I do hope you had a lovely Easter.

I have a guilty conscience – I’ve been meaning to update this diary for ages but I’ve been so preoccupied with finishing my next Wesley Peterson novel that I haven’t had a chance.  However the fifth draft is now completed and has just been handed to an honest, crime fiction-loving friend who will read it and give her verdict in due course, so I’m finally catching up.

I must confess that being busy hasn’t stopped me relaxing in the evenings by watching a good detective programme on the TV (with a glass of wine to hand, of course).  And recently there’s been a wonderful crop of home grown crime programmes to enjoy.  My own particular favourite is Broadchurch on ITV.  A boy is found dead on a beach in Broadchurch, a small coastal town in Dorset (which is a working town rather than a pretty holiday destination) and the programme captures perfectly the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small community coming to terms with the fact that one of its own is a child killer.  I particularly like the pairing of David Tennant and Olivia Coleman as the two detectives and I love the awkwardness between the female officer who expected to be in charge of the case and the rather mysterious and damaged man brought in over her head to lead the investigation.  All in all it’s a real treat for crime fiction fans.  Highly recommended.  As is Sunday’s Foyle’s War and Wednesday’s Scott and Bailey – a superb series with great female leads and a gritty northern setting.  I feel I’ve been spoiled!
                                               
Last week’s Broadchurch unfortunately clashed with one of my own guilty pleasures, Jonathan Creek…however, it’s recorded and I’ll be watching it over the weekend.  Of course it’s much lighter fare than Broadchurch but sometimes this isn’t necessarily a bad thing after a hard day’s work.  Being a sucker for a good locked room mystery, I’ve really enjoyed Jonathan Creek over the years and I do hope this won’t be his last outing.

I’ve also been busy organising events for the coming months.  At the beginning of March I signed copies of THE SHADOW COLLECTOR at Formby Books on Merseyside – it was lovely to meet and chat with some of my readers there.  The bookshop has now moved to smart new premises but the marvellous Tony Higginson is still very much in charge.  I hope to be visiting Formby again later in the year when THE SHADOW COLLECTOR is released in paperback. 

They say if you give a monkey a typewriter it will eventually come up with the works of Shakespeare – well here’s me at Formby Books with a new assistant hoping that the same works for crime fiction!

On Saturday 4th May I’m speaking at Poulton Library in Lancashire (billed as a Coffee & Crime morning) which I’m really looking forward to.  Do keep an eye on my events page which I’ll update as soon as all my future engagements are finalised.