Jennie Ensor's Blog

To get straight to the point, THE BAD NEIGHBOUR, my “deliciously dark and entertaining” psychological thriller is reduced from £2.99/$2.99 to 99p/99c until the end of “Cyber Monday”. (Ebook, on Amazon.)

An English village at the start of lockdown…Two women suspect their neighbour is hiding a horrific secret.

There’s a strong connection with chocolate brownies, new readers will discover – hence the photo. (Also, I am a chocoholic )

The links:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Neighbour-Jennie-Ensor/dp/1915817102

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4FRSP1J

Thanks to anyone who has already bought, borrowed or reviewed my book 🩵

I’m working hard on a follow up, which will contain some of the same characters – a first for me. It’s gathering momentum and I’m hoping for the first draft to be done by the end of this year.

It’s jolly chilly in London – Mr E and I are snuggling up with blankets on the sofa. We may need the dog for extra heat, given the cost of our central heating!

Happy reading

Book news:

My fifth book, The Bad Neighbour, became a number one bestseller in several Amazon categories, which I was extremely pleased about! I hope some of these readers will be interested in the next novel I’m working on with some of the same characters, who I can’t bear to part with just yet.

After months of hard work finishing and helping to publicise The Bad Neighbour, I needed a long break!

This summer I left my city life for some of the remotest parts of Ireland and France. In July I took part in the writing strand of the Achill Island Summer School, an inspiring experience that I won’t forget. I immersed myself in the culture of this tiny remote place, met some wonderful people, swam in the sea, walked among sheep and through gales, and reconnected with my Irish roots – more important to me lately since Brexit and my subsequent Irish passport

In early August I joined my husband in our French Pyrenees house to embrace tranquility and a slower pace of life. (Oddly difficult at first!) I tried to write most days and made inroads into the many books on my Kindle and phone (18 Seconds by Louise Beech, Fatal Trade by Brian Price, The Last Party by Clare Macintosh and a few others) while consuming too much patisserie, bread and cheese, not to mention the local Jurançon and cognac-fortified Floc de Gascogne.

Writing spot (at the table)

On clear nights we would sit in the garden and look at the stars (after midnight best as the street lights are switched off then). One night when I had insomnia, the Milky Way was spectacular – there must have been thousands of stars visible through my binoculars. I was excited to spot a beautiful dark nebula studded with bright stars, so much so that I spent the rest of the night writing a poem inspired by the experience!

The temperature soared for a week which compelled me to go wild swimming in nearby mountain lakes and rivers. The water was bracing to say the least but after a hot, exhausting hike, c’est magnifique

Where I swam – Lac d’Isabe

At the end of August, Mr E, the dog and I headed to the Massif Central. We stayed in Grand-Vabre next to a deep and peaceful valley of oaks and sweet chestnuts, some looking distinctly autumnal after days of 40C heat. No one was around except on market day, it seemed. The only sounds were wasps and rustling leaves in the daytime, and owls and frogs by night.

Popped into the chateau for lunch

On the way back to the Pyrenees we stopped for lunch at a grand chateau in Frayssinet (near the Dordogne) where my husband’s friend was staying with his siblings and their many children and grandchildren. The tour of house (four floors, music room, two grand pianos, a chapel and a horde of other rooms) took an hour. The guests all had two-way radios as the WiFi was patchy and it is an easy place to get lost in (or lose someone – the place would be the perfect setting for a murder mystery).

Storms and mountain hikes

Summer ended in dramatic fashion with one of the spectacular storms I love, with sheer lightning for hours and great rolling roars of thunder. We drove down to San Sebastián for a few days (more swimming this time in the warm Atlantic )

I’m writing this sentence on the slow boat home (from Bilbao to Portsmouth) – a welcome change from the endless toll stops with a hot dog and Aire dashes for wee/water!! 

