The writer who spent a year as a virtual private detective
In short: To write his thriller Virtually Dead, Peter May did more than just study research; he lived it. For one full year, he operated a private detective agency within the digital world of Second Life, handling real commissions ranging from surveillance to investigations into marital infidelity and harassment.
Peter May is a prolific Scottish novelist and screenwriter whose work often bridges the gap between meticulous procedural detail and immersive atmosphere. While he achieved significant success in television—earning over 1,000 credits and creating groundbreaking series like Machair, the first major drama made in the Gaelic language—his literary career is defined by an uncompromising commitment to authenticity.
This dedication to realism often takes him into unconventional territories. May established connections with Shanghai and Beijing homicide investigators plus forensic pathologists over several years to provide realism for his China Thrillers. He even became the only Westerner to be named an honorary member of the Chinese Crime Writers' Association's Beijing Chapter. Similarly, for his novel The Critic, he took a wine-tasting course and worked with winemakers in Gaillac, France, to earn the title of Chevalier de la Dive Bouteille de Gaillac.
His most unique methodological feat was his immersion into Second Life. By spending 365 days as an online private detective, May gathered first-hand experience on surveillance and harassment investigations to fuel his fiction. This blend of deep-cover research—whether in physical prisons, international police forces, or digital worlds—has helped him sell over twelve million copies worldwide and earn prestigious accolades like France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière.
May’s work also highlights the power of regional identity. His Lewis Trilogy, set in the Outer Hebrides, achieved massive success despite linguistic barriers; the Gaelic-language series Machair reached a 33% audience share in Scotland primarily through English subtitles, reaching a population where only 2% speak Gaelic.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Peter May (writer)
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