Kate Ellis's Blog

Since I last wrote this diary the paperback of COFFIN ISLAND has been published and it’s been a real pleasure meeting and chatting with readers when I’ve visited bookshops to sign copies.

It’s been a particularly busy time, not only because of the new paperback but because I’ve been doing a lot of events, including library talks, bookshop panels and attending CrimeFest in Bristol.

It’s also been the year of a very important anniversary. It is now twenty five years since a group of Northern authors, despairing of their publishers’ lack of publicity support, formed Murder Squad. I wasn’t published when Margaret Murphy had the initial idea but I was really delighted when I was invited to join the group later. Such a momentous anniversary deserved a great celebration so we all (myself, Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Chris Simms, Margaret Murphy and Cath Staincliffe) travelled to Stockport’s magnificent Guildhall to drink fizz and eat cake with our readers and talk about the Squad and our work. It was a wonderful occasion I’ll never forget. Many thanks to Serenity Books in Stockport for organizing our event – and here’s to another twenty five years!

Another wonderful event was my appearance at Slaughter in Southwold where I was interviewed by the excellent Charlotte Clarke about my books (sitting on deckchairs – very appropriate for the seaside). It was my second visit to Southwold and it was a real pleasure to return and explore some of beautiful Suffolk. As an archaeology enthusiast of course I visited Sutton Hoo and was thrilled to find that Time Team were filming there. It was Time Team that triggered my interest in arachaeology and I often describe my Wesley Peterson books as ‘Inspector Morse meets Time Team’!

I’m excited by say that Wesley’s twenty ninth case, DEADY REMAINS, will be published in hardback (and e book) on 7th August.

When a body is discovered in a picturesque South Devon village, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate. The victim, Barry Brown, is a celebrity ghostwriter and the theft of his laptop suggests that the motive for murder may lie in his work.

While Wesley investigates Barry’s famous clients, Wesley’s teenage son Michael joins family friend, Dr Neil Watson, on an intriguing excavation of a crashed World War Two plane on Dartmoor. The plane was used to ferry secret agents into Europe during the war and, when three skeletons are discovered nearby, it seems the wreckage might hold more secrets than they could ever have imagined.

Wesley's case leads him to the same area and he discovers a sinister history surrounding the moor and the nearby village of Moor Barton.

With four unexplained deaths, can Wesley solve the mystery before anyone else is put in danger?

Hope you enjoy!

I can’t believe it’s March already. Christmas and New Year are a distant memory and welcome signs of spring are everywhere. The view from my office at the bottom of the garden is growing greener and more appealing as I begin work on Wesley Peterson’s new case.

While I was in York before Christmas (doing the final piece of research for my next Joe Plantagenet mystery) I wandered into an old church where a fascinating exhibition was laid out at the west end. The church (Holy Trinity on Micklegate) was once part of a Benedictine Priory and the exhibition concerned the day to day life of the monks who worshipped there. One part of the exhibition particularly caught my attention and that was a bestiary (or Book of Beasts) lovingly made by the monks to show the wonders of creation. Some animals depicted were ones we would know today but others were fantastic beasts such as unicorns and dragons. It is amazing how seeing something like this can plant a seed in the imagination and Wesley’s next investigation will feature something similar. People often ask authors where they get their ideas from and this is an example of seeing something that sparks an idea. The book is still very much at the planning stage but I love the idea of including strange medieval beasts in a plot. Watch this space.

My next Joe Plantagenet mystery is now finished and I’m just waiting for my editor’s opinion. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she likes it.

The paperback of COFFIN ISLAND is out on April 10th and I’m celebrating the launch on 16th April at Serenity Books in Romiley, Stockport, with a panel of my fellow authors. I have several events already planned for this year. See the ‘events’ section for details.

Finally, my publisher has sent through the brand new cover image for DEADLY REMAINS (out in August) I think it’s brilliant. Hope you agree.

THE POTTERTON MEMORIAL

A ghost story for Christmas by Kate Ellis

(featuring Joe Plantagenet)

            ‘Sherry? Mince pie?’

            Joe Plantagenet laughed. ‘Bit traditional isn’t it, George? But why not?’

            ‘Never easy being on your own at Christmas, is it?’ Canon George Merryweather said as he handed Joe his sherry and put the mince pie plate on the side table. ‘It’s something you never really get used to. Since my dear wife died . . .’

            George rarely talked about his late wife and Joe had always assumed the subject was too painful. The loss of a loved one was something they had in common. Maybe it was what had bound them together when Joe had first arrived in the ancient city of Eborby to take up his post at Detective Inspector in the CID.

