Post Mortem by Jean Briggs‘Madame Ribault … managed to crawl to a chimney-board, where she traced with her finger, dipped in blood, the letters Commis de MT.’ Handy that, my Inspector Hardacre of Manchester would have s...
Partners in Crime by Jean BriggsAre we to have a Watson? The question is asked by A.A. Milne. His only detective story, The Red House Mystery, gives the answer. Milnes’s amateur detective, Antony Gillingham who ‘was born not...
What Next? by Peter TicklerWhat Next? by Peter Tickler It’s a strange feeling. My latest crime novel, Dead in the Water, has just been published by Joffe Books. In addition, as I sit at my laptop typing this blog, I am feeling...
Person or Persons Unknown by Jean BriggsIn a letter entitled ‘How I Write My Books’, Wilkie Collins refers to the development of plot and character in the writing of The Woman in White. The central idea of conspiracy, he says, sugges...
Diary of a Debut Author By Jackie KablerI’ve loved books ever since I learned to read…as a child, I would lose myself in anything by Enid Blyton, and I read classics like Little Women and Black Beauty so many times that my copie...
Murder and Its Motives by Jean BriggsSomewhere recently, I read of a detective who advised his subordinate, young and keen, to disregard motive. Concentrate on the evidence, he insisted, and we’ll get our man – or woman, presumabl...
Can baddies be too goodie? By P.J Nash (Paul Morris)Crime fiction is populated with cops and robbers. Of course the good guys and gals hog most of the limelight. But there wouldn’t be much point building up a multi-faceted character on the one ha...
Doing it for the love and (or) the money By P.J Nash (Paul Morris)So you’re a writer… that don’t impress me much… Well it does sometimes. Maybe on a cultural level. I don’t overtly tell people I’m a writer. But when during a regul...
The CWA Anthology 2015: Truly CriminalTruly Criminal showcases a group of highly regarded writers who all share a special passion for crime, reflected in this superb collection of essays re-examining some of the most notorious case...
Location, Location, Location By P.J Nash (Paul Morris)Rebus is Edinburgh. Edinburgh is Rebus. Morse is Oxford. Oxford is Morse. You can’t take the sense of place out of crime novels. In many books the main character and the place are so intertwined that...
Shrine to Murder By Roger SilverwoodEvery other Tuesday we feature a publication from leading independent publisher Endeavour Press. Shrine to Murder by Roger Silverwood Tell me more! Bromersley. A small, peaceful town in Yorkshire. But...
The Devil’s in the Detail (or Maybe Not) By P.J Nash (Paul Morris)The devil’s in the detail so they say. And more and more crime writers seem to be getting involved with the finer points. But are they ‘losing the plot’ in the process? Is thi...
The Audience By Douglas SkeltonThree years ago, if you’d asked me to stand in front of an audience and talk, I’d’ve died with my feet in the air. Now, when I go to the fridge and the light comes on, I do a ten minute bit. I wanted...
Three, Three The Rivals By Anthea FraserEvery other Tuesday we feature a publication from leading independent publisher Endeavour Press. Three, Three The Rivals by Anthea Fraser Tell me more! When Sheila Fairchild wakes one night from a chi...
Where do you get your ideas? By Douglas SkeltonWhere do you get your ideas? Writers will tell you that question is one they are most often asked, but it is still a valid query. How does a bunch of perfectly normal, well-adjusted – well, in the mai...
On the Run – By Douglas SkeltonI was once on the run from the law, a hunted fugitive, an innocent man jumping at every knock at the door, every footstep on the street… Okay, I wasn’t exactly Dr Richard Kimble but for a week or two...
The Quick and the DeadEvery other Tuesday we feature a publication from leading independent publisher Endeavour Press. The Quick and the Dead by Alison Joseph (Download for free on 11.08.15) Tell me more! Sister Agn...
Glasgow? By Douglas SkeltonOne of the questions I’m often asked about my crime fiction is, why Glasgow? It’s such a well-used backdrop for the genre, surely you could write about somewhere else? Of course I could but I’m a Glas...
A Well Pressed ShroudEvery other Tuesday we feature a publication from leading independent publisher Endeavour Press. A Well Pressed Shroud, Nicholas Rhea (Download for free today 28.07.15) Tell me more! Hardworking Detec...
I’ve been reading crime fiction since I was a child. When I give talks at libraries I like to mention the authors that have influenced me as a writer. I always start off with Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Dre...
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Case Files 47
The CRA Newsletter: November 2020
The CRA Newsletter: October 2020