Detective Sara Hirst is at a crossroads. Can she take the heat or is she about to burn out?
It’s the hottest summer on record. Norfolk is parched in the heat. Sara and her team are wilting as they investigate a series of fires that are breaking out all over the county. Wildfire or arson? Then one steaming night an old barn belonging to Wild Thyme Farm is torched. The battle to put out the blaze rages on through the night. As dawn breaks it becomes clear: there’s a body in the wreckage.
Suspicion soon falls on the mother and daughter who run the farm. Their finances are in dire straits and family relations have been kindling for months. Accident or murder?
Meanwhile, Sara’s personal and professional life are reaching boiling point. Everywhere she turns, Sara feels like she’s stepping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Can Sara solve this case and keep everyone happy — or will she burn out?
This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Biba Pearce, Rachel McLean, and Angela Marsons.
Available here. Published by Joffe Books.
READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF JUDI DAYKIN:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘An exciting story. Loved it!’ Aileen G.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is one amazing series . . . there are lots of twists, you just don’t want it to finish. I loved it.’ Booklover Bev
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Kept me hooked all of the way through.’ Rhi G.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What a great read, I loved it! Not only is it an excellent mystery, the characters are all likeable, except of course the bad guys! Lovely setting of Norfolk too.’ Hannelore C.
SARA FACES HER MOST CHALLENGING CASE YET.
It’s a stormy December morning when seal-watchers find the body on the beach at Winterton-on-Sea. His clothes have been torn to shreds on the rocks. The bright-orange life jacket didn’t save him in the end.
Detective Sara Hirst races to the scene. The washed-up body turns out to be a deckhand who got swept overboard in a storm. It looks like a tragic accident. Until another body is found on a pleasure boat drifting out at sea. There are bullet holes in the boat’s hull. This was definitely murder.
But Sara will soon have more to worry about than two dead bodies. Someone from her past is back . . .
There are dark dealings going on in this quiet stretch of Norfolk coast. Detective Sara Hirst must catch a killer before anyone else turns up dead.
This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Biba Pearce, Rachel McLean, Rachel Lynch and Angela Marsons.
Available here . Published by Joffe Books.
READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE NORFOLK BEACH MURDERS:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘An exciting story. Loved it!’ Aileen G.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A truly fascinating read . . . It kept me hooked all of the way through until the last page.’ Rhi G.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I thoroughly enjoyed The Norfolk Beach Murders . . . It makes for an engrossing read.’ Elaine T
Detective Sara Hirst has dealt with murder before, but nothing so bizarre as this. A dead body forced inside the top of an artwork, on the lawn of a remote country manor, with a toy llama carefully balanced on its head. A few days later, the body of a woman is found, tied to a gothic-style chair with her throat slashed. There’s a llama with her too.
The two victims were part of the ‘Famous Four’, a group of friends who studied at the University of East Anglia back in the day. Three of them still work there. And now two are dead. Sara worries she’s overlooking something obvious. And she has a growing suspicion that her boyfriend is keeping something from her. Sara must keep focused if she’s to unmask the killer before they strike again.
This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Rachel McLean, Rachel Lynch and Angela Marsons.
Available here. Published by Joffe Books.
READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF AN ARTFUL MURDER:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The very best of this series thus far.” Ruth
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A great way of presenting a mystery story. Surprisingly good, extremely entertaining and with a great slant.” Leyla
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Another really good book, so enjoyable! Highly recommended!” Hannelore
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “An excellent example of a police procedural. I read it in one sitting, the narrative flows smoothly and keeps you hooked to the end.” Carol
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A mind-blowing fantastic gripping book right till the end. Loved it.” Booklover Bev
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Daykin created an incredible intriguing page-turner with this book.” Allie
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The tension builds right to the end . . . The final scenes were gripping.” Janette
Carnival week in Cromer. It’s been an easy-going summer for DS Sara Hirst and the Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit — until this morning. The body of Daisy Shaw, the Carnival Queen, is discovered in a back alley, stretched out on the cobbles, her fingers clutching a sparkly plastic tiara.
Suspicion falls on the performers at the pier’s theatre and the carnival crew, especially when it turns out that one of them is Daisy’s boyfriend. The atmosphere in Cromer soon grows nasty. The town turns against the outsiders. The roads are closed. The town descends into chaos. And the murder detectives are right in the thick of it, trying to piece together what happened to Daisy. The close-knit carnival community is all too used to prejudice and none too keen on helping the police.
