A Killing On The Island

Hello from Lancashire

A brief one this morning.

I’ve been working hard on the new series over the last couple of weeks. I've finally outlined the third book, and I’ve been having fun coming up with ideas for the fourth.

Book 3 will be called The Island, and whilst the main location will remain Cumbria, I’m throwing in a secondary location, where the murder that sparks everything off will take place. And if you can guess where that location is, you’re in with a chance of winning a signed copy of The Boatyard when it’s released in March.

It’s windswept, and often cloudy or wet, with a sparse human population as well as lots of marine mammals and diverse birdlife. It has a rugged natural landscape, and thrives off fishing, sheep farming and tourism - but getting there isn’t as easy as I’d like it to be, which is proving problematic when it comes to research. Thankfully, a whole bunch of thoroughly delightful locals have offered their help when it comes to ensuring my locations are as authentic as possible.

If you think you can name that setting, I’ll put your name into a hat (figuratively speaking) and the winner will receive a signed copy of The Boatyard. The competition is only open to UK-based readers, but if you’re elsewhere and you think you’ve got it, drop me a line anyway and I’ll see if I can think of a suitable prize.

In the meantime, here are some photos of the latest addition to our household, a deceptively sweet-looking psychopath who my younger daughter has named Oreo.

He’s a stray, around 10 months old, and he was found hiding with a broken leg. He’s recovering well from that, and adjusting nicely to regular food and the indoor life, but wouldn't we all at this time of year?

I'm sure I'll find a place for him in one of the books. That's the thing about pets. You put them down in a room and try to forget about them, and then they pop up in the climax to a murder investigation.

I'll be in touch again soon, with a more detailed look at the characters you'll be reacquainting yourselves with in the Whaley & Gaskill books.

In the meantime, happy reading,

Joel