The Oldie has run a feature on a mysterious find inside Charles Dickens’ travelling writing desk at Dickens House Museum, Broadstairs. The discovery was made by Dickens scholar and museum guide Ken Nickoll, and the desk is on display at the museum. Dickens took the desk on his travels to America, and it would have […]
The SWLondoner has run a feature on London’s ‘first ever official bathing spot’, now open at Kingston and (as I explain in the article) part of a glorious Thames swimming tradition that goes back over a century. Kingston was central to the battle for the right to swim in the mid 1800s, and it was […]
I’ll be talking about Queens of the Underworld at the Bow Street Police Museum – on the very site where Zoe Progl appeared after she escaped from Holloway Prison and was recaptured – on August 13th. Info & tickets here.
May Storey, one of the most mysterious female sleuths from the 1930s, was born on May 18th, 1895, in the village of Camperdown, North Tyneside – or was she? Read more about May Storey on The History Press website here. The paperback of Private Inquiries is out on May 21st. List of stockists here.
It’s a strange thing to have to add a logo to a book to show it’s been written by a human, but such is this new world of AI generated books. The Human Authored scheme was designed by the Authors Guild in the States, and was launched in the UK in March 2026 with the […]
Downstream – the history of Thames swimming – is 10 years old this year. Wonderful to see it featured in the 100th edition of Outdoor Swimmer, the world’s only outdoor swimming magazine, in a piece written by George Townsend.
I chatted about my routine as a writer, and switching between fiction and nonfiction, with Writer’s Routine. Listen here.
I’ll be talking about the history of London’s female criminals at Salon for the City, London’s longest running cultural event, including the infamous Forty Thieves and their successors the Forty Elephants. Info and tickets here.
Lovely to see Queens of the Underworld cited in this article on the historical background to the TV drama A Thousand Blows. But there is a lot of confusion going on. Mary Carr led the 19th century gang the Forty Thieves, not the 20th century gang the Forty Elephants. The Forty Thieves were not big […]
I chatted to Good Morning Scotland about the real story of Mary Carr and the Forty Thieves, the Victorian criminal gang who feature in the TV drama series A Thousand Blows. Listen here
I chatted with New Books Network about my research for Queens of the Underworld and the stories I discovered from the 1600s to today. ‘A fabulous book, I cannot give it enough plaudits’ – many thanks to Katrina Anderson for a lovely long interview. Listen here.
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths at the Portsmouth Book Festival, via Zoom, on March 5th.
The International Agatha Christie Festival 2024 has put together a lovely video of the festival highlights. Watch the video here.
Did Agatha Christie draw on real life female criminals as inspiration for her work? In A Bit of a Christie podcast, Teresa Peschel – expert in the 200+ Agatha Christie film and TV adaptations – finds a brilliant example. She argues that Bess Sedgwick, the famous adventuress in Christie’s novel At […]
I picked my favourite reads of 2024, all of which provided some great inspiration. More here
I’ll be talking about the history of female private eyes at Medway River Lit, Rochester, Kent on Nov 16th. Tickets are ‘pay what you can.’
I’ll be teaching a ‘masterclass’ on researching historical crime fiction at Medway River Lit on November 16th, 1pm-2pm, Strood Library, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4TJ. Tickets are ‘pay what you can.’
I’ll be chatting about the hidden stories of female private detectives at Maidstone LitFest on October 12th, along with Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence, in conversation with Jane Shankar.
Medway River Lit have released their first podcast, available on Youtube and Soundcloud.
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths – from private inquiry agents to private eyes and professional investigators – at the Chelsea History Festival on September 27th at the National Army Museum.
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths at Warwick Words History Festival on October 2nd.
Queens of the Underworld is July’s Book Group choice at Age UK Camden. More info about the Book Group and how to join here.
Private Inquiries will be coming out as an audio book in June, by Isis Audio, read by Annie Aldington. Pre order here.
I chatted with Professor Toby Miller about female sleuths, forgotten swimming champions, and the challenges of fiction versus non-fiction. Listen here.
I’ll be talking about female sleuths at Broadstairs Lit on June 9th at the Yarrow Hotel. All funds raised will go to Oasis, the Kent charity that supports people affected by domestic abuse.
I chatted with Phillip Adams on Late Night Live, ABC, about the UK’s long history of female sleuths. Listen here.
The story of Irishwoman Kate Meyrick – London nightclub queen of the 1920s – is told in a new documentary by Zoe Comyns. I contributed to the section on Kate’s time in Holloway Prison, and the terrifying surroundings of the Victorian era jail. Listen here.
I chatted about female sleuths with Miranda Melcher on the New Books Network – who were the first women to work as private eyes, is there such a thing as feminine intuition, and how has the job changed over the past century? Listen here
I’ll be talking about the history of real life Miss Marples at the International Agatha Christie Festival on September 14th, in Torquay.
The Observer has covered Private Inquiries, featuring 2 important sleuths – Annette Kerner from the 1940s and Zena Scott-Archer from the 1980s. Read here.