I’ll be chatting about the series, my writing life in general, and answering any writing related questions you may have, as well as signing books.
Tickets from the bookshop on online via this link: https://buytickets.at/dogberryfinchbooks1/2110775
I’d love to see you there!!
With Spring making its presence felt, I thought I’d share a tiny taster from the third novel in the #MillGrange series:
Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange.
BLURB
Helen Rogers has been lying to herself over her feelings for Tom since the moment they met. And for good reason; not only are they colleagues, working together with the archaeology groups at Mill Grange, but her sabbatical is almost over and she’ll soon have to return to Bath.
Tom Harris knows he’s falling in love with Helen. How could he not? She’s smart, kind and great with his son Dylan. But with his ex-wife suddenly offering him a chance to spend more time with Dylan, and the staff of Mill Grange about to host a wedding, everything else has to be put to one side. Even his feelings for a certain archaeologist.
As Helen’s time at Mill Grange runs short, the two are forced to consider what matters most…
Set in the beautiful Exmoor countryside, on the border of Devon and Somerset, Spring Blossoms, continues the story of Thea, Shaun, Sam, Tina, Mable and Bert – as well as Helen and Tom, who were newcomers to the house in Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange.
Here’s a tiny taster…
‘Do you honestly think I’ll need eighteen pairs of knickers? It’s the Cotswolds, not the Kalahari.’
Thea scooped the entire contents of her underwear drawer onto the bed as Shaun flung open a suitcase.
‘No, I think you’ll need thirty pairs or more, but as you only have eighteen, then pack them.’
‘Seriously?’ Thea eyed some of her older undies with suspicion. The greying fabric had been consigned to the back of the drawer to be used in emergencies only, although now she thought about it, she wasn’t sure what that emergency might be. An archaeological excavation in the middle of nowhere, perhaps?
‘You know what it’s like on a dig. Laundry facilities only happen to other people. A flushing toilet can be a luxury sometimes.’
‘Won’t the local village have a launderette?’
‘It’s the Cotswolds, Thea. The people who can afford to live there don’t need launderettes.’ Shaun winked. ‘I tend to wring out my smalls in the nearest public toilet sink or a bucket of cold water.’
Thea laughed. ‘I used to do that when I was a student on excavation.’ Stuffing every pair of socks she owned into the suitcase, she added, ‘Age has softened me!’
‘You’ve got used to manor house living, that’s what it is.’ As Shaun threw a pile of t-shirts onto the bed, he caught a glimpse of anxiety crossing Thea’s face. ‘I was…
***
You don’t have to have read Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange or Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange, to enjoy Spring Blossoms, although you’d probably get more from the story if you have. The final book in the series, Winter Fires at Mill Grange, follows hot on Spring Blossoms’ heels.
If you would like to buy an e-copy, paperback or audio version of Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange, you can purchase a copy from all good retailers, including…
Happy reading,
Jenny x
Blurb
Don’t miss the next instalment in the Fish and Chip Shop Detective Agency Series, available to pre-order now!
It’s been a busy summer for the Fish and Chip Shop Detectives as they get drawn into their next investigation, hook, line and sinker…
The bustling streets of Mousehole are home to Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, where Maggie and Ryan dish up the best fried goods Cornwall has to offer – and solve a crime or two.
When a villager is found dead, Maggie and Ryan rapidly find themselves deep in a new mystery.
But as the case unfolds, it becomes clear that something strange is simmering beneath Mousehole’s serene surface. The enigmatic owner of the chip shop, Mr Robbins, is nowhere to be found. And when Maggie and Ryan search his campervan home, they find it already unlocked and completely ransacked…
Where is Mr Robbins? Is his disappearance linked to the murder? As the fish and chip shop detectives face a boatload of questions, can they catch the killer before someone winds up dead?
