The underworld of "Layer Cake" is seedy, immersive, and tantalizing. No one can blame an audience for thinking — or perhaps even hoping — that J.J. Connolly was involved in criminal activity. But like any good book, "Layer Cake" was the subject of meticulous research. The author spoke to those in the criminal world with the intent of writing a book about it.
"When I started telling certain acquaintances I was writing a book about a low-profile drug dealer, a lot of gents, I realized, had a real need to tell me about their escapades," Connolly recounted. "Guys would insist: 'I gotta tell you this, you can use this, this is good.'" This was how the writer got his sources of information. The world seemed to open up to him the more he observed and became receptive to this information. Perhaps it was his writing style that ultimately convinced people he was part of some great criminal empire. "Layer Cake" was a smash success, and that can be attributed to his punchy dialogue and immersive characters. But in the end, that's all it was: the talent of one writer to throw his audiences into a fascinating world.
"I'm sorry to disappoint — but facts are facts: I was never a criminal, certainly not a drug dealer. I would have had a major propensity to get high on my own supply, end up owing more than I earn," Connolly concluded.
