Writing Crime and Thriller Novels with Graham Bartlett – Jericho Writers
Jericho Writers
167-169 Great Portland street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF
UK: +44 (0)330 043 0150
US: +1 (646) 974 9060
Email: info@jerichowriters.com

Writing Crime and Thriller Novels with Graham Bartlett

New & Experienced Crime Thriller Writers

Writing Crime and Thriller Novels with Graham Bartlett

£995
Join former Chief Superintendent, author, and Police and Crime advisor Graham Bartlett as he unlocks the secrets of gripping crime fiction. Premium Members save 10%.
28 April 2025
6-weeks
Online
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Learn to write a killer crime or thriller novel

Join tutor Graham Bartlett on our brand new Crime and Thriller writing course! You’ll be guided through the art of creating complex characters, building suspense, and crafting thrilling plots. From understanding criminal psychology to mastering twists and red herrings, you’ll gain essential tools to captivate your readers and keep them on the edge of their seats.

Each week, you’ll complete a writing exercise to submit for feedback from both your tutor and peers. In addition, join Graham for a weekly, live Zoom webinar where he’ll dive into the week’s content and answer your questions. By the end of the course, you’ll submit a final assignment that lets you apply everything you’ve learned over the 6 weeks with personalised feedback from Graham. Suitable for writers of crime and thriller, hoping to traditionally or self-publish.

What’s included in this course?

Weekly tutorials

You’ll join Graham and your course-mates weekly for a live webinar, as well as having access to our state-of-the-art course platform where your tasks, reading list, and other useful resources will be waiting for you.

Direct feedback on your work

You’ll complete a weekly writing exercise to help you ensure your writing is enthralling your audience. Your tutor and peers will then give you written feedback on your work.

Expert Advice

At the end of the course, you’ll apply everything you’ve learned in your final assignment. Graham will give you expert, personalised feedback to refine your writing and make it shine.

Indefinite access to course content

Once you’ve finished the course, you’ll have full access to all tutorial content indefinitely. You’ll be able to go back over course content and watch replays of your tutorials.
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Get to know your tutor

At Jericho Writers, we’re a team of Big 5 published authors who’ve been exactly where you are now. We bring this experience together with expert tutors like Graham to create the best courses available. For over two decades, our approach has helped authors launch their careers, sign with top literary agents and even go on to become Sunday Times Bestsellers.

Graham Bartlett was Brighton and Hove Police’s Chief Superintendent, a senior homicide detective and a public order and firearms commander before becoming a best-selling crime fiction and non-fiction author. His debut non-fiction, ‘Death Comes Knocking’, written with Peter James, was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller. As a police procedure and crime advisor, Graham works with over 150 authors and TV writers, helping them inject authenticity into their work.

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Course Syllabus

Week 1: Crime writing genres and sub-genres

Let’s get started. Crime is the most popular genre in the literary world, with good reason, but that means it’s also the most crowded. This week we will explore the hallmarks of crime writing and its sub-genres so you can decide, then focus, on what space to write in for maximum success and exposure.

Outcome: By the end of this week you will have a clear understanding of the depth and breadth of the various crime genres, and clarity as to where your talents and interests fit, so your novel has the strongest commercial potential.

Week 2: Research and experts

We can’t all be experts in every walk of life, profession or community we seek to depict. Instead, we must rely on research, and others, to guide us. Once we know the as-is, we can then decide how far to veer from that. ‘Every word, in every paragraph, in every scene, in every chapter must earn its place on the page,’ underpins the ethos that technical detail is there to shore up the story and characters, not to suffocate them.

Outcome: This week, you’ll explore the principles of research, turning research into riveting drama, how to source and treat experts, and what to expect from them. You will consider sensitivity and cultural advisors and whether you need them, then how to move forward with confidence.

Week 3: Plotting, suspense and character building

Now we have a story idea, it’s time to get writing. Readers love to be drawn into crime stories by a combination of gripping, intriguing characters, clever but real world plots they can relate to, all peppered with pace, tension and suspense. As writers we must deliver that experience and this week we will work on techniques which force your audience to read ‘just one more chapter.’

Outcome: You’ll find the plotting techniques that work for you, learn how to deliver dynamic, pacy stories which ramp up the tension, and create seemingly impossible battles for your protagonist. You’ll be comfortable with developing deep and fascinating characters, avoiding cliché and archetype.

