David Hodges's Blog: Murder On Audible

I bought a new , well, rather a second-hand, book called 'Masters of Villainy' by Cay Van Ash and Elizabeth Sax Rohmer, the other day. It is a biography on the author, Sax Rohmer, who wrote the famous crime series featuring the evil character Dr Fu Manchu. It is a fascinating account of the writer's career over the mid nineteen-hundreds, with all its ups and downs, and it took me right back to my youth in the fifties when, seeing me bored, my mother introduced me to Rohmer and his villainous character haunting London's old Chinatown. I was immediately entranced and the books were my inspiration for wanting to be a professional writer. It took me more than forty years to fulfill that ambition, which was interrupted by thirty years service in the police, but eventually I got there after so many struggles and setbacks along the way that almost put me off. Now with a total of around 20 published novels behind me, including a 13 book crime series, set on the Somerset Levels, I look back with great fondness on those exciting days as an eleven year old child sharing in the adventures of Dr Fu Manchu, and it is my fervent wish as I approach my eightieth year, that other readers will share in the adventures of my heroine, Detective Sergeant Kate, who has become as real to me as Dr Fu Manchu apparently was to the late Sax Rohmer. Without a doubt, imagination is one of the greatest gifts any reader can possess. It can be a driver for life itself.
Happy reading...
David Hodges (Author of On The Levels Crime Series)

The latest novel in my Somerset Crime Series, featuring Sergeant Kate Lewis and husband/partner, Hayden, is now available for pre-order, with a publication date of 21 March 2024.

This one is a little different from my usual spooky plots and is very much a topical thriller, which is set in part on the wild coast of Pembrokeshire as well as on the misty Somerset Levels.

Kate and Hayden are taking a break from policing to re-charge their batteries, but crime is never very far away and Kate's marriage is tested to the full when, without Hayden's knowledge, she dives headlong into what turns out to be her most dangerous assignment yet. In the process she discovers to her cost that diamonds are not always a girl's best friend!

I hope my loyal readers will all enjoy the novel, which is the thirteenth in the series. I certainly enjoyed putting it together...

David Hodges

A storm is on it's way and so is my new novel in my Somerset Levels murder series. Hard on the heels of WATCHER ON THE LEVELS, published in April 2023, comes STORM ON THE LEVELS, which is due out on 17 October 2023.
This time the story is more in the style of a creepy country house (or hotel in this case) 'who dun it', with a suspected ghost, lots of corpses and the worst storm to hit the Levels in living memory all thrown in for good measure. I hope you, my lovely readers, enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed writing it, but I must confess, I did feel the need to glance behind me in the shadows of my study more than once while sitting at my laptop. With the best will in the world, I do hope those who decide to turn the pages of the novel get a similar reaction. After all, scaring people half to death is what it's all about - er, isn't it?
David Hodges

Just to let those readers know who follow my Somerset Murder Series that Book 11 in the series, WATCHER ON THE LEVELS, is due for publication by Joffe Books on 12 April 2023, but it is available now for pre-order on Kindle, with the paperback version following after initial digital publication.

I am grateful for all my readers' reviews, good and critical, which I always read and take note of, but could I stress that the novels are pure fiction and not intended to be full police procedurals. As a former police officer, I am well aware of the fact that the boundaries of what would happen in reality are stretched to meet the requirements of the plots, but my chief objective has always been to provide entertaining thrillers, rather than stories with totally factual backgrounds and I hope that I have succeeded in this. So, please, read on in that vein, tongue in cheek...

David Hodges

October 2022 saw the republication by Lume Books of one of my earlier crime novels, BURNOUT, which was out of print. It's a stand alone crime thriller and in writing the novel, I drew on my previous experience as the force press public relations officer in Thames Valley Police. Needless to say, all the characters and events in the novel are fictitious and the police force referred to is not my old force, but an imaginary one. But I hope the novel gives some enjoyment to my faithful readers. It was one of the novels I enjoyed writing the most and as the second of the sixteen crime novels I have now had published, probably provided me with the greatest fulfilment as a debut author.

David Hodges

Just to remind my lovely readers that my new novel in the Murder On The Levels Series (Book 10) VENOM ON THE LEVELS, will be released on 28 April 2022 by my publisher, Joffe Books. It is available right now on amazon for pre-order.

But be warned. This one, as I've said previously, centres on the escape of a deadly poisonous tropical spider who has a penchant for sinking her fangs into anyone silly enough to offend her. DS Kate Lewis has every reason to dread this particular investigation as she is, like me, an arachnophobe, so metaphorically you may want her to hold your hands on this one. Oh, by the way, the spider's name is Martha and she just loves the dark, creepy shadows of a very old property called Moat House...

Happy reading, but have you shut your windows?

David Hodges

Just to remind my lovely followers that my new crime novel in the Somerset Murder Series, Venom On The Levels, is due to be released by Joffe Books in April 2022. If you like the idea of sharing your bed with a Brazilian Wandering Spider, then you might be interested in this one. But I should warn you that 'Martha', as she is called, has a reputation as the most deadly tropical spider in the world and she just loves to cuddle up...

Just finished writing my next novel and I am doing the hardest bit now - proofing. It takes me ages and I absolutely detest it. But things have to be right and it's an insult to your publisher and your reading public not to take every care to ensure spelling, punctuation, syntax and all the other horrors are effectively covered so that the finished product is as sound as you can possibly make it. Trouble is, I have a vivid imagination and this particular novel has it's own special horrors too in the form of poisonous spiders, which has caused me a few sleepless nights, as I am, to my shame, a total arachnophobe! Why do authors do it to themselves and write about something that frightens the life out of them? I suppose because we think that if it frightens us, it sure as hell is likely to frighten the readers and that's all part of the game, isn't it?
David Hodges

Well, the year's sweat and toil, assisted by much needed whisky stimulation, is now done and I can rest the weary old brain for a couple of months.

Detective Sergeant Kate Lewis (Hamblin) and her husband and partner, Hayden, are back fighting the good fight on the Somerset Levels with my new (ninth) novel, STALKER ON THE LEVELS, which is now available on amazon on a pre-order basis. The book will be released by Joffebooks on 24 November. This time Kate's 'maverick' go-it-alone behaviour also takes her off the Levels to Pembrokeshire on the wild coast of West Wales, and anyone who suffers from claustrophobia or a fear of wells will know exactly how she feels when she twice faces an untimely end at the hands of her ruthless protagonist.

The link is:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09J5HT132.

So, whether you've read any of my Somerset Murder series or not, why not try this one and let me know through Goodreads what you think? Opinions and suggestions always gratefully received on the long, lonely writing road...

Best Wishes to all my readers...

David Hodges

Hi Folks,

Dropped out for a time on the site, but now back again. I've not been idle meanwhile, though. Eight crime novels in my Somerset Murder Series with Joffe Books so far published, plus a short story in a box set. Also, six of my earlier novels are now available on Audible for those who prefer to listen rather than read or who are, sadly, sight-challenged. My latest crime novel, STALKER ON THE LEVELS, is to be released on 24 November, so this is a heads up for those who like to follow the exploits of Detective Sergeant Kate and her husband and partner, Hayden. Details on my novels can be found on my author page here and on amazon. My thanks to the Goodreads 'crew' who got me back up and running on all cylinders; you really are a great bunch!

David Hodges