I am delighted today to be shining a spotlight on HELEN HOLLICK’s fifth and latest Jan Christopher cosy murder mystery, A Memory of Murder, which was published on May 18th 2024.
Find out more about the book below, and read my thoughts about it…
What is the book about?
A Memory of Murder – a new cosy murder mystery to solve – along with library assistant Jan Christopher, her fiancé, Detective Sergeant Laurie Walker, and her uncle, Detective Chief Inspector Toby Christopher.
Set in the 1970s, this easy read cosy mystery series is based around the years when Helen was a north-east London library assistant, using many of her remembered anecdotes, some hilarious – like the boy who wanted a book on Copper Knickers. (You’ll have to read the first book, A Mirror Murder, to find out more!)
The mysteries alternate between Jan’s home town, and where Laurie’s parents live – North Devon (where Helen now lives).
In this fifth episode, there’s a missing girl, annoying decorators, circus performers, and a wanna-be rock star to deal with. But who remembers the brutal, cold case murder of a policeman?
Easter 1973
The North London library where Jan Christopher works is in upheaval because the decorators are in to spruce the place up, but there is more for her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, and her fiancé, DS Laurie Walker, to worry about than a few inconvenient pots of paint.
An eleven-year-old girl has not returned home after school, and strange ‘gifts’ are being surreptitiously left for the detective chief inspector’s family to find. Could these items have anything to do with the unsolved murder, fifteen years ago, of Jan’s policeman father?
Reader’s comments on Helen’s Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery books:
“Can I say this is the best one (of the series) yet? YES! For the depth of the writing, the maturity of the main character, and the complexity of the premise. It’s cosy…with a few chills for good measure!” Elizabeth St John, author
“I sank into this gentle cosy mystery story with the same enthusiasm and relish as I approach a hot bubble bath, (in fact this would be a great book to relax in the bath with!), and really enjoyed getting to know the central character...” Debbie Young, bestselling cosy mystery author
“Jan is a charming heroine. You feel you get to know her and her love of books and her interest in the people in the library where she works. She’s also funny, and her Aunt Madge bursts with character – the sort of aunt I would love to have had. I remember the 70s very well and Ms Hollick certainly gives a good flavour of the period.” Denise Barnes (bestselling romance author Molly Green)
“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London. Told from the viewpoint of a young library assistant, the author draws on her own experience to weave an intriguing tale” Richard Ashen (South Chingford Community Library)
“Every sentence pulls you back into the early 1970s… The Darling Buds of May, but Devon not Kent. The countryside itself is a character and Hollick imbues it with plenty of emotion” Alison Morton, author
“An enjoyable novella with a twist in who done it. I spent the entire read trying to decide what was a clue and what wasn’t … Kept me thinking the entire time. I call that a success.” Reader’s Review
And what are my thoughts about
A Memory of Murder?
This is the second of Helen’s Jan Christopher stories that I have read. They are a light read – well, they are cosy mysteries! The overall feel of the books is undoubtedly “cosy”: the warm writing style, and in particular, Jan’s chatty way of telling her story; the humour and quirkiness; the domestic nature of many of the period details – very evocative to a reader who is similar in age to Jan herself (and indeed the author!). I especially enjoyed the many references to the books, music and culture of the period. Yet, despite all this unmistakeable cosiness, this particular story does take quite a dark turn, one which affects Jan very personally, and brings a depth that is certainly not merely cosy.
Jan is a delightful lead character – quite forthright in many ways, despite her youth, and a little irritating at times, getting herself into silly pickles. But her youthful weaknesses are ones we can understand. Her first person chatty style could be annoying in a different sort of book but here it works well, making the reader feel Jan is talking through her experiences with her directly.
There were sufficient twists, turns and false leads to keep me guessing, though I suppose I did surmise the identity of the murderer, but not the why’s and how’s of it, and it was those that kept me turning the pages to find the answers.
A very enjoyable read, and hopefully there will be more Jan Christopher adventures.
Book details
A Memory of Murder, Episode 5 in the Jan Christopher Murder Mystery series,
is published by Taw River Press and is available as an eBook and in paperback.
buy link
Or order from any bookstore
About the author
Helen Hollick
First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/supernatural series, The Sea Witch Voyages. She has also branched out into the quick read novella, ‘Cosy Mystery’ genre with her Jan Christopher Mysteries, set in the 1970s.
Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She is currently writing about the ghosts of North Devon for Amberley Press, and another, Jamaica Gold for her Sea Witch Voyages.
She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon with their dogs and cats, while on the farm there are showjumper horses, fat Exmoor ponies, an elderly Welsh pony, geese, ducks and hens. And several resident ghosts.
You can follow Helen on social media:
Blog (promoting good authors & good reads)
Carolyn Hughes 
Thank you so much!
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