            The two men sat in amicable silence for a while gazing at the leaping flames inside the wood burning stove. Joe took a sip of the sherry and the taste immediately transported him back to Christmases at his parents’ house in Liverpool when his mother would give him a sly taste while she was preparing the turkey on Christmas Eve. The warm glow of the memory lasted a split second before he was brought back to the present by the sound of George’s voice.

            ‘Did I ever tell you about the Potterton Memorial?’

            ‘What’s the Potterton Memorial?’

            George sat back in his armchair and arched his fingers. ‘It wouldn’t be Christmas without a ghost story and as this is Christmas Eve . . .’

            Joe took another sip of sherry and bit into his mince pie. It was one of George’s own. He had become adept at baking since his late wife passed away and Joe suspected he was rather proud of his culinary achievements.

            ‘I’m up for a ghost story, George. Go on.’    

            George took a deep breath. ‘Thirty years ago a man called Canon Pierce acted as Diocesan exorcist. In those days it was the equivalent to my job as Diocesan Consultant on the Occult but they didn’t give the post such a long-winded title in those days. Before Canon Pierce passed away he told me a very strange tale. Very strange indeed.’

            He drained his sherry glass and poured himself another before topping up Joe’s drink.

            ‘Inside the cathedral, in the north aisle behind the choir there’s a memorial. An insignificant looking thing naming a man called Henry Potterton who died, aged thirty three in the year seventeen eighty nine – the year of the French Revolution as you’ll probably remember from your school history lessons.’

            ‘I remember,’ said Joe, feeling that some response was required.

            ‘Anyway, the spot had always had a bit of a reputation. Choirboys refused to pass it alone and the flower arrangers claimed that the flowers left on a nearby plinth never lasted. They’d wither after a day or so and had to be removed. Although I don’t know how true that is. They also said they felt they were being watched. But this was a long time ago and I haven’t heard of anything like that in my time.’

            ‘Maybe it was some kind of gas leak? A case of mass hysteria?’

            George paused before shaking his head. ‘That’s what I would have concluded but . . .’

            ‘But what?’

            ‘Something happened at Christmas in 1901, the year of Queen Victoria’s death. The incident was documented in cathedral records and I looked it up after Canon Pierce told his story.’ He sat back and took a deep breath as though he was preparing to relate a long tale. ‘It was Christmas Eve and the choir had just sung for the midnight service. The cathedral was decorated magnificently as it always is for the Christmas festivities and the flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows on the stone walls. The boys, as boys are on such occasions, were giddy as they looked forward to Christmas Day, and three of the little boy sopranos thought it amusing to dare each other to go into the north aisle, to the tomb of Henry Potterton. One of the boys, ten year old Jacob Hurst, was chosen to approach the monument while his friends watched round the corner in the north transept.’

            ‘What happened?’

            ‘One thing I haven’t mentioned is that the monument is set into the wall and that the centre of the letter O in the name Potterton was missing, forming a small hole. Young Jacob’s dare was that he should take a torch and look into the hole and report what he saw inside the tomb to his friends.

            ‘The boys stood round the corner, giggling, while Jacob went up to the tomb. As he neared the memorial the giggling ceased and his footsteps echoed in the stony silence. The boy was small and had to stand on tiptoe to reach the memorial. He glanced back and saw his fellow choristers in their snowy surplices, standing quite still, frozen like statues, waiting to see what would happen.’

            ‘Let me guess,’ said Joe. ‘Jacob disappeared through the hole and was never seen again.’

            George shook his head, a secretive smile on his lips.  ‘Nothing like that. Of course it was explained away at the time. A severe infection, possibly of the brain and before the days of antibiotics . . .’

He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Joe understood. ‘The boy became ill?’

‘He collapsed, clutching at his head. The boys called for help and Jacob was taken home where he passed away later that night. You have to remember that in those days people often died of illnesses that are survivable now.’

‘But?’

‘While the boy was still conscious he managed to say something to the friends who’d rushed over to help him.’ George took another sip of sherry.

            ‘What did he say?’

            ‘He said he’d seen it.’

            ‘What?’

            ‘The demon. Those were his only words before he lost consciousness. Everyone thought it was the result of a fever the lad was suffering from. A delusion.’ He paused. ‘But a few days later somebody, I’m not sure who, gave the order for the hole to be sealed. Since then there’s been no sign of trouble.’ He smiled. ‘And certainly no demons. But it’s strange.’

