Howdunit: a masterclass in crime writing by members of the Detection Club

Introduction / Martin Edwards --

Motives. The value of detective fiction / G. K. Chesterton --

The art of the detective story / R. Austin Freeman --

Why crime fiction is good for you / Ian Rankin --

Why do it? / James Runcie --

The moral compass of the crime novel / Frances Fyfield --

Beginning. Motivation / Peter James --

Getting started / Janet Laurence --

Finding ideas / Freeman Wills Crofts --

Sources of inspiration / Nicholas Blake --

Anthea Fraser / Making choices --

Putting murder on the page / Ann Granger --

Intensity in crime writing / Natasha Cooper --

Openings / John Harvey --

'Something should happen now' : narrative hooks / Peter Robinson --

People. Character from suspense / Mark Billingham --

Cops and criminals, contrast and comedy / Bill James --

Making characters believable / Marjorie Eccles --

Characters, relationships, and settings / June Thomson --

Places. On the Suffolk coast / P. D. James --

Human geography / Ann Cleeves --

Setting stories in unfamiliar places / Michael Ridpath --

M.O. Let the story be the driver / Val McDermid --

Style / Lindsey Davis --

Choosing a theme / Kate Charles --

Pace / Michael Jecks --

Writing scenes / William Ryan --

Dialogue, rhythm, and keeping to the point / Margery Allingham --

Listening and dialogue / Patricia Moyes --

Writing dialogue / Cynthia Harrod-Eagles --

Perspectives. Getting a perspective / Aline Templeton --

What on earth is it like to be you? / Liza Cody --

Plots. Plots / Agatha Christie --

Logic and working backwards / J. J. Connington --

All will be revealed / Mary Kelly --

Structuring a plot / Kate Ellis --

Voyages of discovery / Eric Ambler --

How to change your murderer / Andrew Taylor --

Detectives. Amateur detective or professional? / Priscilla Masters --

Believable amateurs / Susan Moody --

Private eyes / Michael Z. Lewin --

Research. Getting it right / Ngaio Marsh --

Keeping up to date / Desmond Bagley --

Amateurs and expertise / John Malcolm --

Detection. Detective stories and virtuosity / Edmund Crispin --

Rules and prejudices / John Dickson Carr --

Classic ingredients / Christianna Brand --

Clues / Michael Innes --

Snakes and ladders / Catherine Aird --

Optimal subterfuge / Sophie Hannah --

Suspense. Suspense / Robert Goddard --

The face in the mirror / Julian Symons --

The suspense novel / Jessica Mann --

The hours before dawn / Celia Fremlin --

Action. Inspiration, perspiration, realization / Lionel Davidson --

Adventure fiction / Tom Harper --

Writing action series / Felix Francis --

Filling the gaps / Michael Gilbert --

Constructing a thriller / Michael Hartland --

The Cold War, then and now / Mack Herron --

History. A laying on of hands / Michael Pearce --

The Christmas tree theory of historical research / Imogen Robertson --

Historical dialogue / L. C. Tyler --

Humour. Humour and human nature / Alexander McCall Smith --

Characters and caricature / Robert Barnard --

Humour and satire / Ruth Dudley Edwards --

In short. Let's pretend / Roy Vickers --

Switch-overs in short stories / H. R. F. Keating --

Fiction and fact. Fictionalizing characters and crimes from real life / Peter Lovesey --

Trial and error / Anthony Berkeley --

Partners in crime. Collaborative writing / Dorothy L. Sayers --

Adapting. Writing for radio / Alison Joseph --

Adaptability / Simon Brett --

Challenges. Imposter syndrome / Martyn Wales --

Writing : a painful pleasure / Suzette A. Hill --

Writer's block / David Stuart Davies --

Improvising / Stella Duffy --

Ending. The end of the beginning / Laura Wilson --

In my end / Joanna Hines --

Publishing. The changing face of publishing / David Roberts --

What editors want / Antonia Hodgson --

Traditional versus self-publishing / Russell James --

One things leads to another / Jill Paton Walsh --

Writing lives. The writing process / Reginald Hill --

Keeping track / Paula Gosling --

Reading for pleasure / Jonathan Gash --

Don't give up the day job / Janet Noel --

Writing to relax / Bertie Denham --

Social media and the death of Nancy / Elly Griffiths --

The joy of writing / John Le Carré --

Different books; different problems; different solutions / Len Deighton.