PJ SKINNER | Mystery, Crime and Adventure Author

Mystery, Adventure and Intrigue from PJ Skinner

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Seacastle Mysteries New Book Announcement

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Hi there,

*Drumroll please* 🥁 🎉

BIG NEWS: “Malign Fortune” is out today! The latest book in the Seacastle Mysteries has officially hit the shelves. If you’ve been longing to read the next Seacastle book, your wait is over. Grab your copy, and a brew, and settle in for a twisty tale of dodgy dealings in the psychic world. Are you a believer?

📚 What I’m Reading

I’ve been diving into the classics lately with Isaac Asimov’s “Caves of Steel” from his Robot series. It follows a human detective reluctantly paired with a robot partner to solve a murder—quite a unique twist on the detective duo trope! I’m finding it far more engaging than the Foundation Series. I hadn’t realised Asimov had written a mystery, so it’s fascinating to read his take on the genre.

🔍 Research Rabbit Holes

Exciting news about the next Seacastle Mystery! I’ve begun research for “Poison Politics,” and let me tell you—English county councils are absolutely TEEMING with potential for fictional corruption and intrigue. Who knew local government could be such a perfect backdrop for murder? Ghita, our favourite baker and fiery friend, is up to her armpits in this one. And is true love finally in the air for her? I’m really going to enjoy writing this one. You can pre-order it here.

📺 What I’m Watching

When I’m not plotting fictional murders, I’m watching loads of sport, especially the US Open and the Women’s Rugby World Cup! The latter competition has been absolutely thrilling. I’m heading to Brighton next week to watch England take on Australia live—expect me to return with a hoarse voice and possibly some new character inspiration. Are you a sports fan like me? I often find my bookish friends are not enthusiastic.

🗓️ Mark Your Calendars!

Keep an eye out for September’s newsletter where I’ll share news of a special offer for Seacastle box sets. Until our next mystery, PJ

P.S. If you’ve already picked up “Malign Fortune,” I’d be eternally grateful for a review. As we all know, reviews are a mystery author’s best friend. You don’t have to write much. ‘I loved it’ would be sufficient (if you did).

Mortal Vintage is a hit!

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Mortal Vintage, book five in the Seacastle Mysteries, has been out for two months now and it is a roaring success. It has 166 ratings on Amazon already with an average review of 4.6 stars and ranks high among cozy/cosy myteries in all stores. You can buy it in paperback form direct from me or go to Amazon to buy the ebook or to read on Kindle Unlimited.

So what’s the background to the witchy theme? Well, I have always been fascinatedby the existence of ancient covens of witches in Britain. In 1542, witchcraft wasmade a criminal offence. An increasing number of witches were hunted down andkilled in the mid-17th century especially between 1645 and 1647. By the time thewave of killings was over, very few witches had escaped. The southeast of Englandheld one of the few remaining covens, the New Forest Coven, so I thought it wouldbe interesting to invent an offshoot of this group for the purposes of this book.

In Mortal Vintage, you’ll get to know more about Grace and Max Wong and theirbackground. Grace has been an enigma up to now so I hope you’ll enjoy getting toknow her better. You’ll be glad to know the normal cast of quirky characters are allon the trail of the murderer. Can Tanya and George work together without tantrums? Will DI Antrim turn up again.

Read on to find out.

Deadly Return is Flying

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My new cozy mystery series has really taken off. Deadly Return has been in the top 100 of Cozy Mystery Crafts and Hobbies books in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia (where it has been as high as #5). I have sold 500 copies and people have read a further 186 copies on Kindle Unlimited. It has 93 ratings in the UK at an average of 4.4 stars. The second book in the series, Eternal Forest, has had rave reviews from the Beta Readers, and is out on the 31st of August. I am now writing the third book in the series, Fatal Tribute, which will be ready at the end of October.

All three books are set in a small seaside town on the south coast of England and feature an amateur female sleuth, Tanya Bowe, and her friends. Ex-investigative journalist, Tanya has recently been divorced by her police inspector husband and has had to endure the ignomy of being moved into a small terraced house from her modern villa. She also has to find a way of paying her bills and fights to turn her vintage antique shop from a hobby into a business. She meets a slightly battered ex-army man who does house clearances, and they form a partnership which becomes a will-they-won’t-they thread throughout the books. The mysteries have plenty of twists and turns and feature modern themes with Agatha Christie type plots featuring red herrings and multiple motives for murder.

In Deadly Return, Tanya is reunited with Mel Conrad, an old school friend who turns up after her mysterious disappearance years before and briefly becomes one of Tanya’s circle. Unfortunately, Mel is found dead at the foot of the stairs in the former family home. The police think it is and accident, but Tanya is convinced something more sinister is behind Mel’s death. She sets out to find the truth helped by her friends and stepson Mouse.

In the next book, Eternal Forest, an eco-warrior creates waves in Seacastle when he tried to set up a Marine Protection Area offshore in Seacastle to protect the kelp forests and sea life. He is also a charasmatic womaniser and leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Tanya and her friends have their work cut out when he is found dead on a friend’s fishing boat and all signs point to murder.

The third book, Fatal Tribute, will feature a murder at a Talent competition.

There is no sex, violence or bad language in the books although mild peril, depression, divorce and real emotional hardship is featured. Murder mysteries are not for the faint hearted, so please check your triggers before reading.

