
As by Martin Milk (anagram of 'Mark Timlin'):
That Saturday, 1996
As by Tony Williams:
Valin's Raiders, 1994
Blue on Blue, 1999