Jul 16, 2026 · 52 min · 10 segments
For the eighth episode of the Working Class Library, the globally bestselling author Lee Child joins hosts Richard Benson and Claire Malcolm to talk about Dreda Say Mitchell’s groundbreaking 2004…
Lee ChildGuest
Clare MalcolmHost
Richard BensonHost
And the book you've chosen for us to talk about today is an interesting choice.
I was, I was sent, uh, the manuscript for a blurb basically, and, um, I read it and I loved it, principally because of the, the sort of judo move in the opening where we are invited to fall into a preconception, and generally we do.
And very quickly we find that in order to prove his commitment to a potential new boss, he has to obtain a knife.
And of course, I felt, uh, and I think every reader probably felt, um, this is about a, a, a, somebody wanting to join a gang, and he's got to prove his, um, commitment and loyalty and so on and so forth.
Um, there was me writing this guy off as a criminal or a potential criminal, and it turns out he's a really nice kid, very straightforward, and the knife is a chef's knife because that is the job he's trying to get.
So he's trying to get his way out of the streets and off the streets is kind of-
And there we are as readers, uh, essentially without a trial condemning him as a, as a, a, a knife fighter, whereas it's completely different.
So, so it was that flipping of a convention that put, uh, that attracted you to it in the first place, essentially?
There are f- uh, there are a few books that do that, uh, or at least have done it to me.
For a male reader, you're invited to, uh, have a response to each new outrage, and your response is usually wrong.
And I felt the same thing with Running Hot, that, you know, I'm as sympathetic or as, uh, open-minded, uh, as I can be, but I fell into it.
He's got to wet somebody up in order to prove his membership." And, um, it was not that at all, and I felt both intrigued by his life but also ashamed by my reaction.
And the book you've chosen for us to talk about today is an interesting choice.
I was, I was sent, uh, the manuscript for a blurb basically, and, um, I read it and I loved it, principally because of the, the sort of judo move in the opening where we are invited to fall into a preconception, and generally we do.
And very quickly we find that in order to prove his commitment to a potential new boss, he has to obtain a knife.
And of course, I felt, uh, and I think every reader probably felt, um, this is about a, a, a, somebody wanting to join a gang, and he's got to prove his, um, commitment and loyalty and so on and so forth.
Um, there was me writing this guy off as a criminal or a potential criminal, and it turns out he's a really nice kid, very straightforward, and the knife is a chef's knife because that is the job he's trying to get.
So he's trying to get his way out of the streets and off the streets is kind of-
And there we are as readers, uh, essentially without a trial condemning him as a, as a, a, a knife fighter, whereas it's completely different.
So, so it was that flipping of a convention that put, uh, that attracted you to it in the first place, essentially?
There are f- uh, there are a few books that do that, uh, or at least have done it to me.
For a male reader, you're invited to, uh, have a response to each new outrage, and your response is usually wrong.
And I felt the same thing with Running Hot, that, you know, I'm as sympathetic or as, uh, open-minded, uh, as I can be, but I fell into it.
He's got to wet somebody up in order to prove his membership." And, um, it was not that at all, and I felt both intrigued by his life but also ashamed by my reaction.
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