Pilkey spent 15 years as a beat cop in 51 Division, a jurisdiction that includes  Moss Park and Regent Park. It’s an aptly gritty setting for his debut thriller, which follows a rookie cop on the hunt for a murderer.

Sorry, but we have to ask: how much of the novel is based on your own experience? Jack Warren, the protagonist, is definitely me, and a lot of the scenes are inspired by true stories. At one point, Jack goes on a medical call and finds a guy in a tiny room. It looks like he hasn’t left the apartment in years. His toenails have grown so long that there are cockroaches nesting under them. I was on that call.