Wishing you all a fine Autumn ahead and plenty of writing/reading

First some news dear to my heart – my book is a bestseller in 3 categories! Not big ones but I’ll take what I can get

The next big thing in my life is set to become The Big Read, an event I’m organising in north London. The continuous present tense is very apt in my case. I didn’t imagine there would be so many things to think about… Lord knows how it will go, given Mr E once told me I couldn’t organise my way out of a paper bag.

Anyway, I hope any of my book-loving blog readers who are within reach of north London (The King’s Head in Crouch End to be precise) will head over to the pub on 27th June. (Archway/Highgate tube stations on northern line a 20 min walk or a short bus ride, or 5-10 mins from Hornsey station.)

Info & booking: THE BIG READ: An evening with ten of London’s top crime & thriller authors – National Crime Reading Month

Free entry, books for sale, and best of all there will be ten authors (one or two you may have heard of!) chatting, answering audience questions, and reading from their latest books. Between us we represent most sub-genres of crime, suspense and thriller fiction. The event will end with a big giveaway – a chance to win signed books and other surprises! Whatever happens, I have a feeling it’ll be a fun and memorable evening. Don’t forget to mark up your calendars for 7.30pm on 27 June!

In other news:

I’m the Featured Author of the Month in the Crime Readers Association. Check it out here: https://thecra.co.uk/

Publishing is in many ways like gambling, people seem to be saying more and more. No one can know in advance which books will sell big, and which scarcely at all. There are too many fluctuating factors to predict the outcome of any given book, from the nature of the post-publication zeitgeist to the combination of colours on the cover. Much is beyond the author’s control – especially if, like me, you have a publisher who makes many of the decisions which affect your book.

So how can authors cope with all this uncertainty? More than ever seem to spend their time frantically writing the next book, which they and their publisher hope will become a big bestseller. Admittedly, I’m not one for writing to order, even the idea of deciding to write X number words per day fills me with horror. How would I cope with attempting to fulfill the demands of a contract that stated three books a year (as one publisher told me they expected)? All that strictness would create even more anxiety than I have already!

At the same time, it would be nice to be able to earn a living of sorts from one’s books… Like many authors I suspect, from time to time I’ve thought how strange and fortuitous it would be to write a book that actually brought in a goodly chunk of money – enough to pay the bills and go travelling and do all the important things of life with, at least.

Whenever I hover on the edge of the abyss that is the publication of the next book, some part of my mind considers the possibility of sales that would transform my life and transport me to some sunny island where the crème de la crème of million-copy bestselling authors hang out with film stars, rock legends and so forth, and no one ever asks if I’d mind changing the sheets or putting the washing on.

This scenario quickly fades into stoic acceptance that the time has not yet come for my life to be transformed. The chances of life-transforming sales are virtually zero, my rational mind knows – much like the chances of winning the lottery or a big writing competition, or finding an agent, back in the day when people did that sort of thing.

It’s hard to stop occasional daydreams, though – and just as hard to maintain a zen-like calm on the evening before publication, when all manner of spiteful little worries come out to play. This book won’t amount to anything, you’ll always be a failure, why not try something else less challenging instead? (crochet, reading…)

As I sit in my office writing this, my fifth book has gone up for pre-order and is to be published in less than two weeks. I feel as if I’m preparing to abandon perfectly good dry land for a tiny craft in a roiling sea. While doing my best to channel a state of cautious optimism and excited anticipation, I’m fending off middle-of-the-night bouts of anxiety that everyone is going to hate my book and give it rubbish reviews, and after reading them I’ll be so dispirited I’ll never want to write anything else ever again.

Of course, what is more likely is that the book will have some modest success (sell enough to pay for the year’s paper supplies perhaps – or a research trip to Norway, even better), gather a few excellent reviews, a few awful ones and many in between, and then life will continue much as it did before. Within a few weeks I’ll once more be tapping contentedly at my keyboard, grateful for having survived the storm.

