Book of the Week seems a good place to kick off: a brand-new, utterly gripping crime mystery by Catherine Moloney — CRIME IN THE HIGH STREET is out now for just £0.99 | $0.99: Welcome to The Copse. A sleepy little cul-de-sac where nothing ever happens, until . . . Sheila Crave, the widow at number 12, is found dead in her armchair.Then a second victim is found and Detective Markham and his team realize they have a serial killer on their hands…
CLICK HERE TO GET CRIME IN THE HIGH STREET BY CATHERINE MOLONEY FOR JUST £0.99 | $0.99.
A Bespoke Murder by Jean G. Goodhind £0.99/$0.99
BRAND-NEW COZY MURDER MYSTERY FROM A BESTSELLER. There’s something decidedly sinister about the winner of Bath’s best window display . . . is it the hangman’s noose or the dead body? Honey Driver and her detective fiancé Steve must crack the case of Nigel Tern’s murder — but not before investigating a puzzling family engagement
The David Callen Thrillers Box Set by James Mitchell £0.99 | $0.99
GET FIVE ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING CRIME THRILLERS IN ONE GREAT-VALUE BOX SET. Featuring professional hitman David Callan, as portrayed by actor Edward Woodward in the immensely popular television series (1967-72). Perfect for fans of Len Deighton, John le Carre, Ian Fleming and my hero, Frederick Forsyth, who actually offered to come to talk at a charity talk I arranged.
Choclit OUT NOW The Little Museum of Hope by Sally Jenkins £2.99 | $3.99
AN UPLIFTING FEEL-GOOD ROMANCE. Inspired by the Museum of Broken Relationships, newly divorced Vanessa opens her shop to the broken-hearted, offering a cup of tea and a listening ear. But can the teashop help Vanessa to heal her own heart and offer a second chance at love? A lovely book. Read it, I beg you.
Simon McCleave is a million-selling crime novelist who lives in North Wales with his wife and two children. Originally born in South London, when Simon left University he worked in television and film development. He was a Script Editor at the BBC, a producer at Channel 4 before working as a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. He worked on films such as The Full Monty and television series such as the BBC Crime Drama Between The Lines.
Simon then became a script writer for television and film. He wrote on series such as Silent Witness, Murder In Suburbia, Teachers, Attachments, The Bill, Eastenders and many more. His first book, The Snowdonia Killings, was released in January 2020 and soon became an Amazon Bestseller, reaching No 1 in the UK Chart and selling over 400,000 copies. His thirteen subsequent novels in the DI Ruth Hunter Snowdonia Series have all ranked in the Amazon Top 10, with many hitting the top of the digital charts. He has sold 1.5 million books to date. His highly successful London based DC Ruth Hunter Murder Case books, set in the late 1990s, was snapped up for an audiobook series by market leader WF Howes.
The Dark Tide, Simon’s first book in an Anglesey based crime series for publishing giant Harper Collins (Avon), was a major hit in 2022. Reaching Amazon’s UK top ten, it became the highest selling Waterstone’s Book of the Month ever. In Too Deep, the second book on the series was released in January 2023 to critical acclaim. The Snowdonia-based DI Ruth Hunter books are now set to be filmed as a major new television series, with shooting to begin in North Wales in 2023.
The first two instalments in Simon’s bestselling DI Ruth Hunter series are completely FREE this weekend and books 3 and 4 are on sale here: CLICK HERE TO GET THE FIRST 4 BOOKS IN THIS BESTSELLING SERIES FOR JUST £2.98
So let’s find out more about Simon:
How would you describe your main protagonist, Ruth Hunter?
DI Ruth Hunter is an intuitive, sensitive police officer who cares deeply about getting justice for the victims and their families in the cases that she works on. In contrast, Ruth’s private life has been at times chaotic and tragic over the course of the series. I like the contrast of Ruth’s professionalism at work and her more flawed traits outside of work.
Your debut novel, The Snowdonia Killings, was published in January 2020 and now you’re about to release the 15th instalment in the DI Ruth Hunter series; how do you write so fast?
I spent many years writing television and film scripts. Working on series such as The Bill and Silent Witness involves a lot of speedy writing and re-writing, sometimes having to turn new drafts of scripts around overnight for filming the next day. I think I’ve taken that ability to write quickly into my novel writing.
What do readers like most about your books?
