"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."
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| 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
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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
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| 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...
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| 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 fianc̩, Laurie, discover whether murder was a deliberate deed Рor a tragic mistake?
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| 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)
