Zoe Balls book club concluded this morning with Abir Mukherjee’s A Necessary Evil, the second book in the Captain Wyndham and Sergeant ‘Surrender-Not’ Banerjee series. This author well deserves the recognition of the award and will be getting my vote.  The concept of the Indian story based around the Raj originally had Meera Syal nervous… Continue reading Zoe Balls Book Club with Abir Mukherjee

1, Having just read Close to Home, which is set in Oxford, what are the advantages of setting Hell Bay in a close community? Close communities are perfect settings for crime novels, in my view, because they’re paradoxical. We all feel safe in a tiny village, where everyone knows us, but the situation carries risks.… Continue reading On Bryher, with Kate Rhodes

  This year at Theakstons Crime I met Stella Duffy outside the Old Swan Hotel, where one of the Golden Age crime writers, Agatha Christie, once stayed. Both Stella Duffy and Craig Sisterson are advocates for New Zealand’s answer to Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and as part of this years Ngaio Marsh awards book tour… Continue reading Money in the Morgue, a collaboration between Ngaio Marsh and Stella Duffy

  Rural life is anything but tranquil for Ben Kitto as he returns home to avoid making a decision. This books shows the interwoven relationships of a small island with only 72 inhabitants, but who were responsible for breaking Ben’s attempt at finding peace on the island where he grew up. Ben knows everybody, which… Continue reading Returning home for Ben Kitto, a Kate Rhodes character

1. In the signing queue, after the New Blood panel at Theakstons Crime Festival, you showed me a photo of your remote home; how much did this influence you in the writing of Dark Pines? Thanks so much for inviting me on your blog, Alex! I remember enjoying chatting with you in the signing queue… Continue reading A journey through the wilderness with Will Dean

An interview with Abir Mukherjee: Alex: If you were to finish this series, which period would you go to next? Abir: I’d write something modern and not necessarily crime. I think that there are a lot of stories that haven’t been told in terms of the British Asian community. I’d love to write a story… Continue reading Behind a Rising Man, part three

  This week Cara Hunter’s first book was too ‘close to home’. As a first time crime writer I found myself mining for the police procedural elements of this novel to see what I could learn. The most interesting bits, though, were the news story extracts and the use of social media postings. Some of… Continue reading Reading away from Home