KAREN CHARLTON
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Welcome to the official website of historical novelist KAREN CHARLTON

News: Audiobook for 'The Willow Marsh Murder'

17/8/2021

1 Comment

 

Publication Date:
​31st December 2021

I am delighted to announce that the audiobook of The Willow Marsh Murder is scheduled for release on 31st December 2021. In addition to that, Tantor Media have confirmed that Michael Page has agreed, once again, to narrate the novel. 

I know many of you have been waiting a long time for this audiobook and I hope you're as pleased as I am with this news. 
I'm still waiting for confirmation about exactly where it will be sold. Obviously, listeners should be able to buy the audiobook from Amazon as normal, but I believe Tantor publish on a variety of platforms, so you may have more choice this time around.
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1 Comment

News: Success of 'Irish Nell' & 'The Willow Marsh Murder'

9/1/2020

3 Comments

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

2020 has already begun with a BANG! for myself and Detective Stephen Lavender.
My short story, The Death of Irish Nell has had a flurry of sales over the last few month, especially in the UK, and is doing very well in the Amazon rankings. It was lovely to see her awarded an Amazon 'Best Seller' badge.
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In addition to this, both Irish Nell and my forthcoming new novel, The Willow Marsh Murder, have been promoted on Amazon as HOT NEW RELEASES in Historical Mysteries.
Apart from doing my famous 'Happy Author Dance' around the kitchen, I added a sexy little wiggle at the end of my usual routine to celebrate my hotness.  Although, when several FB readers on my Author Page asked if they could buy tickets or get video evidence, I stopped that nonsense straight away. (Winky Face)
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3 Comments

News: 'Murder in Park Lane' Published

13/2/2019

0 Comments

 

Fifth Detective Lavender Mystery
An Instant Best-Seller

Murder in Park Lane, the fifth novel in The Detective Lavender Mystery Series, was published on February 12th 2019 and within 24 hours it was already in the Top 200 on Amazon.com - and had  a Best-Seller tag.
At the time of typing, it is the best-selling novel in Historical Thrillers.
​Go, Lavender!
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News: Publication date for 'Plague Pits & River Bones'

27/8/2017

2 Comments

 

D-Day: 11th January 2018

That's the date,folks.
On the 11th January 2018, Thomas & Mercer will publish the fourth novel in The Detective Lavender Mystery Series:
​Plague Pits & RIver Bones. 
It's already up for pre-order on Amazon with its lovely new book cover and racy blurb and this happy, little author is doing an excited dance around the kitchen.
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Pre-order on Amazon
London 1812: Savage gangs intent on treachery and revolt besiege the capital, while a brooding menace stalks the corridors of the Palace of Westminster. When Detective Stephen Lavender is called in to investigate a highway robbery and a cold-blooded murder, both the cases take a dangerous and disturbing personal twist.
Meanwhile, Lavender’s trusted deputy, Constable Ned Woods, finds a mysterious, severed foot washed up on Greenwich Beach. They soon realise that these ancient bones are more sinister than they first appeared.
With Bow Street Police Office undermanned and in disarray, it will take all of Lavender and Woods’ wit and skill, with help from Lavender’s spirited wife, Magdalena, to unmask the fiend behind the mayhem; restore peace and justice to the beleaguered city and solve the tragic mystery of the severed foot.
But will they do so in time to foil a plot that threatens to plunge the country into chaos?
2 Comments

News: New novel to be published in December

18/4/2017

6 Comments

 

PUBLISHING DEAL FOR
PLAGUE PITS & RIVER BONES

I'm delighted to announce that Thomas & Mercer have agreed to publish the fourth Detective Lavender Mystery: Plague Pits & River Bones.
​I don't have a firm date for publication yet, but it MAY be as early as December 2017.
In the meantime, I have a few more days left to tweak the manuscript before I submit it to my editors.
Over the last six weeks, I have pain-stakingly removed 6,500 surplus words and phrases. Then with the help of my friendly Alpha-readers I've restructured it and tightened it some more. The novel, my most complicated plot to date, has now gone down from 110,000 words to 100,000 and is a lot better for this revision.
It'll go thorugh three more rounds of edits with Thomas & Mercer and, hopefully, by December it will be a smooth, thrilling and enjoyable read.
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6 Comments

