Today I’m delighted to feature crime author Jane Isaac. I have all Jane’s books (and surprisingly, given my infamous tbr) I have read most of them! Consequently I was delighted when Jane agreed to take part in Five on Friday. I was also lucky enough to meet her at a recent author/blogger event and managed to have a coherent conversation without being too awestruck. Though Jane might tell a different story!

 

 

Author bio:-

Jane Isaac lives with her detective husband (very helpful for research!) and her daughter in rural Northamptonshire, UK where she can often be found trudging over the fields with her Labrador, Bollo. Her debut, An Unfamiliar Murder, was nominated as best mystery in the ‘eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook awards 2013.’ The follow up, The Truth Will Out, was nominated as ‘Thriller of the Month – April 2014’ by E-Thriller.com.

After He’s Gone, Jane’s sixth novel and the first in a new series featuring Family Liaison Officer, DC Beth Chamberlain was published on 18^th June. The second DC Beth Chamberlain novel, Presumed Guilty, will be released on 10^th December 2018.

 

Which 5 pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?

 

The Pearl Fishers by Bizet. It reminds me of my late mother-in-law, the kindest and most grounded person I’ve ever known.

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners. Because my daughter and I dance around the lounge whenever it plays on the iPod.

Forever Young by Alphaville. A little reminder that our bodies grow but our minds don’t need to.

Get Here by Oleta Adams. When we were engaged, my (now) husband and I were separated during the week when he went away to university. As the weekend approached, I’d play this and look forward to him coming home.

Patience by Guns and Roses. Because I’ve never had enough!

 

Highlight 5 things (apart from family and friends) you’d find it hard to live without.

 

I’m assuming we include our pets in with family? Okay, them aside, here goes:

Photographs. They are the connection to my past and my only link to lost loved ones; the memories keep me happy.

My travel diaries. Twenty years ago my husband and I took a year out to travel the world and recorded our experiences in diaries every day. Without the diaries, my ageing brain would forget about some of the people we met and the amazing things we did during that crazily special year.

Tea. Who could live without it?

A notebook and pen.

Flowers. They make me smile

 

Can you offer 5 pieces of advice you’d give to your younger self?

 

Care less what others think about you.

Celebrate the differences in people. The world would be a boring place if we were all the same.

Worrying about things out of your control is wasted energy.

Believe in yourself and reach for the stars – you can do it.

Almonds will never taste good, no matter how much they are disguised.

 

Tell us 5 things that most people don’t know about you.

 

I was born in London within the sound of the Bow Bells, although I don’t share the Cockney accent.

I’m learning to play the ukulele.

I don’t kill spiders, wasps or slugs (even though the slugs eat my plants), but have a phobia of maggots.

I’ve never ridden in a helicopter, although I’d love to. Anyone?

I’ve tried the UK’s hottest chilli, the Dorset Naga, and, yes, it is hot!

 

What are the first 5 things you’d have on your bucket list?

 

Travel, travel, travel, travel and more travel. I’d love to see Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Plus, the Nordics, especially the Norwegian Fiords. A month travelling around Italy would be amazing, and then, of course, hire a campervan and travel through Europe…

 

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog, Jill. I’ve really enjoyed answering your questions!

Thanks so much for taking part Jane, we’ve all enjoyed discovering more about you.  I knew you were lovely person after meeting you, but the fact that you deem your pets family would have confirmed it anyway! I’m with you with tea, I could give up most things if really forced, but not tea. I wish I could be as kind as you with wasps. Spiders and slugs I can live with, but I am terrified of wasps, something which got worse when I discovered my dog would react badly to stings. I love that you had the chance to go travelling for a year, those memories must be magical. Hopefully you’ll have the chance to tick some more countries off your bucket list, I can recommend Vietnam and Cambodia, but that campervan travelling through Europe sounds very appealing . 

 

Jane’s Books

(Click on image for a non affiliated buying link)

 

DC Beth Chamberlain series

 

Presumed Guilty (DC Beth Chamberlain 2) Published on 10th December but available to pre-order.

Accident or murder?

The first victim – a prominent local councillor, killed in a hit and run ‒ could be either, but the next bodies leave no doubt. A twisted killer is at large. And he’s not finished yet.

DC Beth Chamberlain, Family Liaison Officer, has to support the victims’ families, but before she can solve the crimes in the present, Beth needs to uncover the secrets of the past.

Meanwhile, the killer has her in his sights…

 

After He’s Gone (DC Beth Chamberlain 1) see my review here

You think you know him. Until he’s dead.

When Cameron Swift is gunned down outside his family home, DC Beth Chamberlain is appointed Family Liaison Officer: a dual role that requires her to support the family, and also investigate them.

As the case unfolds and the body count climbs, Beth discovers that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has secrets.

Even the dead…

 

DI Will Jackman Series

 

Before It’s Too Late (Book 1)

Following an argument with her British boyfriend, Chinese student Min Li is abducted whilst walking the dark streets of picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon alone.

Trapped in a dark pit, Min is at the mercy of her captor. Detective Inspector Will Jackman is tasked with solving the case and in his search for answers discovers that the truth is buried deeper than he ever expected.

But, as another student vanishes and Min grows ever weaker, time is running out. Can Jackman track down the kidnapper, before it’s too late?

 

Beneath the Ashes (Book 2) see my review here

The floor felt hard beneath her face. Nancy opened her eyes. Blinked several times. A pain seared through her head. She could feel fluid. No. She was lying in fluid.

When a body is discovered in a burnt-out barn in the Warwickshire countryside, DI Will Jackman is called to investigate.

Nancy Faraday wakes up on the kitchen floor. The house has been broken into and her boyfriend is missing. As the case unravels, DI Jackman realises that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has a secret.

Can he discover the truth behind the body in the fire, and track down the killer before Nancy becomes the next victim?

 

The Lies Within (Book 3)

Be under no illusions by her kind face and eloquent manner… This woman is guilty of murder.

Grace Daniels is distraught after her daughter’s body is found in a Leicestershire country lane. With her family falling apart and the investigation going nowhere, Grace’s only solace is the re-emergence of Faye, an old friend who seems to understand her loss.

DI Will Jackman delves into the case, until a family tragedy and a figure from his past threaten to derail him.

When the police discover another victim, the spotlight falls on Grace. Can Jackman find the killer, before she is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit?

 

DCI Helen Lavery Series

 

An Unfamiliar Murder (Book 1)

Some secrets just won’t stay buried.

Arriving home from a routine day at work, Anna Cottrell has no idea that her life is about to change forever. But discovering the stabbed body of a stranger in her flat, then becoming prime suspect in a murder inquiry is only the beginning. Her persistent claims of innocence start to crumble when new evidence links her irrevocably with the victim…

Leading her first murder investigation, DCI Helen Lavery unravels a trail of deception, family secrets and betrayal. When people close to the Cottrell family start to disappear, Lavery is forced into a race against time. Can she catch the killer before he executes his ultimate victim?

 

The Truth Will Out (Book 2) see my review here

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

“What if it’s not?”

Suddenly, she turned. For a split second she halted, her head inclined.

“Naomi, what is it?”

She whisked back to face Eva.

“There’s somebody in the house…”

Eva is horrified when she witnesses an attack on her best friend. She calls an ambulance and forces herself to flee Hampton, fearing for her own safety. DCI Helen Lavery leads the investigation into the murder. With no leads, no further witnesses and no sign of forced entry, the murder enquiry begins.

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle start to come together. But as Helen inches towards solving the case, her past becomes caught up in her present.

Someone is after them both. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what they want. And as the net starts to close around them, can Helen escape her own demons as well as helping Eva to escape hers?

 

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