The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives
Forty-eight-year-old Maggie is a lover of puzzles. When she’s not working at Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, she can be found on her sofa, nursing a cup of tea and solving the latest mystery thrown at the detectives in Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders and more. Maggie’s found a firm friendship with Ryan, a newcomer to Mousehole. When he’s not busy sleuthing, Ryan enjoys nursing a pint at The Mariner pub. Together, Maggie and Ryan serve the best fish and chips – and solve crimes as The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives.
The Setting
Mousehole is a picturesque fishing village in Cornwall, known for its scenic harbour, winding streets, and tiny sandy beach. It’s also home to Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, the only chippy in town. Tourists and locals alike enjoy a battered cod whilst admiring the calm waterfront. And if you want a side of gossip with your food, make sure you get to the chip shop at exactly 6 o’clock, where you’ll find local pensioner Harry, who is always up for a natter…
Published on 11th June this year, you can already preorder your copy from all good retailers, including:
Waterstones: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives and the Campervan Murder by Jenny Kane | Waterstones
If you haven’t yet read Book 1: The Fish and Chips Shop Detectives, you’ve plenty of time to do so before the second story in the series comes out. (You don’t have to read the first story to enjoy this one.)
Happy preordering,
Jenny x
BLURB:
Don’t miss this brand-new cozy crime mystery series, perfect for fans of Clare Chase and Peter Boland – available now!
There’s some fishy business happening in the idyllic Cornish village of Mousehole. As a killer begins to make waves, can these new amateur detectives solve the mystery?
Maggie Tyson loves living in the utterly charming village, Mousehole. She spends her days walking the local coastal paths, solving the latest crossword puzzle, and working in the small town’s only fish and chip shop.
Looking for a fresh start, Ryan Stepney is in desperate need of a job, and stumbles across a vacancy at the chip shop.
When a body is found by the harbour, shock ripples through the village. And as Ryan was the last person seen talking to the victim, he becomes the number one suspect in the investigation.
Maggie is certain that her new colleague had nothing to do with the murder, so swaps her apron for a magnifying glass, and starts to investigate herself.
Can Maggie prove Ryan’s innocence and reel in the killer, before they strike again?
FIRST 500 WORDS:
Chapter One: Monday, June 2nd
Maggie wrapped a serving of fish and chips in paper and passed the aromatic package across the counter. There was something about her latest customer that made her give him an encouraging smile. He seemed lost.
‘Here you go, me’andsome. Best fish and chips for miles.’
‘Thanks.’
Offering up the card machine so that he could pay, Maggie nodded towards the rucksack at his feet. ‘On your holidays?’
‘No. Well, sort of.’ He shrugged, the movement giving him the air of a scarecrow swaying in the wind.
Judging the lad to be of a similar age to her daughter, Izzie, Maggie experienced a maternal pang. ‘Sort of?’
‘Yeah.’ He threw her a shy grin as he turned away, giving the shop door a firm tug as he closed it behind him.
As soon as he’d left the warm environment of Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, Maggie, found herself speculating about her latest customer.
Student maybe… Here on holiday with his mates after his exams, but they’ve had a row and he’s taking some time out… Picking up a cloth and a bottle of sterilizing spray, she wiped droplets of vinegar off the counter. Or he’s fallen out with his girlfriend and he’s after a bit of headspace.
Smiling to herself, Maggie pictured her daughter joining in her musings. She and Izzie had always enjoyed people watching; guessing what other people were like as they sipped coffee in the local café, or sat on the harbour wall, observing Mousehole’s nonstop supply of tourists as they meandered by.
Checking the time on the large, fish-shaped wall clock above the counter, Maggie headed to the front door and turned the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’, before calling through to the office beyond the serving counter. ‘Mr Robbins, I’m closing up.’
The short grunt that greeted this news, was all she needed to remove her apron, unpin the white boater from her head, and hang them both on a hook inside the office door.
‘I’ll see you at six.’ Maggie waited for the second grunt of acknowledgement she knew her boss would give her before she left.
