SECOND NOVEL TO BE PUBLISHED BY KRP

I am delighted to announce that my second novel, The Missing Heiress, will be published by Knox Robinson Publishing on December 6th 2012.  It is the first in a new series of Regency mystery novels called The Detective Lavender Series.  

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Set in Northumberland 1809, The Missing Heiress is a spin-off novel from my first book and features two of the minor characters: Detective Stephen Lavender and his good-natured sidekick, Constable Woods.  Their first case in the series takes them back to Northumberland to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful heiress. 
 
Detective Stephen Lavender was a real historical figure.  One of the first principal officers with the Bow Street magistrates court in London, he became the Deputy Chief Constable of Manchester after the formation of the police force by Sir Robert Peel.  Landowner, Nathanial Ogle, called Detective Lavender up from London to solve the mystery of the Kirkley Hall Robbery in 1809 (the subject of Catching the Eagle. )  Ultimately, Lavender was the man who placed our ancestor in the dock.  But we don’t hold that against him.
 
I loved creating the characters of Lavender and the comical Constable Woods when I wrote my first novel, and I quickly decided that that I didn't want to let them go.  The strong personality of the intelligent detective became one of my favourite characters and the dialogue and rapport which developed between him and his fictional assistant was great fun to write.  I felt that I had created a winning duo of crime fighters.
 
I’ve always enjoyed a good mystery.  In fact, many years ago I wrote ‘Murder Mystery Weekends’ for Raven Hall Hotel and won a Yorkshire Tourist Board award for them.  Last year, the first seeds of a plot for a whodunit began to germinate in my head.  Before I knew it, I had a Regency mystery to solve and as far as I was concerned there were only two policemen in England who could crack this case. I sat down at the computer and The Missing Heiress was born. 
 
Writing Heiress was fun.  It slid off my keyboard like silk and I finished it in ten months.  Because it is pure fiction,  I never felt constrained by historical fact and it was an unfettered pleasure to write.  I particularly enjoyed creating the female characters in The Missing Heiress.  My first novel was dominated by men because the historical records decreed it so; they dominated the crime, the investigation and the ensuing court cases. In Heiress I created a diverse range of women from the delightful young maid, Anna; to the mysterious gypsy girl, Laurel Faa Geddes and the intelligent Katherine Armstrong.  I loved breathing life into these women and hope that I gave them a significant voice in this book.

The Missing Heiress is already available to pre-order from amazon. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Missing-Heiress-Detective-Lavender-Series/dp/1908483709/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339439394&sr=1-1
  



 
 

American Amazon jumps the gun...

I feel I ought to let everyone know that amazon.com in the United States of America have been very, very naughty. They have ignored my publisher's embargo on releasing Catching the Eagle before 8th December. It is now available to buy in the USA on the Amazon.com website.

http://www.amazon.com/Catching-Eagle-Regency-Reivers-Charlton/dp/1908483032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319987765&sr=8-1
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If you live in the states and are interested in buying a copy of the hardback novel for Xmas presents or personal pleasure, then this is your chance to get in there before the Brits.  We got the Harry Potter books before you did - but you can get Catching the Eagle first.   Likewise if you have any American friends or family whom you think may be interested in purchasing a copy then please forward the news.

And please don't forget to leave a review on the Amazon website once you have read it... ;)

I am slightly bemused by all this and have been warned that Amazon.co.uk may follow suit. It is completely out of our control. We just have to go with the flow. Amazon seem to be a law unto themselves.  Nothing changes at the UK end as far as I am concerned - the book launches etc. will commence as planned. I am hoping for a silver lining out of this confusion.   Hopefully, we will get more sales as the next couple of months are the biggest book buying months of the year...  :)