Further Writing
Joint winner of the European Crime Writing Star Award 2018/19
I’m thrilled to have tied for first place for the European Crime Fiction Star Award, (AKA ‘The Ripper’ award), together with Scandinavian writer...
The origin of David Hunter part 1
It’s funny how things work out. At the turn of the Millennium it looked as though my career as an author was over. I’d written four standalone...
The origin of David Hunter part 2
Part II: “Is That Rice?” Tennessee was hot and humid. Mindful of my tight expenses budget, I’d booked a basic motel room on the outskirts of...
Books That Sank Their Hook
Picking your favourite books is hard. We all change over time, and so do our tastes. I used to be a huge fan of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, but...
Proofs
Well, that’s it. The final comma’s been checked, the last i’s been dotted and t’s been crossed – metaphorically speaking, of course. This week I...
Forensic Crime Writing
Before I visited Tennessee’s renowned Body Farm in 2002, I’d never really given forensics much thought. I was making my living working as a...
Writing a Series
When I sat down to start The Chemistry of Death, my first novel to feature British forensic anthropologist David Hunter, it wasn’t with the...
The Importance of Setting
When Written in Bone, the second novel to feature forensic anthropologist David Hunter, was published, a reader got in touch to ask if I could give...
Keeping it Fresh
There’s a phrase many writers will have heard at some point in their careers: ‘Write the same again, but different.’ The first time I heard it I...
Asking the Experts
The traditional advice for aspiring novelists is to write about what you know. For most of my career I’ve done pretty much the opposite. I make my...
Living With a Series Character
Writing a series with a returning character is a little like having a permanent houseguest. Even though they’re not physically in the room with you,...
Mord am Hellweg
I’ve been busy finishing The Scent of Death, the new David Hunter novel, this year, and to be honest haven’t been getting out much. So, in November...
The Secret of a Good Scare
I’ve a confession to make. Although I’m a crime writer, I’ve always had a weakness for a good ghost story. I cut my reading teeth on the likes of...
The Scent of Death – Background
Sooner or later, everything comes home to roost. That was in my mind when I sat down to write The Scent of Death, the sixth novel to feature British...
Writing about sinister buildings
There’s something fascinating about old buildings. They’re a relic from the past, a self-contained environment that’s separate from the outside...
