Tell me about your latest book and why we should read it?
The Lies Within is the story of Grace Daniels, a woman whose world falls apart when her teenage daughter is brutally murdered. Grace struggles to cope with the grief of her loss and becomes increasingly frustrated by a police investigation that’s scaled down as the leads dry up. She pushes her family away and begins her own covert investigation. But when there is another murder, and the evidence points to Grace, she finds herself charged and sent to prison on remand. The denouement is a series of courtroom scenes, where we find out whether or not Grace is guilty. Is she, or isn’t she? You’d have to read the book to find out.
If someone was to write your life story what would the title be?
It’s Not Nosiness, It’s Research…
What’s the strangest fan question or request you’ve received?
A year after my first book came out, a reader got in touch to ask if they could name their Dachshund puppy after one of the characters. I remember feeling quite honoured at the time, thinking they were naming their pet Helen or Anna, after the rather petite leading ladies in the novel. But, surprisingly, those were not the characters they had in mind. Somewhere right now in the Midlands, there is a wee Dachshund wandering around, named after DCI Helen Lavery’s six foot sidekick, Pemberton.
If you could co-write with anyone in the world (alive or dead) who would it be?
M J Arlidge. I love the mix of psychological drama and police procedural in his DI Helen Grace series. Oh, well. A girl can dream…
Tell me something nobody else knows about you (yet!).
The first letter I ever wrote was fan mail, confessing my undying love to Donny Osmond after he covered the song, Puppy Love. The envelope was addressed to ‘Donny Osmond in America’. I was five at the time!
Finally please recommend 3 books that you have recently read and tell me why you’ve chosen these.
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon.
An exquisite tale of a close knit community in 1970s Britain, combining the sometimes hilarious commentary from Grace Bennett, aged ten. Wonderfully relatable, especially if you remember the heatwave of 1976.
My Sister and Other Liars by Ruth Dugdall.
Ruth has a knack for digging out fabulously bizarre, and sometimes slightly uncomfortable, themes and weaving them into an unputdownable story. This time it’s anorexia. Not to be missed.
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
An original premise, the story follows the Todd family through wartime Britain while Atkinson explores the effects of fate on family life. An interesting perspective, especially if you fancy something a little different.
Who is Jane Isaac? Jane Isaac lives with her husband, daughter and dog, Bollo, in rural Northamptonshire, UK. Her debut novel, An Unfamiliar Murder, introduces DCI Helen Lavery and was nominated as best mystery in the ‘eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook awards 2013.’
The Truth Will Out, the second in the DCI Helen Lavery series, was nominated as ‘Thriller of the Month – April 2014’ by E-thriller.com and winner of ‘Noveltunity book club selection – May 2014’.
In 2015 Jane embarked on a new series, featuring DI Will Jackman and set in Stratford upon Avon, with Before It’s Too Late. The second in the series, Beneath The Ashes, will be published by Legend Press on 1st November 2016 with the 3rd, The Lies Within, to follow on 2nd May 2017.
Both DI Jackman and DCI Lavery will return again in the near future. Sign up to Jane’s newsletter on her website at www.janeisaac.co.uk for details of new releases, events and giveaways.
