Jane Bettany Books in Order

Jane Bettany explains how to develop short fiction for magazine markets, covering plot, character, dialogue, viewpoint, and revision. Exercises and examples connect the craft of writing with practical guidance on finding suitable outlets and submitting stories to editors.

Jane Bettany guides aspiring freelancers from article ideas through planning, structure, and revision to editorial submission. Examples and exercises show how to shape material for different markets and improve its chances of becoming publishable nonfiction.

Jane Bettany examines six kinds of plot twist and explains how to build them into short stories and novels. Examples, prompts, and exercises address outlining, clues, misdirection, and revision, helping writers construct surprises that remain convincing.

Forensic pathologist Maggie Barber hopes for a quiet island holiday of painting and birdwatching. Discovering a body changes her plans, drawing her into a murder investigation with little time to identify the killer before darkness falls.

A body is discovered in the garden of DI Isabel Blood’s childhood home, drawing her into a painfully personal investigation. Its apparent age coincides with her family’s residence and her father’s unexplained disappearance decades earlier.

A woman finds a murdered stranger in her bedroom, then disappears herself. With little forensic evidence and no sign of forced entry, DI Isabel Blood must determine whether the missing witness is a suspect or another victim.

A mother vanishes after an office party and fails to collect her baby. DI Isabel Blood investigates an apparent disappearance between security cameras, probing workplace tensions and the possibility that someone wanted to prevent planned changes.

Newly settled in Merrywell, former journalist Violet Brewster investigates a woman’s disappearance forty years earlier. When a villager is murdered, Violet suspects the two mysteries are connected and begins questioning the secrets behind her neighbors’ friendly appearances.

Violet inherits a jewelry box from a recently deceased resident of a retirement village, then learns the woman feared murder. Another suspicious attack pushes Violet to investigate the box’s secrets before more residents come to harm.

Violet Brewster prepares to interview a bestselling novelist at Merrywell’s first book festival, but the author is murdered. Her return after decades away exposes an old secret, turning Violet’s attention toward neighbors with reasons to silence her.

A body is found during Merrywell’s new Christmas market, but police regard the death as accidental. Amateur investigator Violet Brewster suspects murder and follows a trail of village secrets while the festive celebrations continue around her.

A new tearoom draws crowds to Bluebell Hill’s garden center and resentment from some villagers. When its owner is found dead, Violet Brewster investigates, hoping to protect people close to her while uncovering the real killer.

A murder disrupts former rock star Tarquin Gold’s new glamping business at Clover Farm. Staying there as a guest, Violet Brewster investigates whether a stranger or one of the campers threatens the retreat’s uneasy peace.

Violet hopes joining Merrywell’s well dressing team will help her mother Rachel settle into village life. When the chief volunteer is found dead, mother and daughter must turn their attention from community crafts to catching a killer.