There’s absolutely no point, I know, in fretting about what one can’t control, such as whether some huge wave might capsize one’s little boat. All one can do is learn to be the best sailor you can be. I’ve written the best book I could, it’s been gone over countless times by me and others, I’ve done what I can to get publicity for my book. For a few weeks I’ll be touting my wares on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – maybe even TikTok, you never know. Then it’ll be time to cut the engine, haul up the mainsail and get ready for the voyage ahead.

This means accepting that a multitude of factors control the destiny of virtually every book published – pesky winds that will or won’t blow, waves that may submerge a book’s pages forever, or carry them to far-off shores. It’s not easy to do this, especially for anyone like me who has control freak tendencies. But it’s the only way, isn’t it? Whatever will be will be, I’ve started muttering to myself, along with other watery sayings about riding out the storms and going with the flow.

If your book is also out soon, bon voyage – and the best of luck!

Book 5 now has a cover and a title:

The other day a trailer was released too, a one-minute video which provides a taster of what’s to come. (To view the video, see my Facebook page)

I had so much fun writing this book, a psychological thriller with a difference! Hopefully, people will enjoy reading it as much Set in an English village during the pandemic in 2020, it’s largely about the relationships between three women who live next door to each other. One of them sets up a group to help the vulnerable in the community, but it all goes horribly wrong… Apart from the psychological suspense and mystery elements, the book is also about friendship and what can break it.

The Bad Neighbour contains a thread of dark humour alongside a look at serious issues such as jealousy, petty envy, greed and the negative consequences of social media. Although it can be intriguing, inspiring and invaluable for connecting with friends and writing colleagues, a darker side definitely lurks…

I started to write this novel soon after the last lockdown; its background includes actual events in 2020 e.g. the rising tensions in many communities during the Black Lives Matter protests. I’ve incorporated my own brand of Covid-related crime, and Zoom meetings inspired by the Jackie Weaver town council meeting which went viral, which you may remember.

Right now I’m looking forward to taking a short break from everything to crack on with my work in progress.

Getting my book recommendations of the year in early! Procrastination is absolutely a thing of the past with me – 2023 is going to be filled with a myriad of things effectively carried out, all on time or before. I know, maybe not

I read more books than usual in 2022, despite working hard to finish my fifth novel. (More news soon…) My favourite books of the year so far are listed below, fourteen in total. A few are new out; most were published in the last couple of years. In no particular order:

The Un-Family by Linda Huber

The Un-Family is a thoroughly enjoyable and gripping psychological suspense novel suffused with tension, which slowly but surely sunk its hooks into me. Holly, an animal lover and vet, is bewildered to find herself in the ultimate dysfunctional family soon after marrying Dylan, who emerges as a cold-hearted narcissist who has always resented his twin brother Seth. The reader gradually discovers the history between the brothers and its chilling impact on the present. Meanwhile Megan, Dylan’s niece, is a teenager struggling to deal with the loss of her grandmother (her main caregiver) after she dies suddenly. Then everything goes south, rapidly…

Linda Huber drives the story forward at a fast pace with plenty of intrigue to keep one puzzling and characters that I cared about. By about 70% through the book, I was biting my nails to know whether the two female protagonists, Holly and Megan, would be OK and couldn’t tear myself away from my Kindle despite the late hour and lack of heating. Although this novel contains darkness and murder, there’s a cheering, refreshing warmth to the writing and characters (the female ones, anyway!). I loved the reveal concerning the title at the end, too. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys psychological suspense blended with family drama. Published 15 November 2022.

With Friends Like These Keri Bevis

The title is spot on!! A group of friends attempt to cover up the accidental death of a guy walking along a deserted road caused by one of their number who’s drunk driving, on the way to meeting for their reunion. Things rapidly veer out of control, propelled by the rocky relationships among the rather unfriendly friends. And who is the dead guy, anyway? An entertaining, gripping read with some nice humour. Published 2022.

