Today sees the pre-order of my book, Slow Slicing. I feel both proud and humble about this one, because while it is the seventh in my DI Bliss series, it’s my tenth published book in total. Reaching double figures feels significant for some reason, as if that purely numeric achievement somehow makes a difference.
This book is darker and more chilling than many of my previous Jimmy Bliss novels, but it also contains some moments that had me laughing out loud as I wrote them, so I’m hoping I got the balance right. Mixing those ingredients is a huge part of the challenge – folding in and developing the characters, certain elements of back story sprinkled into the mix at just the right moment, together with a pinch of suspense, a soupçon of humour, a tablespoon of thrills and, in this case, a garnish of chills. You hope the end result tastes just right, but you can never know for sure until people have had their fill.
Slow Slicing is the second of three DI Bliss offerings this year. In March I released Endless Silent Scream, which was amazingly well-received. In December I’m publishing a Jimmy Bliss prequel novella, in which I take a look at his first case as a DC. In this short and snappy piece, regular readers will finally get to meet Hazel, the woman who went on to become Jimmy’s wife. You’ll also get to know his parents a little more, too. I think some familiar traits will expose themselves, and you’ll get to see the Bliss you might have imagined him to be.
But for now, I hope you enjoy this slightly darker trip into the world of DI Bliss and his Major Crimes colleagues. Early ARC reviews have been stunning – so much better than I could have imagined – and the book is published on Monday 10 August.
You can pre-order Slow Slicing here.
Thank you.