Sam Harris Adventure Series 5-7 boxset for 99¢

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Hi folks,

I hope you are all enjoying the clement Autumn/Fall weather (or Spring if you are down-under). I’ve been slogging away here catching up on a backlog of things I didn’t feel like doing before. I have finally cleared the decks, and my mind, and will now be able to wrap up the third book in the Green Family Saga, Fighting Green. I will soon put up a pre-order link for you with a cover reveal.

Also I have given up my experiment to sell Sam Harris Adventure ebooks on other platforms (18 months long) and decided that Kindle Unlimited suited the adventure genre far better. So, Hurray! – I’ve put up a special offer on Amazon to celebrate putting the Sam Harris Adventure Series back into Kindle Unlimited. If you haven’t yet read books 5-7, now’s your chance to snaffle the lot for 99¢ only. Yes, it’s a bargain! Please let your friends know too, if they would enjoy them.

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B09411NQHW
Sam Harris Adventure Series 5-7 for 99¢

Also I have been working very hard to transfer the whole of the Sam Harris Series to audio. I will shortly be sending out another update as regards my progress on this arduous undertaking.

Well, that’s all for now.

Best Wishes

PJ

Mortal Mission has launched – a whodunnit in space

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We have lift off!
Hello there, I hope you are enjoying the great summer weather we are having. Summer is often the season when we get time to read on a beach. If you like locked room mysteries with a twist, I may have just the thing for you. How about a whodunnit in space? A murder mystery set on the first crewed mission to Mars?
My latest book, Mortal Mission (under the pen name of Pip Skinner) has launched to great success! If you are one of the lucky readers of the free ARC I gave out, it would really help me if you could leave your reviews on Amazon, Bookbub and Goodreads when you get the chance.  
If you aren’t sure that you’d like it, these reviews from Goodreads may help you decide:
‘A whodunnit in space – if you’re a fan of murder mysteries or sci-fi, then you’re in for a treat. Nail biting tension to the end’
‘I can honestly say Mortal Mission was a joy to read. Part hard sci fi and part murder mystery this ticked a lot of my boxes for making a favourite read.’
‘Sci-fi isn’t really my bag. But this was so… so… SO good. It takes a truly great author to be able to transport the reader to a whole other planet, as well as in to the future, but make it so realistic and believable.’
‘I honestly couldn’t put this one down, I finished it in two evening sittings after work. Partly I wish I hadn’t because I wanted the experience to last (but that is what re-reading is for!) and partly I just couldn’t wait since I NEEDED to know what was going on!’
‘A hard sci-fi murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Or turning pages all night long!’ ‘The book itself is very fast paced. There’s a lot to take in, but not so much that you get lost. But, if you think you’ve solved this mystery, then let me be first to say that I am 99% sure you have not. ‘
‘I could honestly rave about this book for ages but I will say if you love hard sci-fi and or murder mysteries this is one you are sure to enjoy’
‘Do young people still say epic? Screw it. I’m saying it. This book is EPIC’
‘I really love this authors work. It’s captivating and so easy to read. Yes, I would love to read more’  
 So, what’s it all about?
Astronaut Hattie Fredericks’s dream is realised when she is selected for the first crewed mission to search for life on Mars, but her presence on the Starship coincides with a series of incidents which threaten to derail the mission. The Mars mission encounters heated opposition from the religious right, but they’re not the only ones dreading positive results. After a near-miss while landing on the planet, the world watches as Hattie and the crew struggle to survive. But worse than the harsh elements are their suspicions that someone is trying to destroy the mission. When more crew members die, Hattie doesn’t know who to trust. And her only allies are 35 million miles away. As the tension ratchets up, violence and suspicion invade both worlds. Will Hattie’s dream turn into a nightmare?  
Get your copy of Mortal Mission here

Preorder Mortal Mission at a discount

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My hard sci-fi mystery, Mortal Mission is on on pre-order. I hope you like the cover. You may notice that I have used Elon Musk’s Starship as the vehicle for the adventure. I have done a ton of research on the technology in this book, which I enjoyed very much, and I welcome comments to improve any glitches.

Mortal Mission is out on Preorder – so what’s it about?

Astronauts are dying on the first crewed mission to Mars. Is it bad luck, or something far more sinister?
An international mission to search for life on Mars meets heated opposition from the religious right in the USA. Astronaut Hattie Fredericks’ dream is realised when she is selected for the voyage, but her presence on the Starship coincides with a series of incidents which threaten to derail the mission. After a near-miss while landing on Mars, the world watches as Hattie and the crew struggle to survive. But worse than the harsh elements are her suspicions that someone is trying to destroy the mission. After several crew members die, Hattie doesn’t know who to trust. And her only allies are 35 million miles away. As the tension ratchets up, violence and suspicion invade both worlds.
Will Hattie discover life on Mars, or die trying?  

Background

The idea for this story emerged out of my fascination with space travel. While watching the landing of the Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. I couldn’t help wondering ‘what if’ all the time; the author’s curse. It has been quite an adventure writing two new genres at once but I really enjoyed the challenge. I think of it as a cross between an Agatha Christie mystery in an isolated place and the Da Vinci Code in space. Let me know what you think…

My Beta readers loved Mortal Mission, and I am ready to publish. So I would like to offer it to you at a discount on preorder. I would love you to support me by ordering this book. It costs about the same as a cheap coffee and I hope you trust me to write something you love by now. 😊 Please feel free to share the discount and tell your friends, if they would like this book.  

Please review my books if you have enjoyed them

If you could recommend my books on Amazon or on Goodreads, I would be so grateful. The life of a relatively unsuccessful indie author is pretty tough if no one recommends the author’s books.

Thank you and Best wishes