Welcome to my website.
2010 is moving too quickly, and the joys of the publication of my first book, Fallen Idols, back in 2007, seems like a distant memory. The two books that followed, Lost Souls and Last Rites (yes, there is a two-word theme developing), were fun to write and even better to see on the shelves. If you have read any of them, I hope you enjoyed them.
The year so far has been fun though. I'm met some great people at library events, and I am fresh from Crimefest in Bristol at Crimefest, the annual crime fiction convention. I was on a panel on Saturday morning, which was done through the fog of a hangover, but it was great to catch up with some old friends and make a few new ones. Thanks to my fellow Avon authors Claire Seeber and Lee Weeks for the company, as well as other authors I had heard of but not met, such as Linda Regan, Steve Mosby, Pauline Rowson and JG Goodhind.
From left to right: JG Goodhind, Pauline Rowson, Me, Linda Regan
Thanks to Pauline Rowson for the photographs
One of the great pleasures in writing is receiving messages from people who have read and enjoyed the books, particularly when they live overseas. I write at the same desk that I have always used, with the same drizzly view, and so to read messages from far-flung hot places is always fun. If you live in somewhere not so hot, then drop me a line anyway. It will be good to hear from you.
Even better is meeting people at various events, and I had a great night recently, when The Colne Bookshop organised a Crime and Curry night, where for a modest price people enjoyed a night of spicy dining and a copy of Dead Silent. Over 90 people attended, and I had a really great evening. My thanks go to Christine and Jo at The Colne Bookshop.
The Crime and Curry Night
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy browsing the website, and if you have any queries or messages, please drop me a line by going to the Contacts page.
My Books
Dead Silent - out now
"superb, tense, action-filled tale with lots of human interest and totally unputdownable."
Bookseller Magazine
20 years ago, Britain was rocked by the disappearance of well-known barrister Claude Gilbert, after the beaten corpse of his wife was discovered hidden in the garden. Worst of all, scratches found on her makeshift coffin signal that the unthinkable took place - Nancy was buried alive. Conspiracy theories say Gilbert murdered his wife and then killed himself, but with no body ever found, the mystery has remained unsolved. But then Lancashire crime beat reporter Jack Garrett is contacted by someone claiming to be Gilbert's girlfriend, and Jack eagerly leaps on the chance to clear a decades-old enigma. But as Jack sets off on the trail of Gilbert - and the news scoop of his career - he quickly finds that the truth is stranger than the headlines.
Last Rites
"A seriously scary story" - Lancashire Evening Post
When Luke Howarth is found fatally stabbed to death in his bed, suspicion falls on his girlfriend, Sarah Goode - missing since his murder. Just another crime of passion with a tragic end. Or is it? Reporter Jack Garrett isn't sure - especially when Sarah's parents implore him to find their daughter. But as he hunts for Sarah, he delves into the area's troubled history and discovers that old rites may not be a thing of the past. Soon, Jack and Laura find themselves in mortal danger as they face an unhinged killer who is determined that they will pay with their lives...
Lost Souls
"this book will make you squirm" - www.eurocrime.co.uk
A woman is found butchered. Ritual murder or crime of
passion? Children are abducted and then returned to their families,unharmed but with no knowledge of where they have been - or who took them. DC Laura McGanity needs to solve these mystifying cases, but her reporter boyfriend Jack Garrett finds himself entangled in the investigations when he meets a man who 'paints' the future - prophecies of horrific events which he then puts
onto canvas - and it becomes terrifyingly clear that many people, including his own family, are in grave danger ...
Fallen Idols
"A masterpiece. A fantastic book." - www.eurocrime.co.uk
A Premiership footballer is murdered on a busy London street. Who lies behind this apparently motiveless killing - and who's next? Crime-beat reporter Jack Garrett is convinced that this is no celebrity stalker. Aided by DC Laura McGanity, desperately trying to juggle police life with motherhood, the trail leads them to Turners Fold, Lancashire - Jack's home town. What's the connection between the recent assassination and the murder of a young girl there ten years before?
