William Shaw

Great crime fiction

New free e-Book for Readers’ List subscribers

the-case-files-coverNew subscribers to The Readers List can  now download a free e-Book, The Case Files. This 64-page book tells the stories behind all the books.

“Part of the real fun of writing fiction is the research. Whether it’s having to find out how police section houses were run in the 1960s, or learn how real birders keep their notebooks, it’s an excuse to into books and dig around in worlds that I may know little about, or to visit places I’ve never been before.

“Research is a weird thing. Every writer treats it differently. I know writers who’ll do a year or research before even writing a word. For me, that’s the wrong way round. The world is an extraordinarily unpredictable place. As the poet once said, ‘World is crazier and more of it than we think.’ I like to make up story and then see if it fits the real world later. So I end up researching stuff I’d never even dreamed I needed to know.

“The best thing is gives writers the excuse to get in touch with the real experts who know the minutiae their worlds. I can never thank the people who’ve helped me by generously offering their time enough.

“This e-book is a brief look some of the research notes I’ve made over the last four or five years. I’ll try and keep adding to it.”

The book has over a 100 entries, from The Alchemical Wedding through to Z-Cars, taking in everything from birdwatching to Carry on up the Khyber. Want one? Subscribe to the Readers’ List using the form on this page.

Win! A rare uncorrected proof of Breen & Tozer 4

img_5283I’ve a handful of proofs of Sympathy For The Devil, the fourth Breen & Tozer book. Uncorrected proofs are printed in limited numbers and generally handed out to a few reviewers. I’m giving a special signed one away as a prize.

Published in the UK in April 2017, Sympathy For The Devil takes place in summer of 1969, following on from the trilogy that started with A Song From Dead Lips (US title: She’s Leaving Home). As it opens, a Rolling Stone is discovered dead in his swimming pool. What follows is an investigation into a conspiracy – but exactly what the conspiracy is becomes the nub of Breen and Tozer’s investigation.

Win this signed proof

To win one, all you have to do is sign up for my Readers’ List – using the form on this page – between 16 November 2016 and 25 November 2016 and I’ll put your name into a hat.

As a member of the Readers’ List you’ll receive occasional updates about new books, news of events, special offers and the chance to win more free crime book stuff.

Bouchercon 2016

Just on my way home from Bouchercon, the US crime fest. Each year it’s in a different location. This year – my first – it was in New Orleans, a location that made it also the most popular for years.

It was my first time to hook up with my US publishers, Mulholland who have done a beautiful job of publishing me and also a chance to meet a lot of writers whose work I love.

I decided to keep a video diary; I would love to have done more but it was a busy few days. The results are here.

1. On the train to the airport

2. In which I meet the great George Easter

2. In which Mark Edwards discusses the strange reality of being a best-seller

4. I meet the very lovely Joe R. Lansdale, another Mulholland author

5. … and find a man who has been brutally murdered 20 times