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Sam Smith Mystery Series Sam Smith Private Eye

The Hermit of Hisarya #1

The Hermit of Hisarya, Book Five in the Sam Smith Mystery Series, takes Sam away from her home city to Plovdiv, Bulgaria. There, she uncovers a secret dating back to the Second World War. The secret has implications for the people of today and the trail leads to organised crime and murder. The book is currently available as an eBook with the print and audio book versions to follow in the new year.

Pictured is the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv, a cultural landmark of the city and a popular attraction for tourists. Partially restored with 3,500 seats the theatre is also used for modern performances. Along with Hisarya, Plovdiv features strongly in The Hermit of Hisarya, including a chapter set in the Ancient Theatre.

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The Writers' Cooperative

Diana J Febry

Diana J Febry

This week I am delighted to feature the very talented Diana J Febry on my website. Diana writes intriguing mysteries that hold your attention from first page to last. Her latest book is Point of No Return, and here are some details, supplied by Diana.

Point Of No Return is the third outing for DCI Peter Hatherall and DI Fiona Williams but as with the first two each book can be read as a stand alone mystery. They are called to James Palmer’s farm to investigate a spate of vandalism on his property. After a bomb explodes in the garage and a prime suspect disappears they realise this is much more sinister than it first appeared. As with all my books my primary intention is to entertain and write the type of books I like to read. The underlying theme in this book is disguise and the double-life we all lead to some extent playing the different roles that make up who we are. The reader should realise by the mid-point of the book who the culprit was but not who they are today. Yes – I do like to play with my readers but I always play fair and leave a trail of clues hidden within the story.

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Questions & Answers

Do you use a pen name?

Yes. Diana J Febry was my mother’s maiden name. She died when I was in my early twenties and it somehow seemed appropriate and a way to remember her.

How do you enjoy to spend your time when not writing?

Now my children are grown up (or think they are) my constant companion is Albert my dog. I also have two horses Mr Paddy and Jaeica who are stabled on the Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton Estate. The four of us wander through the woods and parkland on the estate while I daydream thinking up new story ideas.

Name someone who had a strong childhood influence on you.

My maternal Grandmother was very much before her time. She had been a nanny for the Codrington family & travelled the world with them in the early 1900s. She told wonderful tales of her adventures & believed in “doing your own thing.”

Do you know what is going to happen at the end of the story before you sit down to write?

I don’t right at the start but because of the type of books I write once I’ve completed the first draft it is difficult to make major changes. To be fair to my readers I am very careful with the time-line and make sure when all is revealed at the end that characters were in the correct place at the relevant time for events to have happened the way I’ve suggested.

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The rural setting for Diana’s stories

Some quotes from reviews

“A Classic Mystery to Keep You Guessing.”

“Point of No Return is a wonderful tale of murder, revenge, and suspense. The characters are full of the flaws we love to empathize with. The plot is full of misdirection and red herrings that make the mystery a real page turner.”

“Point of No Return is an excellent read, a fast-paced police procedural with a strong sense of place. Indeed, the sights and sounds of the countryside are evident on every page and draw you into the intimacy of a rural setting.”

“Point of No Return is a great British mystery – a highly enjoyable read. You will enjoy it even if you usually prefer fast-paced reads.”

“A very suspenseful story with a great cast of characters, plus a complex plot that will keep you guessing till the very end.”

Twitter ref – https://twitter.com/DianaJFebry

Diana J Febry (@DianaJFebry) | Twitter
The latest Tweets from Diana J Febry (@DianaJFebry). An accidental writer of mysteries with quirky characters. Avid reader & reviewer. Hobbies – live theatre, horses and dogs. South Gloucestshire, England

Categories
Sam Smith Mystery Series

The Big Chill – Reviews

Two wonderful five star reviews for The Big Chill posted on Amazon


Review #1. This series just gets better and better. I finished The Big Chill in one sitting, reading until the wee hours of the morning because I just HAD to know who shot Sam! The story picks up with Sam and Alan’s relationship coming into full bloom. Sam and Alis (Alan’s teenage daughter) are getting along famously after their rocky start, and Sam has earned a solid reputation as a private detective. She begins to think her life has finally taken a turn for the better, when bam, she is shot by an unknown assailant and left for dead.