Eric Robbins – known to everyone as Mr Robbins, (with an emphasis on the mister, as though he felt very protective of the title), was seated in his usual position. Hunched forward, his palatial buttocks wedged into a blue plastic chair, he had a pair of black-rimmed designer glasses hooked over his cauliflower ears. The 1960’s design of the spectacles served to emphasise, rather than diminish, the line of his repeatedly broken nose. One hand rubbed continuously at his stubbly chin, while the other scrolled through whatever it was he was studying on the tablet propped up in front of him. He wore a crisp white apron and a white fabric boater, despite only rarely stirring himself to interact with the frying of anything, let alone to engage in conversation with a customer.
In ten years of working as Mr Robbins’ assistant in…
If you’d like to know what happens next, you can buy this cosy crime adventure from all good independent book shops, ebook/audio retailers, inc.:
Kobo: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives eBook by Jenny Kane – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom
Waterstones: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane | Waterstones
Amazon.de: Amazon.de : the fish and chip shop detectives
Hodder & Stoughton: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane | Hachette UK
Happy reading,
Jenny x
TODAY’S THE DAY!
I’m delighted to announce that, The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives, has been published today!!
This, the first in three novels (so far), is set in the Mousehole region of Cornwall, and features the unstoppable Maggie Tyson and her young friend, Ryan Stepney…
Blurb
Don’t miss this brand-new cozy crime mystery series, perfect for fans of Clare Chase and Peter Boland – available to pre-order now!
There’s some fishy business happening in the idyllic Cornish village of Mousehole. As a killer begins to make waves, can these new amateur detectives solve the mystery?
Maggie Tyson loves living in the utterly charming village, Mousehole. She spends her days walking the local coastal paths, solving the latest crossword puzzle, and working in the small town’s only fish and chip shop.
Looking for a fresh start, Ryan Stepney is in desperate need of a job, and stumbles across a vacancy at the chip shop.
When a body is found by the harbour, shock ripples through the village. And as Ryan was the last person seen talking to the victim, he becomes the number one suspect in the investigation.
Maggie is certain that her new colleague had nothing to do with the murder, so swaps her apron for a magnifying glass, and starts to investigate herself.
Can Maggie prove Ryan’s innocence and reel in the killer, before they strike again?
***
I will be travelling across the SW of England over the next year, talking about this new series.
Here are a few of the dates and venues so far. If you’d like to come and say hello, it would be great to see you! (Some dates are still to be arranged – I will update the list as and when I can.)
15th May, 5.30 p.m. Author talk/signing at Dogsberry and Finch Bookshop, Okehampton
5th June, 2-4 p.m. Author talk at Tavistock Library, Devon
June Author talk/signing at Black Cat Books, Launceston, Cornwall.
25th June Author talk at Ivybridge Bookshop, Devon
July Author talk at Penzance library, Cornwall
18th Aug Cosy crime panel – Torbay Lit fest, Devon
The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives
Forty-eight-year-old Maggie is a lover of puzzles. When she’s not working at Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, she can be found on her sofa, nursing a cup of tea and solving the latest mystery thrown at the detectives in Death in Paradise, Midsommer Murders and more. Maggie finds an unlikely friend in Ryan, a recent graduate who has just moved to Mousehole and is trying to figure out what to do with his life. Together, they serve up the best fish and chips Cornwall has to offer, with an occasional helping of mystery solving on the side.
The Setting
Mousehole is a picturesque fishing village in Cornwall, known for its scenic harbour, winding streets, and tiny sandy beach. It’s also home to Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, the only chippy in town. Tourists and locals alike enjoy a battered cod whilst admiring the calm waterfront. Mr Robbins, the owner, is notoriously private – no one knows much about him. Perhaps that’s another mystery for our Fish and Chip Shop Detectives to solve…
Here are a few of the fabulous pre-release reviews I’ve had from Netgalley
“New series. New to me author. Loved the Cornwall setting. Massive fish and chips fan. Enjoyed the mystery. Great characters. Looking forward to more in this series.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This cozy crime mystery had me hooked from the first pages… At no point could I put it down before I knew who done it.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“One of my favourite books of the year” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“An absolute treat for cozy mystery fans! The setting was atmospheric, the mystery intriguing, and the ending tied everything up beautifully” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A cozy mystery so delicious you can almost taste the tang of the salt and vinegar!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Had me hooked from the first page’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jenny visiting Mousehole Harbour
You can buy this cosy crime adventure from all good independent book shops, ebook/audio retailers, and…
Kobo: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives eBook by Jenny Kane – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom
Waterstones: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane | Waterstones
Amazon.de: Amazon.de : the fish and chip shop detectives
Hodder & Stoughton: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane | Hachette UK
Many thanks for all your support.
