Last year, a rumour swept through the British crime-writing community: producers of The Traitors were recruiting contestants for 2026 and wanted one of them to take part. The show is a controlled, lower-stakes version of the golden age country house whodunnit, making it a natural fit for those who examine the dark side of human behaviour for a living. Betrayal, manipulation and multiple perspectives are all in a day's work for crime novelists, giving them a unique empathy for victim, perpetrator and detective.
Harriet Tyce, the barrister turned thriller writer, is proving this in the current series. Her uncloaking of Traitor Hugo in episode three was masterly: her speech was eloquent, controlled and incisive, presenting theory as data with courtroom precision. 'Those are hard facts, as far as I'm concerned,' she declared, turning suspicion into certainty in a show where most banishments are vibes-based.
Crime writers are professional pattern-finders with highly tuned observation, says former detective and bestselling author Clare Mackintosh. 'The cat-and-mouse game in crime novels isn't only between detective and villain, but between author and reader,' she notes. 'Whether Traitor or Faithful, a crime writer makes a formidable opponent.' Mark Edwards, author of The Wasp Trap, agrees: 'Writing crime novels makes us very good at games. That's why Harriet saw Hugo was a Traitor immediately.'
Of course, not all authors would excel. Mackintosh admits she spends most of her time alone, typing and wearing fleeces covered in pet hair, and that she fumbles words in conversation. Yet the soft skills developed at literary festivals – engaging a room of strangers, making people like you – are invaluable in the castle, as seen with player Jessie. And when it comes to the dark side? Edwards points out that to make twists work, authors must create characters who lie convincingly. 'These baddies are always the most fun to write, and I think we would all relish the challenge of being a Traitor,' he says.
