Today it is my stop on the Blog Tour and I am sharing with you a Guest Post where Faith talks about her writing journey.
MURDER NEVER RETIRES by Faith Martin
Available from Amazon
Looking for a brilliant best-selling murder mystery with a feisty female detective?
DETECTIVE HILLARY GREENE IS BACK! And this time she’s going to solve the most difficult cold cases.
Hillary Greene returns to Thames Valley Police HQ, acting as a consultant for the Crime Review Team, looking into murders which the police have never been able to solve.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back. But solving crimes is irresistible for Hillary Greene. And it doesn’t hurt that her new boss is devastatingly handsome.
Twenty years ago, mother-of-three Anna McRae was found beaten to death in her kitchen with a rolling pin. She’d been having an affair with her brother-in-law, so the prime suspect was Anna’s sister Debbie.
However as Hillary digs deeper, more secrets and betrayals emerge. Who wanted Anna dead and can Hillary finally bring her justice?
Meanwhile, Hillary is distracted by an unknown admirer, who quickly seems to be going from suitor to stalker.
Can Hillary solve a fiendishly complex case from the past while fending off unwanted attention?
This is a crime mystery full of well-observed characters, which will have you gripped from start to the absolutely thrilling conclusion.
MURDER NEVER RETIRES is the twelfth in a series of page-turning crime thrillers set in Oxfordshire.
THE LOCATION
The village of Chesterton, just a few miles from the market town of Bicester. With recent development, the village (like many near large towns) is nowadays in danger of becoming a mere ‘suburb’ of its biggest neighbour. Especially since it’s a stones-throw from Bicester Village — the famous high-end designer-label shopping centre that brings large amounts of UK and foreign shoppers. But at the time of the original murder investigation, it was a village like many to be found in rural Oxfordshire. Surrounded by farmland, it was a peaceful, quiet location. Not the sort of place where you’d expect a shocking murder to happen
THE DETECTIVE
DI Hillary Greene
An attractive woman in her forties, Hillary Greene is a retired police detective. She had many years’ experience solving the toughest murder cases, and came up through the ranks. Consequently, she knows how the system works, and is fiercely loyal to the force without being blinkered to its faults. She was popular with the rank and file for her no-nonsense attitude and competence.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “A NARROW RETURN.”
DI HILLARY GREENE SERIES
BOOK 1: MURDER ON THE OXFORD CANAL
BOOK 2: MURDER AT THE UNIVERSITY
BOOK 3: MURDER OF THE BRIDE
BOOK 4: MURDER IN THE VILLAGE
BOOK 5: MURDER IN THE FAMILY
BOOK 6: MURDER AT HOME
BOOK 7: MURDER IN THE MEADOW
BOOK 8: MURDER IN THE MANSION
BOOK 9: MURDER IN THE GARDEN
BOOK 10: MURDER BY FIRE
BOOK 11: MURDER AT WORK
BOOK 12: MURDER NEVER RETIRES
Guest Post
When you write a series of books, and readers really appreciate and invest in your central character, it is utterly heart-warming. And if feels as if something quite magical is happening. And since last October, so many wonderful readers, reviewers and bloggers have posted about how much they enjoy reading the DI Hillary Greene novels, and how they felt as if they almost become a part of her team, following the leads along with her as they come in, and rooting for and her colleagues when times get rough. It’s as if they’re right there with her, solving the crimes and taking it personally when the ‘top brass’ do her down. Which is great and how it should be! As a reader myself, I know how important it is to really relate to the main protagonist and get involved on a personal basis with the storyline. And so I’m always super-conscious, when writing, of that special bond between writer and reader, and the unspoken but always present commitment that I’m making, to try and write a book that they will approve of and enjoy. And the more a character is loved, the more solemn – and sometimes terrifying- that responsiblity can be!
So when I was asked by my agent to think about writing a ‘retro’ crime book (since vintage is now very ‘in’ apparently!) I had to stop and think. Of course, it’s so easy to say ‘No’ to something new. Fear of the unknown isn’t something that just affects writers, after all. But rising to a challenge always brings it’s own rewards, and stretching yourself as a writer is no bad thing (I hope!). And so, after much deliberation with myself, I bit the bullet, and after 17 Hillary Greene books, started from scratch with two new protagonists. Set in 1960’s Oxford, they had to solve crimes without the aid of mobile phones, the internet, or any of the amazing forensic services that DI Hillary Greene would take for granted. Naturally, I’ve been very nervous about how this new venture would be received by my wonderful (and so far, very supportive) readers. So you can imagine how relieved I am that nearly all of the early reviews are so positive! Mind you – this doesn’t mean that I won’t be biting my nails until A Fatal Obsession comes out on general release in June, and I can get proper feedback on what more of my readers make of WPC Trudy Loveday and Dr Clement Ryder! I can only hope that they’re not disappointed.
In the meantime, however, books 12-17 of the DI Hillary Greene series are due to be released over the coming months – so die-hard DI Greene fans needn’t feel neglected!
AUTHOR BIO
Faith Martin has been writing for over 25 years, in four genres and under four different pen names. She was born in Oxford and sets most of her crime novels within sight of the city of dreaming spires. A real nature lover and afficionado of the countryside, descriptions of wildlife and native flora often find their way into her manuscripts. Right now, JOFFE BOOKS are re-issuing the DI Hillary Greene novels in new updated editions! The first 12 books in the series are available now.
Her romance novels, written under the name of Maxine Barry, are now available from Corazon Books. IMPOSTERS In PARADISE, and HEART OF FIRE are both out, and others will very quickly become available in the future.
Her first foray into writing ‘spooky’ crime, (and written under the pen name of Jessie Daniels) comes out in November 2017. THE LAVENDER LADY CASEFILE is published by Robert Hale, an imprint of Crowood Press.
As Joyce Cato, she writes more classically-inspired ‘proper’ whodunits. So, if you like an amateur sleuth, plenty of clues and red herrings, plus a baffling murder mystery to solve, these are the books for you.