Meanwhile, both Sara’s mother and boyfriend have bombshells to drop. Can Sara solve the case before anyone else gets hurt?
This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Rachel McLean, Rachel Lynch and Angela Marsons.
Available here. Published by Joffe Books.
READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF A BRUTAL SEASON:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Loved this . . . A brilliantly entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed and very much look forward to the next in the series. Stunning.” Nicki
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Love this series . . . This story unfolds with a lot of twists; I’m saying no more. I loved it and the super duper end. Till the next time.” Booklover Bev
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was my favourite DS Sara Hirst book so far. . . Really good and highly recommended!” Hannelore
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is a gripping thriller that gets readers turning each page until the end. The Sara Hirst character is well drawn as well. Amazing, I shall be returning to this author again most probably. Highly recommended.” Mary H.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What an enjoyable book . . . a real page-turner.” Paul
DETECTIVE SARA HIRST RETURNS IN THIS CRACKLING, TWISTY THRILLER SET WITHIN THE MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY OF NORTH NORFOLK.
Too many secrets. Too much pain. Too many leads.
Dawn breaks as a dog-walker finds a dead body, half-naked and wrapped tightly in an old groundsheet. Sara is first on the scene. Who is the victim? And who will be next?
Sara must take on some of Britain’s most wanted criminals if she’s to find out the truth.
This crackling, twisty thriller set within the mysterious beauty of the east coast will have you flying through the pages right till the gripping end.
Fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Rachel Lynch and Angela Marsons, get ready for your next favourite detective.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is a gripping police procedural that is compelling and character driven. There’s heart as well as suspense.” Robin P.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A gritty, gripping crime novel that reveals the tragic reality of the county lines drug business. Highly recommended.” William Ryan, author of The Holy Thief, about Into Deadly Storms
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A superb chiller from a fast-rising star of crime fiction, Judi Daykin’s Into Deadly Storms is a brilliantly plotted read guaranteed to keep readers riveted all through the night.”
Available here. Published by Joffe Books.
Recommended as a book of the month by LoveReading – the UK’s leading book recommendation website – in May 2021.
DISCOVER ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING DEBUTS YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR
SET UNDER THE BROODING SKIES OF NORTH NORFOLK. MEET SARA HIRST AS SHE SEARCHES FOR HER LOST FATHER AND FINDS THAT GREAT BEAUTY SOMETIMES CONCEALS GREAT VIOLENCE.
Detective Sara Hirst has moved from London to Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit. She wants to know the truth about her father, who has connections to the area. Her mother won’t tell her the real story.
A NEW JOB. A NEW PLACE. SAME OLD PROBLEMS.
Sara’s first call-out is to a decomposing body discovered in a ditch on a local farm. How does the murder relate to a recent spate of thefts? Who wanted the victim dead?
THEN THE CASE GROWS VERY PERSONAL . . .
Perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, JM Dalgliesh or Angela Marsons, this explosive debut will have you turning the pages till the stunning end.
Available here. Published by Joffe Books.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT UNDER VIOLENT SKIES
“OMG, this was one of the best first books I have ever read.” Denise
“I loved this first book.” Greta
“A really good read.” Barbara
“Sara Hirst is a great character.” Nerys
“What an astonishing debut crime novel.” Hazel
THE DETECTIVE
In her mid-thirties, DS Sara Hirst has left a successful career in London’s Metropolitan Police Force and taken a new post in Norfolk Police’s Serious Crimes Unit. Unfortunately, her welcome on the team is far from warm, and Sara will have to work hard to prove herself when the discovery of a body on her first morning leads to all kinds of difficulties.
THE SETTTING
A patchwork of tiny rural villages, with quaint coastal seaside resorts and peppered by farms, on a bewildering network of small back lanes. There are no motorways here, and sometimes it feels like your nearest neighbour lives in Holland.
Bounded on one side by the Norfolk Broads and the Wash on the other, it’s greatest feature is the boundless skies. The weather changes before your eyes. To many, it seems like a fairytale, a cherished memory of childhood holidays. In reality, these are small hard-working communities, where people tend to mind their own business, and it’s easy to keep a dark secret.
Long listed for the Crime Writer’s Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in 2021.
