Undercover: Close To Home, my three-part thriller aired in June on BBC Radio 4. And is now available on BBC Sounds.
Grace Monroe goes undercover as a live-in nanny at the home of Ben Curtis whose wife Lydia has been missing for a year.
Described as ‘Excellent, high-octane, human drama’ by the Radio Times, I’ve been delighted with the reception it’s had. Massive thanks to the cast, director Nadia Molinari and the sound production team. Happy listening!
Undercover: Close To Home, my three-part thriller for BBC Radio Drama starts at 2.15 pm on June 8th on BBC Radio 4, with episodes aired weekly. And is available after on BBC Sounds.
Grace Monroe goes undercover as a live-in nanny at the home of Ben Curtis whose wife Lydia has been missing for a year. Making herself indispensable in the intimacy of the family home, Grace hunts for clues as to what befell the mother of two. It’s a game of cat and mouse with Grace prepared to do whatever she must to win Ben’s trust.
Being involved in the recording was a brilliant experience, such a thrill watching the cast and production team in action. I picked up some tricks of the trade along the way (e.g. you can create the sound of grass underfoot by walking on scrunched up video-tape, or a freezer drawer opening by scraping a piece of wood against a plastic box). I’ve heard the final edits and I’m so pleased with the result. And excited now for it to reach an audience.
A massive thank you to director Nadia Molinari, production coordinators Pippa Day and Jessica Bellamy, technical producers Sue Stonestreet, Simon Highfeld and Sharon Hughes, and to our exceptional cast: Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, Matthew McNulty, Tareq Al-Jeddal, Bebe Massey, Christine Bottomley, Esh Alladi, Emma Cunniffe, Kymberley Cochrane, Lula Marsh, Jessica Bellamy.
Happy listening!!
I’ve written a number of radio dramas over the past fifteen years, most of them crime or mystery series. You can see the full list on my TV and Radio page. And during the last year I’ve been working on Undercover: Close To Home, a new three-part thriller for BBC Radio Drama. While the original idea for the story has stayed the same, the scripts have been through many rewrites with changes to the beginning, the ending and much of the middle! As well as alterations to the weight given to some of the characters and developments in the themes.
There’s a lovely intimacy in scripting for radio, with the writer working alongside a producer/director (in my case the wonderful Nadia Molinari) to develop the piece, and then being closely involved in the recording process. At that stage the actors work their alchemy, along with the geniuses in sound design and recording. It’s a pleasure witnessing them bring the story to life and make it their own. We’ve a great cast signed up and I’m so looking forward to that experience later this month.
Undercover: Close To Home will air on BBC Radio 4 at 2.15 pm on June 8th, 15th and 22nd.
I love variety in my reading and this batch certainly has that. Settings include a West Yorkshire millowner’s estate in 1904, the Pyrenees in a snowstorm in the 1920s, civil-rights era Harlem, the Glasgow tenements of the 1980s, contemporary Sweden and the Peak District during the covid pandemic. Some tales are creepy, some funny, some suspenseful, most moving and all are captivating. Happy reading!
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The Fell by Sarah Moss
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
Early Warning by Jane Smiley
Amy and Lan by Sadie Jones
Mrs England by Stacey Halls
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Looking for some holiday reading? Or a treat for the New Year? Here are some books I’ve really enjoyed. Maybe something here will pique your interest. Happy Reading!
The Last Crossing by Brian McGilloway
Golden Age by Jane Smiley
Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke
Rizzio by Denise Mina
Tasting Sunlight by Ewald Arenz and Rachel Ward
56 Days by Catherine Ryan
The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock
French Braid by Anne Tyler
Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead
I love to read different genres (though I probably read more crime novels than any other). But I enjoy variety and really appreciate writers who can whisk me away into a new world. The list here are all books that were compelling and truly memorable. Happy reading!
Wake by Shelley Burr
Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan
No Country For Girls by Emma Styles
The Skin Code by Stephen Williams
The Island of Lost Girls by Alex Marwood
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby
Some Luck by Jane Smiley
All My Mothers by Joanna Glen
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I can’t believe it’s so long since I posted a list of recommended reads – way back in January. I guess there has been a lot going on with my own books and that’s commanded attention on the blog. But here’s a round dozen titles that I really enjoyed. Hope you’ll find something there to try too. Happy reading!
Exit by Belinda Bauer
Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
Oxblood by Tom Benn
The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
The Interview by C M Ewan
Midnight Atlanta by Thomas Mullen
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
Fragile by Sarah Hilary
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
Astral Travel by Elizabeth Baines
Desperate Measures (Detective Janine Lewis Mysteries #4) is out now from Joffe Books. That means all 4 novels in the series are available in digital, paperback and on audio. I’m delighted with the new look and want to say a big thank you to everyone who has already bought a copy of one of the titles. Happy reading!
Make Believe (Detective Janine Lewis Mysteries Book 3) is out now from Joffe Books. And on offer for only 99p/99c. Happy reading!
Hit and Run (Detective Janine Lewis Mysteries Book 2) is out now from Joffe Books. And on offer for only 99p/99c. I was delighted to see Blue Murder climbing the charts on its recent release, reaching the top 30 in Kindle Store and a #1 Bestseller in English Crime. Massive thanks to Joffe books and especially to all the people who bought that and all who so kindly left a review. I do hope readers will enjoy this next instalment which sees Janine just back at work from maternity leave and dealing with two very tough cases.