            ‘What is?’ Joe leaned forward. He found he was enjoying this Christmas ghost story. He put it down to the sherry giving him a warm glow as he waited for George to carry on.

            ‘When I first heard the story from Canon Pierce I was intrigued and I did a spot of research into the Potterton family. That was when I discovered something rather odd. The Henry Potterton interred behind that memorial was said to have made a pact with the Devil. If the evil one gave him great wealth to pay off the serious gambling debts he’d run up, debts that would have led to the loss of the family estate, he’d give the Devil his immortal soul. He was reputed to have led such a wicked life that the cathedral authorities objected to him being buried there but his family were wealthy and influential so . . .’

            ‘They tried to buy his way into heaven.’

            ‘Got it in one, Joe. Nobody told them that it doesn’t quite work like that. Anyway, he ended up in the cathedral with his ancestors.’

            ‘And the memorial?’

            ‘Still there with the hole filled in.’ George glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. ‘Time for the midnight service. Coming?’

            Joe nodded and they left the cosy warmth of the fireside and walked together across the cathedral precinct. After the crowded service with its joyful carols, George went off with the other clergy to change out of his vestments and Joe couldn’t resist taking a detour along the north aisle to see the subject of the strange story he’d just been told.

            There were a lot of memorials set into the cold stone walls and it took him some time to find the right one. Sure enough the O in Potterton seemed a little lighter in colour than the rest of the plaque. As he turned away he heard to faint, trickling sound, like something small and fragile falling to the ground.

            There was an elaborate flower arrangement on the other side of the aisle, freshly created by the cathedral flower arrangers for the Christmas celebrations. Just as Joe was admiring its colourful beauty, he saw one of the red roses shrivel before his eyes. Red one moment, brown and rotted the next.

            And when he looked back at the memorial he saw that a small sliver of plaster was missing from the centre of the letter O. Then he felt a sudden chill, as though something evil had just been released into the world.

Christmas is now approaching at speed and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers. It’s been wonderful to meet so many lovely people at libraries, bookshops and festivals this year and their enthusiasm makes all the hard work of researching, planning, then rewriting each book several times, worthwhile.

Deadly Remains, Wesley Peterson’s next mystery, is now completed and will be out next August. I’m pleased to say that the paperback edition of Coffin Island will be out on 24th April and I hope to arrange some events to coincide with its publication. Watch this space. My 2025 diary is starting to fill up and I’m particularly excited to have been asked to speak at the Dartmouth Book Festival next September. I just hope the good people of Dartmouth don’t mind that I’ve made their gorgeous town the murder capital of the South West.

I’ve also finished the second draft of Joe Plantagenet’s new mystery (set in a thinly disguised York). In November I spent a few days researching in York – sometimes I love this job.

I’d better finish now to get on with more festive preparations. I’d like to wish all my readers a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. And Happy Reading!

I realized with horror that I haven’t written this diary since May. The truth is that it’s been a really busy year. I’ve been out and about speaking at libraries, doing book signings and attending crime festivals. To add to this I’ve been contracted to write two books this year (which keeps me fully occupied). I’m pleased to say that my next Wesley mystery is now finished and edited (I can finally reveal the title will be Deadly Remains) and I’ll say more about it nearer publication time. I’m currently working on a brand new Joe Plantagenet book which is going well so far and I’m hoping to visit one of my favourite cities (York) soon to conduct more research.

In May I was on two panels at CrimeFest in Bristol and in June I attended a crime weekend called ‘Alibis in the Archives’ at the wonderful Gladstones Library in Hawarden, North Wales. During the weekend I was thrilled to meet a crime fiction hero of mine. The style of my own books was inspired by the twisty mysteries of a TV detective series called Taggart, written by Glenn Chandler. It was great to finally meet Glenn (and tell him how much I’d enjoyed his work). For anyone who hasn’t seen Taggart, I can’t recommend it too highly. The gritty Glasgow setting turns out to be rather deceptive because the mysteries are worthy of Agatha Christie herself and I’m often left gasping by the conclusion - I never saw that coming!

August saw the publication of Coffin Island, Wesley Peterson’s 28th case which has been very well received. The story includes a group of bell ringers and I was delighted that it earned a glowing review in the Ringing World (the magazine taken by bell ringers throughout the country). In September I visited Devon where I spoke at the lovely Ivybridge Bookshop and signed copies of my books at a number of bookshops in South Devon, including Browser Books, Dartmouth Community Bookshop, Harbour Books and Plymouth Waterstones.

