Writing fight scenes with Alex Shaw!

Fight scenes are at the core of the action thriller. The rules for writing fights are not set in concrete slabs of the type used to bury bodies, but they do exist. Get these wrong and the scene won’t work. Here are a few rules I follow:   The scene… Read More

Nadine Matheson: To All the Serial Killers I’ve Loved Before

It seems almost serendipitous that in the week that my book The Jigsaw Man is released, we’re also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film The Silence of the Lambs. Both the book and the film set a new standard for not only crime fiction but also our dysfunctional… Read More

Win Faith Martin’s ‘Ryder and Loveday’ six book series in paperback

The Queen of Cosy Crime Faith Martin is back with book six of her Ryder and Loveday series! To celebrate the release of A Fatal Affair, we’re giving one lucky reader the chance to win the FULL PAPERBACK LIBRARY of the series. That’s six books! To enter, read down and fill… Read More

Kindness with Jessica Ryn

Today on Random Acts of Kindness Day 2021, author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside Jessica Ryn shares her thoughts on kindness, as well as ten ways we can be kind to both ourselves and others right now. Kindness: More than just a hashtag Kindness… Read More

BOSH! Banana Pancakes Recipe

This is a wonderful easy-to-prepare breakfast for those mornings when you are looking for something delicious and impressive to start your day. Experiment with toppings, but if you make sure there is plenty of fruit it counts as one of your five (or ten) a day!   SERVES 2 1½… Read More

Good Grief: Anne’s Letter to John 01/02/21

Anniversaries can stir up so many emotions and reminders of time passing by. In a new letter written to her late husband John, co-author of Good Grief Anne Mayer Bird writes about the one-year anniversary of her son-in-law Andy Gill’s passing and how the world continues to change. 1 February… Read More

Begin reading The Jigsaw Man!

Prologue 6.44 a.m. Greenwich Pier, low tide, and Maxwell Perkins is walking his dog on the riverbank. He’s not expecting to find pieces of a body. He walks on grey clay, wet pebbles and shards of glass, avoiding scraps of wood and discarded car tyres. As he lets the dog,… Read More

Celebrating friendship with Andi Osho!

Whether it’s a chingwag over coffee or getting the lowdown over drinks, we all love a good catch-up with our friends. And right now, we’re all trying to find new ways to connect with our friends. In an exclusive piece for the HQ blog Andi Osho, author of the feel-good… Read More

Alex Shaw’s Top 10 Action Films

Traditionally at this time of year we all spend an awful lot of time indoors, and this year the amount of time we are indoors is just awful. To distract myself, in the evenings I’ve turned to film. No I’ve not made a documentary or recorded my supper; I’ve started… Read More

Read an Extract of Safe and Sound!

Safe and Sound, the gripping new psychological thriller by Philippa East is out next week! To celebrate, we’ve got an exclusive extract for you. In this sneak peak, we meet our protagonist Jennifer as she goes to confront a tenant who has failed to pay their rent…… Read More

Fall in love with reading this Valentine’s Day!

For Valentine’s Day this year, we’re going to do what we love most of all… curl up with a good book! To help you celebrate, we’re inviting you to do the same by giving you the chance to win a brilliant bundle of HQ books that… Read More

BOSH! PB&J Pop Tarts

Personally, we think Valentine’s Day is all about treating yourself as much as it’s about treating the ones you love, so why not indulge in a little breakfast in bed this weekend?! You + these delicious BOSH! PB&J Pop Tarts = a match made in heaven.   Makes 4 1… Read More