By day he writes lines about killers, by night he dishes out killer lines.

Meet Mark Billingham. A man who is both a best-sellling author of novels about serial killers and a seriously funny stand-up comedian.

It is, to say the least, an unusual vocational combination and Mark, who lives with his wife and two children in Barnet, has been unusually successful at both.

As a writer, novels such as Sleepyhead and Lazybones have been well-received both critically and commercially and, as a comedian, he has been packing out the UK's top clubs for the past 15 years.

He is a man equally at home with funny 'ha ha' as he is with funny 'strange'.

"There are parallels between my comedy and my writing. When you're writing, you have to engage the reader in much the same way you have to engage the audience. It's all about building to something, having a strong finish," said Mark.

"You may do this in 350 pages or a couple of lines on stage but the techniques are pretty much the same like leading people up a certain path. It's just that, in the books, the punchlines are a bit darker."

Dark punchlines there may be, but his books have won praise for being humane, intelligent and creative examples of the genre as opposed to his more schlocky shelfmates preconcerned with how many gruesome deaths can be stuffed inside a dustjacket.

His latest, The Burning Girl, marks a change as it delves into the world of organised crime in north London.

"It's important for me with this book, as with all my books, that the characters are three-dimensional. A lot of serial killer books don't give anyone an ounce of character.

"They're kind of hammy, based on how the killer kills the victims rather than who they are. There will be someone who clubs people to death with a fishfinger and he'll be called The Seafood Slaughterer. That's not really what my books are about," said Mark.

Mark started out as an actor/ stand-up comedian in the 1980s, making appearances in shows such as Boon and The Upper Hand. His big break came when he landed the role of the sheriff's silly sidekick Gary in the children's TV show Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, which led to a staff writing job on the programme. From here, he penned a string of TV shows before discovering a taste for the murky world of murder.

Each of his books so far have entered the top ten on the best-seller list, and there is a considerable buzz around his name in the USA where he has recently been touring.

Remarkably, he still finds the time to perform in his second job, just last week taking the mic at The Comedy Store in central London.

"The stand-up is very much on the backburner these days, but I still love it. It's nice when people say they liked my book but you can't replicate the adrenaline rush of a live performance; the immediate feedback," said Mark.

The feedback from all quarters suggests the name Mark Billingham will be known for some time yet. Whether it's laughter or slaughter, he continues to be on the cutting edge of both his professions.

Mark Billingham will be signing copies of The Burning Girl at Ottakar's Bookshop in The Spires, High Street, Barnet, on Saturday (July 17). Phone 020 8449 8229 for further information.