The Girl in The Missing Poster by Barbara Copperthwaite

Stella can’t get over the disappearance of her twin sister 25 years ago, and makes it her mission to find out what happened. As clues surface, it seems that she is exchanging emails with her sister’s killer… The close relationship between Stella and her lost twin is beautifully conveyed – as is Stella’s obsessive state of mind. Psychologically astute, a compelling read that becomes progressively more chilling and edge-of-the-seat. Sensitive souls may prefer not to read this late at night Published 2021.

Blood Loss by Kerena Swan

An imaginative, superbly plotted novel that’s part police procedural and part psychological thriller. Told partly from the POV of Sarah, a ruthless female killer who uncovers family secrets and decides to wreak revenge on Jenna, the young woman she believes has stolen her life. While the detective desperately tries to track down Sarah, Jenna starts to realize someone is after her… Published 2021.

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Wow. I was stunned by this book and can see why it won so much acclaim. The writing and the plot are equally out of this world. It took me a chapter to get into the very different writing style and I definitely had to work in places to keep up – but so glad I did. One of my absolute favourite books now. Published 2020.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

One of the most moving novels I’ve read. Stunning coming of age story set in 1960s segregated, space-age South Carolina, about a girl’s attempts to come to terms with the mystery of her mother’s violent death – and to find love, a home and her place in the world. Dark at first but there’s plenty of humour and this really is what publishers like to call a ‘life affirming’ book. Fascinating bee facts, too. I listened to the Audible version narrated brilliantly by Jenna Lania. First published 2011.

The 392 by Ashley Hickson-Lovence

This is something different. A debut written with verve, sensitivity and plenty of humour from a talented author who I’m sure will go far. The action takes place over the 36 minutes of a bus ride though diverse, fast-changing parts of London (some of which I know well). Excellent characterisation and dialog, authentically conveying a large cast of characters from different backgrounds.

The tension builds slowly as a various people get on a London bus that’s setting off a new route for the first time, including a rucksack-bearing shifty looking individual who seems to have other plans for the passengers… We get many points of view, among them the bus driver, the man ogling her, a pregnant young woman, a racist football supporter who lost his sight after being attacked, a posh City bloke, someone who is suspiciously like Boris Johnson and most poignantly I thought, an old woman grieving the loss of her husband who plans to make this her last journey. Admittedly I found the switching between so many characters difficult to keep up with at times, especially as I listened to the audio version (brilliantly narrated, by the way). Recommended if you enjoy edgy London/British-set books with a literary flavour. Published 2019.

Hostage by Clare Macintosh

Great concept, brilliantly executed. If you want help to be put off flying – as if that’s needed – give this a read! It has a tension-filled, emotionally involving, well researched, just-about-believable plot about an air hostess who at the last minute signs up for the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney (fictional at the moment but may not be for long) and must deal with eco-terrorists threatening to bring down the plan. Published 2021.

Be Sure Your Sins by Harry Fisher

An engaging crime novel involving blackmail, revenge and police corruption written with wit, authenticity, attention to detail and great skill.

The main character, a female detective sergeant, is likeable and well drawn, and the connections between the crimes provided a tantalising puzzle for the reader. I liked that the crimes committed were unusual yet realistic rather than the deadbodyfest of many modern crime novels. Published 2021.

The Housewarming by SE Lynes

Immersive, superbly written novel about guilt and responsibility, loss and its aftermath, and the bad things we are all capable of doing.

A mother riven with guilt after she is distracted by social media while her small daughter leaves the house for a walk, or is snatched… This is the third book I read by SE Lynes – one day I shall read them all – and of particular interest to me as it’s set in Teddington, SW London, an area I know well. Published 2020.

Skin Deep by Liz Nugent

A great character study of the ultimate narcissist.

An Irish girl from an isolated island community, exposed to wild tales from her father and family tragedy, seems set on a path toward the destruction of herself and everyone she gets close to. She ends up in France mixing with artists and criminals. Though the book is quite long and depressing at times, I found it compelling. Published 2018.

Blood Notes by Lin Le Versha

A stunning debut crime mystery. Knockout opening chapter, standout characters and plotting, authentic setting.

