Amazon Author Page (Universal Link)
https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
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| The series so far Episodes 1-6 |
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| Episode 1 |
July 1971: Life is about to change for young library assistant Jan Christopher, when she meets DCI Toby Christopher's new young Bagman, DC Lawrence Walker, with the two policemen investigating a missing baby and a dreadful murder...
Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work.
Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple. But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered.
Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will romance survive and blossom between library assistant Jan Christopher and DC Laurie Walker – or will the brutal murder intervene?
~ Readers' Reviews~
"I sank into this gentle cosy mystery story with the same enthusiasm and relish as I approach a hot bubble bath, (in fact this would be a great book to relax in the bath with!), and really enjoyed getting to know the central character..." Debbie Young: bestselling cosy mystery author
"Jan is a charming heroine. You feel you get to know her and her love of books and her interest in the people in the library where she works. She's also funny, and her Aunt Madge bursts with character - the sort of aunt I would love to have had. I remember the 70s very well and Ms Hollick certainly gives a good flavour of the period." Denise Barnes: bestselling romance author Molly Green
“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London. Told from the viewpoint of a young library assistant, the author draws on her own experience to weave an intriguing tale” Richard Ashen: South Chingford Community Library
“Lots of nostalgic, well-researched, detail about life in the 1970s, which readers of a certain age will lap up; plus some wonderful, and occasionally hilarious, ‘behind the counter’ scenes of working in a public library, which any previous or present-day library assistant will recognise!”
“An enjoyable novella with a twist in who done it. I spent the entire read trying to decide what was a clue and what wasn’t ... Kept me thinking the entire time. I call that a success.”
"I’ve heard many a goof thing about Helen Hollick so was really looking forward to getting to grips with this one. The story follows Jan Christopher is a young librarian. She’s got an inquisitive mind and takes note of the little details in life Her Uncle Toby is a DCI in the local police force and introduces her to a colleague DC Laurie Walker… you can tell Uncle Toby planned this.. the little ploy works and they agree to go on a date. Whilst walking home a murder is discovered and Jan turns amateur sleuth.. she’s perfect for the role.. who knows the people in the area better than her?
This is where it gets fun and the cosy element of the tale really kicks in.. we quickly learn while Jan has noted the little quirks people have there’s a lot more to them that.. and some are a little more suspicious than others… you can’t help but get sucked in and get excited to see what Jan can find out! I really liked Jan and how we are introduced, it sets the tone and pace nicely and puts the reader in a relaxed mode.. you really can curl up on the couch with a cuppa for this one and enjoy. I feel the setting really played to the cosy feel of the story, the connections that perhaps we don’t have these days with our neighbours etc, noting the little thing in life. There’s also a lot of little titbits of info putting you nicely in the time period.
I won’t spoil Jan’s adventure but it’s certainly an engrossing read, the pace perfect and light..super easy to read and enjoy. If you like the idea of an old school mystery you’ll love this." David's Book Blurg
Publisher: Taw River Press ISBN: 978-1-8381318-0-7
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| Episode 2 "There are lots of things to enjoy in the second in the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series" Best-selling cozy mystery author Debbie Young |
Will the discovery of a murder spoil Christmas for Jan Christopher and her boyfriend DS Laurie Walker – or will it bring them closer together?
Library Assistant Jan Christopher is to spend Christmas in Devon with her boyfriend, DS Laurie Walker and his family, but when a murder is discovered, followed by a not very accidental accident, the traditional Christmas spirit is somewhat marred...
What happened to Laurie’s ex-girlfriend? Where is the vicar’s wife? Who took those old photographs? And will the farmer up the lane ever mend those broken fences?
Set in 1971, this is the second Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery. Join her (and an owl and a teddy bear) in Devon for a Christmas to remember.
