GAVIN STRAWHAN is a New Zealand creator, writer, executive producer and show runner of many New Zealand and international shows. His debut crime novel, The Call, won the 2023 Allen & Unwin Fiction Prize.

Gavin shares with us how his story of an Auckland cop, a gang of Aussie imports, and a missing informant, mother-of-three Kloe Kovich, came about.

A few years ago, I was researching a television series and found myself at a long lunch with my screen writing partner and three women cops. Up until that point I can’t say that my dealings with the constabulary had been all good. There was that drug bust, those political rallies, ACAB (All cops are bastards), am I right? These women helped shift my point of view. They were darkly funny and generous with information, but they also didn’t mind saying that they’d joined the police force to make a difference. And I believed them.

After a few wines, they told riotous stories about dating other cops, about dating criminals, about the stresses of being a cop/mum, about the drinking culture, institutional sexism and having a wee while on surveillance. Then one of the women, a detective in the Serious Crime Squad, told the story of a girlfriend of a gang member who would ring her late at night and give her tip-offs about illegal activities.

This often occurred after her partner had beaten her up. The detective telling this story said the calls had got so annoying that sometimes she felt like giving the woman the bash herself. It was dark but honest.

Anyway, we didn’t end up using that story in our series, but it stayed in the back of my mind. Every now and then it would surface, and I’d think, I should do something with that. A few years later, I started to develop an idea for a TV drama based on the three detectives because, well, I was a little bit taken with them (as you may be able to tell) but suddenly there was a plethora of cop dramas – ain’t that always the way? – and I couldn’t get any interest from production companies.

Then came COVID. Lots of time to catch up on all the Kate Atkinson and her ‘Jackson Brodie’ novels and think about writing my own. I know lots of people suffered during the lockdowns, and I honestly feel for them, but writing a novel is a solitary affair, and, for me, lockdown meant daily walks on empty streets and no excuses not to write a novel.

The story the cop told me bubbled up again and I thought fuck it, I’ll just start writing and see where it takes me. She became the inspiration for my female protagonist, and the unlikely relationship between the cop and the caller, the starting point for The Call.

I really had no idea what I was doing, just a situation and two characters in search of a plot, but the story kept evolving. As it did, stuff from my life wormed its way in. My family and I had lived a few years in a solar powered house near a small coastal town which morphed into the fictional town of Waitūtu. I spent time in Adelaide with my sick Mum; my protagonist goes home to care for hers.

I’ve also had the good fortune of working on a cop series over the years with some very pedantic cop advisors. I’ve always thought you shouldn’t let the facts get in the way of a good story, but it’s useful to have a rough idea how things work before you mess with them.

And there are some more harrowing, personal connections for me. I spent my late teens and early 20s in the Adelaide Hills, not always on the right side of the law. I’ve been raided by the drug squad, I’ve been arrested, fingerprinted and photographed. Around that time, a biker group set up nearby. They’d drink at the local pub, we’d play pool. Their leader was a guy called (I kid you not) Patch. He was charismatic, cool, funny and smart. I had a bike and I used to ride with them occasionally. I felt kind of cool and tough by association. Then they raped a friend of mine.

When it came to finding a gang for my story, the 501s were an obvious choice. Named after the legislation that enables the Australian Government to deport New Zealand born criminals, no matter how long they have lived in Oz, the 501 gangs have brought with them a new level of violence and organisation.

Although my situation was obviously very different, I do know a bit about being cut adrift in a strange country with no friends or whānau. When I dug a bit deeper, I learned of 501 gang members who’d grown up in Adelaide. They became the factual basis for my fictional gang, The Reapers.

Many commentators have noted that the contemporary crime writing holds up a mirror to society and that’s certainly what my favourite crime writers do. I hope The Call has something to say about class, politics and social issues in Aotearoa today, the kind of stuff you’d argue about at a long, boozy lunch. After all, that’s where it all started. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gavin is a creator/writer/show runner and executive producer of many NZ and international shows.