In brief, a retired detective who’s now a school receptionist helps her former police colleague to solve a murder at the school. The odd pair of Edward – a gifted cellist and newly arrived student at the school – and his pushy mother seem to be involved, somehow… There’s a startling twist at the end! Published 2021.

I Am Dust by Louise Beech

This really is a haunting novel – both in terms of the subject matter and in its impact. A murder mystery entwined with an otherworldly coming-of-age story. You don’t need to believe in life after death to appreciate this novel, I’d say – though possibly it isn’t an ideal read for atheists unless they have a good imagination!

Plot in brief… Fifteen years ago, Chloe was one of three teenagers who dabbled with a Ouija board in between rehearsals for their school play, Macbeth. In the present day, theatre usher and fledgling playright Chloe is forced to confront what happened back then and the feelings she had for her best friend, now the leading lady in a revival of a play titled ‘I Am Dust’. The play was cancelled on its first run due to the murder – still unsolved – of its leading lady.

Ms Beech conveys the insecurities, rivalries and intensely felt emotions of both teenagers who enquire into the spirit world, and the adults who are compelled to unravel the mystery of one death, and death itself (on many levels). Published 2020.

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

A woman scarred by devious husband’s affair with best friend inherits a house in a remote country village intending to avoid matters of the heart for a while. But she’s strongly attracted to her grumpy bookshop-owner boss…

The Bookshop of Second Chances evokes the difficulties of relationships in later life with humour and panache, and quite a few poignant moments. Although often light in tone, the novel has serious undercurrents and is recommended for a pick-me-up. Published 2020.

Greetings from une très chaude France! I’ve retreated to the Pyrenees for the summer, where Mr E and I have a house. A friend and I stayed here first (with the dog), then my husband and more visitors arrived.

The incredible St Jean de la Peña monastery

Mostly I’ve been hard at work editing my WIP in between gardening, walking, cycling, swimming, reading and looking after house guests. We have also driven across the border to Spain through beautiful valleys to the abandoned Canfranc station now being restored and the ancient remote St Jean de la Peña monastery, built under a mountain.

At the new monastery (with vertigo inducing see-through floors)Sorting the gardenHardworking husband

The ‘garden’ had become a meadow again on our arrival, which meant long days of grass cutting and raking. I spent days battling the wilderness and now know how to use a strimmer (a vile contraption). We’re seriously considering getting in some sheep or goats, or buying a tractor!

Book news: Not bubbly-popping news exactly but still pretty ok While in France I learned that my most recent book Silenced has reached the semi-finals of an international book competition for independently published authors, the 2022 Bookbloggers' Novel of the Year. If it should get any further, I’ll let you know!

Wild swimming 

Here in the Pyrenees Atlantique (not far from Spain) we haven’t escaped the extreme heat, or cannicule as it’s called here. In the first heatwave my friend and I discovered the pleasures of river swimming (icy and fast flowing; you are not meant to swim in them as the water level is prone to rapidly rising without warning). We also swam at a nearby waterfall, and the dog paddled.

My cycling adventure 

The Brompton with battery, where I stopped (ski lifts visible below)

We took two bicycles to France for the first time, including an electric Brompton. In my enthusiasm to try it out on local roads, I cycled most of the way up a local mountain, Col d’Aubisque. (It is on the Tour de France route – the week before I watched the race go through our local town, the first time I’d seen this in person.)

The Tour de France passing through town

To my surprise, I had no problem getting up the mountain using the lowest or second lowest power and only stopped due to cloud descending, 5km from the top. Cycling down was hair-raising though. I couldn’t hear much (eg cars behind me) due to the rush of air past my ears, I was going so fast – and those avalanche tunnels and hairpin bends The road was narrower than I’d have liked given the steep drops in places. Fortunately, the brakes worked well [image error] I do love a challenge but this probably wasn’t the safest thing I’ve ever done!

Local traditions 

Traditions are still going strong in our village, usually involving singing and dancing.