Happy reading,
Jenny x
This Spring 2026, I’m adding a set of daytime workshops to my list.
If you’re interested, then read on for details:
The following friendly workshops are ideal for beginners to fiction writing, those who want to have fun with words, and anyone who has written in the past and wishes to polish up their skills.
(Aged 16 and above)
Tuesday 19th May – 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Who will you write about? Character development in fiction
Tuesday 26th May – 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Where will you write about? Location building in fiction
Tuesday 2nd June – 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Plotting your fiction. How to plot and order your fiction.
Tuesday 9th June – 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
When in Time? Placing your fiction in time: past, present or future.
Tuesday 16th June – 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Editing and proofing your fiction. Perfecting and polishing your work
Each workshop can be booked individually, or you can register for the complete series.
There are 6 places per workshop. A minimum of 3 students is required to run each class.
The workshops are run via a Zoom link (video and sound).
Advance booking is essential.
£35 per person, per workshop. Payment taken a week before each workshop.
£5 deposit on initial booking.
Payment for the first workshop is taken on acceptance to the series. This acts as a non-returnable deposit. After which, you pay as you go.
All you need on attendance is a pen, paper, and a smile.
There will be a five minute comfort break halfway through each workshop.
Thank you for inviting be back to your lovely blog, Jenny.
Introduction
The Stolen Sister is my sixth novel. It has all the features which readers are coming to expect of my books – a dual timeline, contrasting locations, family secrets and two love stories. In this novel, there is also the theme of grief, resilience, sibling relationships, romantic love, a search for identity and reconciliation. It’s set in beautiful Crete in 1963 and again twenty years later, as well as rural mid-Wales. The Stolen Sister is the story of Greta, a young Welsh painter who arrives in the fictional town of Fáros Limáni to join an art commune. In 1984, her daughter Zoë travels to Crete to carry out her mother’s dying wish to have her ashes scattered into the sea there even though she knows nothing of her mother’s connection with the island. Through my words, I hope I’ve been able to take the reader on a virtual trip to this stunning island, as seen through Zoë’s eyes as she returns to the place of her birth for the first time.
Matala caves
Blurb
Lost letters. A secret Greek love affair. A daughter’s search for the truth.
Crete, 1963. Young artist Greta Ellis arrives at the sun-soaked port of Fáros Limáni, ready to paint and explore the beautiful Greek island.
There she meets passionate local, Andreas Papadakis, and Greta is swept up in a world of colour, freedom and forbidden love. But when tragedy strikes, Greta is forced to make an impossible choice that will change the course of her life — and her heart — forever.
Wales, 1984. After the death of her beloved mother Greta, silversmith Zoë Carter receives a sealed letter that upends everything she thought she knew. Greta’s dying wish is for her ashes to be scattered in Crete, a place precious to her . . . but somewhere she had never spoken of.
Searching through her mother’s belongings, Zoë uncovers a series of letters. Written in Greek and dated the year before she was born, they reveal a passionate love affair. And a tragedy that tore it apart.
Determined to know the truth, Zoë travels to Crete to follow the trail left behind in her mother’s letters. Through the olive groves and whitewashed villages of Crete, she begins to piece together a story of love, betrayal and loss — and discovers that her family was never what it seemed.
Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton, Dinah Jefferies, Santa Montefiore, Fiona Valpy, Barbara Davis, Angela Petch, Karen Swan or Anita Chapman.
First 500 Words
Prologue
North West Crete, 1967
Greta forced herself to smile as she watched her handsome new husband join in with the traditional Greek dancers, his blue eyes sparkling as he swayed his hips and dipped in time with the others as they circled the dance floor. The haunting sound of the bouzouki music filled the busy taverna above the noise of the fun and laughter of the diners. Since arriving in Crete four years before as a naive art student, she’d heard the instrument played many times but tonight there was something unnerving about the music. It seemed dissonant to her. Something wasn’t right.
She quickly dismissed the feeling when her three-year-old daughter wriggled down from her lap.
‘Me dance, too.’ Even though she could hardly keep her eyes open, the little girl ran towards the dancers who stopped and clapped, welcoming a laughing Greta and her daughter to join John in the circle. They all sidestepped and dipped, then kicked each leg in time to the music.
The meal at the taverna, situated a few miles out of Fáros Limáni, was to celebrate John joining his wife and daughter to make a new life together and to thank their American friends, Bill and Nancy, who’d helped them settle. John had left his temporary teaching job in Heraklion for a permanent post close to where they were going to live.
Returning to sit down at the table, Greta pulled the little girl onto her lap, loving how she snuggled into her and fell asleep, safe in her mother’s arms. She always looks so like her father as she sleeps. The same long dark lashes, the same beautiful face.
She looked at a smiling John, sitting next to her. How she loved her new husband! She couldn’t believe how lucky she was that life was good again . . . so why did she have a niggle of foreboding?
‘Someone’s exhausted. Shall we go?’ John stood and held out his arms to take the little one from Greta. Bill and Nancy stood to go with them.
They took the coastal road back to the port. Relieved John was driving slowly round such sharp bends and that the road was deserted, Greta relaxed into the seat behind him.
‘Not far now, sweetheart.’ John glanced in the rear mirror at the little girl fast asleep between Greta and Nancy.
A wall of rock loomed in the headlights.
Greta screamed. ‘John!’
John yanked the steering wheel in order to try to take the hairpin bend he’d been distracted from. ‘Holy shit! Hold on!’ Searing pain shot through the whole of Greta’s body as the car crashed into the cliff. She heard the thud of John’s head slamming down onto the centre of the steering wheel. Unable to move, deafening noise engulfing her — screams, the horn blaring continuously, her daughter wailing, panic in voices.
‘Oh, God.’ Bill shook his friend. John didn’t respond even as Bill shook him harder. Choked, he said, ‘I’ll get Greta out first. You lift the…
Here are some of the amazing reviews for Jan’s incredible work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The most compelling, evocative, heart-wrenching book I have ever read.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Captivating and emotional . . . A top, top, must-read.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One of the best sagas I’ve read in a very long time.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A novel that will transport you to Greece, with its sensory delights of sights, sounds and flavours.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The vivid imagery used to paint Greece is stunning and made me feel as if I was there. If you enjoy a multi-layered novel brimming with secrets, you’ll adore this story.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Historical fiction at its best.’
You can buy The Stolen Sister from all good retailers, including:
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stolen-Sister-powerful-emotional-historical-ebook/dp/B0GN9Z34YH/ref
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Sister-powerful-emotional-historical-ebook/dp/B0GN9Z34YH/ref
BIO
Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Radyr, on the outskirts of Cardiff. After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, she now writes historical fiction and sagas. Fascinated by family secrets and ‘skeletons lurking in cupboards’, Jan writes dual narrative, dual timeline historical novels that explore how decisions and actions made by family members from one generation impact on the lives of the next. Setting and a sense of place play an important part in all of Jan’s stories and as well as her native mid-Wales, there is always a contrasting location in sunnier climes. She is published by Joffe Books/Choc Lit. She enjoys meeting up with other writers, especially members of her local Cariad RNA Chapter as well as when attending talks and workshops.