The main comments I get from readers is that they like the central characters of Ruth and Nick in my Snowdonia series. They are both flawed but very likeable people and readers want to find out what is going on in their lives. I also know that readers are drawn to the series because of the landscape of Snowdonia, which has become a character in itself.
Which writers would you say influence and inspire you the most?
Although I like UK writers such as Ian Rankin, Peter James and Lynda La Plante, my main inspiration has come from US crime writers such as James Ellroy, George Pelecanos and Michael Connelly. I’m also hugely influenced by television writers on series such as The Wire and Line of Duty.
How important are the Welsh locations to you?
The Welsh locations are an integral part of my series. Snowdonia is one of the most beautiful places on earth with its mountains, lakes, valleys and beaches. It also has such powerful historic significance with folk tales, myths of monsters and dragons and Arthurian legends, as well as the Roman invasion. It’s such a rich landscape to write about and adds so much to the atmosphere of the books.
The series is about to start filming for TV (congrats!). Can you tell us anything about the casting?
It is very exciting BUT I really can’t tell you about the casting until the production company give me the go-ahead. Sorry. We do have a very well-known actress attached to play Ruth Hunter and she’s going to be brilliant. The scripts are being written so fingers crossed that it will be shooting in North Wales very soon.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
I guess it’s little things like seeing my books displayed in the window of Waterstones in Cardiff when The Dark Tide was their Book of The Month. Or when I walked into Tesco in Wrexham and saw In Too Deep on the shelves in there. Generally, I feel very lucky to make a living from doing something that I love, and that’s enough for me.
How can our readers reach you?
Readers can join my VIP email club, get a FREE crime thriller novella featuring DI Ruth Hunter by going to www.simonmccleave.com, as well as updates, new releases and competitions. I’m happy to receive any emails on contact@simonmccleave.com. I love to hear from readers, even if it’s just to say hi, and I reply personally to all my emails.
Now more exciting NEWS: The wonderful and much missed Gretta Mulrooney longlisted for a Dagger
Joffe are madly truly deeply delighted to announce that their beloved bestselling author, the late Gretta Mulrooney, has been longlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger award with the gripping historical murder mystery Death at the Dolphin.
The shortlist will be announced at a reception at CrimeFest in Bristol on Friday 12 May and winners on Thursday 6 July.
Frost Magazine wishes the best of luck to all the talented authors nominated.
Joffe Books Prize for Crime Writers of Colours 2022 winner announced:
Sam Genever has won the second Joffe Books Prize for Crime Writers of Colour with the ‘thoroughly gripping’ first instalment in a brand-new psychological thriller series. The annual competition aims to champion authors from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, who are particularly underrepresented in crime fiction publishing, and is open to debut, previously published or self-published writers.
Ten writers were longlisted, judged by award-winning author of My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite, literary agent Ella Diamond Kahn, Joffe editorial director Emma Grundy Haigh and press founder Jasper Joffe. Genever’s book, which has the working title Savage Terrority, is set in Johannesburg and follows detective Segert Berger as he tries to find a woman and her son who have gone missing. But all is not as it seems . . .
Emma Grundy Haigh, editorial director at Joffe Books, says: ‘I’m delighted that Sam has joined Joffe Books as our second prize winner! From the moment I picked up Sam Genever’s South Africa-set thriller I couldn’t put it down. The opening scene took my breath away. The cat-and-mouse between Augustine — desperate, on the run and not afraid to pack a knife if it means protecting her son — and detective Segert Berger is so tantalising. And then there’s ruthless, vicious Teddy . . . The novel tackles some of the most deep-seated issues that remain pervasive in South African society with depth and nuance.’
Notes from the judges: ‘Such an intriguing work, raw and lyrical in one. The opening scene is powerfully dramatic. The excellent setting and tense atmosphere combine with an ambitious plot to create a novel with massive potential.’
From Sam Genever: ‘I never thought I would win — never in a million years, I was really happy to be shortlisted and told my friends and family that’s good news to get to this stage, but not to get too excited about winning, please! It’s great to be recognised for my craft and it’s great to introduce myself as an author. I stopped writing for a while when I was in the corporate world, but I always felt writing is my calling and I’m glad I’ve made my way back home to it.’
CLICK HERE TO READ SAM’S Q&A WITH THE BOOKSELLER
Launch prices are available for a limited time only. Do remember, there are many more new books available from Joffe Books for this May Bank holiday.