Traditional torchlit gathering

My friend and I watched a torchlit procession that passed the house to the local ‘lavoir’ (a small structure surrounding a fountain where the village used to do their washing) at nearly midnight. It was followed by progressively more inebriated singing until the early morning.

Next day I crammed into the back of the village church with the dog and listened to a beautiful sound: eight men singing in Occitan (also known as Langue d’Oc, a traditional language of parts of southern France, Italy and Spain).

Another way of life

Here in our France house we have no TV or WiFi and virtually no radio reception. Thank goodness there’s now a good mobile phone signal, so we can access the internet on our mobiles. (I listen to France Inter via the the app and occasionally Today on Radio 4 if missing home.)

It’s been deeply refreshing to have a total change from our routines at home in London. I love the peace and beauty of these mountains, the clean air and savage thunderstorms, hearing the bells of cows, sheep and goats before dawn as they move to new pastures (the transhumance started one evening a few days ago, where animals are herded through the night to lower pastures), gazing at a night sky thick with stars, watching vultures, buzzards and hawks soaring, sitting in the garden with a beer at the end of the day as the sun dips behind the mountain…

There is so much more I could mention but the church bell is clanging midday (loudly and out of tune) reminding me of time passing, and this is getting long. Next time we visit, I hope the grass won’t have grown so high!

A bientôt, and I hope the summer is being kind to you wherever you are

It’s all over for another year… I spent two days at the international crime writing festival in Bristol,12-15 May 2022. It was my second time at CrimeFest and rather less stressful than my first time in 2019, when I sat on a panel in front of a huge room next to a God of Crime Writing, my hands trembling too much to hold a glass of water.

This time, the main stress was down to getting lost in a maze of lanes around the Mercure Grand just before the start of the first session morning (GPS no help whatsoever), trying to find a seat in the audience not behind a pillar or blasted by an aircon outlet, and trying to recognise authors I hadn’t met before except on Facebook.

Where I stayed

Over the two days I went to an extraordinary number of panels, nearly all of them informative, thought-provoking and/or entertaining. By the end of the first day (thanks to my unnaturally early rising time, and a glass of wine at the CWA Dagger shortlist reception, when fellow Hobeck Books author Mark Wightman was announced in the shortlist for the New Blood Dagger) I was ready to collapse. Somehow I made it with my heavy bag to my Airbnb, a room in a delightful cottage at the top of the hilliest part of Bristol.

Author tips from my hastily scribbled notes

Be careful when deciding to name the location of your novel. If you use a real location and name it, you may be inviting a host of objections to its perceived non-real aspects (eg X can’t be seen from Y street) or upset locals with grisly crimes occurring on their much-loved streets. If you have an unnamed/fictional location you may miss out on local bookshop/publicity opportunities. (From SUSPECT EVERYONE: TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITIES, SMALL TOWNS AND LOCKED ROOMS)

Characters in cozy mysteries and the like are best not killed in too gory a fashion. Being poisoned or struck by falling cheese is preferable to some alternative methods of dispatch mentioned, such as one involving a skull, superglue and scavenging birds. (From VIOLENCE & GORE: SWEET OLD LADIES & SERIAL KILLERS)

Matt W and Alex North on the Shivers and Shudders panel

When trying to creep out the reader, you need to know when to be explicit and when to leave it to the reader’s imagination; also real-life horrors can provide the starting point. Sometimes you end up unintentionally scaring the reader, as did Stella Oni whose Deadly Sacrifice about human trafficking and ritualistic killing was inspired by the 2001 discovery of the torso of a young African boy, popularly known as Adam, in the River Thames.

Panellists Helen Sedgwick and Alex North have also written about human sacrifice. Helen looks at the historical and social aspects of ritual human sacrifice, and mentioned the fascinating example of a person sacrificing their life – apparently willingly – for the good of their community. Alex North, in his most recent book (whose title I can’t remember) has written of two children obsessed with lucid dreaming who kill a classmate.