X- @JanBaynham https://twitter.com/JanBaynham
Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer https://www.facebook.com/JanBayLit/?locale=en_GB
Instagram – janbaynham https://www.instagram.com/janbaynham/?hl=en-gb
Threads – https://www.threads.com/@janbaynham
Blog – Jan’s Journey into Writing https://janbaynham.blogspot.com
Amazon Page – Jan Baynham https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jan-Baynham/author/B085DC6BKR?ref
Many thanks for sharing your work with us today, Jan,
Happy reading,
Jenny xx
This week, I thought I’d dip into my earliest Jennifer Ash novel, and share the opening lines from The Outlaw’s Ransom.
Here’s the blurb to The Outlaw’s Ransom-
When potter’s daughter Mathilda is kidnapped by the notorious Folville brothers as punishment for her father’s debts, she fears for her life. Although of noble birth, the Folvilles are infamous throughout the county for using crime to rule their lands—and for using any means necessary to deliver their distinctive brand of ‘justice’.
Mathilda must prove her worth to the Folvilles in order to win her freedom. To do so, she must go against her instincts and, disguised as the betrothed of Robert de Folville, undertake a mission that will send her to Bakewell in Derbyshire, and the home of Nicholas Coterel, one of the most infamous men in England.
With her life in the hands of more than one dangerous brigand, Mathilda must win the trust of the Folville’s housekeeper, Sarah, and Robert Folville himself if she has any chance of survival.
Never have the teachings gleaned from the tales of Robyn Hode been so useful…
OPENING LINES:
Mathilda thought she was used to the dark, but the night-time gloom of the small room she shared with her brothers at home was nothing like this. The sheer density of this darkness enveloped her, physically gliding over her clammy skin. It made her breathless, as if it was trying to squeeze the life from her.
As moisture oozed between her naked toes, she presumed that the suspiciously soft surface she crouched on was moss, which had grown to form a damp cushion on the stone floor. It was a theory backed up by the smell of mould and general filthiness which hung in the air.
Trying not to think about how long she was going to be left in this windowless cell, Mathilda stretched her arms out to either side, and bravely felt for the extent of the walls, hoping she wasn’t about to touch something other than cold stone. The child’s voice that lingered at the back of her mind, even though she was a woman of nineteen, was telling her – screaming at her – that there might be bodies in here, secured in rusted irons, abandoned and rotting. She battled the voice down. Thinking like that would do her no good at all. Her father had always congratulated his only daughter on her level-headedness, and now it was being so thoroughly put to the test, she was determined not to let him down.
Stretching her fingers into the blackness, Mathilda placed the tips of her fingers against the wall behind her. It was wet. Trickles of water had found a way in from somewhere, giving the walls the same slimy covering as the floor.
Continuing to trace the outline of the rough stone wall, Mathilda kept her feet exactly where they were. In seconds her fingertips came to a corner, and by twisting at the waist, she quickly managed to plot her prison from one side of the heavy wooden door to the other. The dungeon could be no more than five feet square, although it must be about six feet tall. Her own five-foot frame had stumbled down a step when she’d been pushed into the cell, and her head was at least a foot clear of the ceiling. The bleak eerie silence was eating away at Mathilda’s determination to be brave, and the cold brought her suppressed fear to the fore. Suddenly the shivering she had stoically ignored overtook her, and there was nothing she could do but let it invade her…
You can buy The Outlaw’s Ransom: Book One of The Folville Chronicles, for your Kindle or as a paperback from-
Kindle-
Paperback-
(Please note that if you have read Romancing Robin Hood by Jenny Kane and Jennifer Ash- then you will already be familiar with the story with The Outlaw’s Ransom)
Happy reading,
Jen xx
BLURB:
1943: Becoming a Home Front nurse, meant Kathy Scott was finally able to escape the violence of her childhood. At long last, her life has taken a turn for the better. Particularly because, for the very first time, she’s made some wonderful friends–fellow nurses Sylvia, Freda and Veronica.
