Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of Mystery and Kings...: serious about a series... Helen Hollick

Good Ideas for a Christmas or Birthday Gifts!

"Helen Hollick has it all. She tells a great story, gets her history right, and writes consistently readable books!" Bernard Cornwell

the Books

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

"As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!"

"A delight—Miss Read meets The Darling Buds of May, with a dash of St. Mary Mead. Helen Hollick's signature voice shines throughout, full of warmth and wit. The characters keep growing in such satisfying ways, making every visit feel like coming home."

Episode 1

Award-winning Mystery Series

A Mirror Murder - 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, 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

“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

"An engrossing read, the pace perfect and light..super easy to read and enjoy. If you like the idea of an old school mystery you’ll love this." David's Book Blurg.

"I loved this easy-to-read cozy mystery and have determined to read the other books in this series." Against The Flow

"I do love a cozy crime series, and Helen Hollick’s Jan Christopher stories are fabulous." M.J. Porter

"Having started to read this cracking series with Book 2 (jumping the gun, if you pardon the pun), I finally got around to reading the first book in the series, A Mirror Murder. Not that it matters, as I found the back story in #2 A Mystery of Murder easy to follow." Ruins & Reading

"...Brilliant for these dark nights. I was hooked on the story and can’t wait [to read] book 2. I also loved the twist because I could not, for the life of me, work out who had done it. Brilliant, 5 stars."Tea Leaves & Book Leaves

"A very enjoyable, entertaining and clever book. The case was more involved than it first appeared, and there were other, smaller crimes to resolve along the way." Ramblingmads

"I took to the people in this story immediately. I also liked the way the narrative switched between Jan and Laurie. It’s an easy and quick read, with some great characters and humour, and quite gentle, despite some horrible crimes being committed. As a lifelong horse owner and rider, I am always so happy to see all equine related details being so spot on - clearly this author knows her stuff! Loved it so much I went out and ordered the entire series! 5* The Word Is Out

Episode 2
"The Darling Buds of May ...but in Devon instead of Kent."

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

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...

Episode 4

"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

The third Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery

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 5

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?

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)

Episode 6

The village Flower and Veg Show should be a fun annual event – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule?

July 1973

Old friends and new enemies? Jan Christopher’s Aunt Madge is to be a judge at Chappletawton’s annual village 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 enduring injury-related sick leave.

The event should be a fun occasion where friendly rivalry between gardeners, cooks and crafters lead to the hopeful winning of the coveted Best In Show trophy – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule?

"Helen Hollick once again delights us with a deliciously layered tale of mischief, murder, and marrows. Set in the long, hot summer of 1973, Hollick conjures the sleepy village of Chappletawton with such authenticity that I could almost smell the fresh-cut grass and jam tarts cooling on the trestle tables."

"An enjoyable addition to a charming, cosy series. Jan and Laurie are engaging protagonists, and their families are warm and likeable. The seventies setting is skilfully depicted, with enough period detail to be interesting and convincing, and the descriptions of the Annual Show, with all its jealousies, petty feuds and small triumphs, will supply nostalgia for those who remember such shows and enlightenment for those too young to recall such unsophisticated pleasures. A Mischief of Murder is a delightful cosy crime novel, which I recommend as a perfect summer read" Mystery People Review

"Ms Hollick introduces a large cast of supporting characters, some familiar, others new, but draws them so deftly that we never become confused. Her other strength is the sheer period detail which she weaves in almost without us being aware of it but giving ua a vivid image nevertheless. A Mischief of Murder ambles along as Jan and Laurie set about investigating the mystery while dealing with the lethal nature of the village produce show. The definite identity of the murderer is still up in the air, but as in much of village life, sometimes these things remain a mystery. The identity of the cucumber and onion saboteur is often more important!"

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Amazon Universal Links:

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

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

3 A Meadow Murder: https://mybook.to/AMeadowMurder

4 A Mistake of Murder https://mybook.to/MISTAKEofMURDER

4 paperback: https://mybook.to/MistakeOfMurder-book

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

5 A Memory of Murder (Paperback)

https://mybook.to/MemoryOfMurderPB

6 A Mischief of Murder: https://mybook.to/MischiefOfMurder

When the Mermaid Sings : https://viewbook.at/WhenMermaidSings

1 Sea Witch https://viewbook.at/SeaWitch

2 Pirate Code: https://viewbook.at/PirateCode

3 Bring It Close : https://viewbook.at/BringItClose

4 Ripples: http://viewbook.at/RipplesInTheSand

5 On the Account : https://viewbook.at/OnTheAccount

6 Gallows Wake : https://mybook.to/GallowsWake

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES

nautical adventures with a touch of supernatural

set during the Golden Age of Piracy

If you enjoyed the 1st Pirates of the Caribbean movie,

you'll love these (much better!) seafaring voyages!

Praise for Helen Hollick’s Sea Witch Voyages
"A wonderful swashbuckler of a read. Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean will love this to pieces of eight!" Elizabeth Chadwick

'Hollick is known for her highly entertaining pirate tales that combine spellbinding storytelling with finely researched nautical history. Gallows Wake delivers abundantly on that promise. Readers will discover delightful fun amid vividly portrayed life during the golden age of piracy."

