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The passing of another year. An eventful year for me – moving house and publishing two further books in the Denning and Fisher series. RUN FOR COVER came out in May – accompanied by a book launch in a local bookshop (The Hastings Bookshop), which was a first for me and an interesting experience. Book 5– SHAME THE DEVIL – came out in October, and is already selling well.

Looking ahead, I’m about to start work on book 6 in the series, due to be published in the autumn of 2023. This is likely to be the final book in the Denning and Fisher series as after discussion with my publishers, we both feel it’s time to move on. The books have sold well, and I’ve enjoyed writing them, but the time does feel right to bring the series to an end. However, it won’t be a definitive full stop – there’s always the chance I might return to the series if I feel there are more stories to be told. And, of course, if there’s a demand for more books in the series…

Police procedural crime stories bring their own challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the need to ensure there’s a level of factual accuracy, though being a work of fiction the writer is allowed an element of ‘creative licence’ as long as the technical details of a murder investigation are factually correct. In this respect I’ve been helped from the start by Graham Bartlett. Graham is a former Chief Superintendent with Brighton and Hove Police who now advises writers on the technical accuracies of police procedure, and can be contacted via his website. 2022 saw Graham publish his first novel – BAD FOR GOOD, which is well worth a read.

On a personal level, 2022 saw me move house. I regularly post pics of the new abode on my Instagram account, along with pictures of my dog (Peggy) and two Siamese cat (Bella and Raffles).

So, what else will 2023 bring? As well as the sixth Denning and Fisher novel, I’m also currently working on a standalone psychological crime thriller about a novelist who is being tormented by events form her past – events she thought were long buried and forgotten. The book should be out sometime in 2024, and I will keep prospective readers informed on my blogsite.

In the meantime, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a wonderful and prosperous 2023.

This week saw the publication of my fifth novel – SHAME THE DEVIL, the latest outing for detectives DI Matthew Denning and DS Molly Fisher.

The book begins with a young father being stabbed to death on his doorstep in what looks at first to be a case of mistaken identity. However, once other similar murders follow, Denning and Fisher suspect there could be a connection, and could have something to do with a tragic event from years before.

As well as book 5, the first four books in the series (KNOW NO EVIL, BLOOD FAMILY, THE DARKNESS WITHIN and RUN FOR COVER) are going to be released as an e-book bundle – a single volume that contains all four titles, and will be out on 29 October. Hopefully more Denning and Fisher books will be coming out next year…

In the meantime, I’m currently writing a standalone thriller, set slightly closer to home in East Sussex, and featuring a successful novelist who has suddenly started receiving anonymous death threats. Could this have something to with events from her past? Events she would do anything to keep secret.

On the personal front, this week marks exactly three months since I moved into my new house, which is right next door to our previous address, so we didn’t have far to move. It still managed to cause they odd headache however, but I‘m very happy to finally be settled. I now have a much bigger, brighter office with a gorgeous view of Hastings East Hill (photo below) – what greater incentive do I need for my writing?

It’s been an eventful few weeks…

Firstly, book 4 in the Denning & Fisher series, RUN FOR COVER, was published by Hera Books on 12 May. I decided to celebrate the event by holding a book launch in a wonderful local independent bookshop The Hastings Bookshop, which is run by Charlie Crabb. Charlie could not have been more helpful and supportive, ensuring the event went off trouble free, and this charming bookshop is definitely worth a visit whenever you’re next in Hastings. There was a good turn out on the night (was chuffed that the mayor came along). And a massive thank you too to my friend, journalist Sam Taylor, for helping to organise the book launch. I’ve attached some photos from the event.

In addition to the book launch for Run for Cover, I sent the first completed draft of book 5 – provisionally titled Blame the Guilty – to my publishers last month. The book is scheduled for publication in both e-book and paperback in October this year, and sees Denning and Fisher investigating a series of seemingly random stabbings in London. I’m now also working on an outline for book number 6 in the series, which will hopefully be coming out next year.

On the personal front, the planned move to the house next door is progressing at its own sluggish pace. We now have a provisionally moving date of late June, but until we’re actually moving the sofa in through the front door, I’m not going to assume anything…
As ever, I love to hear from readers, so please get in touch, either through the contact page on this website, or reach me on Twitter @Gham001.

