Q&A: S. B. Caves, Author of ‘When We Were Evil’
We chat with author S. B. Caves about When We Were Evil, which is a dark thriller set two decades after one of the most infamous murders in British history – the Vincent Street Incident. The woman who was imprisoned for the crime is approached by filmmakers who want to tell her side of the story for the first time…
Hi, S. B.! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Of course! My name is S.B. Caves and I’m a thriller author from London. My previous books include I Know Where She Is, A Killer Came Knocking, and Honeycomb. My new book, When We Were Evil, is published on 13 Jan 2026.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Goosebumps was definitely the start of my reading and writing obsession. The first thing I can remember ever writing was a Goosebumps ripoff that I called Goosepimples, and distributed it around my classroom when I was about 9.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine
- The one that made you want to become an author: Books of Blood by Clive Barker
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Your latest novel, When We Were Evil, is out January 13th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark, addictive, twisty, surprising, suspenseful
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect an intriguing and compulsive story with plenty of twists and turns, with a pace that hurtles toward an extremely unexpected ending.
Where did the inspiration for When We Were Evil come from?
A portion of the idea came when my first son was born. I was up with him at about 3am doing the night feed and he was screaming the place down, and I think I’d had about 2 hours sleep that week. When he finally fell asleep, the genesis of the idea – a story about two girls that break into a house – just popped in my head.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Like all my other books, the story is really dark. It’s told from the perspective of Ruby, a 40-something year old woman who was involved in a highly publicised murder when she was only 15. The thing I enjoyed most about writing this book was knowing just how sly and mischiveious the story becomes, and felt a sense of morbid anticipation as I wrote the last third of the book.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
It’s definitely been my most challenging book to write, and as such, it was written and rewritten, and edited a lot to get the kinks out. I think with most aspects of writing, the best way to overcome any difficult phases is just to keep writing and editing.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a new novel that is probably my most ambitious challenge so far out of everything I’ve written. But I’m fully in love and obsessed with it. I’m also writing screenplays and having a lot of fun with that.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I’ve got a lot of reading to catch up on. Over the Christmas period I want to read Strange Houses by Uketsu, and I’m super intrigued by The Trunk by Kim Ryeo-Ryeong.