Historical Novel Society Review

A prequel Novella to the series
(can be read any time as a standalone story)

* BOOK of the YEAR Coffee Pot Book Club BRONZE AWARD WINNER 2022

* B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

* CHILL WITH A BOOK Book of the Month

When the only choice is to run, where do you run to?

When the only sound is the song of the sea, do you listen?

Or do you drown in the embrace of a mermaid?

VIRGINIA 1708

Throughout childhood, Jesamiah Mereno has suffered the bullying of his elder half-brother. Then, not quite fifteen years old, and on the day they bury their father, Jesamiah hits back. In consequence, he flees his Virginia home, changes his name to Jesamiah Acorne, and joins the crew of his father’s seafaring friend, Captain Malachias Taylor, aboard the privateer, Mermaid.

As he comes to adult maturity he makes enemies, sees the ghost of his father, wonders who is the Cornish girl he hears in his mind – and tries to avoid the beguiling lure of a sensuous mermaid...

An early coming-of-age tale of the young Jesamiah Acorne, set in the years before he becomes a pirate and Captain of the Sea Witch.

“Captain Jesamiah Acorne is as charming a scoundrel as a fictional pirate should be. A resourceful competitor to Captain Jack Sparrow!” Antoine Vanner author

“Helen Hollick has given us the answer to that intriguing question that Jesamiah fans have been aching for – how did he start his sea-going career as a pirate?” Alison Morton, author

“I really enjoyed the insight offered into Jesamiah's backstory, and found the depiction of our teenage hero very moving.” Anna Belfrage, author

“I loved this little addendum to the Jesamiah series. I always had a soft spot for the Lorelei stories and enjoyed that the author cleverly brought her over from the Rhine valley to fit into the story.” Amazon Reviewer

Voyage One: Sea Witch

The Time : The Golden Age of Piracy - 1716.

The Place : The Pirate Round - from the South African Coast to the Caribbean.

Escaping the bullying of his elder half-brother, from the age of fifteen Jesamiah Acorne has been a pirate with only two loves - his ship and his freedom. But his life is to change when he and his crewmates unsuccessfully attack a merchant ship off the coast of South Africa.

He is to meet Tiola Oldstagh an insignificant girl, or so he assumes - until she rescues him from a vicious attack, and almost certain death, by pirate hunters. And then he discovers what she really is; a healer, a midwife - and a white witch.

Tiola and Jesamiah become lovers, but the wealthy Stefan van Overstratten, a Cape Town Dutchman, also wants Tiola as his wife and Jesamiah's jealous brother, Phillipe Mereno, is determined to seek revenge for resentments of the past, a stolen ship and the insult of being cuckolded in his own home.

When the call of the sea and an opportunity to commandeer a beautiful ship - the Sea Witch - is put in Jesamiah's path he must make a choice between his life as a pirate or his love for Tiola. He wants both, but Mereno and van Overstratten want him dead.

In trouble, imprisoned in the darkness and stench that is the lowest part of his brother's ship, can Tiola, with her gift of Craft and the aid of his loyal crew, save him?

Using all her skills Tiola must conjure up a wind to rescue her lover, but first she must brave the darkness of the ocean depths and confront the supernatural being, Tethys, the Spirit of the Sea, an elemental who will stop at nothing to claim Jesamiah Acorne's soul and bones as a trophy for herself.

Voyage Two - Pirate Code

Ex-pirate Capt. Jesamiah Acorne is in trouble. Big Trouble!

All he wants is to marry his girl, Tiola Oldstagh, and like contented aboard his ship, Sea Witch. But Tiola’s husband refused to grand a divorce unless Jesamiah retrieves some barrels of indigo and smuggle out of the Spanish-held Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

The Governor of Nassau wants Jesamiah to go there too, to help incite a rebellion, and Captain Henry Jennings wants him to find a lost spy. To cap it all, Commodore Vernon of the Royal Navy wants to expand his fleet and craves the Sea Witch of himself .

As Jesamiah’s hopes for a quiet life tumble about him, the onset of war with Spain scuppers everyone’s plans. Hispaniola is governed by a tyrant who has promised to hand draw and quarter Jesamiah if ever he sets foot there again, while the lovely widow Señora Francesca Escudero would prefer to seduce him.

Intrigue, fights, betrayals, and romantic passion follow Captain Acorne like a ship’s wake-not the ingredients for a quiet life and not Jesamiah’s idea of the Pirate Code

VOYAGE THREE: BRING IT CLOSE

Too much trouble has come too close! Jesamiah Acorne, Captain of the Sea Witch, has accepted a government-granted amnesty against his misdeeds of piracy, but old enemies do not forget the past. In particular Edward Teach - Blackbeard himself - has a bone to pick with Acorne.

