Series: A DS Kite Mystery #1
Release Date: 16th March 2017
Publisher: Honno Press
Publisher: Honno Press
Genres: Crime
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A DS Kite
novel – a city detective joins the mid-Wales force bringing new insights and ruffling country feathers
Newly promoted DS
Julie Kite is at a crossroads. Her
husband’s desire for a different life takes her away from urban Manchester and
its inner city problems to tranquil mid-Wales. It is to be a clean slate for
them both. On her first day at Builth Wells police station, Julie is thrust
unexpectedly into the centre of an investigation into a suspicious death in a
remote farming community.
Back in Manchester,
Stephen Collins is set free from HMP Strangeways. Bible in hand he makes his way to mid-Wales,
the scene of the heinous crime for which he was imprisoned, in order to
confront those who had a hand in his incarceration.
The twists and
turns of the investigation into solicitor Gareth Watkin’s death force
DS Kite to confront
her own demons as well as those of her rural community and, ultimately, to
uncover the lengths to which we’ll go to protect our families…
BUY LINKS
Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed this book! My first book by Jan Newton and it definitely won't be my last. DS Julie Kite up sticks and moves to rural Wales under the guise of a promotion but more than likely to try to keep her husband under control and stop him from straying once again. Its clear from the beginning that Julie isn't keen on the move but is keen to try to save her marriage. A strong and intelligent woman, this is her only weakness.
On her first day Julie must deal with a murder while also trying to ingratiate herself with the locals and her new colleagues. She's new and they are suspicious of her. Battling to fit in both at work and home Julie must use all her experience to try to solve this crime. Emotions are high and there's a lot at stake, albeit more than Julie's own reputation.
As crime novels go, this one ranks up there with some of the best I've read. It turned out to be one of those books that was so difficult to put down and again one of those books that had me up until the wee small hours desperate to finish. Jan Newton has created such an interesting and complex character in Julie and I really liked her. Her vulnerability as well as her strength were often at odds with one another. The story was well paced with lots of clues to tempt and tease us and a wealth of interesting characters ensured that the story moved along and kept me interested. Jan Newton's descriptions of rural Wales has made me want to go visit too! Not sure about everyone else who has read the book but I found myself reading it in a Welsh accent! A super read that made me a Jan Newton fan! Highly recommended!
I
wrote my first novel when I was seven, all about the adventures of a little
green one-legged spaceman, who crash-landed his tiny ship in my north
Manchester suburb. We had plenty of
adventures, Fred and me, filling fourteen Lancashire Education Committee
exercise books and earning me two gold stars in the process. But when I was eight, a rotund Welsh Mountain
Pony by the name of Pixie trotted into my life, and writing was immediately
relegated in favour of all things equine.
It
took more years than I care to admit for me to resume my writing career. In 2005 we moved to gloriously inspiring mid
Wales. In 2009 I stumbled across an Open
University creative writing module and the rest, as they say, is history. After completing my OU degree, I fulfilled a
lifetime ambition and enrolled on an MA course at Swansea University. The whole experience was magical. It was like being taken by the hand and led
back to a place where my imagination could run riot.
I
began by writing short stories, which I love, but I always feel disappointed
when I have to say goodbye to my characters so soon, and so the next challenge
was to attempt a novel. It’s been a
fantastic experience, from its shaky start in a brand new exercise book, but
now, finally, I have my second novel. I
still have a horse – this one’s been with me for over twenty years - but these
days I seem to be able to allow the two obsessions – books and horses – to run
side by side.
ABOUT JAN NEWTON
Jan
grew up in Manchester and Derbyshire, spending her formative years on the back
of a pony, exploring the hills and moorland around her home. She lived
and worked in London and Buckinghamshire for 19 years until moving to Wales in
2005, where she learnt to speak fluent Welsh. Jan has won several writing
competitions, including the Allen Raine Short Story competition, the WI Lady
Denman Cup, and the Oriel Davies Gallery competition for nature-writing. She
has been published in New Welsh Review.
Twitter: @janmaesygroes
Website: www.jannewton.net
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