Welcoming, Isabella Muir as she celebrates the release of her latest cosy crime novel, Crossing the Line, and chats about one of my favourite things … dogs!

Over to you, Isabella:

For the love of dogs…

What is it about our four-legged friends that turns pet lovers into hopeless romantics?  Well, we’re not called pet ‘lovers’ for no reason!  My otherwise sensible and serious husband only has to see a dog – any shape, any size, any age – and he goes all soppy, making a fuss of the creature, who is often quite bemused by the whole experience. And I’m just as bad, which means neither of us can pass a dog on a walk without having to stop for a chat and a cuddle.

So, it was inevitable that I include a dog in my latest novel, Crossing the Line, even though it’s a crime story! Max, the lively Beagle, arrives at a critical part of the story when he joins the Rossi family. Six-year-old Stevie Rossi has been pestering the family for a pet for ages. Following a tragic event that rocks the seaside community of Bexhill-on-Sea, it seems like the perfect time for Stevie to have his wish granted. After all, having a dog around will always lighten the mood and is the perfect way to chase away all negative thoughts!

Despite his aunt’s advice, Stevie insists on taking Max to the summer beach bonfire, as we see here in this brief extract from the book…

‘Stevie was asking about it, last night, when I was putting him to bed. I told him he’s got Max to think about now. Most dogs don’t like fireworks.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He told me that Max isn’t most dogs.’

Max and Stevie are clearly well suited –  they are both as spirited as each other. A dramatic incident occurs at the bonfire…but don’t worry, Max is completely fine!

Crossing the Line is the first of a new series of Sussex Crimes, but it is not the first time dogs have appeared in my stories. In The Tapestry Bag – the first in the Janie Juke series of crime mystery novels – we are introduced to Charlie, the German Shepherd, the much-loved guide dog, who supports Janie’s father, Philip, who is blind.

It seems I can’t write a story without having at least one dog as part of the plot to give me a helping hand!

I am with your there, Isabella. I do love dogs in novels, they are generally a great judge of character and lend a little something extra to a story.

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About the book:

Crossing the Line – tragic accident or cold-blooded murder?

Crossing the Line is the first in a new series of Sussex Crime stories, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi. He has been a detective for many years, but felt compelled to retire early because of a tragedy that happened almost outside his front door. (No spoilers!)

In Crossing the Line, Giuseppe travels to England to spend some time with his cousin, Mario, who runs a seafront café in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex. Travelling to England to escape one tragic death, Giuseppe then comes face-to-face with another. The body of a teenager is found on a Sussex beach, and Giuseppe is drawn to the case – a case with no witnesses, and a case about which no one is prepared to talk.

National news reports of a missing twelve-year-old in Manchester spark fear across the nation. The phrase ‘stranger-danger’ filters into public consciousness. Local reporter, Christina Rossi, already has concerns about her local community.

As the sea mist drifts in and darkness descends, can Giuseppe and Christina discover the truth and prevent another tragedy?

 Set in July 1964, Crossing the Line is the perfect summer escape. If you have seen the Italian police series, Montalbano, you’ll know all about charismatic Italian detectives. Combine that with the atmosphere and flavour of life in the ‘swinging sixties’ and you have all you need for a cracking read.

Crossing the Line is available now from Amazon as an ebook, or paperback – you can also read it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Grab your chance for a FREE book when you sign up to Isabella’s mailing list to keep up to date with the latest news on Sussex Crime! https://isabellamuir.com/ 

Isabella’s books are on my kindle waiting to be read, and my mother-in-law has recently read the whole of the Janie Juke series and highly recommends it.

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About the author:

Isabella Muir is never happier than when she is immersing herself in the sights, sounds and experiences of the 1960s. Researching all aspects of family life back then formed the perfect launch pad for her works of fiction. Isabella rediscovered her love of writing fiction during two happy years working on and completing her MA in Professional Writing and since then has gone to publish five novels, two novellas and a short story collection.

Her first Sussex Crime Mysteryseries features young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke. Set in the late 1960s, in the fictional seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, we meet Janie, who looks after the mobile library. She is an avid lover of Agatha Christie stories – in particular Hercule Poirot – using all she has learned from the Queen of Crime to help solve crimes and mysteries. As well as three novels, there are three novellas in the series, which explore some of the back story to the Tamarisk Bay characters.

Her latest novel, Crossing the Line, is the first of a new series of Sussex Crimes, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi who arrives in the quiet seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to find a dead body on the beach and so the story begins…

Isabella’s standalone novel, The Forgotten Children, deals with the emotive subject of the child migrants who were sent to Australia – again focusing on family life in the 1960s, when the child migrant policy was still in force.

Discover more about Isabella and her work via: Twitter | Facebook | website | Goodreads

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