Murder at Midwinter Farm is out today!

Murder at Midwinter Farm releases today! A festive murder mystery outing for Kitty and Matt. A frosty country lane, snow-dusted Devon hills as far as the eye can see… and a local farmer vanished without trace. Can Kitty Underhay solve this chilling mystery? Devon, 1937. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a crisp winter morning walk with her best friend, Alice, and her fiancé, Robert, who have recently bought the mysterious Midwinter Farm. The previous owner vanished one night, his dinner still on the table and the front door left wide open. But as work is carried out on the farm, a body is found in the grounds. How was the man murdered—and who is responsible? Robert trusts the local police even less than Kitty does, so she is immediately on the case, with her husband Matt by her side. As the pair take the bull by the horns and begin to gather clues, several suspects emerge. Though he seems gentle as a lamb, is the victim’s son as innocent as he appears? Why does the local pub landlord have an axe to grind, and does his daughter seem suspicious? The waters become muddied by a robbery, with valuable jewels stolen at neighbouring Seacliffe Hall. Is the thief also the murderer Kitty is looking for? Or are the two crimes entirely unconnected? With the weak winter sun setting over the fields and danger mounting fast, Kitty and Matt need to find the killer, before they meet their own icy end in the dead of winter… Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey or Verity Bright will adore this totally charming murder mystery. The perfect treat for cozy crime fans!

Out in kindle, audio, paperback or read on KU HERE This story is set close to my home and features some of the loveliest places in this part of Devon. I hope you'll all enjoy it!

The Secret Detective Agency

Huge, bigly announcement from me today!!! The Friday Night Project has been contracted and is now called The Secret Detective Agency. Here is what my publisher had to say!!!! We’re over the moon to announce that commissioning editor Maisie Lawrence has acquired a world rights in a brand-new cosy crime series by Helena Dixon from Kate Nash of Kate Nash Literary Agency. Dixon is the author of the bestselling Miss Underhay mystery series, which has delighted fans worldwide with over 95 million Kindle Unlimited pages read and over 250,000 copies sold. Bookouture are also thrilled to be publishing four new Miss Underhay mysteries with Dixon in 2025. The first book in her new series, The Secret Detective Agency, will publish in March 2025. The book opens in 1941 at the house of Arthur Cilento, an asthmatic academic, who finds a woman’s body in the gardens of his manor house. Miss Jane Treen, a government officer from London who manages an elite group of spies, knows exactly who the mystery woman was and why she was there. Forced to work together, the race is on to solve a deadly puzzle that Arthur and Jane were not anticipating. Maisie said, ‘Helena Dixon is a cosy crime master and totally brilliant at crafting twisty, gripping plots, combined with tantalising settings that are an utter joy to read. In this new series, she has created two truly unforgettable characters – and an excellent cat – who will solve tricky crimes together. She’s a joy to work with, always going above and beyond to delight her readers and I can’t wait for them to fall in love with The Secret Detective Agency.’ Helena said, ‘I am so excited to bring The Secret Detective Agency to readers. Maisie and the team at Bookouture are so great to work with that I know Jane, Arthur and Marmaduke the one-eyed cat couldn’t be in better hands.’

North Devon Writing Retreat

Just a quick note to say that I have agreed to tutor a writing retreat in North Devon in November. If you would like to focus on writing a crime novel or are already an established writer but looking for a bit of inspiration or a change of direction then why not sign up? There are lots of other workshops and day courses available too. I have been delivering workshops for over twenty years, have written over fifty books now, romance, YA, Christian and historical cosy crime. I have judged several major writing competitions and won national and international awards. The Miss Underhay series has topped the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia and has been translated into several languages.I am a very experienced structural editor and book doctor so you will be in safe hands! Check it out HERE

Trouble in Paradise

Regular readers will remember that umpteen years ago I had a book called Animal Instincts. It won the RNA's Love Story of the year. Well, exciting stuff! It's back with a new title - Trouble in Paradise and a rather lovely new cover. If you missed it first time around then why not check it out.USA Here is the blurb! Clodagh Martin has enough problems right now. Her beloved animal sanctuary is facing financial ruin, her celebrity sister has just announced she's coming for an extended visit, and her foul-mouthed parrot Dave is, well, foul-mouthed. Combined with a troubling wave of vandalism on her property, Clodagh feels that the whole world is against her and her animals. And if that wasn't enough, property magnate Jack Thatcher has been sniffing around her struggling business. But when Jack begins to show an interest in Clodagh as well, there really is trouble in paradise...

You'll see too that it's now joined my Helena Dixon collection although it is a contemporary.

The preorder is up!

Murder at the Wedding is now live for preorder with it's gorgeous cover! BUY HERE

Happy Book Birthday!

Murder at Enderley Hall is one year old this week! Wow! That has gone so quickly.See it Here So happy that Matt and Kitty are gaining new fans every day. I'm working hard on book 7 and Murder at Elm House will be out in June!