The Ivybridge Bookshop & Waterstones Plymouth

I’ve spoken at libraries in West Kirby, Padgate, Huyton and Whitehaven where I’ve met a lot of enthusiastic readers. It’s always fantastic to meet the people who read my books and find out how much enjoyment they give. It makes all the hard work of writing worthwhile.

Another highlight of the year has been speaking at a brand new crime fiction festival in Sedbergh (England’s only book town) called Death in the Dales. Sedbergh is a gorgeous little town in the Yorkshire Dales endowed with a generous number of bookshops. The festival was really well attended and enjoyed by everyone there. Hopefully, it will return again next year.

I’m very much looking forward to being ‘in conversation’ with fellow crime author, Tom Mead, about the rise of ‘cosy crime’. It’s at Simply Books in Bramhall (a fantastic shop now run by the excellent Ben and Karen who’ve made a wonderful job of transforming the shop and making it a real asset to the community) on 7th November at 7pm and tickets are available now. https://lu.ma/kateandtom Do come along if you’re in the area.

On a personal note, I wrote last time about the loss of our beloved family dog, Finley. My younger son and his family have been missing having a dog around the place (and we’ve been missing having a furry house guest every time they’re away) so we were delighted to hear the news that they’re getting a new puppy – a cocker spaniel called Dot. We can’t wait to meet her!

I really can’t believe it’s May already. I think it’s probably because of the dreadful weather we’ve had up until now – cold and rainy with little sign of spring. Hopefully that will change from now on and next week I’m due to travel to Bristol to take part in CrimeFest, my favourite and, in my opinion, most friendly crime fiction festival. I’m participating in two panels this year. On Thursday 9th May I’ll be discussing abuses of privilege and power and on Sunday 12th I’m moderating a panel about crime fiction set between the wars. Should be fun and I hope to meet some of you there.

On a sadder note, this week saw the death of our beloved family dog, Finley (he was our younger son’s dog really but he stayed with us a lot and we came to love him). He was thirteen and his health had been deteriorating for a few months but losing him was still very difficult. He was a gorgeous border collie with a beautiful gentle nature and I’ve been very touched by the messages of condolence I received on Twitter (or should I say X). He is immortalized, however, in my book The Shadow Collector where he features as the heroic dog who helps Wesley to make a dramatic discovery. Sleep well, Fin.

To return to crime fiction, on 11th April I had a wonderful evening at the Serenity Bookshop in Romiley, Stockport where I launched the new paperback of The Killing Place, Wesley Peterson’s 27th investigation. It was lovely to meet such a large and enthusiastic audience there and many thanks to Chris and Kerry, the owners, for making me so welcome.

With Wesley’s 28th case, Coffin Island, ready to be published in early August, I’ve been working hard on the next in the series (number 29 – working title Murder Moon, although this may change). After I’ve completed this, I’ll begin work on a new Joe Plantagenet book – quite an exciting prospect! I’ll let you into a secret – I’ll have to re-read the first five before I start because as soon as I’ve finished a book, I tend to forget all about it and move on to the next – and it has been rather a long time since Joe solved a spooky crime in the mean snickleways of Eborby (aka York)!

Over the next few months, I’ll be out and about visiting libraries etc so do look at my events page and come and say hello if you can. Looking forward to seeing you.

A (very) belated Happy New Year to everyone. It seems a long time since Christmas but I do hope everyone enjoyed the Festive Season – and maybe received some of my books in their Christmas stockings.

After New Year I got straight back to work and I’m now 50,000 into the first draft of Wesley Peterson’s 29th case. This time Neil is tackling the excavation of a crashed World War Two plane on Dartmoor and Wesley’s investigating the mysterious death of a ghost writer in a chocolate box village nearby. However, that’s all I can really say about it at the moment because I’m still working my way through the plot.

The beginning of this month saw the publication of my next three Joe Planagenet books (there are five in all) with gorgeous new covers. SEEKING THE DEAD and PLAYING WITH BONES have now been joined by KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS and WALKING BY NIGHT and now that this series is more widely available, I really hope more people will be able discover Joe’s spooky investigations in the ancient Northern city of Eborby (which closely resembles the lovely, historic and very haunted city of York). I’m so thrilled that I’ll soon be able to continue this series, although it might be a while (because of my publisher’s schedule) before the next one appears on the shelves.

