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A Mistake of Murder: A Jan Christopher Murder Mystery - Episode 3 (Jan Christopher Mysteries) Kindle Edition

by Helen Hollick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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"I was happy to spend time with an engaging protagonist as she tried to discover whether the two murders were deliberate or unfortunate mistakes. The ending is satisfying, as is the revelation of the way the stories are framed. The prose is confident and assured. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, then this is definitely for you." Historical Novel Society Review

CHILL WITH A BOOK Premier Readers’ Award a

The third Jan Christopher Cosy Mystery
Was murder deliberate - or a tragic mistake?
January 1972. The Christmas and New Year holiday is over and it is time to go back to work. Newly engaged to Detective Sergeant Lawrence Walker, library assistant Jan Christopher is eager to show everyone her diamond ring, and goes off on her scheduled round to deliver library books to the housebound – some of whom she likes; some, she doesn’t.

She encounters a cat in a cupboard, drinks several cups of tea... and loses her ring.
When two murders are committed, can Jan help her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, Laurie, discover whether murder was a deliberate deed – or a tragic mistake?
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  1. Book 3 of 5
    Jan Christopher Mysteries
  2. Print length
    168 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 18, 2023
  6. File size
    3363 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BRNRRDFG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Taw River Press (January 18, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3363 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 168 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Helen Hollick

Helen Hollick

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Hello, welcome to my Amazon Author Page. I am Helen Hollick a USA Today bestselling author. My website is https://helenhollick.net/ where you will find my latest news and how to subscribe to my newsletter. Thank you so much if you were kind enough to click the 'follow' button above. Your support is very much appreciated.

Please do consider leaving a review or comment for any or all of my books.

About me and my books:

I moved from London to Devon in January 2013 (in the snow!) to live in an18th Century farmhouse with thirteen acres of land. I live with my husband, adult daughter and son-in-law, several pets (dogs, cats, hens, geese, four horses, three Exmoor ponies, two pigs) and a few friendly ghosts.

I write historical fiction, getting to the nuts and bolts of the 'what might have really happened' story of King Arthur in my PENDRAGON'S BANNER Trilogy. There is no Merlin, no Lancelot, knights in armour, round table or holy grail - just the story of a warlord who has to fight hard for his kingdom and even harder to keep it.

Book One - The KINGMAKING

Book Two - PENDRAGON'S BANNER

Book Three - SHADOW OF THE KING

(these are also published in German)

'Helen Hollick has it all! She tells a great story, gets her history right and writes consistently readable books!' (Bernard Cornwell)

My Saxon Series - HAROLD THE KING (I AM THE CHOSEN KING is the US title) and its prequel, A HOLLOW CROWN (The FOREVER QUEEN is the US title) tells the story of the twilight years of Anglo-Saxon England immediately before the Norman Conquest. Stripping the Norman propaganda from what we think we know of that most famous date in English history - 1066 and the Battle of Hastings - my novels portray all the honour and dignity that history remembers of its fallen heroes and heroines.

With eight other inspiring authors, I am a co-author of 1066 TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, a selection of 'what if alternative' stories about the year 1066.

I also contributed a short story about the pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read to a free anthology with the theme of BETRAYAL.

To balance the 'serious' books I have my SEA WITCH VOYAGES: pirate-based adventure fantasy. The Voyages are a blend of Sharpe, Hornblower and Indiana Jones all stowed in the one boat.

Voyage One - SEA WITCH

Voyage Two - PIRATE CODE

Voyage Three - BRING IT CLOSE

Voyage Four - RIPPLES IN THE SAND

Voyage Five - ON THE ACCOUNT

Voyage Six - GALLOWS WAKE

And a novella short read: WHEN THE MERMAID SINGS - how Jesamiah Acorne became a pirate.

This title has received a BRONZE AWARD for the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Award 2022

Several of my books have been awarded the B.R.A.G Medallion and CHILL WITH A BOOK awards.

"In the sexiest pirate contest, Captain Jesamiah Acorne gives Jack Sparrow a run for his money" (Sharon Penman)

If you liked the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies and enjoy a good sailor's yarn, then in the words of author Elizabeth Chadwick "You'll love this to pieces of eight".

My latest venture is branching out into the 'cosy mystery' genre with my library assistant 'Jan Christopher Mysteries' series set in the 1970s. The first two being A MIRROR MURDER and A MYSTERY OF MURDER with episode 3 A MISTAKE OF MURDER scheduled for spring 2023.

I have two NON-FICTION books: PIRATES TRUTH and TALES, a lighthearted look at the truth and the tales about pirates, published by Amberley Press, and SMUGGLERS IN FACT and FICTION - again exactly what the title says!

