Commercial crime fiction almost always demands resolution. It’s implicitly understood that when a reader buys a crime novel the case will be solved, and the subsequent prosecution will be airtight;...

In September 2019, Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, gave an interview to the Radio Times magazine. She was asked her opinion of two well-loved TV...

When the idea for a new detective novel, None the Wiser popped into my head at the end of 2017, I had to be careful that the investigation team followed...

I had a discussion last week about plot twists with another writer. Love them or hate them, they are often the cause for discussion and if you want to know...

A lot of our content at this time of year is aimed at writers who are starting new projects, but many of you are mid-way and there is nothing harder...

An article from our archives – consistently one of our most popular postings! When international bestseller Alex Barclay sang the praises of Scrivener in this excellent article, we thought we’d investigate...

‘Do you think it would be better if we killed him via electrocution or stabbing? If it’s the former, it could seem like an accident and that would be great,’...

Research is an essential part of writing fiction. It lends authenticity to a creation which is otherwise entirely fabricated. And readers, though they are prepared to suspend their disbelief in...

For anyone writing historical fiction, the research required can be daunting. Fortunately, I love it, and over the years my collection of reference books has grown. The genre requires a...

So you’ve decided that your book will not be based in the country where you usually live. In fact you have never lived there. Nothing wrong with that. It might...