I owe you an explanation. It’s been almost two months since I’ve been in touch, and I didn’t want to sneak back into your inbox without telling you why.
The short version: I’ve been writing two books at the same time — which I don’t recommend — while packing my entire flat into storage to move to Ireland to hang out with my parents who need a little extra help. Something had to give, and unfortunately it was you. The longer version involves a lot of stress and a fair few ice cream cones on the promenade, and the dawning realisation that I may have underestimated how long it takes to box up 65 years of books, global souvenirs, and cheap paintings from remote markets.
In case you missed it — Dead Line is out now.
While all of this was happening, I quietly released the first book in my Portsmouth Bill series. Bill is a DS having a very bad day — a missing teenager, a county lines case he’s not sure he’s sharp enough to crack, and the discovery that his daughter knew the victim. It’s a proper British police procedural, darker in tone than Seacastle, but built on the same bones: character, place, and a mystery that won’t behave.
Here’s what readers are saying:
“I couldn’t wait to dive in and meet a whole new set of characters that I just knew I’d take into my heart again.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Hooked me right from the very start of page one and I found it impossible to put down.”
“I actually work with his department in real life and know so many jaded cops just like him.” — a reviewer who works in the field
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A great new series to get immersed in — I’m now all agog as to where the story goes next.”
If you’re a fan of Ann Cleeves or Peter Robinson, I think Bill will feel like home.
Coming 30th July — Murder on the Galaxy Belle
I also have a second book coming out this month — something a little different, and genuinely fun to write. More on that very soon, but if you want a sneak peek: An unwanted inheritance, a slow-burn romance, a murder on a luxury space liner, and a crew of misfits who were never supposed to become family
I finally escaped the sea of cardboard and am typing this in my parent’s sitting room in their house on the bank of a river in a small town in Ireland. So I have lost my sea view, but gained a weir.
More details and first reactions coming in the next email.
Thank you for your patience, and for still being here.
PJ