Demon and Whisper Man cover photos

In Demon, Matt (Six Stories) Wesolowski was inspired by the savage murder of a 12-year-old boy, Sidney Parsons in 1995, by two boys of the same age (the so-called ‘Demonic Duo’) in the village of Ussalthwaite.

(From SHIVERS AND SHUDDERS: CREEPING OUT THE READER)

Vaseem Khan moderating POWER CORRUPTS: ABUSES OF POWER

In a crime or psychological suspense novel, the character who abuses their power may not always be the one you expect. Patients can be in love with their doctors, want certain medication to be prescribed or have other hidden agendas. Doctors can also succumb to temptation. Jane Shemilt, a former doctor, was on two panels I went to (one with Vaseem Kahn, above) discussing doctor-patient relationships such as the one in The Patient. (From POWER CORRUPTS: ABUSES OF POWER)

I’M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP: FROM PAGE TO SCREEN panel

Lastly, in I’M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP: FROM PAGE TO SCREEN at the end of Saturday, everyone was in a light-hearted mood (Ann Cleeves, Antti Tuomainen, Yrsa Sigurdardottir and the brilliantly laconic moderator Kevin Wignall). One takeaway from this: if you are a control freak, don’t let the producer change your atmospheric location or transform the look of your main character. Otherwise just smile and take the money.

Dinner with some fellow authors from Hobeck Books

Proof I was there: with some of Team Hobeck on Saturday night

which makes this the perfect time to buy my book, of course My thanks to all who have done so already, and to those who have reviewed Silenced.

(Amazon Kindle ebook, 99p UK 99c US.)

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09KJPQY4P

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KJPQY4P

Universal link: http://viewbook.at/silenced

Silenced is a psychological crime thriller about love, betrayal and the courage to speak out about wrongdoing. (And it was in seven ‘favourite books of 2021’ lists – just saying!)

Do you risk everything by telling the truth about wrongdoing, or stay silent and safe? A detective must decide whether to reveal a secret that has haunted him for twenty-five years; a murdered girl’s mother must decide whether to tell police everything she knows; an elderly resident living next door to a feared gang’s headquarters must decide whether she will stand up to terrifying intimidation.

Quotes from reviews and early reader comments:

‘Mind-blowingly good, deserves more than 5 stars’ – Donna Morfett, Donna’s Interviews and Reviews

‘Brilliant’ – Samantha Brownley, UK Crime Book Club

‘Just brilliant. Read it!’ – Deb Day

‘Powerful’ – Kate Rhodes, author of Hell Bay and the DI Ben Kitto series set in the Scilly Isles

‘I have had multiple child exploitation training sessions for my work, but this book brilliantly shows how vulnerable youngsters are groomed far better than any of them.’

‘A crime thriller with depth. It’s heart pounding, addictive and intelligent. It’s rare to come across a rollercoaster read that has heart, but this is it. A must read.’ – Barbara Copperthwaite, author of The Girl in the Missing Poster and The Perfect Friend

‘A complete triumph – well written, fast paced, empathetic and heart-breaking. I loved it!’ – crime thriller author Liz Mistry

‘An absolute tour de force. I raced through this haunting and devastating novel that gripped me from the very first page.’ – Michelle Ryles, The Book Magnet

“An amazing police procedural with elements of a psychological thriller.” – Lynda Checkley, Lynda’s Book Reviews and News

‘Wow. Brilliant!’ – Emma Hardy

‘Intensely gripping.’ Louise Cannon, Bookmarks and Stages

‘A stunning story by this author, her best yet, in my opinion, and highly recommended, but do be warned you feel like you are there, and it will stay with you.’ – Susan Hampson, Books From Dusk to Dawn

‘a great read’ – Jenny McClinton

‘Silenced is a fantastic book. It’s exciting, enthralling, completely believable and an absolute triumph.’ – Linda Hill

‘I was so engrossed that I lost track of time and stayed awake till 3am to finish it.’ Surjit Parekh, Surjit’s Book Blog