~ Coffee Pot Book Club Online Tour Reviews ~
"Jan is an absolutely lovely character, and I loved following her story. She is a little naïve, but she is 18, and there are things about the world that she has yet to learn... a great story to settle down with to get you into the Christmas spirit, as well as pulling on your detective hat and analysing the characters." Like A Thousand Suns Blog
"A laid back sort of novel, the kind that you can relax while reading, and simply let the story happen. This author has a particularly unique style of writing... this book wasn’t simply a story, but an experience. You almost have the feeling that the author is reading the book to you, and is adding in her own little quips every now and again. I loved every second... The whole mystery is well thought out... utterly amazing!" I Got Lost In A Book Blog
"The pace is gently cosy, despite the murder... Jan is a wonderful character; young, naïve, but also savvy when needed. And Laurie is a gem. All the characters and their foibles and actions stay true to the era... a lovely, warm story." Ruins & Reading
"Christmas time is a magical season, full of joy and celebration. But what would happen if there was a discovered murder, and an investigation interrupts the season? This story will tell you just that... the perfect candidate to read on a winter evening." Candlelight Reading
"Oh, if ever there was a book written just for me! There are some books that you read, and you smile with glee as you do so. There is something about reading a book where it is so obviously clear that the author lives in England that makes it magical... I have been to Devon and it is so incredibly easy to imagine the house that Alf and Elsie live in, as well as the village – I almost felt like I was in this book, and I absolutely fell in love with the characters…" Oh Look! Another Book!
Publisher: Taw River Press ISBN: 978-1-8381318-2-1
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| Episode 3 |
"I was happy to spend time with an engaging protagonist as she tried to discover whether the two murders were deliberate or unfortunate mistakes. The ending is satisfying, as is the revelation of the way the stories are framed. The prose is confident and assured. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, then this is definitely for you." Historical Novel Society Review
Was murder deliberate - or a tragic mistake?
January 1972. The Christmas and New Year holiday is over and it is time to go back to work. Newly engaged to Detective Sergeant Lawrence Walker, library assistant Jan Christopher is eager to show everyone her diamond ring, and goes off on her scheduled round to deliver library books to the housebound – some of whom she likes; some, she doesn’t.
She encounters a cat in a cupboard, drinks several cups of tea... and loses her ring. When two murders are committed, can Jan help her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, Laurie, discover whether murder was a deliberate deed – or a tragic mistake?
~ Readers' Reviews~
"The twin enjoyments of this series are the twisty plotting (What *is* going on in the author’s brain?) and the rich and cleverly woven period detail. Mobile libraries, buses, time for tea and a more leisurely pace recall the times forty-odd years ago that will appeal to many readers. Yet Jan and her caring, kind personality (which sometimes shows a steely determination) is such an attractive and all too human character that you recognise her among your own friends and family. Carried along in Jan’s world, you want the book to go on forever. As with the previous two books, the writing is very assured and professional. Ms Hollick knows her stuff! Thoroughly recommended. I do hope she’s writing the fourth one…" Author Alison Morton
"A wonderful read. I loved this book. It is the 3rd in the series and like the other two, it is well written with a cast of wonderful characters that pop off the page. If there is one, tiny, thing I feel sad about and that is, it ended. I so wanted it to keep going. I wanted to stay with Jan and her family. I’m already impatient for book 4." Author Pauline Barclay
"What is it about these Jan Christopher novels that makes them so hard to put down? Is it the easy, relaxed style of writing? Is it the well-drawn characters, the main ones now welcomely familiar? Is it the beautifully drawn sense of place and, to people of a certain age like me, time? Or is it the narrative alternating between the two main characters? This one has particularly fine plot twists which resolve unexpectedly but cleverly at the end. I hope the author keeps them coming. They're gems." Charles M.
Publisher : Taw River Press ISBN: 978-1-7399371-6-4
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| Episode 4 |
"As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!" author Elizabeth St John
Make hay while the sun shines? But what happens when a murder is discovered, and country life is disrupted?
Summer 1972. Young library assistant Jan Christopher and her fiancé, DS Lawrence Walker, are on holiday in North Devon. There are country walks and a day at the races to enjoy, along with Sunday lunch at the village pub, and the hay to help bring in for the neighbouring farmer.
But when a body is found the holiday plans are to change into an investigation of murder, hampered by a resting actor, a woman convinced she’s met a leprechaun and a scarecrow on walkabout...
~ Readers' Reviews~
"An easy gentle read set in 1970s Devon, with likeable, well developed characters, and an atmospheric plot set around the farming and equestrian communities. I really enjoyed the nostalgic element and also the vivid, affectionate evocation of the rural Devon landscape. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed cozy crime stories set in rural England." author Debbie Young
"Every sentence pulls you back into the early 1970s... The Darling Buds of May, but Devon not Kent. The countryside itself is a character and Hollick imbues it with plenty of emotion" author Alison Morton
Publisher: Taw River Press ISBN: 978-1-7392720-6-7
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| Episode 5 |
There’s a missing girl, annoying decorators, circus performers, and a wanna-be rock star to deal with. But who remembers the brutal, cold case murder of a policeman?
