I’ve had the privilege of working with author Bradley Harper for over a year now and was supporting him when his debut novel, A Knife in the Fog, was published. Even if I wasn’t working with him, A Knife in the Fog would be one of my favourites stories. As a lifelong fan of Sherlock Holmes, I’ve always been interested in fiction that is set in the Holmes world but has different takes on the character.
A Knife in the Fog has a very interesting twist – instead of being a story about Sherlock Holmes, it’s a historical fiction novel using real-life people and features Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes), Dr. Joseph Bell (the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes) and Margaret Harkness (a writer) joining in the hunt for Jack the Ripper.
A Knife in the Fog is incredibly descriptive and brings the poor-slums of Victorian England to life. Harper’s forensic pathology background is evident in the detailed forensic details of the story. And I’m not the only one who thinks this is a great piece of writing – A Knife in the Fog was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author and has been nominated for the Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Award in the Mystery category.
Aside from his writing, Harper himself is incredibly interesting so I definitely wanted to interview him for my blog. Now my friends don’t have to listen to me rambling on about how interesting Harper is – they can read about him in his own words!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’ve been a waiter, bartender, truck driver, lifeguard, swim instructor, youth swim coach, Infantry officer, motor pool officer, General Medical Officer in the Army, pathologist, commander, staff officer in the Pentagon, and professional Santa Claus. After over thirty-seven years in the Army, my Santa costume will be the last uniform I’ll ever wear.
List three fun facts about yourself that we wouldn’t read in your ‘official’ bio.
- I was the acting commander of the US Army hospital in Heidelberg, Germany, on the 50th anniversary of GEN Patton’s death there, so got to preside over the commemoration ceremony.
- I delivered both of my daughters, the first one the day after I graduated from medical school, so it was my first official act as a physician. My wife’s comment: “Finish what you started!”
- I was born at Ft Chaffee, Arkansas, as my father was in the Oklahoma National Guard and had been activated for the Korean War. I returned there in 1975 as the post Transportation Officer when the base was made into a Vietnamese refugee camp, and I slept in the same hospital I’d been born in.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
2013. I’d been retired maybe 15 months and needed something to keep me busy. I’d helped Mary Roach do the research for a book that was ultimately named “Grunt,” and that experience inspired me to try. I told myself, “How hard can it be?” Pretty hard, as it turns out.
What’s the hardest part about writing historical fiction when your characters are all based on real-life people?
There is an inherent conflict in writing fiction, which is essentially a lie, yet staying faithful to historical people and events. In my first book for example, involving Jack the Ripper, I can’t change the date or place of the murders. I can however conjecture on the events leading up to them, and the reactions of my characters to the real events. I guess it boils down to lying in the most truthful way possible.
When you’re not writing, what do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy movies, though now that I’m a writer I watch them with two sets of eyes, one as a movie-goer, and one as a writer. I also enjoy travel, and a good red wine. I can also laze about in my hammock quite happily, enjoying what the Italians call, “La dolcezza di fare niente.” The sweetness of doing nothing.
In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing or being an author?
You just asked me two different questions, for writing and being an author require different skill sets. Writing requires the persistence of writing something over and over until it’s as good as you can make it, then setting it aside for a few days and rewriting again.
Being an author requires an elephant hide. You offer up that work you’ve rewritten multiple times, then have it rejected, or panned in a review. Both require persistence. Not all will like my work, but if I can please some, that is reason enough to keep going.
Who are some of the authors you read in your spare time?
One of my recent favorites is Joe Ide. He writes a modern version of Holmes, named IQ. Fast-paced with clever plots. Reading him keeps me humble. I still re-read Sherlock Holmes. I use it both for research and for pleasure, and the stories keep me grounded in the Victorian era I write about.
You’ve travelled to many places around the world. Where are a couple of your favourite travel destinations?
Heidelberg! I lived there six years (minus ten months in Bosnia). It is a magical place and easy to get around. There is a famous German song, “Ich habe mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren,” I lost my heart in Heidelberg. when I mention it to German speakers I add, “Aber, ich habe mein Bauch gefunden!” But I found my gut! German beer, what can I say?
Vicenza, Italy. I commanded there from 2005-7, and stayed as long as I could. Because of my Spanish proficiency I was able to quickly learn Italian, and fell in love with the people, the culture, the food, and the wine! Whenever I go to a true Italian restaurant I ask for “un grosso rosso,” or a fat red.
One of the main characters in A Knife in the Fog is Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. During your research for the book, did you learn anything surprising about Doyle that you didn’t know before?
Yes, I did. I learned that he took a year off from medical school to serve as a ship’s surgeon on a whaling vessel. The ship also hunted seals, and not one to sit idly by he assisted, falling through the ice three times in two days, prompting the ship’s captain to ask if he was trying to swim back to England. Doyle participated in sparring matches with the crew, and greatly impressed them with his ability to blacken their eyes, thus giving him more work as the ship’s physician.
Although probably the least well known of the three main characters of your book, the series itself is focused more on Margaret Harkness. What’s next for your heroine?
In my second book, Queen’s Gambit, which comes out September 17, 2019, Margaret and an inspector from Scotland Yard work together to stop an anarchist assassin from killing Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee ceremony. As before, I have several historical people in the story who had something to do with the actual events, including the one-armed London Police Commissioner, Sir Edward Bradford, who lost his left arm to a tigress while serving in India, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who rode in the Diamond Jubilee procession and whose later assassination led to World War I
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