About

Hello and thank you for coming to my website. Here’s a little about me. I’m a crime writer and author of the bestselling Smart Woman’s mystery series and The Blood Chronicles. I was very fortunate to be shortlisted for the CWA Dagger. My debut novel, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder, won The People’s Book Prize for fiction 2021. It was also named In Search of the Classic Mystery’s novel of the year.

I was awarded the Gothic Fiction prize in 2019. My short fiction has also been published in various literary journals and anthologies.

I have spoken at various literary festivals, including Malice Domestic (the Agathas) in Washington, Bodies from the Library at the British Library, Alibis in the Archive at Gladstone’s Library, Crimefest, Newcastle Noir, Murder One, Crime in the Countryside and the International Agatha Christie Festival where I was honoured to be asked to speak on her birthday and to also speak at the festival to unveil her new statue. I’ve also had the great privilege of being the gala dinner speaker at the CWA conference.

I have appeared on panels with and interviewed many wonderful authors including Jojo Moyes, Ken Follett, Sophie Hannah, SJ Parris, Simon Brett, Vaseem Khan & Martin Edwards.

I’m now the Vice Chair of the CWA and head of the London chapter. I’ve also recently been elected as a member of The Athenaeum Club.

I’m incredibly honoured to be a patron of the new crime writers’ festival Bloody Barnes.

I’m originally from Yorkshire, which possibly explains the passion for all things Gothic and dark and, after studying law at Cambridge University, went on to be a criminal law barrister for many years, appearing at the Old Bailey. I now just write about crimes.