Here we feature thirteen novels where more than one author has had a hand in the writing. I find collaborative fiction absolutely fascinating, just how, how on earth do they do it? How do they make decisions on the writing style, plot, and characters, do they frequently discuss ideas, do they take on different characters or chapters, do they write separately or together?

These questions don’t crop up while I’m reading as the end result of the collaboration is seamless, it’s only afterwards that I start to wonder how they actually wrote the book.

With some of these novels it’s not immediately obvious that two authors are responsible for the words that flow across the paper. Lars Kepler, Ambrose Parry, and Nicci French are actually married couples writing under pseudonyms.

While other author teams such as Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and Raymond E Feist and Jenny Wurts are clear to see on the cover.

Another fascinating set of books for me is the Wild Cards series edited by George RR Martin. Here a group of friends write different chapters in contribution to the overall book, and a main character in one chapter will be a passer-by in another, ensuring a really wide range of distinct and diverse viewpoints.

One of our fave writing duos is Boyd and Beth Morrison. We read, and adored The Lawless Land in 2022, the first part of the Tales of the Lawless Land series. This bold and vibrant action-filled adventure set in the 14th century sees a knight and a lady joining forces to save lives, reputations, and a precious artefact. And they recently followed it up with The Last True Templar. This historical thriller is a rip-roaring adventure-filled race to discover the lost treasure of the Knights Templar. The third book in the series arrives in March 2025.

One recently published book which is an absolutely cracking read is High Vaultage by another husband and wife team Chris and Jen Sugden. Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, it's from the creators of the acclaimed audio drama podcast Victoriocity and is a cosy sci-fi mystery set in the chaotic metropolis of Even Greater London.

And in early 2025 comes a new writing team with the publication of Let the Light In, a stunning dual narrative exploration of grief, creativity, love and bad decisions. Jenny Downham is one of our foremost writers for young adults, and now she here she is with another debut! This time as a co-author for the first time with a novel which began as a lockdown writing challenge with her actor and playwright son, Louis Hill. Powerful, relatable and thought provoking, this is a story with profound impact and staying power.

So, over to the books to do the talking, here are some authors who have collaborated to create some truly wonderful storytelling.