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He plots perfect murders. Did he commit one?
2019. 34 year-old Leona Walsh vanishes on a bitter afternoon while jogging on Exmoor. It’s a mystery which captures public interest and ignites wild speculation. The police have a prime suspect: Leona’s husband, Matthew, a renowned crime writer. He can plot the perfect crime. But is he capable of committing the perfect murder?
Despite extensive searches, the police find no trace of Leona. As public interest dwindles, Matthew returns to raising their daughters, aware the cloud of suspicion is never far away.
2024. Some human bones are discovered in a garden. Could they be Leona’s remains? And if so, is there enough evidence to find out what really happened five years ago?
Journalist Gabriela Conti covered the news story back in 2019. The police may have stopped watching Matthew, but Gabriela hasn’t forgotten him. And she is determined this case will define her career… even if that means getting close to a murderer.
My thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the tour invite and to Diane for a great guest post. The Crime Writer is published by HQ Digital (13 March 2025) and available in ebook, audiobook and paperback formats. There is the opportunity to win a paperback copy of one of Diane’s previous books, open internationally, entry details are below.
AUTHOR POST
Setting – the Importance of Place
by Diane Jeffrey
I think setting is as important as plot and character in many novels. I grew up mainly in North Devon, in the South West of England, but my mother is Northern Irish, so I also spent a lot of time in Belfast as a child, at the height of the Troubles. Nearly all of my books are set in either North Devon or Northern Ireland.
Some of my books have dual settings. I like to examine the idea of “home” in my novels, possibly because as an expat living in France, I often feel very homesick. The place I think of as home is North Devon, even though I’ve lived in France for thirty years! I like to catapult my characters into a place they feel they don’t belong.
Kaitlyn, the main character in He Will Find You, my second novel, discovers she’s pregnant after a one-night stand with Alex. She leaves her job, family and friends in Somerset and moves to the Lake District to start a new life with him. Although she finds the countryside breathtaking, she hates Alex’s house, The Old Vicarage, and feels incredibly homesick. This isn’t helped by the antics Alex gets up to!
There’s also a dual setting in The Other Couple, my sixth novel, which takes place in North Devon and London. It kicks off with a bang, literally, as Kirsten and Nick, a couple of holidaymakers from London, run over Greg, a local dogwalker, in the seaside town of Croyde in North Devon, killing him instantly. Instead of phoning the police or for an ambulance, they load the man – and his dog – into their car and drive away, back to London. Amy, Greg’s widow, decides to get to the truth and follows the trail of the couple to London, where she feels very out of place.
The setting for The Couple at Causeway Cottage, my fifth novel, is really a character in its own right: Rathlin Island, off the Northern Irish coast. I visited it several times as a kid and returned more recently for a day trip with my husband, our kids and the dog. The weather that day was beautiful and we hiked around the tiny, sock-shaped island. But I couldn’t help wondering what life as an islander might be like in the winter, when the ferries to the mainland can’t run because of storms. As I left Rathlin Island that day, I knew I’d set a psychological thriller there. (Typically, though, The Couple at Causeway Cottage ends in North Devon!)
My latest novel, The Crime Writer, is set in North Devon. Leona Walsh goes missing, on one of the coldest days of the year, shortly before Christmas. She was last seen jogging around Wistlandpound Reservoir, on the edge of Exmoor. The heavy snowfall over the next few days hampers the search. Like Rathlin Island, I visited Wistlandpound on a beautifully sunny day with my family and dog, but decided to go with a more atmospheric forecast to add to the tension!
Diane Jeffrey is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author.
She grew up in North Devon and Northern Ireland. She now lives in Lyon, France, with her husband and their three children, Labrador and cat.
Diane has written six psychological thrillers, all published by HQ / HarperCollins.
THE GUILTY MOTHER, Diane’s third book, was a USA Today bestseller and her fourth novel, THE SILENT FRIEND, was a Karin Slaughter Killer Reads pick for ASDA. Her fifth psychological thriller, THE COUPLE AT CAUSEWAY COTTAGE, won the 2023 International Thriller Writers award for the best ebook original novel. THE OBVIOUS SUSPECT is Diane’s seventh psychological thriller.
Diane is an English teacher. When she’s not working or writing, she likes swimming, running and reading. She loves chocolate, beer and holidays. Above all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Author Website | X | Facebook | Insta | AmazonUK
**** GIVEAWAY ***
Giveaway to Win your choice of Diane Jeffery’s previous paperback releases (Open INT)
Prize choice is between The Other Couple, The Couple at Causeway Cottage, The Silent Friend, The Guilty Mother, He Will Find You or Those Who Lie
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
