Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Tag: new series

Cover Reveal: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives

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On December 1, 2025

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, cosy crime, crime, Fiction, Jenny Kane, The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives

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:

Amazon UK: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives: A brand-new and utterly addictive cozy crime British mystery (The Fish and Chip Shop Detective Agency): Amazon.co.uk: Kane, Jenny: 9781399754491: Books

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 US: The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives: A brand-new and utterly addictive cozy crime British mystery (The Fish and Chip Shop Detective Agency): Amazon.co.uk: Kane, Jenny: 9781399754491: Books

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

Brief moments…

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On September 22, 2025

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, cosy crime, crime, Fiction, writing tips

There is a sense of amazing satisfaction in pressing ‘send’ at the end of editing a novel.

A brief moment of freedom. Of satisfaction. Of success.

To have a novel you have written wing its way from your laptop to your agent’s and/or publisher’s inbox, knowing that you’ve done all you can to make it as good as you can, feels immensely freeing. It’s an amazing moment – and I love it.

I love that something I’ve dreamt up, planned, laboured over, hated, loved again, rewritten, added in last minute plot twists, edited, and allowed to invade my dreams and consume by walking hours for months, is over.

This week, I sent my first novel in a new series of murder mysteries off to my publisher. This was it’s third visit to her – she has already read it, sent it back for edits, approved those edits, and sent it back to me for some last minute tweaks. Those tweaks have been, well, tweaked, so, as stated, I’ve sent it back to her again.

Novel editing is a many layered onion. Each time a new layer of the process is peeled off – or should that be completed? – I get that same moment of realise – of freedom.

And it is only a moment, for this ‘freedom’ brings with it (for me at least) a side order of worry laden questions:

Is it good enough?

Will the reader guess who did it too soon?

Did I manage to limit the use of the word ‘nod’ enough? (An overuse of people nodding their heads in fiction really annoys me)

Will anyone read it?

Oh God – what if someone reads it?!

Will the copyeditor and proof reader find mistakes I’ve missed, my editor’s missed. and my agent’s missed? (Of course they will – we’re human beings!)

All of these questions – which take that sense of freedom I mentioned away quite quickly – are soon overtaken by events. One main event to be precise.

Needing to write the next novel. It all begins again with another amazing brief moment – the chance to dream up a whole 95,000 words of mystery and intrigue against a beautiful Cornish backdrop.

And then comes the real slog – the long moment. The months of writing.

But then, once that novel is written and edited – there’s this brief moment of freedom… and on it goes.

And I love it!

I love it all.

Now, I’m off to write book three of my new series. I’ve just decided who I’m going to kill this time…

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

 

 

 

News!!!

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On August 1, 2025

In Contemporary fiction, Cornwall, cosy crime, crime, Fiction, Jenny Kane, News

After months of  keeping my lips firmly sealed, I’m delighted to be able to announce that I’ve signed a brand new, three-book, contract with, for me, a new publisher.

Hodder & Stoughton!!

For the past year I’ve been writing two novels for Hodder (as well as all of the Robin of Sherwood stories I’ve written) – and I’ve fully planned book three.

Based in Cornwall, these cosy crime novels are proving a great deal of fun to create, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to my agent, Kiran, for taking my work to the London Book Fair, and introducing it to Hodder. Plus, an equally big thank you must go to my new editor, Audrey, whose enthusiasm for my new stories is so infectious, it’s joyous.

I little while ago, I bought myself a “well done me” pressie to celebrate this new book deal… rather lovely aren’t they.

For now, I’ll not say exactly where in Cornwall they are based, and who my main characters are, but I will say, that if you like fish and chips, then these stories are going to tickle your tastebuds!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be writing this new set of stories!

In the meantime, I’ve work to do – for the first set of publisher’s edits, for book one have just arrived. I think I might need another cup of coffee…

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

 

 

Welcome to The Robin Hood Club

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On March 31, 2024

In adventure, Blog, Contemporary fiction, cosy crime, crime, Fiction, Jennifer Ash, Robin of Sherwood, The Robin Hood Club

Over the past 10 years, I’ve been lucky enough to write audio stories and short novels for the fans of the 1980’s television series, Robin of Sherwood. This dream job is sadly, although not unexpectedly, coming to an end later this year.

This is absolutely the best time to call it a day; for 2024 sees the 40th anniversary of the show. To go on would risk diluting the product – and that would be a terrible thing. Love for this epic television programme – the creation of the late, great, Richard Carpenter – is as strong as ever, and I’d hate to start letting its fans down by going on too long.

Cast and crew of Robin of Sherwood – and me!

