Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of Mystery and Kings...: MURDER MYSTERY WEEK... Jan Christopher and ME

Today... the JAN CHRISTOPHER SERIES

(written by me...)

set in the 1970s

with alternating background locations of

a North London public Library

and the rural tranquility of North Devon

Episode 1
A Mirror Murder
https://getbook.at/MirrorMurder

The first in a series of quick-read, cosy mysteries set in the 1970s

Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple. But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered... Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will romance survive and blossom between library assistant Jan Christopher and DC Laurie Walker – or will the brutal murder intervene?

"I sank into this gentle cosy mystery story with the same enthusiasm and relish as I approach a hot bubble bath, (in fact this would be a great book to relax in the bath with!), and really enjoyed getting to know the central character..."

Debbie Young bestselling cosy mystery author

"Jan is a charming heroine. You feel you get to know her and her love of books and her interest in the people in the library where she works. She's also funny, and her Aunt Madge bursts with character - the sort of aunt I would love to have had. I remember the 70s very well and Ms Hollick certainly gives a good flavour of the period."

Denise Barnes (bestselling romance author Molly Green)

“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London. Told from the viewpoint of a young library assistant, the author draws on her own experience to weave an intriguing tale”

Richard Ashen (South Chingford Community Library)

“Lots of nostalgic, well-researched, detail about life in the 1970s, which readers of a certain age will lap up; plus some wonderful, and occasionally hilarious, ‘behind the counter’ scenes of working in a public library, which any previous or present-day library assistant will recognise!”

Reader's Review

“An enjoyable novella with a twist in who done it. I spent the entire read trying to decide what was a clue and what wasn’t ... Kept me thinking the entire time. I call that a success.” Reader's Review

Episode 2
A Mystery of Murder
http://mybook.to/AMysteryOfMurder

Will the discovery of a murder spoil Christmas for Jan Christopher and her boyfriend DS Laurie Walker – or will it bring them closer together?

Library Assistant Jan Christopher is to spend Christmas in Devon with her boyfriend, DS Laurie Walker and his family, but when a murder is discovered, followed by a not very accidental accident, the traditional Christmas spirit is somewhat marred...What happened to Laurie’s ex-girlfriend? Where is the vicar’s wife? Who took those old photographs? And will the farmer up the lane ever mend those broken fences?

Set in 1971, this is the second Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery. Join her (and an owl and a teddy bear) in Devon for a Christmas to remember.

"There are lots of things to enjoy in the second in the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series" Best-selling cozy mystery author Debbie Young

Coffee Pot Book Club Online Tour Reviews

"Jan is an absolutely lovely character, and I loved following her story. She is a little naïve, but she is 18, and there are things about the world that she has yet to learn... a great story to settle down with to get you into the Christmas spirit, as well as pulling on your detective hat and analysing the characters."

Review: Like A Thousand Suns Blog

"A laid back sort of novel, the kind that you can relax while reading, and simply let the story happen. This author has a particularly unique style of writing... this book wasn’t simply a story, but an experience. You almost have the feeling that the author is reading the book to you, and is adding in her own little quips every now and again. I loved every second... The whole mystery is well thought out... utterly amazing!" Review: I Got Lost In A Book Blog

"The pace is gently cosy, despite the murder... Jan is a wonderful character; young, naïve, but also savvy when needed. And Laurie is a gem. All the characters and their foibles and actions stay true to the era... a lovely, warm story."

Review: Ruins & Reading

"Christmas time is a magical season, full of joy and celebration. But what would happen if there was a discovered murder, and an investigation interrupts the season? This story will tell you just that... the perfect candidate to read on a winter evening." Review: Candlelight Reading

"Oh, if ever there was a book written just for me! There are some books that you read, and you smile with glee as you do so. There is something about reading a book where it is so obviously clear that the author lives in England that makes it magical... I have been to Devon and it is so incredibly easy to imagine the house that Alf and Elsie live in, as well as the village – I almost felt like I was in this book, and I absolutely fell in love with the characters…" Review: Oh Look! Another Book!

Episode 3
A Mistake of Murder
https://mybook.to/MISTAKEofMURDER

"I was happy to spend time with an engaging protagonist as she tried to discover whether the two murders were deliberate or unfortunate mistakes. The ending is satisfying, as is the revelation of the way the stories are framed. The prose is confident and assured. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, then this is definitely for you." Historical Novel Society Review

CHILL WITH A BOOK Premier Readers’ Award

Was murder deliberate - or a tragic mistake?

January 1972. The Christmas and New Year holiday is over and it is time to go back to work. Newly engaged to Detective Sergeant Lawrence Walker, library assistant Jan Christopher is eager to show everyone her diamond ring, and goes off on her scheduled round to deliver library books to the housebound – some of whom she likes; some, she doesn’t.

She encounters a cat in a cupboard, drinks several cups of tea... and loses her ring.

When two murders are committed, can Jan help her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, Laurie, discover whether murder was a deliberate deed – or a tragic mistake?

Episode 4
A Meadow Murder:
https://mybook.to/AMeadowMurder

"As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!" author Elizabeth St John

"An easy gentle read set in 1970s Devon, with likeable, well developed characters, and an atmospheric plot set around the farming and equestrian communities. I really enjoyed the nostalgic element and also the vivid, affectionate evocation of the rural Devon landscape. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed cozy crime stories set in rural England." author Debbie Young

"Every sentence pulls you back into the early 1970s... The Darling Buds of May, but Devon not Kent. The countryside itself is a character and Hollick imbues it with plenty of emotion" author Alison Morton

Make hay while the sun shines? But what happens when a murder is discovered, and country life is disrupted?

Summer 1972. Young library assistant Jan Christopher and her fiancé, DS Lawrence Walker, are on holiday in North Devon. There are country walks and a day at the races to enjoy, along with Sunday lunch at the village pub, and the hay to help bring in for the neighbouring farmer.

But when a body is found the holiday plans are to change into an investigation of murder, hampered by a resting actor, a woman convinced she’s met a leprechaun and a scarecrow on walkabout...

There’s a missing girl, annoying decorators, circus performers, and a wanna-be rock star to deal with. But who remembers the brutal, cold case murder of a policeman?

Episode 5
A Memory of Murder:
https://mybook.to/AMemoryOfMurder

Easter 1973.

The North London library where Jan Christopher works is in upheaval because the decorators are in to spruce the place up, but there is more for her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, DS Laurie Walker, to worry about than a few inconvenient pots of paint.

An eleven-year-old girl has not returned home after school, and strange ‘gifts’ are being surreptitiously left for the detective chief inspector’s family to find. Could these items have anything to do with the unsolved murder, fifteen years ago, of Jan’s policeman father?

"Can I say this is the best one (of the series) yet? YES! For the depth of the writing, the maturity of the main character, and the complexity of the premise. It's cosy...with a few chills for good measure!" (Reader's comment)

and

COMING SOON

Episode 6

A MISCHIEF of MURDER

The village Flower and Veg Show should be a fun annual event

– but who added mischief and murder to the schedule?

July 1973

Jan Christopher’s Aunt Madge is to be a judge at Chappletawton’s annual flower and vegetable summer show – a chance for the family to have a holiday in the Devon countryside, especially as Jan’s fiancé, DS Laurie Walker, is still recovering from gunshot wounds and her uncle DCI Toby Christopher is on injury-related sick leave.

With Meadow View Cottage up for sale, the temptation to buy it and leave London is great, but the legacy of deceased Dotty Dorothy still lingers, while the mischief of mangled marrows, poisoned petunias, damaged dahlias and vandalised veg turns to something far more sinister... Murder!

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