So, here we are already rapidly approaching the end of January. Christmas feels like a distant memory: the last of the mince pies have been scoffed (though we still have an unopened box in the pantry…), and the Christmas tree has gone to the tree recycling centre, with nothing to remember it by except the occasional pine needle lurking in the hearth rug.

Firstly, a very belated Happy New Year to all my readers. Let’s hope 2022 brings plenty of reasons to be cheerful (to quote Ian Dury). What have I got coming up in 2022 you ask…? Well, as it happens, I’ve got lots planned for this year. The next Denning and Fisher novel will be published this spring. Titled Run For Cover, it sees Denning and Fisher investigating the brutal murder of a young woman in what should be a straightforward case, but soon turns into something much more complicated. There’s danger, there’s twists. There’s a big shoot out… It’s coming out in both e-book and paperback in early May, and this time round we thought we’d make a bit of a splash and have an official book launch. Exact details will be confirmed closer to the time, but check the website – and Twitter – for more info.

However, before Run For Cover is published, I can happily report that the first three books in the series (Know No Evil, Blood Family and The Darkness Within) are to be released in paperback. When Hera agreed to publish me – initially in e-book – I was absolutely chuffed to finally call myself a published author, but there will always be something enormously satisfying about seeing my books in physical form. And then there’s the added thrill of spotting them on the shelves of a bookshop…

In the meantime, I’m now working on Book 5 in the series – provisionally titled Shame the Guilty – which is due to be published in the autumn. The book opens with a man having been stabbed to death on his own doorstep. All the evidence points to it being a case of mistaken identity. But is it?

Away from the writing desk, there are some big changes coming up on the domestic front: I’m moving house later in the year. However, I won’t be leaving Hastings. In fact, I’m hopefully only moving as far as the house next door.

As always, I love hearing from readers, so please get in touch via the website or on Twitter: twitter.com/Gham001.

New for 2021.

A new year and a new book! My latest novel, The Darkness Within, was published earlier this month by Hera Books. It’s always an exciting time when a novel comes out, yet slightly tinged with anxiety: will people like it? Will it do well…? So far, reviews have been encouraging and the book is doing well in the Kobo charts. 

The story takes East London MIT detectives Denning & Fisher on their third outing, and deals with the repercussions from crimes committed decades before. I wanted to explore what happens when someone is denied justice for a serious crime and then has to live with the knowledge that the people responsible will probably remain unpunished for the rest of their lives.

I’m already working on book 4 in the series, which will hopefully be coming out later in 2021. Details will follow in a later blog…

I love to hear from readers, so please feel free to get in touch, either via the website, or find me on social media: Twitter – @Gham001, or on Instagram – @graeme_hampton. If anyone has read The Darkness Within, or any of the books in the series, it would be great if you could leave a review on Amazon, Kobo, or Goodreads.

Thank you,

Graeme

This week I finally completed the third book in the Denning & Fisher series – title to be revealed soon – and sent it off to my publishers. Now the hard slog of structural and copy edits begin, which I never mind too much as they inevitably make it a better book. The novel’s due out in January next year. Without giving too much of the plot away, the story will see DI Matt Denning and DS Molly Fisher investigate the murder of a former detective inspector, that may or may not be linked to a brutal attack on a retired academic. Journalist Magda Kilbride makes re-appearance – possibly to cause more trouble for Molly – and we delve further into the background of Denning’s wife, Sarah, and Molly’s partner, Jon.

It’s always an exciting time when a new book is about to come out, and I can’t wait to see the cover design for Book 3. I’m eternally grateful to Hera Books for giving me the opportunity to bring Denning & Fisher to life, and couldn’t ask for a better publisher.

In the meantime, a massive thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of Know No Evil and Blood Family, and an extra-special thank you to everyone who has left a review on Amazon, Kobo, Goodreads, or any of the other websites. Reviews are always appreciated, and I value readers’ feedback.   

Follow me on Twitter @GHam001 for regular updates on the progress of Book 3.