Week 4: Setting, worlds, and zeitgeist

So, where in the world are we? It is often said that place is a character in itself. Whether you are basing your stories in real worlds or fictional, the places need to be authentic (but not always realistic) and have depth and edges which draw your reader in and amplify the tension. Time is part of setting too, so you’ll learn how to capture the moods, trends and dialogue of when your story is set, adding dimension where mere description can struggle to do.

Outcome: You’ll be familiar with choosing, then depicting, the places and time that suits your story and characters. You will understand the pros and cons of real worlds vs. imagined, and how much and little to set out for the reader – including techniques to spark their imagination.

Week 5: Dialogue and terminology

It’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it. The way characters speak and interact says more about them than any physical description ever can. It denotes power, hierarchy, vulnerability, and intent. It can evoke empathy, suspicion, even hatred. Yet so much dialogue is bland, undifferentiated, and not in the least bit natural. Approaching this essential part of storytelling intelligently does more to fire up plot and character than anything else.

Outcome: This week, you will become comfortable with writing illustrative and authentic dialogue which readers will believe. You will develop ways to evoke character traits, and to seed and drive story. You’ll learn how to write dialect, class and realistic speech that draws a picture for the reader without them realising.

Week 6: Twists, arcs, and endings

One of the golden rules of crime writing is that you must never deceive the reader. Another is never to leave loose ends or incomplete arcs. That said, twists, surprises, and red herrings are essential elements. The sign of a stunning twist is for all the breadcrumbs to be there in plain sight, but masked by deflection and curve balls. The stunning reveal should come alongside the closure of your main characters’ arcs, which often makes endings as tricky as beginnings.

Outcome: By the end of this week, you will learn how to write twists and red herrings by subterfuge, seeding but not deceiving. You will be comfortable with endings that show, not tell, a stunning denouement, how to avoid the ‘Southfork Breakfast’ and how to draw your characters’ arcs to a close.

Jericho Writers Course Hall of Fame

We’re proud to celebrate our students’ successes and it’s a joy to see their novels in the hands of readers across the globe. Could you be next?

Alan Fraser

Ultimate Novel Writing Course Alum

Gideon Roberton

Simply Self-Publish Alum

Neema Shah

Self-Edit Your Novel Alum

Nicky Downes

Ultimate Novel Writing Course Alum

Philippa East

Self-Edit Your Novel Alum

Nitin Nanji

Simply Self-Publish Alum

We’ve helped hundreds of writers

But don’t take our word for it! Our authors have experience with our editorial services, online courses, and Premium Membership.

Previous

In the end, I had two offers of representation. The first with Storm Publishing who offered me a three-book deal. As I was considering this, I was approached by an agent who had read my submission to the UNWC anthology. After reading my full manuscript, she offered me representation. That was a wonderful and unexpected surprise. In the end, I plumped for Storm.

Nicky Downes

Nicky Downes

Ultimate Novel Writing Course alum & author of ‘Silent Fall’

I thoroughly recommend the Simply Self-Publish course with Debbie Young. After completing the course, I had all the necessary skills to put together my own publishing imprint. ‘The Girl Who Fled the Picture’ came out in August 2023. I chose the full spectrum publication with a beautiful cover by Rachel Lawston. My publication dream is now a reality. I have plans for two more books in 2024.

Jane A

Jane A

Simply Self-Publish alum & author of ‘The Girl Who Fled the Picture’

I was determined to be more professional this time and signed up for the UNWC in the hope it would help me navigate publishing. In the end, I got two offers of publication but opted to go with Lightning Books. I was really lucky to be in a fabulous and supportive tutor group. There’s no way I would have kept going without their encouragement.

Alan Fraser

Alan Fraser

Ultimate Novel Writing Course alum & authors of ‘The Muse of Hope Falls’

It was the best investment I’ve ever made. There’s nothing Debbie Young doesn’t know about self-pub.

Susan Davies

Susan Davies

Simply Self-Publish alum & author of ‘The West Rises’ (Shortlisted 2023 Selfies Award)

What I found most useful about the course was that Debbie was able to identify all the things I didn’t know I didn’t know. And that has allowed me to ask a lot of very important questions, to which her replies have been invaluable and have helped me to understand all the processes I need to get my head around.