The writing of the aforesaid stories has led to me having many adventures.  Amongst these, comes the attending of a number of fabulous events, including the Robin of Sherwood fan conventions. (The Hooded Man events). I loved each and every one of them – the people, the places, the things I saw, heard, experienced… (I’m leaving that there!)

I always said these events would inspire me to write a novel one day. Well, they have – in fact, they’ve inspired an entire series.

I’m therefore delighted to be able to introduce you to The Robin Hood Club!

This new series sees the light of day for the first time on 28th April this year. A date that is special to me for two reasons – first of all, it is my eldest child’s birthday – secondly, it is Robin of Sherwood’s birthday!

A cosy crime series, the tales of Dr Harriet Danby, writer-cum-reluctant sleuth, open with a visit to Buxton in the beautiful Peak District: Manuscript Mysteries at The Robin Hood Club.

The cover reveal is coming soon. In the meantime, have a read of the blurb!

A brand new cosy crime series! Welcome to the Robin Hood Club!

There’s great excitement when a previously undiscovered Robin Hood ballad manuscript, Robin Hood and the Carter, turns up in the same town as the Robin Hood Club’s latest fan convention.

But the Robin Hood Club’s special guest – Harriet, “Hari”, Danby, writer and creator of the hit TV series, Return to Sherwood – can’t help thinking the discovery is rather too coincidental.

With her best friend, Dot, at her side, Hari finds herself taken out of her quiet writing life and catapulted into a world of enthusiastic fans, actors egos, and jealous fellow authors.

As the Robin Hood Club event gets underway, speculation about the new ballad grows… and then Hari notices that one of the Robin Hood Club’s most devoted followers has gone missing…

***

Not only was The Robin Hood Club influenced by my Robin of Sherwood experiences, but it was coloured by another novel of mine – Romancing Robin Hood.  This novel – which was responsible for bringing me to the attention of Barnaby Eaton-Jones, (the man behind the new audios and books), – concerns an academic called Grace Harper, who is obsessed with Robin Hood. I had always intended to expand this story and give it sequels. However, each time I tried, I accidentally killed a character – not something that happens often in a romcom. To get around this, I decided to reinvent my original idea and, so, The Robin Hood Club was born.

A happy moment with Barnaby Eaton-Jones at one of the Hooded Man Events

If you are keen to get your copy of Manuscript Mysteries at The Robin Hood Club, then pre-order links are already available for the #kindle version. The paperback will be out in May 2024.

Preorder:

More news soon…
Jennifer xxx
(Photos @Kim Jones)

Puddle Splashing

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On November 8, 2022

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Romance, The Potting Shed

I am the first to admit that, over the years, I’ve stolen a good deal from my own life experiences and given them to various characters in my romcoms.

In the Mill Grange series, Thea Thomas is, like me, a former archaeologist. In Another Cup of Coffee, Amy and her friends studied at the same university as I did, while Amy’s friend Kit, is an erotica writer. (my first writing incarnation, was as erotica writer, Kay Jaybee) In my Cornish stories, the locations – Sennon Cove and Penzance – are childhood haunts of mine.

In Frost Falls at The Potting Shed, two major parts of my life have been shared – my love for garden centres and my hobby. Puddle splashing.

Any of you that follow me on Facebook, will be used to seeing pictures of my wellington boots kicking their way through the various puddles that frequently form across Devon’s muddy landscape.

If you read Frost Falls – or any of the sequels (Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed and more are coming in 2023) – you will quickly discover that my main protagonist, Maddie Willand, has a secret hobby – Puddle Splashing. And that she, like me, has blue and white stripy wellies.

There is something extremely therapeutic about kicking your way through puddles. The sound of the water, the cold chill of the puddle against the rubber of the boots, and the sheer freeing-childishness of it, is immensely freeing.

Like Maddie, I rarely have time off, and I’m appalling at relaxing – but when I put my welly boots on and kick my way through puddles, my head completely clears of all work, all worries and all stresses.

I can totally recommend it!

Frost Falls at The Potting Shed

Blurb

It has always been Maddie Willand‘s dream to take over her father’s plant nursery. But after his sudden death, she is devastated to discover that she might lose The Potting Shed forever.

Maddie’s bossy older sister, Sabi, is joint owner of the nursery, and she’s convinced that the best thing for both of them would be to sell up.

Determined to keep the business going, Maddie can’t afford any distractions, but staying focused might be harder than she thinks. Especially when a major garden centre chain puts in an offer for the land – and her search for legal advice throws her into the path of attractive lawyer Ed…

As frost begins to fall over The Potting Shed, will Maddie find the strength to save her father’s legacy and open herself up to new beginnings?

Available from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Kobo, Nook and Waterstones. 

Happy reading,

Jenny x

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