‘An absolutely thrilling, rollercoaster read, so cleverly told and so immensely authentic. I was gripped from start to finish. This is storytelling of the highest order and I can’t wait for Jennie Ensor’s next book.’ – Alex Day, author of The Best of Friends

‘Mesmerisingly good.’ – Linda Huber, author of Chosen Child, Ward Zero, Daria’s Daughter and Pact of Silence

‘Crime fiction at its best.’ – Ian Skewis, author of A Murder of Crows

‘Sally Rooney meets Lynda La Plante in this dark tale of teenage experiment and adult shame… Breathtaking and gut wrenching in equal measure.’ – Kerensa Jennings, author of thriller Seas of Snow

It has been another unsettling year, full of uncertainty and unwanted isolation. I grew weary of most of what had been done face to face being transferred to zoom, from yoga classes to writing groups to the chamber choir I’m in. Thankfully, the choir began to meet for real in a local church and I intermittently began to attend my favourite yoga class again, in a large, draughty room.

The publication of my fourth book by small, fast-growing independent Hobeck Books hobeck.net and the incredible response from readers has been the highlight of my 2021, I’m not ashamed to say. (The others were performing Brahms’ German Requiem – difficult music which I grew to love – and swimming in a mountain-top lake in south-west France. There was also a significant birthday, which came with predictable angst. To celebrate, I flung myself across a vast canyon at high speed, attached by a harness to a wire above me – 18 times. I emerged onto solid ground trembling, dry mouthed and overjoyed to be alive.)

Post on 31 December 2021, Linda’s Book Bag

Since its publication last month, my 500-page crime novel/chiller thriller/heartbreaker Silenced (http://viewbook.at/silenced) has been included in a spate of best books of 2021 lists. These include author/bloggers Liz Mistry (The Crime Warp) and Linda Huber, book reviewer/author interviewers Samantha Brownley (UK Crime Book Club on Facebook), Donna Morfett (Donna’s Interviews and Reviews), Lynda Checkley (Lynda’s Book Reviews on Instagram and Facebook) and Joe Singleton – and just the other day, Linda Hill (Linda’s Book Bag). I am hugely grateful to all of them.

Lynda Checkley’s top 20 books of 2021

It is wonderful to know that this novel, which I’ve worked so hard on for so long, is having an impact on readers. All three of my previous books (Blind Side, The Girl in His Eyes and Not Having It All) have had a pleasing number of smile-creating/table-leaping five-star reviews. But the initial response to Silenced has taken me by surprise. (One reader told me the book had brought her emotions to such a pitch, she needed a long lie down to recover.)

Many authors will know the joy at knowing that one’s words have touched a reader, or jolted them into seeing the world slightly differently. A strong reader response gives a sense of validation, especially when you are starting out. I won’t forget the burst of gratitude and overwhelmedness which brought a lump to my throat while reading certain reviews of Silenced. Once I’ve completed my 2020-21 tax return, replied to long-ago-sent emails, bought up half of Holloway Road Waitrose – it is my turn to go shopping, Mr E has reminded me – and completed all the tasks I’ve neglected for months due to The Book, I will print out one or two reviews to view during the difficult times which no doubt will come, when I struggle to find words or coherent thoughts and what I’ve written is fit only for the recycle bin.

It’s a dull, damp day here in London. With Omicron infections rising daily and a surge in the numbers of people in hospital with Covid-related illness, many people I know are being careful again and avoiding seeing others except for their immediate family or via Zoom. I’m doing the same. I had planned to go shopping for the first time in ages, to spend a gift voucher and to see the West End Christmas lights. But the thought of those busy shops and packed tube trains… Going into crowded spaces might mean catching the virus and infecting a vulnerable friend or elderly relative, not to mention contributing to the increasing strain on our health system.

This seems like a good time to start becoming a hermit again. Very shortly I’ll be back sitting at my desk every day, carrying on with the half-finished first draft of book five.

Wishing you a 2022 with much laughter, many moments of happiness and some times to remember – for the right reasons!