Easter 1973. The North London library where Jan Christopher works is in upheaval because the decorators are in to spruce the place up, but there is more for her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, DS Laurie Walker, to worry about than a few inconvenient pots of paint.
An eleven-year-old girl has not returned home after school, and strange ‘gifts’ are being surreptitiously left for the detective chief inspector’s family to find. Could these items have anything to do with the unsolved murder, fifteen years ago, of Jan’s policeman father?
~ Readers' Reviews~
"These beautifully written books are so good, I couldn't put this one down and I loved the characters, the backgrounds and the gripping events." B. Gaskell-Denvil
"Brilliant and I’m sorry to have finished it!" Cris
"It is always such a treat to sink into a good story and to meet up with old friends, and that is exactly what this latest outing from author Helen Hollick provides. Being of a certain age and reasonably familiar with the main location of the series, I love revisiting the 1970s in the company of Jan(uary) and Laurie - and of course everyone's favourite Aunt Madge. In this story, we learn more about Jan's early life, and we witness the deepening and perhaps maturing of her relationships with both Laurie and her uncle and aunt. A good read from the pen (well, keyboard) of an accomplished storyteller." author Susan Grossey
"I have been a big fan of Helen Hollick's work right from her debut Arthurian Trilogy back in the 90's, as an historical fiction writer she is, to my mind, one of the the best! I was intrigued by her move into the world of crime fiction but was more than pleased to find the same great storytelling has crossed the genres effortlessly. All the Jan Christopher novels are good fun reads, with well written gripping plots and believable characters you care about. In this, the fifth of the series, I feel Helen has definitely become a mistress of the crime novel just as much as she is the historical one. A good cosy whodunit to curl up with, and a real page turner - expect a late night as its rather unputdownable!" Peggy-Dorothea Smith
Publisher: Taw River Press ISBN: 978-1-7392720-2-9
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| Episode 6 |
"A delight—Miss Read meets The Darling Buds of May, with a dash of St. Mary Mead. Helen Hollick's signature voice shines throughout, full of warmth and wit. The characters keep growing in such satisfying ways, making every visit feel like coming home." Elizabeth St.John
The village Flower and Veg Show should be a fun annual event – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule?
July 1973 Old friends and new enemies? Jan Christopher’s Aunt Madge is to be a judge at Chappletawton’s annual village flower and vegetable summer show – a chance for the family to have a holiday in the Devon countryside, especially as Jan’s fiancé, DS Laurie Walker, is still recovering from gunshot wounds and her uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, is enduring injury-related sick leave.
The event should be a fun occasion where friendly rivalry between gardeners, cooks and crafters lead to the hopeful winning of the coveted Best In Show trophy – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule?
~ Readers' Reviews~
"Helen Hollick once again delights us with a deliciously layered tale of mischief, murder, and marrows. Set in the long, hot summer of 1973, Hollick conjures the sleepy village of Chappletawton with such authenticity that I could almost smell the fresh-cut grass and jam tarts cooling on the trestle tables."Amazon reader
"An enjoyable addition to a charming, cosy series. Jan and Laurie are engaging protagonists, and their families are warm and likeable. The seventies setting is skilfully depicted, with enough period detail to be interesting and convincing, and the descriptions of the Annual Show, with all its jealousies, petty feuds and small triumphs, will supply nostalgia for those who remember such shows and enlightenment for those too young to recall such unsophisticated pleasures. A Mischief of Murder is a delightful cosy crime novel, which I recommend as a perfect summer read" Mystery People Review
"If you love meandering down memory lane, the 70s, a charming village setting; if you enjoy a yummy cream tea (jam first? Or butter?) with a dollop of murder, then this book is for you. Helen Hollick brings back those hazy summer days in delightful detail." Highlander
Publisher: Taw River Press ISBN: 978-1-0687721-6-0
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| Episode 7 A Matter of Murder |
Autumn 1973 - Jan and Laurie find themselves staying for a week at a riverside bungalow in Hertfordshire. There's the River Lee, a gypsy caravan, sailing a Mirror dingy, a swan or two - and a couple of shady-looking characters. But as the week progresses, things don't exactly turn out to be much of a holiday...
you will find extracts from these books
https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