As well as writing, I’ve been busy arranging events for 2024. A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to find that a brand new independent bookshop had opened not far from where I live. I noticed that a fellow writer, Anthony Johnson, was launching his new book there so I went along to support him and I’m please to say that his new series, about a dog-sitter detective is proving very popular. I’ve noticed recently that people are beginning to enjoy the, shall we say, cosier end of the crime fiction market. Perhaps this is because the world is so troubled at the moment that readers want to escape into a more comfortable and certain place when they settle down with a book (I believe this happened in the 1930s as well). I’ve always tried to keep my own books fairly ‘cosy and classic’ because this is the type of book I’ve always enjoyed reading. I’m so pleased to see that fashion in reading appears to be catching up with me!

The shop where Anthony spoke is called the Serenity Bookshop in Romiley near Stockport and I’m pleased to say that I’m doing an event there to celebrate the launch of THE KILLING PLACE paperback on April 11th (see my Events page for details). Do come along if you can make it. I’ll also be speaking at some libraries as well as attending Alibis in the Archives at Gladstones Library and CrimeFest in Bristol. Hope to meet some of you there.

Better get back to writing. Neil’s just dug up a skeleton that definitely shouldn’t be there!

I’m writing this in the middle of all my Christmas preparations although so far they’re going well. The cards have all been sent, the presents have been wrapped, the carol services have been attended (although a cold I suffered from recently has robbed me of my singing voice) and this morning the turkey was caught and is now safely stashed in the fridge. As well as this I’ve completed the copy edit for Wesley’s next case (COFFIN ISLAND – out in the summer) and I’ve even started to plan his investigation for 2025 (although I’m afraid I’ve had to abandon writing for the time being to concentrate on the Festive Season).

A few days ago I received a rather nice Christmas present. My publisher has given me a contract for three new books (two Wesley Petersons and a brand new Joe Plantagenet). The good news is that three of my Joe Plantagenet books, KISSING THE DEMONS, WATCHING THE GHOSTS and WALKING BY NIGHT (rather spooky and set in Eborby – a thinly disguised York) will be issued by Little, Brown with beautiful new covers on 1st February 2024 – not long to go now. I must say I’m really looking forward to resuming this particular series and earlier this week I spent a few days Christmas shopping in York - and picking up a few new ideas of course.

However, the real purpose of this short update is to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

And here’s something that I hope will make you smile. I’ve been thinking up a few new lyrics to famous Christmas songs – lyrics suited to the world of classic detective stories!

This one’s to be sung to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town:

YOU’D BETTER THINK UP A GOOD ALIBI

IT BETTER BE CONVINCING, I’M TELLING YOU WHY

HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN

HE’S MAKING A LIST

HE’S CHECKING IT TWICE

THOSE LITTLE GREY CELLS WILL WORK IN A TRICE

HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN

HE KNOWS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN LYING

HE KNOWS WHO DID THE CRIME

HE KNOWS IF YOU’VE BEEN BAD OR GOOD

AND WHO DESERVES TO BE DOING TIME

SO YOU’D BETTER THINK UP A GOOD ALIBI

IT BETTER BE CONVINCING, I’M TELLING YOU WHY

HERCULE POIROT’S COMING TO TOWN

And finally here’s a revised verse for Walking in a Winter Wonderland: 

IN THE MEADOW WE CAN BUILD A SNOWMAN

AND PRETEND THAT HE IS FATHER BROWN

HE’LL SAY ‘HAVE YOU SOLVED IT?’

WE’LL SAY ‘NO, MAN’

‘WELL I CAN DO THE JOB WHILE I’M IN TOWN’!

A very happy Christmas to everyone – and happy reading. See you next year!

Summer is well and truly at an end and, during my breaks from writing, I’ve been trying to spend time tidying up in the garden. It’s also the time of year when I buy a new diary and there are already a few entries for library talks and conferences in 2024 (I’ve already signed up for CrimeFest in Bristol next May). Watch out for any events near you. I always love meeting my readers.

The last few months have been busy as usual. I’ve just finished Wesley’s next case, entitled Coffin Island and my editor loved reading it. I’ll say more about it nearer publication time but, I must say, I’m quite pleased with this one.

As well as working hard, I’ve also managed to get away on holiday. In early September I visited Devon again and we were blessed with a week of glorious weather. My excuse is that I have to carry out research for my Wesley Peterson mysteries but the truth is, I just love it down there. I visited several lovely bookshops while I was there. I signed books at Browser Books and the Community Bookshop in Dartmouth and at Harbour Books in Kingsbridge. I also visited the fantastic Ivybridge Bookshop where I spoke to an enthusiastic audience about my work and the life of a crime writer. I also met a fellow writer there; top chef and food writer, Orlando Murrin, who is about to publish his first crime novel. I had the pleasure of reading Knife Skills for Beginners before my visit and I enjoyed it very much.