Max Haven

Simply Self-Publish alum & author of ‘The Paths of Guilt’

A huge thank you to Debbie Young for hosting such an excellent “The course was absolutely brilliant and I’m still processing quite how much we learnt in such a short space of time, it’s been a tremendous privilege to have Debi’s feedback and incredibly insightful advice and analysis. It’s all been fantastically helpful.

Rejina S

Self-Edit Your Novel alum

I found it challenging, enlightening and most of all, practical. Debbie introduced me to stuff I knew about in theory but her course pushed me, and the others I am sure, to take action. She prodded us up to the starter’s gates. Now it’s open the gates and go for it.

Robert Stott

Simply Self-Publish alum

Debi and Emma are absolute goddesses of editing and I’ve learned more than I ever hoped for. My classmates were wonderful and have made the course a delight. I’m recommending this course to all my writing buddies.

Karmen S

Self-Edit Your Novel alum

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How can we help?

If you’d like to know more about the Writing Crime and Thrillers Course, book a call to speak with a member of our team at a time that suits you. We’d love to hear from you!

Book a call

Frequently asked
questions

1

Who is the Writing Crime and Thriller Novels Course suitable for?

Are you writing a crime or thriller novel that you’d like expert help on? Or have you queried a crime/thriller novel and struggled to grab an agent’s attention? If so, this course is for you! You do not need a complete manuscript to join this course.

If you‘d like a course that focuses on a wider range of genres, take a look at our Ultimate Novel Writing Course. If you’d like help with forming your query package and the traditional publishing process, Path to Publication might be better suited.

2

Which genres are suitable for this course?

All Crime and Thriller genres are suitable for this course. If you’re unsure whether your novel would be suitable, you can get in touch with the courses team at courses@jerichowriters.com.

3

Are there live calls included in the course?

There will be a live call each week with the tutor and other course students. All calls will be held in the evening (GMT) on Zoom, and will be recorded.

4

How much time will I need to spend on the course every week?

In total, we estimate you’ll need to spend a minimum of 3-4 hours a week on the course. This includes one hour spent on the weekly group webinars , plus one hour spent studying the tutorial content. The remaining time should be used to complete your weekly assignment. Of course, the more time you put into the course, the more you’ll get out of it!

5

Do you have any bursaries available for this course?

While we don’t have a full bursary available for this course, we want to help great writers get published, and if your personal circumstances make it impossible for you to fund the full price of this course, please get in touch. We can’t make any promises, but we’ll always do what we can.

6

What happens if I pay for the course and change my mind?

If you wish to be refunded for the course, you are entitled to a refund up to 14 days before the course starts, but note that an administration fee will be charged. After this, no refund will be possible. To avoid loss, we strongly advise customers to ensure they are able to take the course on the dates advertised, and that they are comfortable undertaking this online. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more details.

7

What support will be available to me?

As a student on this course, you will receive peer-to-peer feedback and tutor feedback on weekly assignments. You will also be able to ask questions during weekly live group webinars and may reach out to the Jericho Writers team at any time if you would like any additional support.

8

What feedback can I expect to receive during the course? 

Your weekly assignments will be shared in the course forum for written tutor and peer feedback. Comments from students and the course tutor can be seen by everyone on the course.

9

What will I get from the course?

After completing the course, you will have:

  • Knowledge of how to structure a crime or thriller novel.
  • Knowledge of the key components of writing an accurate and effective crime or thriller novel.
  • Feedback from an industry expert.

If you are an experienced crime or thriller author with a manuscript already in development, you will have (in addition to the above):

  • Knowledge of how to enhance your current manuscript.
  • The skills needed to assess whether your manuscript has a compelling hook and authentic plots/scenes.
  • Confidence writing in the crime and thriller genre.
10

What are the technical requirements for the course? 

The Writing Crime and Thriller Novels Course is held on our state-of-the-art online learning platform. To access the course, you will need a computer or laptop. You can access the learning platform on a phone, but please note the platform is not optimised for mobile or tablet devices so we recommend using a computer or laptop to have the best experience.  

During the course there will be weekly calls held on Zoom. To access Zoom you will need a device with a working camera/webcam and microphone to participate in the group discussion and activities. You will also need a strong, reliable internet connection. A reliable internet connection means there are no frequent interruptions or dropouts during the course. You should be able to stream videos, participate in live sessions, and submit assignments without the connection cutting out. We recommend a minimum of 3-5 Mbps for a positive experience.  Please find the Zoom system requirements here: https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060748

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