Introducing Shiraz Jones, the heroine of a new mystery series

 I very rarely write posts about books and bookish things here. I have a different blog on Wordpress devoted to reviews, but it's for memoirs only. However, as an exception this week, this is an interim post to introduce you all to the unusual and wonderful world of Shiraz Jones, trainee marine rescue skipper and accidental sleuth.  

To give some background, Shiraz is the main character in a series of what is known as 'cosy mysteries'. Essentially, they are crime fiction novels with a lighthearted tone and no gory stuff (which is why I like them). Cosy mysteries often have an element of romance to them, but it usually amounts to not a great deal and definitely nothing explicit. In fact, they are easy, relaxing reads that give the reader a chance to puzzle out a crime (usually a murder) without getting too dark and sinister. In many ways, they are the successors to Agatha Christie and I am quite a fan of the genre.

Okay, back to Shiraz and her partners in solving crime. The author of this series is also a fellow memoir writing friend of mine, Simon Michael Prior. You can find all his books on his Amazon Author Page here.  When I heard he was planning on branching out into cosy mystery fiction, I jumped at the chance to read early drafts of the books, and, to date, I've now read three of them. The good news is that they are really good: different, fun, well-written and with great characters you know you're going to get to know and enjoy for several books to come.

The first book – A Murderous Clamour at Redcliff Manor – sets the scene and introduces us to all the main protagonists who help Shiraz, a former high society socialite, to solve the mystery of how a young woman ends up at the foot of the cliffs in Redcliff-on-Sea. What makes the series special is that Simon draws on his personal experience as a marine rescue skipper to have Shiraz and her friend, Emily, as trainees in the town's sea rescue service, and this feature of the books adds both a unique setting and material for plenty of future books. As I said in my own review of A Murderous Clamour at Redcliff Manor, as long as Simon keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them. 

So without further ado, here's the cover, blurb and Simon's author information for the first book:

When Shiraz Jones joins Redcliff Marine Rescue, she doesn’t expect murder and mystery in the water.

London socialite Shiraz seeks refuge from her empty city existence and her husband's infidelity in the quaint English resort of Redcliff-upon-Sea. But the job of saving lives at sea is nothing like her carefree childhood beach holidays.

And when her first outing with the marine rescue volunteers ends in tragedy, she's plunged into an ocean of secrets and lies. Now Shiraz must charm her way into Redcliff Manor and crash a seemingly innocent tea party.

Because one of the guests drinking the Earl Grey and eating the home-made fruit cake is a killer, and they’re about to kill again.

Simon Michael Prior experiences constant adventures, hazards and exciting situations as a marine rescue skipper and a commander of rescue operations.

Although Simon is absolutely nothing like Murph, Redcliff Marine Rescue’s burly, grumpy coxswain, many of the scenes in his stories are inspired by events he encounters during his duties.

Simon has also lived on two boats and sunk one of them; sold houses, street signs, Indian food and paper bags for a living; visited almost fifty countries and lived in three; qualified as a scuba diving instructor; nearly killed himself learning to wakeboard and built his own house without the benefit of an instruction manual.

He now lives in it by the sea with his wife and twin daughters, where he spends his time regurgitating his experiences on paper before he has so many more that he forgets them.

If you're interested, you can buy the ebook of A Murderous Clamour at Redcliff Manor for 99p/c from Amazon by following this universal link. It's also available in paperback. 

I'd recommend the Shiraz Jones books to anyone who enjoys a good cosy mystery. This series is unlike any you've every read before!