Following an indiscretion with an old flame, Jesamiah finds his fiancée, the midwife and white witch Tiola Oldstagh, has gone to North Carolina to help with a difficult birth. The problem; that is where Blackbeard now resides. He mustn’t discover that Tiola is Jesamiah's woman. She will have to hide her identity and her gift of Craft from the black-hearted pirate who has sold his soul to the devil.

With Sea Witch damaged and himself wounded, Jesamiah has to take stock of his situation, but arrested for acts of piracy how is Jesamiah Acorne to clear his name, overturn a sentence of hanging, keep Tiola safe, put an end to Blackbeard and deal with being haunted by the ghost of his father?

Bring It Close moves from the Bahamas to North Carolina and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia at a swashbuckling pace. There is intrigue, misunderstanding, romance and adventure all wrapped up in a blend of mystical fantasy.

Voyage Four - Ripples In The Sand

1719

Approaching England’s North Devon Coast Captain Jesamiah Acorne is worried. A Royal Navy frigate is trailing in his wake and Sea Witch has a cache of contraband aboard. His instinct is to hoist sail and flee, but he cannot attract attention for his wife, Tiola, is ill and getting worse. She says the sea is affecting her, but Jesamiah has never seen seasickness like this before – is it something else? Something to do with her being a white witch?

Like an approaching storm, his worries get deeper, darker, and more sinister. Unpleasant ruffians are looking for a list of traitors’ names, Tiola’s brother is in jail, and Sir Ailie Doone – the last of the notorious Doones of Exmoor – wants Jesamiah to sail to Cádiz on a secret mission in aid of the Jacobite cause.

Except that being captured by the Spanish and meeting with an old friend, the beautiful English spy, Francesca, is not part of Jesamiah’s plan. Once again he is in danger of losing his fidelity, his freedom - and maybe even his life.

Tiola meanwhile has her own fears to face. Why is the ethereal spirit of the sea, Tethys, determined to have Jesamiah for her own? To save him, Tiola must find a way to recall her previous lives and discover why events of the past are influencing those of the present – why the ripples in time are echoing in the ripples in the sand.

VOYAGE FIVE : ON THE ACCOUNT

Captain Jesamiah Acorne is in trouble. Again. Arrested for treason and smuggling, believing his beloved ship Sea Witch lies wrecked on England's North Devon Coast, his only hope of escaping the noose is for someone to quash the charges. That someone turns out to be his ex-lover - but there is a price to pay.

He needs to find a boy who has disappeared and a valuable casket that more than one person wants to get their hands on. When people start getting murdered and Barbary pirates kidnap his wife, Tiola, his priorities rapidly change - but who is lying about what? Is returning to piracy a wise idea? Is Tiola having an affair with her mysterious Night-Walker 'friend'?

Meanwhile, Tiola has her own battles to fight - keeping herself and Jesamiah ,alive!

Voyage Six - Gallows Wake

CHILL WITH A BOOK Premier Award : HFC Book of the Year 2022 Bronze Award : INDIE B.R.A.G Honoree winner

Where the past haunts the future...

Damage to her mast means Sea Witch has to be repaired, but the nearest shipyard is at Gibraltar. Unfortunately for Captain Jesamiah Acorne, several men he does not want to meet are also there, among them, Captain Edward Vernon of the Royal Navy, who would rather see Jesamiah hang.

Then there is the spy, Richie Tearle, and manipulative Ascham Doone who has dubious plans of his own. Plans that involve Jesamiah, who, beyond unravelling the puzzle of a dead person who may not be dead, has a priority concern regarding the wellbeing of his pregnant wife, the white witch, Tiola.

Forced to sail to England without Jesamiah, Tiola must keep herself and others close to her safe, but memories of the past, and the shadow of the gallows haunt her. Dreams disturb her, like a discordant lament at a wake.

But is this the past calling, or the future?

"Hollick’s writing is crisp and clear, and her ear for dialogue and ability to reveal character in a few brief sentences is enviable. While several of the characters in Gallows Wake have returned from previous books, I felt no need to have read those books to understand them. The paranormal side of the story—Tiola is a white witch, with powers of precognition and more, and one of the characters is not quite human—blends with the story beautifully, handled so matter-of-factly. This is simply Jesamiah’s reality, and he accepts it, as does the reader."

author Marian L. Thorpe

"The derring-do of vintage Hollywood. Hugely entertaining , exciting, uncomplicated fun."

author M.J. Logue

“A stylish blend of mystery, betrayal, intrigue, smuggling, murder, love, sex, Barbary pirates, and mysticism – all neatly wrapped in a spirited sea tale.”

Quarterdeck

"A great read that leaves this reader smelling tar and brine, and somewhat unsteady on their feet after spending time aboard with Captain Acorne. Helen Hollick has filled her story with appropriate nautical and pirate talk, exciting fight scenes, intrigue and deception, a bit of magic and romance, and enormous historical detail to ground the plot and characters. From the first words to the last, this is a most satisfying read"

"Hollick's forte is her ebullient imagination. Pirates of the Caribbean - but better. You walk with a rolling gait after a voyage aboard the Sea Witch."

and coming soon:

Voyage Seven

Jamaica Gold