While I was in Devon I did my usual pilgrimage to Greenway, the holiday home of Agatha Christie. I walked there with my husband from Kingswear (on the opposite bank of the River Dart from Dartmouth). It’s quite a challenging walk; only about three and a half miles through woodland but very steep in places. We always feel much fitter when we’ve been to Dartmouth!

After returning from Devon I travelled to Nottingham to speak at Bromley House Library, a flourishing independent library founded in 1816. It was so good to meet everyone there and many thanks to the staff there for the warm welcome I received.

At the start of this month we decided to grab some last minute sunshine and fly to the lovely Greek island of Rhodes. It was our first visit and we were bowled over by the amazing old town, the lovely people and the fantastic food. And the cats! So many cats! I suspect they rule the place. On our return we watched a DVD I had of the Poirot episode Triangle at Rhodes. It was good to be reminded of our holiday.

My editor has just sent through pictures of the new covers for my soon to be re-released Joe Plantagenet books, Kissing the Demons, Watching the Ghosts and Walking by Night. I’m really pleased with them and I understand that they will be available in early February 2024. I’m also delighted to announce that Wesley’s latest case, The Killing Place, will be out in paperback on 11th April next year.

Well, summer seems to have been and gone but the season makes little difference to an author. There are books to write and deadlines to fulfill and I’m lucky to have a lovely office in my garden which is good to work in come rain or shine.

However, there are always distractions when you’re ‘working from home’ and my own distraction during June’s great weather was the arrival of my youngest son and his family (my daughter in law, two very little girls plus dog). They’ve been living with us while building work’s been done on their house and I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to live with small children (with all the cooking, entertainment and washing that entails). All the memories returned of trying to cram all my writing into the period when the children were at school/nursery and I must confess it does help to focus the mind. So much so that I managed to complete Wesley’s next case (working title Coffin Island) in record time. I’ve sent it off to my editor and I’m just waiting to receive her comments.

I’ve still managed to get out and about. I attended a wonderful Crime Writers’ Association conference in York (one of my favourite places) in April. The highlight (apart from catching up with my fellow writers) was a gala dinner in the reconstructed Victorian street in the Castle Museum (once the prison where, among others, Dick Turpin was held and executed). In May I was in Bristol for CrimeFest, probably the friendliest crime fiction festival of the year. I participated in two panels and I was thrilled to find myself speaking alongside Simon Brett, one of my favourite authors, and Robert Thorogood, the creator of Death in Paradise.

I’ve also been visiting libraries, presenting my murder mystery ‘The Case of the Late Cook’ at Leigh Library in Lancashire and speaking at Cleethorpes library in Lincolnshire. Taking part in events and meeting readers is one of the best parts of a writer’s job!

The good news is that Wesley Peterson’s twenty seventh case with be out in hardback and ebook on 3rd August. Here’s a little taste of THE KILLING PLACE:

November. With the tourist season well and truly over in South Devon, Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson is looking forward to a quieter month in the CID. But when a man is shot dead on Bonfire Night, he finds he has a disturbing and complex murder case on his hands.  

The body of Patrick North was found in woodland connected to Nesbarton Hall, a grand estate dating back to the eighteenth century. North worked for the Smithson family who now own the estate. The family are away on holiday, but when an anonymous letter threatening to abduct the Smithson son is uncovered, Wesley fears North’s death might have been collateral damage in a sinister kidnap plot. 

Meanwhile, archaeologist Dr Neil Watson discovers a hidden grotto in a developer’s field – land that was once part of the Nesbarton estate. Evidence of past rituals and the shocking discovery of a skeleton buried next to the grotto raise questions about strange occurrences, past and present, on the estate that was once owned by a notorious privateer.  

Then, just when Wesley’s team seem to be making progress in their investigation, a resident of the nearby village is killed in a near identical shooting. A race is on to find the ruthless killer, before they strike again . . .

I do hope everyone enjoys Wesley’s new investigation.

Finally I have exciting news for my readers. I can now reveal that all my Joe Plantagenet books are to be reissued by Little Brown (the publisher of my Wesley Peterson series) and I have agreed to continue the series (which, hopefully, means more visits to York to carry out research!). I have received many emails asking whether I was going to write more about Joe and now I can give the answer ‘yes’. However, all Wesley’s fans needn’t worry because his investigations will continue as well.