THOUGHT PROVOKING FICTION ROOTED IN REALITY
Enter a world where the extraordinary feels possible, the ordinary becomes intriguing and nothing is quite what it seems. Discover stories that entertain, feel real and leave you looking at the world a little differently.
Nick Hirst is the author of ‘The Shape of Rain’ and ‘Second Spider from the Right’ – conspiracy thrillers rooted in reality. And stories that pose mysteries and puzzles for you to solve before you get to the end.
“Makes you think from beginning to end…well written with excellent pace…” extract from the Online Book Club review of ‘The Shape of Rain’.
JOIN MY READERS
Get the latest from the writing desk
Join Nick’s newsletter for news about current and future novels, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the writing process, interesting discoveries and the odd thought, event or bit of gossip worth sharing.
No spam, just monthly updates from the writing desk
REAL PLACES. REAL EVENTS. FICTIONAL CONSPIRACIES.
Here’s the latest release from Nick Hirst – a near-future conspiracy thriller…
SECOND SPIDER from the RIGHT
A secret child. A mysterious message. And a conspiracy to cull the human race.
A future where climate change has caused a major disaster, artificial intelligence threatens everyone’s jobs and whole countries have been renamed, restructured and rebranded.
Welcome to 2084.
A MESSAGE FROM NICK
Hi, and welcome!
This is where I share my books, writing projects and a few of the things that interest me along the way.
I hope you’ll enjoy looking around – and perhaps find something that makes you want to read, listen or come back for more.
Thanks for visiting the site!
Nick
THE BOOKS
Stories rooted in reality. Possibilities you won’t see coming.
Nick Hirst’s novels take familiar places, real events and recognisable human experiences and weave them into stories of mystery, suspense and discovery.
Second Spider from the Right
When Mundance ‘call me Mundy’ Holyford discovers that his dead uncle had a child no one knew existed, he sets out to find them. But someone is watching him – and the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his search becomes.
His journey takes him from Avalon (formerly southern England) to Ireland, across America and ultimately to Italy where a mysterious message spelled out in stones suggests that the secret he is pursuing may be far bigger than he imagined.
The Shape of Rain
Cracking the hidden code – a conspiracy concealed in a song.
Click on the cover to buy
Were the moon landings real or faked? Was the war in Iraq necessary? And could these apparently unrelated events be connected?
When a celebrity investigative reporter disappears just before he was going to broadcast an explosive story about weapons of mass destrustion in Iraq, music journalist Jack Conrad finds himself drawn into a deadly mystery. The only clue lies hidden in the lyrics of a thirty-year-old song whose writer died years earlier.
From Prague to the Saudi Arabian desert and Seattle, Conrad is thrust into a murky world of counter-intelligence, government secrets, media manipulation and unexplained deaths.
With his own life in danger and no idea who he can trust, Conrad must decipher the song before those determined to keep its secret buried catch up with him.
FICTION ROOTED IN REALITY
Stories that make you question what you think you know.
Nick Hirst writes novels that weave fictional conspiracies through real places and real events, inviting readers to question assumptions and see familiar history from a different perspective.
His stories follow ordinary people caught in extraordinary situations, uncovering truths that challenge what they thought they knew about the world.
The aim is simple: to entertain, to feel believable, and to leave readers thinking about the world around them.
ABOUT NICK
The author behind the stories
Nick Hirst is an author, writer and former BBC producer whose career has always centred on storytelling.
He has written more than 200 magazine and internet articles and has worked across broadcasting, journalism, acting and podcasting. His experience as a BBC producer and writer has taken him through many different forms of storytelling, from factual broadcasting and journalism to novels and podcast conversations.
In his novels the protagonists are ordinary people who find themselves caught up in extraordinary circumstances, discovering that the world that they thought they understood may have another story to tell.
Nick is the author of ‘The Shape of Rain’ and ‘Second Spider from the Right’, and co-host of the podcast ‘Life Happens’, where he and Micheller R Williams explore the psychology, relationships and everyday experiences that shape our lives.
FROM THE WRITING DESK
Follow the journey behind the books
Research, ideas, discoveries, the realities of writing and the occasional unexpected detour.
Follow Nick’s writing journey, explore the real-world stories behind his fiction and discover what happens between the first idea and the finished novel.
Latest blog post:
Why real settings make fiction come alive
Real places will inevitably make fiction feel more believable, relatable For example Seattle (pictured left) plays a very important part of the climax of ‘The Shape of Rain’. You don’t have to have been there to relate, let me take you in words and your imagination...read more
.
PODCAST: LIFE HAPPENS*
*but you can too!
What happens when two generations sit down and talk about the things we all experience – but don’t always understand?
Co-hosted by Nick Hirst and Michelle R Williams, Life Happens* explores psychology, relationships, identity, every day dilemmas and the things nobody quite prepares us for.
If you enjoy conversations that make you laugh, think and occasionally question your own behaviour, take a listen.
LISTEN TO LIFE HAPPENS* – choose your preferred platform below
Spotify · Apple Podcasts · YouTube
*but you can too!
READY TO QUESTION THE FAMILIAR?
Discover the books of Nick Hirst.