,
William  Shaw

year in books

William Shaw’s Followers (537)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Hazel W...
1,187 books | 139 friends

Annabel
889 books | 305 friends

Susan
7,093 books | 762 friends

Linda
6,717 books | 3,715 friends

Caroline
4,437 books | 265 friends

Liz Mul...
376 books | 6 friends

Stephen...
1,072 books | 379 friends

Sarah
1,151 books | 104 friends

More friends…

William Shaw

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
August 2008


I'm a crime writer and write the Eden Driscoll series set in South Devon, the Alex Cupidi series set in Dungeness, Kent and the Breen & Tozer series set in London in 1968-9.

My most recent book is The Red Shore, the first I the Eden Driscoll series, set in Teignmouth, Devon.

My non-fiction books include Westsiders , an account of several young would-be rappers struggling to establish themselves against a backdrop of poverty and violence in South Central Los Angeles, Superhero For Hire , a compilation and of the Small Ads columns I wrote for the Observer Magazine, and Spying In Guru Land , in which I joined several British religious cults to write about them.

A Song From Dead Lips was the first in a trilogy of books set in London
...more

To ask William Shaw questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

William Shaw He's absent for Salt Lane but he returns for the next book - as yet untitled. Cupidi has the challenge of helping him return to the community after be…moreHe's absent for Salt Lane but he returns for the next book - as yet untitled. Cupidi has the challenge of helping him return to the community after being incarcerated for murder. Writing it now. Thanks for the very kind words.(less)
Average rating: 4.08 · 18,827 ratings · 2,306 reviews · 20 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Birdwatcher (DS Alexand...

4.03 avg rating — 4,509 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Salt Lane (DS Alexandra Cup...

4.01 avg rating — 3,489 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Deadland (DS Alexandra Cupi...

4.25 avg rating — 1,927 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Grave's End (DS Alexandra C...

4.27 avg rating — 1,542 ratings — published 2020 — 9 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Trawlerman (DS Alexandr...

4.26 avg rating — 1,416 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Song From Dead Lips (Bree...

3.77 avg rating — 1,572 ratings — published 2013 — 30 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
A House of Knives (Breen an...

3.97 avg rating — 1,010 ratings — published 2014 — 20 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Wild Swimmers (DS Alexa...

4.23 avg rating — 856 ratings — published 2024 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Book of Scars (Breen and ...

4.07 avg rating — 803 ratings — published 2015 — 14 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Sympathy for the Devil (Bre...

4.07 avg rating — 726 ratings — published 2017 — 11 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by William Shaw…

The Red Shore, July 3rd

On July 3 2025 I'm launching a new series with a book called The Red Shore: The gripping new Devon-set crime thriller mystery featuring detective Eden Driscoll. It's set in Devon, on a coastline I know very well, and it's really about a man struggling to cope with his responsibilities after he finds himself carer for his nine-year-old nephew. Plus murder, obviously! Read more of this blog post »
12 likes ·   •  8 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on March 20, 2025 01:47 Tags: crime, crimefiction, devon
The Birdwatcher Salt Lane Deadland Grave's End The Trawlerman The Wild Swimmers
(6 books)
by
4.12 avg rating — 13,858 ratings

A Song From Dead Lips A House of Knives A Book of Scars Sympathy for the Devil
(4 books)
by
3.94 avg rating — 4,211 ratings

The Girl Who Left
William Shaw is currently reading
by Jenny Blackhurst (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

William’s Recent Updates

William Shaw is now friends with Cailey Barker
125599098
William Shaw rated a book it was amazing
Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey
Everything She Didn’t Say
by Jane Casey (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
William Shaw is currently reading
The Girl Who Left by Jenny Blackhurst
The Girl Who Left
by Jenny Blackhurst (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
William Shaw rated a book it was amazing
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Rate this book
Clear rating
A House of Knives by William  Shaw
"absolutely love these two. Such an atmospheric series and really makes me think about the changes afoot in the late 60s. Cathal Breen is a great character, mostly clueless especially in regards to women. Roll on the next one!"
William Shaw started reading
Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey
Everything She Didn’t Say
by Jane Casey (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
William Shaw is currently reading
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Rate this book
Clear rating
William Shaw rated a book it was amazing
The God of the Woods by Liz    Moore
The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
The beauty of this book lies in the simplicity of the crimes and misunderstandings that lead to mystery. The darkness around them is brilliantly drawn, and the cast of characters and the sense of place in the Adirondack’s are superb. Frankly, it’s a ...more
William Shaw is currently reading
Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
Rate this book
Clear rating
William Shaw rated a book it was amazing
The God of the Woods by Liz    Moore
The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
The beauty of this book lies in the simplicity of the crimes and misunderstandings that lead to mystery. The darkness around them is brilliantly drawn, and the cast of characters and the sense of place in the Adirondack’s are superb. Frankly, it’s a ...more
More of William's books…
Quotes by William Shaw  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“They are usually asking quite ordinary questions, like why am I here, why are some people rich and others poor, what happens when I die, why doesn’t anybody like me, and so on. The real question is, how come they’re coming up with such weird answers?”
William Shaw, Spying in Guru Land: A Journey into the Strange World of Religious Cults

“Later the FBI would talk of ‘bunkers’ built under the compound.”
William Shaw, Spying in Guru Land: A Journey into the Strange World of Religious Cults

“In the Hare Krishna movement, everything Indian acquires a holiness. Many disciples not only adopt the clothes, but adopt a sort of odd body language too. Spurning the plastic spoons offered, they scoop up their prasadam with their fingers, and thank the servers with palms pressed together. Some even acquire twitchy pseudo-Indian neck movements.”
William Shaw, Spying in Guru Land: A Journey into the Strange World of Religious Cults

Polls

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The History Book ...: This topic has been closed to new comments. JILL'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2016 210 195 Dec 18, 2016 09:58AM  
All About Books: 2016 Bingo Challenge 309 418 Jan 13, 2017 12:15PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD 2991 413 Aug 31, 2018 09:00PM  
The Bookworm Chal...: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 25 42 Apr 12, 2019 11:44AM  
“Adams grew up in the sixties, and the Beatles “planted a seed in my head that made it explode. Every nine months there’d be a new album which would be an earth-shattering development from where they were before. We were so obsessed by them that when ‘Penny Lane’ came out and we hadn’t heard it on the radio, we beat up this boy who had heard it until he hummed the tune to us. People now ask if Oasis are as good as the Beatles. I don’t think they are as good as the Rutles.”
Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

“It was one of those times when the unsatisfactory complexity of the world fades far enough into the distance for the moment to become a thing in itself.”
William Shaw

148434 Devon Book Club — 599 members — last activity Feb 05, 2026 10:39AM
For book lovers of all kinds who live in, work in or just love Devon and want to be part of this community.
220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 312754 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
Comments (showing 1-3)    post a comment »
dateDown arrow    newest »

message 3: by Susan

Susan Good luck with the book release today!


William Shaw Has it? News to me! Can I get you a copy then, Susan?


message 1: by Susan

Susan I see a new book has appeared on NetGalley - very exciting!


back to top