Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
Twenty-five short mysteries by members of the Crime Writer's Association lie in wait in the new anthology Music of the Night edited by Martin Edwards. As the title suggests each story has a musical theme, spanning different genres and settings. It is a great privilege to appear in such a starry line-up of authors. The... Continue Reading →
It felt like a return to normality, a real live crime writing conference with actual live authors. Zoom conferences never did it for me – I’d quickly drift off, or busy myself doing something else whilst my camera was off. This July saw the welcome return of the Theakeston’s Crime Writing Festival at the Old... Continue Reading →
I’m happy to announce that I’ve signed a three-book deal with US publisher Level Best Books for my new thriller series. In 1935, a disgraced British army officer is recruited by MI5 to penetrate the British Union of Fascists. A twist of fate turns him into an unwitting hero of the movement, trapping him in... Continue Reading →
A great many crime writers choose a single location for their crimewave, and their books become associated with that place. So, Miss Marple solves mysteries in the fictional St Mary Mead, Morse in Oxford and Rebus around Edinburgh. Often crime readers say how they enjoy a crime series set in a single town, and they... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to take second billing after Martina Cole in this month's Crime Reader's Association Newsletter, in which I've written a short piece about revising the Flint series for the Lume ebooks. The Newsletters are archived on the website after three months or so, but to read the current one you will need to sign... Continue Reading →
So begins an epigram by Robert Loius Stephenson, which goes on to lament that he may as well have copied the entire work. Choosing a title for your lovingly crafted book can be a problem. You make a list, cross out alternatives one by one, ask your friends, your partner and your agent – and... Continue Reading →
I write mysteries, not police procedurals. Jeffrey Flint, the amateur sleuth of my first series, is an archaeologist so as a writer I must address the challenge of keeping the police out of my plots. If there is an unusual murder in modern Britain it is headline news and the full might of the regional... Continue Reading →
The world is not as it should be, it is not the world we want to see, and it is not the world we used to know. Over the past sixty years, concern over Green issues have moved from the hippie fringe to become mainstream. While scientists and campaigners look forward to a better future,... Continue Reading →
It’s October, which means it must be time for the CWA Daggers Awards, the Oscars of the Crime writing world. On the left of the featured image is M W Craven, winner of the Golden Dagger for the best crime novel of the year for The Puppet Show. Mike reminded everyone in his acceptance speech that... Continue Reading →