How to start this blog?
With shouts of joy? Unreserved dancing around the café? An extra shot or three in my coffee?
Actually – I think I should celebrate the reveal of the cover of my very first novel with Hodder & Stoughton, by having a bumper portion of fish and chips for my dinner later!
And here’s the reason for the big smile on my face.
This is such a wonderful cover – and it’s just perfect for the story inside.
After many years of concentrating on the contemporary women’s fiction and romcom markets, I’m delighted to be branching out into the world of cosy crime.
Here’s the 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?
Who are “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.
Where is Robbins ‘ Fish and Chip Shop?
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…
Research trip to Mousehole Harbour, May 2025
When and where can you grab a copy of The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives?
Out on April 2nd 2026 in the UK and Europe, and 7th July in the USA , the first book in the series is already available to pre-order from all good paperback and ebook retailers, including your local independent bookshop and:
Waterstones: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane | Waterstones
Kobo: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives eBook by Jenny Kane – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom
Amazon.de: Amazon.de : the fish and chip shop detectives
It’s been immense fun to both create and write The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives and its sequels (coming in June and September 2026). I hope you will fall in love with my lead characters, Maggie and Ryan, not to mention the beautiful Cornish countryside which surrounds them.
I have to say, I’ve been blown away by the care and attention the team at Hodder have given to my new series – from the details on the cover (right down to the little fish forming the ‘i’ in FISH), to the editing and proofing of the words within.
If you can’t wait until April to have a read, then if you are a member of NetGalley, you can read a review copy.
Happy preordering,
Jenny x