Sam’s recovery is slow, but she can’t rest until she solves the mystery of who shot her. Alan arranges for a bodyguard to protect her, and here we meet Mac, my favorite character in the series. Sam and the big Scotsman navigate the city’s underbelly, searching for clues, while the police arrest a man Sam believes is innocent. Sam trusts her intuition and knows there is more to the case than meets the eye. But will she be too late as she grows weaker and weaker, unable to defend herself? The book ricochets to a satisfying conclusion, wrapping up all the loose ends nicely. Well done! 

Review #2. This is probably the best in this series. Sam is still a really interesting character with a past that needs some overcoming and trust issues. This time the plot presses her buttons in all the wrong ways. Excellent psychological insights, empathy and suspense. There is a fantastic segment about the blur of consciousness. Howe is really an author to watch, able to change the tone from light hearted to more thoughtful, making this an easy and yet very rewarding read.
Cracking!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Chill-Mystery-Series-ebook/dp/B00UCIABHC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Big-Chill-Mystery-Series-ebook/dp/B00UCIABHC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

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Categories
Sam Smith Mystery Series

Love and Bullets Audio Book

Released today on Amazon, Audible and iTunes, Love and Bullets, the second Sam Smith audio book. Please follow this Amazon link for full details Love and Bullets

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Love and Bullets Reviews

I didn’t read the first in the series but there is a brief catch up in the first chapter that helps. I was really involved with the main character from the start, a strong but also vulnerable and deep, interesting character. While there is a great plot and a lot of action and suspense, for me the human tragedy of domestic violence was at the core of my reading experience. I felt the author did a great job at striking a balance between serious and entertainment, though. A very powerful read that I would highly recommend. Gripping and believable at the same time, very well written. – Bookworm

Let me begin by saying how much I love this series. Hannah Howe is a fabulous writer, bringing her characters to life in such a way the reader gets to know them and truly care about them. Love and Bullets, book 2 in the Sam Smith series, begins where Sam’s Song left off. Sam is dealing with the emotional fallout of her last case, which ended in bloodshed and death. As Sam deals with the ghosts of her past, she also walks a tightrope of attraction for Dr. Alan Storey, a psychologist who seems to be the perfect man. But Sam fears to get close to him: is Alan to good to be true? Should she sever the budding relationship before she gets hurt? As a reader, my heart ached for her and all the trauma she’d been through in her life. As Sam works a harrowing case involving eugenics, kidnapping, and murder, she draws closer to Alan and his daughter, learning to trust her heart. I can’t wait to read the next in the series! – Erin

In this Sam Smith novel, private detective Sam takes on a case to protect a woman who believes in eugenics, creating a superior race through genetics. Although the woman’s ideology repulses Sam, she does her best to do what she was hired to do.

The author does a wonderful job of tying the social issue of eugenics with Sam’s own feelings of inferiority about herself. Having been abused physically and mentally her entire life, Sam doubts her own self worth. She has to work through these issues to keep the love of a man who adores her.

Although not written specifically about Sam, a line in the book beautifully sums up the essence of the psychological aspect of the book. “She had cried the rain, but there was still plenty of sunshine in her life and that sunshine would produce a rainbow.” – Ronesa

Categories
Sam Smith Mystery Series

Ripper Review

It’s been a great week for reviews. This five star review of Ripper was placed on Amazon.

Ripper: A Sam Smith Mystery is the fourth book in this series, and although I hadn’t read any of the previous books I was able to jump in to the story without a problem. And what a story it is! I enjoyed it so much, I went back online halfway through the read to download the first book in the series. I fully intend to read all of them; the story and the writing are that good. I love the character of Sam–she is smart, funny, stubborn and scrappy. I especially love her aura of calm when everything is hitting the fan! I think my favorite character would have to be Mac, though; a big Scotsman with a ginger moustache and a penchant for chocolate bars and dangling bad guys over a railing. He is just priceless. Although this book is technically a mystery, it is also about love, family, redemption and healing. If you love a good mystery with fantastic characters, you won’t go wrong with this one!

RIPPER PRINT COVER