Latest Posts

• East West Street: genocide? Or crimes against humanity?

  I recently read East West Street by British law professor and international human rights expert Philippe Sands. If you have any interest in the cataclysm which…

• How to write great Nut-grafs & Cosmic Kickers: part 3

  So you want to write a brilliant blog or newspaper article?  Help is at hand, in three easy stages. First: decide your message, and make…

• Much Obliged, Jeeves – 24 quotations

  For all you ardent Wodehouse fans, I have fine news. Much Obliged, Jeeves is one of the funniest Wodehouse books I have read. The cover of…

• The health benefits of Martinis

  At the roof bar of the top hotel in Istanbul, I don’t notice a thing. Below us, the Bosphorus sparkles in the setting sun.  I…

• Why “I am Pilgrim” is the best thriller I’ve read for ages

  I crave good thrillers.  But they are vanishingly rare. So when I find a book with a compelling plot, rich characters, horrifying jeopardy and seat-edge…

• #Howtowrite: comedy, thriller and diary quotations

  One key to writing better is to read critically.  I attempt to do so, often noting down excerpts from books as I read.  Here are…

• West London

  Originally posted on Paul Hodson: With Travelling Companion and Daughter I spent some end-of-holiday days in west London. We stayed in a flat in Barnes…

• Robert Pimm Live in Salzburg 20 February

  Stop press: I will be doing a reading from my Berlin thriller BLOOD SUMMIT at 1800 on 20 February 2019 at The English Centre in Salzburg.…

• Right Ho, Jeeves – 14 fruity quotations

  What better book to read at Christmas than Right Ho, Jeeves – a festive winter wonderland of Wodehouse, a rich Christmas pudding of Plum? Right Ho, Jeeves opens…

• 50 Shades: 5 reasons it’s a masterpiece, 5 reasons I hate it

  ‘I only finished the first volume,’ my friend says.  ‘It was so badly written.  And boring.’ ‘I disagree,’ I say.  ‘I think the writing is…

• W. Somerset Maugham on sex, turnips and the meaning of life

  A writer compares turnips and sex.  Is he wise, or daft?  Can we use his wisdom – if any – to make ourselves happier? I…

• Arvon residential writing courses: review

  Ahead, in the kitchen, everyone seems to be laughing.  As I approach, the noise swells.  I push the door open to find ten people sitting…

• Dancing for New Orleans: a writing course in Greece

  I recently attended an outstanding Arvon Foundation writing course in Shropshire.  I will write a blog about that shortly. In researching, I found this piece,…

• #howtowrite: paper or computer?

  I sit down at my desk in Vienna to continue writing my current novel, code-named The Boyfriend.  Outside, birds sing in the trees; all is well…

• #howtowrite: #ViennaWritingInspiration

  You are an author.  You are about to sit down and begin to write a story. How do you get started?  What will it be…

• Short story technique from the master: 3 quotations

  Every writer wants to write better. Some of my most popular blogs set out tips on how to do this.  That is why I have…

• Jeeves in the Offing: review and quotes

  Attentive readers – if any are reading this* – will be aware of my slow-burn devotion to the works of P G Wodehouse, including  How to…

• The best thing to do in Vienna on 1 November

  “As night falls on All Hallows, the Zentralfriedhof is transformed into an ethereal wonderland. It seems every visitor throughout the day has lit a candle…

• Carols, the perfect martini, and love: three quotations

  What is the perfect martini? A couple of years ago in Istanbul I was taken out for dinner by two top cardiac specialists. In between…

• Two-and-a-half literary quotes

  At my reading this week from my Berlin thriller Blood Summit, someone asked when I found time to write. I wrote a blog on “Where I write”…

• In Defence of Fifty Shades of Grey

  Originally posted on Inconsistent Pacing: With the new film just released, Fifty Shades of Grey is being savaged everywhere again – everyone seems to have an…

• The Russians: Vladivostok

  Josef had long dark curly hair and a roguish smile.  He stood aside from the tiller.  ‘Fancy a go?’ he said.  We were speaking Russian.…

• Thursday 18 October! My live reading from “Blood Summit”

  What does reclusive author Robert Pimm look like in the flesh?  Great news.  You can find out when I read from my Berlin thriller Blood Summit on…

• Smoking in cafes: a Viennese speciality

  Back in the 1970s I used to ride on the top deck of a double-decker red Routemaster bus to school in Manchester, an hour each…

• The 3 greatest Vienna cafes???

  ‘Hey,’ your friend says in Vienna.  ‘Let’s meet up for a coffee’. ‘How about a cup of tea?  Or a beer?  Or a glass of…

• #howtowrite: Where to write

  So. The rather awesome J K Rowling wrote swathes of the “Harry Potter” series in cafes in Edinburgh. Can other writers do this? With iPad…

• The Americans: Avenue of the Heroes

  In 1979 I hitch-hiked for seven weeks around the United States. What did I learn about the US of 1979, and what does that tell…

• The Americans: leaving New York

  In 1979 I hitch-hiked for seven weeks around the United States.  What became of the carefree, relaxed young 21 year-old of these pages?  Can I…

• Blood Summit: Reading group questions

  Is my Berlin Thriller Blood Summit is suitable for reading groups or book clubs? Yes.  Blood Summit is ideal for reading groups and book clubs.  This…

• Vienna and Istanbul: the best cities on earth?

  People often ask me: ‘What is the best city you have lived in, apart obviously from Manchester?  Is it London?  Berlin?  Moscow? Istanbul?  Kyiv?  Or…

• “Prep”: is this how women think? 7/10

  Many years ago I worked alongside a young woman who, long before in another city, had had a relationship with a man who now worked…

• How to be understood: 7 tips

  The influential gallery director sits down with the visiting guest in a museum cafe.  Both are speaking English but only the guest is a native…

• The Third Man Museum: a Vienna gem 10/10

  The woman at the entrance seems delighted to see me.  Having sold me a ticket, she rises from her seat and accompanies me to the…

• Hard boiled: Chandler, Spillane and Hammett

  All I saw was the dame standing there in the glare of the headlights waving her arms like a huge puppet and the curse I…

• Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves: review and quotes

  Those who know the code of the Pimms will know that the blogs on this site are consistently honest.  No fake news here, or indeed…

• A new blog every week? Views welcome

  It has been a good run. Since 12 August 2017 I have written a blog every week, usually published on a Saturday afternoon, in addition…

• Making fun of the English? The great George Mikes 10/10

  If you have not read How to be an Alien by George Mikes, please go and buy a copy instantly.  You will not regret it. George…

• Lady Anna: cruelty, feminism and power 7/10

  How much cruelty can you squeeze into a 150,000 word novel? A huge amount, if that book is Lady Anna, written by Anthony Trollope at the…

• Thank you!

  ‘How many people are you expecting at your reading?’ ‘Well, it’s impossible to know.  Maybe five, maybe 20.’ ‘But how many people will you will…

• This Friday 15 June! My live reading from “Blood Summit”

  What does reclusive author Robert Pimm look like in the flesh? You can find out on Friday 15 June at the wonderful Shakespeare & Co bookshop…