***

I run several blogs, including one for our village of Chittlehamholt and my own 'Let Us Talk of Many Things'. https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

I am a member of the Society of Authors, The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and the Crime Writers Association (CWA)

I enjoy hearing from readers. You can contact me via my website

( or email me on: author AT helenhollick DOT net )

'Lege Feliciter' (read happily)

Helen

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Anna B
5.0 out of 5 stars Adding some edge to the cosy....
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
There are cosy mysteries and there are not-so-cosy cosy mysteries. Ms Hollick deffo delivers the latter, in that the crimes committed (foul murder, no less) are pretty grim—and described as such. This being the third book in Ms Hollick’s series featuring Jan Christopher, her uncle DCI Toby Christopher, her delightful and resilient aunt Madge and DS Laurie Walker, a young Cary Grant look-a-like who combines an attractive exterior with integrity and a developed sense of duty, I am by now more than familiar with the central cast. Jan grows from book to book, and the way she speaks directly to the reader is not only endearing but also engaging. As Jan comments on this and that, she paints a picture of life as it was in the 1970s, at times with quite the sardonic wit.

Central to the plot is the library at which Jan works. She is not exactly expecting her work to bring her into such close proximity with cruel death, but our poor Jan is to be a relevant witness in not one, but two heinous deeds.

Ms Hollick delivers a well-developed plot, with several twists and turns. Jan’s recent engagement (to Laurie, thank God!) and her doubts about it – she knows far too well what life can be like for a policeman’s wife—adds emotional depth to the narrative, as do the briefly told backstories of various characters.

A snappy prose coupled with great descriptive writing, a gripping plot and a very likeable protagonist makes A Mistake of Murder into a most entertaining and well-written read. It may not be cosy-cosy, but personally, I think the edge Ms Hollick adds to the genre enhances it.
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Alison Morton
5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious cozy mystery with a sweet heroine
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2023
The twin enjoyments of this series are the twisty plotting (What *is* going on in the author’s brain?) and the rich and cleverly woven period detail. Mobile libraries, buses, time for tea and a more leisurely pace recall the times forty-odd years ago that will appeal to many readers.

Yet Jan and her caring, kind personality (which sometimes shows a steely determination) is such an attractive and all too human character that you recognise her among your own friends and family. Carried along in Jan’s world, you want the book to go on forever.

As with the previous two books, the writing is very assured and professional. Ms Hollick knows her stuff!

Thoroughly absorbing! I do hope she’s writing the fourth one…
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Top reviews from other countries

Rosemary Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Who Done It?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
A Mistake of Murder by Helen Hollick

Nineteen-year-old Jan Christopher’s father, a police officer, was fatally shot when she was five. Jan is brought up by her loving guardians, Uncle Toby, a Detective Inspector, and her Aunt Madge in North Chingford, a London suburb. Jan accepts newly promoted Detective Constable Laurie Walker’s marriage proposal. They plan to marry in two years on her twenty first birthday in 1974. Although she really loves Laurie, doubts creep into her mind. She is not a stranger to crime and murder. Does she really want to marry a police officer constantly on call and, perhaps, become a widow?
Congratulations to talented novelist, Ms Hollick for creating a cast of interesting characters, who leap from the page into life. They include those Jan delivers books, to as part of her job because they can’t visit the library. Ms Hollick is also to be congratulated because the identity of who done it surprised me.
I enjoyed the romance and humour in the novel, for example, Jan explains I was well within the weight the pony would carry, but I thought I was plump, especially after the food I had put away at Christmas. Laurie maintained I was suitably cuddly. Which, I pointed out, perfectly described my teddy bear.
I highly recommend A Mistake of Murder and look forward to talented Helen Hollick’s next Who Done It.
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Alison Morton
5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful cosy crime - hooray for Jan!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
The twin enjoyments of this series are the twisty plotting (What *is* going on in the author’s brain?) and the rich and cleverly woven period detail. Mobile libraries, buses, time for tea and a more leisurely pace recall the times forty-odd years ago that will appeal to many readers.

Yet Jan and her caring, kind personality (which sometimes shows a steely determination) is such an attractive and all too human character that you recognise her among your own friends and family. Carried along in Jan’s world, you want the book to go on forever.

As with the previous two books, the writing is very assured and professional. Ms Hollick knows her stuff!

Thoroughly recommended. I do hope she’s writing the fourth one…
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normal norma
3.0 out of 5 stars A very good author.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
I bought the first two and they were great,bought the next two and I feel there is too much explanation about topics that go off the books story. The author is a great writer, but I felt the story wavered too much, to long historical stories about completely irrelevant matter. Sorry but I'd rather read about the actual story. Great when it's about Jan and her family.
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Charles M
5.0 out of 5 stars These novels just get better and better
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
What is it about these Jan Christopher novels that makes them so hard to put down? Is it the easy, relaxed style of writing? Is it the well-drawn characters, the main ones now welcomely familiar? Is it the beautifully drawn sense of place and, to people of a certain age like me, time? Or is it the narrative alternating between the two main characters?
This one has particularly fine plot twists which resolve unexpectedly but cleverly at the end. I hope the author keeps them coming. They're gems.
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Pauline
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
A wonderful read. I loved this book. It is the 3rd in the series and like the other two, it is well written with a cast of wonderful characters that pop off the page. If there is one, tiny, thing I feel sad about and that is, it ended. I so wanted it to keep going. I wanted to stay with Jan and her family. I’m already impatient for book 4.

If you are a fan of cosy mysteries then this book, and series, is definitely for you. You won't be disappointed.
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