Kathy’s known for not being short of a word or two. So nobody’s more surprised than her when she finds herself tongue-tied around Freda’s handsome brother, James – who’s home from war with an unexplained injury.
Eventually they start to open up to each other… But can two people who have felt so broken by their experiences ever find a chance for happiness?
Don’t miss this powerful and unputdownable wartime saga about courage, healing and the power of friendship!
FIRST 500 WORDS:
Standing in line in the Upper Borough Hospital canteen, Nurse Kathy Scott resisted the urge to shiver, as the ghosts of her dead parents knocked their violent knuckles along her spine.
‘Just leave me be,’ she murmured, as she glared at the back of the nurse’s head in front of her.
The nurse turned and frowned. ‘Did you say something?’
Kathy sniffed. ‘Not to you.’
Their glares locked before the other nurse faced forwards again. Kathy defiantly lifted her chin as she fought against her guilt for being so rude. The simple fact was, the woman didn’t deserve her derision. Kathy scowled. Damn her parents for everything they had done to her when they were alive and how they continued to haunt her even after their deaths.
Tightening her fingers around her empty tray, Kathy cursed the unfairness of how easily her memories and treacherous feelings for her parents returned, over and over again, despite the beatings, the humiliation… the absence of basic humanity, that they had inflicted on her. How could it be that she still cared for them? She impatiently tapped her foot on the tiled floor as she waited in line, pitiful tears blurring her view as she stared at the taped bank of windows on the opposite side of the noisy room. Uniformed nurses chatted and laughed as they stood around in groups or sat at the long tables eating what meagre hot lunches the hospital had managed to cobble together for their hardworking staff on this damp and grey Wednesday afternoon.
An image of her parents’ body bags being wheeled past her on stretchers by the rescue workers who had found them amid the rubble of her destroyed home rose in Kathy’s mind and she swallowed the lump that dared to rise in her throat. Almost a year had passed since Bath had suffered the three days of German bombing that had killed her parents and reduced the house they’d all lived in together on Kingsmead Street to little more than bricks and ash, her mum and dad thankfully buried beneath the lot. Kathy clenched her jaw, refusing to acknowledge the single tear that slipped over her cheek. Good riddance to bad rubbish…
God, how she hated these moments of care for them that continued to catch her unawares. How could she still think of them? They beat her, berated her, treated her like dirt and the ultimate inconvenience, yet despite the testy, often unjustified and downright horrible attitude she enforced to protect herself from the rest of the world half the time, her parents still spitefully lingered in part of her heart.
‘What can I get you, love?’
Kathy started.
The grey-haired kitchen lady smiled kindly from behind the serving counter, ladle in hand. ‘We’ve got vegetable soup with a nice chunk of bread. Or maybe you fancy a bit of shepherd’s pie?’
Kathy leaned forward to inspect the contents inside the silver chafing dishes in front of her. She screwed up her nose, her…
You can buy this, the latest in the Home Front Nurses series from all good retailers, including: https://mybook.to/SharedSecrets
BIO
Rachel Brimble is the author of 35 novels and has been published by Harlequin Mills & Boon, Kensington Books, Harper Road Press and more. She now writes for Boldwood Books. Her latest Amazon bestselling WWII series, The Home Front Nurses is her most popular series to date with book four released in February 2026.
Her next series will be set in Castle Combe, The War Orphans will start in September 2026.
Rachel is also the owner of The Writer Printable Co, an Etsy shop offering printable and editable novel writing resources to help new authors on their journey to writing success.
Link: https://thewriterprintableco.etsy.com
To sign up for her publisher’s newsletter, click here: https://bit.ly/RachelBrimbleNews
Website: https://bit.ly/3wH7HQs
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3AQvK0A
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3i49GZ3
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3lTQZbF
BookBub: https://shorturl.at/nrxFJ
Many thanks for sharing your opening lines with us, Rachel.
