Joffe Books’ book of the week for the final digest of 2022 is a brand-new crime thriller from bestselling author Pauline Rowson — THE SOUTH BINNESS MURDERS is out now for the special launch price of just £0.99 | $0.99.*
Harley-Davidson-riding detective Andy Horton is called to a bloody scene on a boat. Although there’s no body in sight, it’s obvious someone was murdered here.
Then Horton is roped into investigating a robbery at a local gallery. Now he has a murder investigation to solve and a cunning art fraudster to find.
Time is ticking for our renegade detective . ..
Sounds like a good ‘un. CLICK HERE TO BUY THE SOUTH BINNESS MURDERS BY PAULINE ROWSON FOR £0.99 | $0.99.
THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVE AGENCY BY Peter Boland.
AN UTTERLY CHARMING NEW COZY (really it is) MURDER MYSTERY SET IN A SLEEPY ENGLISH SEASIDE TOWN. 99p/99c
Meet the ladies of the Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop: Level-headed Fiona, Partial Sue (she’s ever so partial to a cup of tea) and the kindly, and surprisingly tech-savvy, Daisy. Together they are The Charity Shop Detective Agency.
Just up Frost Magazine’s street, or mine anyway.
Thierry Dulac THRILLERS BOX SET by Andre K Baby 1 – 3
Here you are, the super-value box set: THREE ACTION-PACKED THRILLERS FILLED WITH INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE . 99P/99C
Meet Thierry Dulac, Interpol’s answer to James Bond, in three jet-setting thrillers full of rip-roaring adventure. Yes, indeed. Hang on to your hats.
NO CHOICE BUT MURDER by Norman Russell
THE BRAND-NEW UTTERLY GRIPPING WHODUNNIT FULL OF TWISTS. 99P/99C
It’s a dark and stormy night in the English town of Oldminister when the battered body of local gallery owner Louis Gillette is discovered in his office. Detectives French and Edwards are on the case. They soon discover Louis was hugely unpopular and the list of suspects is far from short. Get ready for a knife edge journey…
NEWS – FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PAULINE ROWSON, AUTHOR OF THE SOUTH BINNESS MURDERS
What was your inspiration for the book?
That things aren’t always what they appear to be on the surface — and contrasts. Here I chose to have a blood-stained abandoned boat belonging to a Portsmouth refuse collector — who could either have had an accident and fallen overboard or been murdered — and an art theft which isn’t an art theft in the usual way.
The contrast is between the visible world of art with the invisible one of a refuse collector (after all no one really looks at the bin man!), and between someone who creates and another who disposes. Essentially, though, it’s a tale of greed and guilt which lead to murder and which Andy Horton has to solve.
Did anything surprise you during the writing process?
The killer! But then he or she always should! When I start to write each book I have no idea who did it, how they did it and why they did it. It makes for somewhat messy writing, but aside from a beginning, usually a body or body parts somewhere on DI Andy Horton’s patch, (or blood stains in this case), I have nothing else worked out, save for one or two brief character sketches. As I write and research the first draft more ideas and information come to me and so the light begins to dawn.
Was there anything interesting or funny that happened while you were writing the book?
One of the most interesting things was working out what the blood stains on the abandoned boat in Langstone Harbour meant. In order to do this I consulted a forensic scientist, an expert on Blood Pattern Analysis. He could tell me how the victim might have met his grisly end and what could have killed him. Why he was he killed though and who did it was down to me — or I should say down to the killer, who DI Andy Horton, of course, manages to find, but not after many trials, tribulations and red herrings along the way . . .
What really inspires you?
The sea is always by far my greatest inspiration and all my novels revolve around it — so much so that it is almost a character, taking on life, creating and setting the mood. I also love getting into a really complex puzzle that my detective has to solve.
I love the “what if?” question which I am always asking, and then hopefully answering during the writing of the novel. The research element is inspiring, especially the forensic research, and I’m inspired by the feedback from readers who enjoy immersing themselves in DI Andy Horton’s life so much that they tell me he (and Sergeant Cantelli) are part of their family. They’re part of mine too!
How do you want readers to feel when they’ve finished your book?
Satisfied. Saying “Well, I’d never have guessed that!” And wondering what happens next in DI Andy Horton’s tumultuous life. Raring to read the next instalment, and walking, sailing or riding the Harley Davidson alongside him as he solves his next complex case. THE SOUTH BINNESS MURDERS
Finally, a message from the man himself, our Jasper:
‘I want to say a huge thank you for all the books you’ve read this year.
‘Books, whether published by us or not, are special, wonderful things, and it means so much to us and our authors when you choose one of ours. Thank you and wishing you a lovely Christmas (or other seasonal celebration!) and a healthy and prosperous 2023.’
—Jasper Joffe, Publisher, Joffe Books
The above books, and many more, are available from Joffe Books