News: Amazing sales for 'The Heiress of Linn Hagh'

23/12/2016

0 Comments

 

'Heiress' Reaches Milestone 100,000 Sales 

Santa came early to me this year with some amazing news about the Detective Lavender series. THE SANS PAREIL MYSTERY passed its 50,000 sales milestone and THE HEIRESS OF LINN HAGH passed an incredible 100,000 sales! My publsishers sent me a commemorative plaque to mark this milestone which now has pride of place under my kitchen Christmas tree until I can find it a permanent home.
My publishers are delighted with the continued success of the series - and the fabulous reviews 'The Sculthorpe Murder' has achieved in the UK.
I'm a very happy author and I sincerely hope that Christmas 2016 turns out to be as wonderful for you as it has for me.
Take care, and thank you for all your support. Karen xxx
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0 Comments

News: 'The Sans Pareil Mystery' is one year old

6/10/2016

0 Comments

 

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO
‘THE SANS PAREIL MYSTERY’

One year ago today, The Sans Pareil Mystery was published. This was a huge moment for me. Yes, The Heiress of Linn Hagh had enjoyed significant success when I self-published it in 2014 and had gathered wonderful reviews – but could I do it again with this second book in the Detective Lavender Mystery Series?  

​Sans Pareil was the first novel I’d written in three years. During that time, my beloved husband, Chris, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died. After a year of grieving, I’d started to run out of money and needed to return to teaching.  Recklessly, I abandoned that plan and pursued my creative dream instead.

I also had new publishers to worry about. Thomas & Mercer had taken over Heiress earlier in 2015. Could they repeat its success with The Sans Pareil Mystery? Would they want any more books in the future? Everything from the mortgage payments to my dream of remaining a full-time author depended on the successful publication of this new novel and I was full of nerves on publication day. What would the fans of Heiress make of Detective Lavender and Constable Woods’ latest adventures? Could I really make it as full-time author?

Fortunately, the answer was ‘yes’.  Sans Pareil gained wonderful reviews, sold well and was long-listed in a prestigious historical fiction competition. Thomas & Mercer published the third book in the series, The Sculthorpe Murder last month. I’m now writing the fourth book in the series and my teaching career is definitely over. I’ve so much to be grateful for, and the publication of The Sans Pareil Mystery was a turning point in my life.

A series of novels on Amazon or in bookshops always look very similar to the reader. They have book covers in the same style and the same font and typesetting throughout. Homogeneity is the key to success in publishing.

But to the author, each novel is as individual as a child. Born and created out of a unique set of real-life experiences, often written in difficult circumstances, each one holds a special place in the author’s heart and is loved for different reasons. The Sans Pareil Mystery is a precious baby to me.
​
Happy first birthday, sweetheart. 
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News: 'The Sculthorpe Murder' Available to Pre-order

27/3/2016

0 Comments

 

'The Sculthorpe Murder' is Now Available To Pre-order on Amazon

We still have no book cover or blurb but 'The Sculthorpe Murder' is now available to pre-order from Amazon. AND the publishing date has been brought forward to 30th August. Not long now, folks!
Pre-order 'The Sculthorpe Murder' Here
0 Comments

News: Publication of 'The Sans Pareil Mystery'

6/10/2015

0 Comments

 

The Sans Pareil Mystery

The Second Detective Lavende​r Mystery
...is now published by Amazon.
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Order on amazon.co.uk

Order on amazon.com
0 Comments

nEWS: nEW eDITION OF 'tHE hEIRESS OF lINN hAGH'

9/6/2015

0 Comments

 

tHOMAS & mERCER pUBLISH
tHE hEIRESS OF lINN hAGH

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Today is publication day for the T&M edition of 'The Heiress of Linn Hagh' and I still can't believe it is happening...
...my smile says it all.

'Heiress' on Amazon UK

'Heiress' on Amazon US
0 Comments
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