Happy reading everyone,
Jenny x
A few years ago, on the publication of A Cornish Escape (previously Abi’s House), I was asked by Romance Matter’s magazine to write an article about what is it about Britain’s most south westerly county that draws so many creative souls to try and capture its flavour on paper? With the publication of my new #cosycrime series, The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives, just around the corner, I find myself considering that question once again.
Is it the natural geography and geology, the bark-like squawk of the seagulls, the sea, the sand, the salty air, or the aroma of vinegar soaked fish and chips with a promise of an ice cream made from clotted cream to follow?
The sheer majesty of Cornwall, from the haunting spectacle of Tintagel to the crashing of waves against the Battery Rocks in Penzance, alongside the quiet beauty of its villages and narrow country lanes, have conjured and bewitched the imagination of poets, novelists, artists, and potters since mankind first decided that cave walls would look much nicer with pretty pictures on them.
For me however, it wasn’t the scenery which drew me to place the adventures of Maggie Tyson and Ryan Stepney in Cornwall; it was nostalgia. A nostalgia which I’ve come to learn also applies to a large number of my readers; many of whom have been kind enough to tell me that my stories have transported them back to Cornish childhood holidays.
My Dad was born in Penzance and brought up in a terrace house on Alma Place. His mother, my Nan, ran a lodging house there, taking evacuees in during the Second World War- one of whom never left and became a sort of Great Uncle. My Grandad was a butcher at the long forgotten International Supermarket on St Jews Street; I still can’t conceive how he could cut joints of meat so finely!
Every school summer holiday was spent taking the lifetime long, motorway free, drive from Wiltshire to Penzance. My brother and I would spend weeks building sandcastles on Marazion beach. We’d try and skim pebbles across the surface of the sea (a skill I never mastered), and we’d squint through a pair of my Grandad’s ancient binoculars from the house’s attic bedroom window, straight across the sea and into the windows of St Michael’s Mount.
Each morning we’d wake to the sound of the Scillonian passenger ferry as she made her way from Penzance to the Isles of Sicily. Each evening we’d head to bed with that stretched face feeling that only comes from prolonged exposure to sea air.
I clearly recall the excitement of queuing up outside the fudge shop on St Jews Street in Penzance, desperately trying to make the impossible decision about which flavour of fudge to buy with my pocket money. I remember wondering why the pavements in the centre of Penzance are so high, and sitting with my parents outside various coffee shops along the front; fast melting ice creams dripping all over our hands.
It is this side of Cornwall, the minor events which add up to a feeling of happy security and contentment, that are as important in my novels as the seaside setting and the ready availability of a really good cream tea.
It was for all of the above reasons that The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives have their home in Mousehole. A small village, only a stones throw from Newlyn and Penzance, and a place that feels as familiar to me now, even though I only get there every few years or so, as it did when I was ten years old.
When writing cosy crime, for me at least, I need the location of the adventure to feel safe and familiar even if the action is far from safe! That means choosing a backdrop that has memories attached to it – good memories – not just for me, but for my characters.
Maggie Tyson, my leading lady, has lived in Mousehole all of her life, and at 47 years old, she has come to know almost everyone in the area – whether it’s from her own school days, meeting fellow mum’s while bringing up her daughter, Izzie, on her own, from running the Silver Surfer’s Crossword Puzzle Club withing Penzance library, or from ten years serving fish and chips in Robbin’s Fish and Chip Shop.
Maggie isn’t the only local to have a staring role in this new series – Harry, a pensioner with a heart of gold, and David, a police sergeant who has known Maggie since their teenage years – both bring local knowledge to the crimes that need solving.
Ryan, meanwhile, is the new kid on the block – but it doesn’t take him long to learn to love Mousehole and Cornwall once he smells the scent of fish and chips in the air.
The first book in the series is published on 2nd April.
You can preorder my cosy crime adventure from all good independent book shops, ebook/audio retailers, and…
Kobo: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives eBook by Jenny Kane – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom
Waterstones: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane | Waterstones
Happy reading
Jenny x
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