Secrets on the Shore is out now!

Secrets on the Shore hit bookshop shelves last week! To celebrate, I took it along to the suitably wild and windswept Norfolk coast, where it had a little photoshoot on the beach.

In case you've missed it until now, here’s a bit more about the book:

Sophie and Lil are on their very first case for the Secret Service Bureau in this thrilling adventure, set between the end of the Sinclair's Mysteries and the beginning of Taylor & Rose Secret Agents. Together they must travel to the seaside town of Rye where – despite its sleepy appearance – they have evidence that a band of German spies are up to no good. Disguised as birdwatchers, our two brave detectives navigate smugglers’ tunnels, come up against mysterious sea mists and decode a secret message to get to the bottom of what’s going on…

Plus bonus detective delights, including author notes, a special short story, and case files from the archives of Taylor & Rose.

Discover how Sophie and Lil became secret agents!

This story is the adventure that bridges the gap between the original Sinclair’s Mysteries and the later Taylor & Rose books. It follows Sophie and Lil on their first ever case for the Secret Service Bureau, and we see them moving from being detectives to becoming secret agents.

It's set in the town of Rye, which I first encountered myself in the pages of a book, specifically Malcolm Saville’s Lone Pine series. This series had a huge impact on the Sinclair’s Mysteries, so it seemed only right that Sophie and Lil should have an adventure in Rye themselves! I didn’t actually visit Rye myself until I was an adult, but since then I’ve been quite a few times — this story is particularly inspired by one winter visit, when I stayed in a (supposedly haunted) room in the town’s famous Mermaid Inn. Like Sophie and Lil, I met no ghosts, but I did find myself haunted by an idea for a new mystery...

The story was written a few years ago but until now has only been available in ebook. I’m so happy to see it in print at last, after so many readers have asked for it - accompanied by a bonus short story, and some fun 'behind the scenes' content which allows you to delve into the case files of Taylor & Rose Detectives, including finding out more about the real historical background behind the book. It's a lovely way to celebrate 10 years since the first Sophie and Lil story, The Clockwork Sparrow, was published.

Whether you’re an old friend of Sophie and Lil, or completely new to the series, if you read it, I hope you will enjoy it. There are boats, birds, disguises, danger, smugglers, spies, secret passages… and of course, plenty of adventure and mystery.

If you’d like a copy, you can get one now from Waterstones, Bookshop.org.uk and Amazon - or preorder a signed and dedicated copy from lovely indie ebb&flo books.