What do you do when you finish work on the latest project? Me? I usually jump straight in to the next one, if I haven't already started it. But this time, I'm going to take a break and fly off to the sunshine (I hope) and have a think. That means good weather for the UK. The sun always comes out when we leave the country! I have lots of ideas for all the series currently underway and even have some outlines written. But I can't decide, so if you have any preferences let me know in the comments, or drop me an email to let me know who you think I should visit next. Will it be Meredith to see what complications life has yet to throw at him? Maybe the Bearing Women, who must have solved a few more cases by now, or perhaps Tom and Liz, to see if they've sorted themselves out. What do you think?
But back to why I'm here. The second in the JJ Jenson series, To Kill Two Birds, will be published on July 16th and is available to pre-order. To celebrate, the ebook of An Ill Wind, the first in the series, will be on offer from 3rd - 10th June 2024. ONLY 99p! So, grab your copy now.
There's an excerpt from To Kill Two Birds below. I hope you enjoy it.
Before I dash away to pack, for those of you who have yet to catch up with Meredith & Hodge, the boxed set 1-9 is on sale at the moment. Nine books for less than a fiver!
JJ Jenson brushed away the soil with his fingertips, noticing the tremor he’d fought to control. He’d been right. This was the shallow grave of seven-year-old Daniel Boyd. JJ stared at the two little fingers and the tiny thumb he’d revealed and composed himself. It would be no good for the investigation if he became emotional. Knowing the recent rain, still covering the grass, was soaking into his trousers, he knew he should move. Daniel’s parents needed to know, and Daniel’s body needed to be recovered. But he couldn’t, and now he knew why. The little fingers moved.
“Help me,” JJ screamed. “He’s alive. He’s alive.” Still unable to move, he looked around for someone to help Daniel. There was no one. Only him and he couldn’t move. Not even to dig Daniel free. “Help me!” he bellowed at the cloudless blue sky.
A hand gripped JJ’s shoulder, and he flinched. “JJ. It’s okay. It’s a dream. Wake up, please.”
JJ curled into a ball and sobbed. It was his fault.
“JJ, do not go back to sleep. Wake up. Sit up. Go and pee. Have a drink, but wake up.” Sharon Elliott, JJ’s partner, shook him again.
JJ opened his eyes. No field, no mud, and no little fingers. Another dream. He drew in a deep breath.
Davie George entered the couple’s bedroom and looked at JJ curled up like a child with Sharon stroking his arm. “Bloody hell. What was that all about? Is he dreaming? He told me it was bad, but not like this. JJ, wake up and I’ll tell you what a bloody idiot you are. We both know what brought this on, and it wasn’t one too many.”
JJ unfurled and rubbed his hands over his face. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes. He saw Davie first and frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“Where else would I be? Certainly not sleeping, not with you shouting and bawling.” Davie looked at Sharon. “How often is he like this? Has he seen a doctor?”
“I don’t need a doctor. I need to catch Bryn Jenkins.”
Sharon threw her arms into the air. “Right. That’s it. Get up. Get up, now. Davie put the kettle on. I know we said we’d wait until tomorrow, but we’re technically there, even if it is still dark. I told JJ I’d give him my blessing to go off hunting for this man if he told me what happened, and he’s going to tell me now. Don’t just stand there, I won’t change my mind. Kettle.”
Ten minutes later, three bleary-eyed people sat around the kitchen table. Sharon squeezed JJ’s hand. “I know this is going to be tough. I’ve been with you for five years and you’ve not said a word about Daniel Boyd. You’ve bellowed and sobbed, and every other noise in between. Now you’ve decided you’re going to go after the man who killed him. Perhaps talking about what happened will help ease the pain.”
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