Carlisle Richardson, the author of The Soft Underbelly, says he wrote his debut novel for fans of crime fiction and spy thrillers, wanting to offer an entertaining story within the genre that they love, that happens to take place in the Caribbean.

The Soft Underbelly follows two investigators, local police officer Gerald Brookes, and M16 agent Fiona Sawyer, who are trying to solve the case of a murdered young customs agent and a plot to overthrow the sitting prime minister. Add to the mix the chaos of an international weapons trafficking ring and a mysterious expat living on the island, what else could go wrong? In what used to be a tropical paradise, police officer Gerald Brookes and Ml6 agent Fiona Sawyer race against time to save the day.

Read our review of The Soft Underbelly

Ahead of the book launch (1 June), we spoke exclusively to Carlisle Richardson. We asked him why he wanted to write such a book, the importance of representation and authenticity in this genre and who his favourite authors are.

We love to learn more about the books we spotlight and how they came to be through our author profiles. Learn more about Carlisle Richardson and then pick up a copy of his wonderful debut book, The Soft Underbelly.

What inspired you to write your first novel? 

I have wanted to write fiction for as long as I can remember. As a child I wrote comic books, and as a teenager I wrote screenplays. When I started my career, that desire never dimmed and I knew I would pursue it eventually. I would often write down chapters or scenes without having an actual novel in the works, and I started publishing short stories. The genres I was most interested in writing were crime fiction, and spy thrillers, because those were the types of novels that would keep me up until 5 in the morning.

The inspiration for my first novel came one Friday night when I lived in New York. I was heading home on the Long Island Railroad after work, reading a magazine. I read this article about political corruption becoming more commonplace around the world, and how it was seeping into the very fabric of societies. That was the catalyst. The title, “The Soft Underbelly,” came to me that night, and I started writing the story around the theme of political corruption. Some of the chapters and scenes I had written before, found their way into the story, and The Soft Underbelly was born.

Why did you decide on a thriller set in the Caribbean with Caribbean protagonists? Why is this important?

In addition to wanting to write novels, I wanted to tell accurate Caribbean stories. I was always dismayed at the way the Caribbean and its people were portrayed in novels, television shows, and movies, by non-Caribbean people. Coming from the Caribbean, I knew there was a better way of portraying us. There were too many negative stereotypes, and we are often relegated to supporting cast roles, or the criminals.

Additionally, for every event that occurs in the Caribbean with international implications, the persons in the Caribbean are also affected. I wanted to show how Caribbean people react; how they feel, and the decisions they make to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe. I’ve had conversations with people who were university students in Jamaica during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I’ve met people who lived in Grenada during the Revolution.

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However, I have never read a work of fiction or seen a show or movie that brings their experiences to light. If we hear about events like the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Grenada Revolution, it has traditionally shown the perspectives of other countries and people, with hardly any reference to the Caribbean and its people.

So, this thriller set in the Caribbean with Caribbean protagonists aims to show our perspective of an event that has international implications, but which occurs in the region, and hence also has local repercussions.

Who did you write this novel for? 

I wrote this novel for fans of crime fiction and spy thrillers. I hope that they will be motivated to read an entertaining story within the genres that they love, that happens to take place in the Caribbean. For those not from the Caribbean, I hope the novel motivates them to seek out more accurate novels about the Caribbean and its people.

I also wrote this story for Caribbean people and their diaspora communities in the United Kingdom and North America. I want them to feel seen and represented when they read this story and be proud that their reality is being portrayed.

“I want to encourage young readers to love crime.. reading about it, that is”

Finally, I wanted persons from other islands around the world, from Latin America, and from Africa, and their respective diaspora communities to identify with the characters and occurrences in this novel, and feel inspired to continue writing their stories, as well as looking for, reading, and promoting these stories from the Global South that had not previously been fully integrated into international crime and spy fiction.

What’s your experience of the world described in The Soft Underbelly? 

I worked in the Foreign Service of my native, St. Kitts and Nevis. While the story is not about anyone I worked with, or any experiences I had, I am familiar with the inner workings of international relations, and I wanted it to feel as though it had been pulled from news headlines. While working in New York, I was able to observe politicians and their entourages from all over the world. I saw how people gravitated towards powerful individuals, and because I always wanted to write crime fiction, I started imagining what types of conversations or interactions they could be having.

Working in the Foreign Service, I was also able to interact with different security personnel around the world, and I was able to understand the types of threats they were thinking about daily. This provided me with great material to write The Soft Underbelly.

Name three authors you are inspired by and why

Chinua Achebe, Harper Lee, and Ingrid Persaud.

I read Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” in high school for literature class and it had a profound effect on me. It addressed so many of the issues we were also grappling with as a society in the Caribbean in the post-Colonial era, and it helped me to see our challenges as part of a larger global issue.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” was also a book I read in my literature class in high school, and it was the first work I had read that exposed racism and its impact on society. And it was told through the observations of this little girl. I felt Harper Lee was a brilliant writer, and like Achebe, I wanted to write something as impactful as she had.

Ingrid Persaud inspired me when she won the Commonwealth Short Story Competition. I read her short story, “The Sweet Sop,” and it blew me away. It was so raw and beautiful. I had been struggling with my writing and had not drafted anything in a while. I had grown uncertain if I would ever write something that was good enough to be published. The Sweet Sop was the remedy I needed. It was a Caribbean story. I had lived in Trinidad when I went to university there, and I could identify with everything Persaud spoke about in this work, from the dialogue to the imagery, to the characters. I was invigorated and inspired to write again and published my first short story two years after reading The Sweet Sop. If I ever meet her, I will thank her for helping me with my writing journey.

Outside of writing, what do you do for fun? 

I love to travel. I love exploring someplace new and getting a glimpse into the lives of the people and their culture.

I can always be found at the beach. Not swimming but walking along the shore. It is my ultimate solitude. I suspect that came from growing up on an island where I could see the ocean wherever I was. So, for me, a fun time out is time at the beach, allowing the waves to regenerate me.

I am a huge fan of film and television, so when I’m not writing at home, I’m glued to a streaming service or revisiting old favourites. I can also be found taking in the latest blockbuster or film festival masterpiece at the cinema.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a chef. I still enjoy cooking, and trying different recipes, while listening to Jazz.

And finally, sports. I’m a huge fan of basketball and watch it whenever I can.

What’s your favourite meal?

I’m not sure if I have a favourite meal. I love trying different cuisines. I suppose if I were to really think about it, I absolutely love pigeon peas soup. The way I remember it as a child growing up in the Caribbean. It was our Saturday meal, and I have had it in every Caribbean country I’ve visited. When I have it now, it is that beautiful reminder of home.

Where’s your favourite holiday destination? 

When I was growing up, I loved visiting New York City and London, England. New York was so vibrant and alive, truly the city that never sleeps. I found London charming, and I still do. Because I loved both places growing up, I eventually lived in both and enjoyed my time there immensely.

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As an adult, and being away from home, the Caribbean is now a very important holiday destination for me. St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Jamaica, Barbados, or St. Lucia. I can’t get enough of returning to them. When I do visit, I am home, but it is also now a holiday destination I crave.

I fell in love with Rome the moment I visited. Absolutely beautiful, filled with history, food, and architecture. It was a delight.

The Soft Underbelly by Carlisle Richardson will be published on June 1 by Hansib Publication.

Buy it here.