Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Stick or Twist
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://dianejanes.50webs.com/
CITY: Devon, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Birmingham, England.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Formerly worked in mortgages and engineering.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Diane Janes is a British writer of crime novels and historical true crime works. Janes is best known internationally for her mysteries, including The Pull of the Moon, Why Didn’t You Come for Me?, Swimming in the Shadows, and Stick or Twist. On her website, Janes comments on her preference in writing fiction or nonfiction: “I enjoy both equally–not least because they are two different disciplines.” She further remarks on the appeal of actual cold cases in an interview with Fiona Guy on Crime Traveller website, noting: “I suspect that we all love a mystery and would like to have a go at solving it. It isn’t just the case itself which I find fascinating, but all the social history these files unlock, showing us how people lived during the period in question. I am also fascinated by the way in which the truth has invariably become distorted as local myths gain currency, often from the very outset.”
The Pull of the Moon
Janes’s fiction debut, The Pull of the Moon, features Kate Mayfield, who has kept a dark secret for over thirty years. Then one day she receives a letter from Mrs. Ivanisovic, the now dying mother of Kate’s long ago boyfriend, Danny. Mrs. Ivanisovic wants Kate to visit her and let her know at long last what really happened to her son three decades before. This invitation rattles Kate, and she is now drawn into the events of the summer of 1972 when she stayed at a remote house in Herefordshire with Danny and his university friend, Simon, who was landscaping the house for his uncle. This threesome is increased by one when they meet the elusive Trudie Finch at the beach and invite her to move in with them. While the boys are charmed by the newcomer, Kate is suspicious of Trudie, and then tragedy strikes.
The Pull of the Moon received a warm reception from many critics. Writing in Booklist, Barbara Bibel noted: “In addition to presenting an involving mystery, Janes insightfully explores the nature of relationships and the importance of knowing the truth.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly contributor termed it a “solid debut,” adding: “All readers will appreciate the prickly and intriguing Kate.” An online Mysterious Reviews writer was also impressed, calling it an “excellent suspense novel and a good book club selection, with a list of reading group discussion questions included.” Bookbag Website contributor Luci Davin had as somewhat more varied assessment, commenting; “Janes is apparently an experienced writer of non-fiction, and The Pull of the Moon is well written and constructed–I thought this was an accomplished work but not a likeable one.” Writing on the Euro Crime Website, Maxine Clarke had a higher evaluation, observing: “I enjoyed reading The Pull of the Moon very much … [and] also liked the settings of Birmingham, Hereford and the surrounding countryside, which are relatively under-used in English crime fiction.”
Why Didn't You Come for Me? and Swimming in the Shadows
Janes’s second mystery novel, Why Didn’t You Come for Me?, follows the traumatic events surrounding a mother whose daughter was kidnapped a dozen years before. Jo’s dreams are still filled with this incident, in part because of the periodic photos of her child that arrive with a message scrawled on the back saying, “I Still Have Her.” While Jo’s new husband and the police think it is the malicious work of a hoaxer, Jo thinks otherwise, believing she is now being followed and may be the next victim. As tension grows, Jo begins to wonder if these events are not tied to much older and fearful ones from her own childhood. “The climax is shocking, more I will not say,” noted Lizzie Hayes in the online Euro Crime. “But read this excellent piece of compelling writing for yourself. Highly recommended.” Similarly, Reviewing the Evidence Website writer Yvonne Klein noted of Why Didn’t You Come for Me?: “I particularly admired the way the larger community around Jo shrank to insignificance as she deteriorated. This is rather more early Laura Wilson than late Barbara Vine, but still very likely to hold your attention to the end.”
With Swimming in the Shadows, Janes posits a case of a missing person and stolen identity morphing into a murder investigation. Jennifer Reynolds was young when she left her parents to settle with older antiques dealer Alan. But she soon discovers her mistake when she is continually belittled by her new husband. Jennifer then simply runs away, ultimately taking the identity of a dead friend, Susan McCarthy, and creating a new life in Yorkshire, where she has a career and a new love, Rob Dugdale, a teacher at a local secondary school. But all of this falls apart when her identity is outed on a television program featuring missing persons and when one of Rob’s female students is murdered and he becomes a prime suspect. A Kirkus Reviews critic had a mixed assessment of this novel, noting that the author “sets up a clever puzzle only to trash it with a solution as improbable as it is long-winded.” Others found more to like. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the action in Simming in the Shadows “builds to a chilling yet satisfying ending.” Similarly, Booklist contributor Emily Melton concluded: “Spooky, twisting, and strange, this suspenseful mystery is guaranteed to keep readers glued to their seats.”
Stick or Twist
In her 2016 novel, Stick or Twist, Janes focuses on the unsolved abduction of heiress Jude Thackeray. Jude was kidnapped, abused, and taken to the woods to be killed but managed to escape. Months later she is finally recovering and has a relationship with Mark, a man who treats her well but may may not be who or what he appears to be. Meanwhile, police detectives Peter Betts and Hannah McMahon are now investigating this cold case and they are soon discovering much more and much less than expected. Tensions grow as the full story is slowly revealed.
Writing in Booklist, Melton had high praise for Stick or Twist, calling it an “edge-of-the-seat, keep-’em-guessing murder case with mind-blowing twists, an imaginative plot, plenty of suspense, brave heroes, and truly dastardly villains.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted: “Janes deftly, suddenly transforms her audience’s understanding of her protagonists several times without making delayed disclosures feel like literary trickery, keeping tension high to the very end.” Likewise, a Kirkus Reviews critic concluded: “Janes seems to specialize in heroines with significant back stories. … [Stick or Twist] frontloads the complications and ends with a jolt.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2010, Barbara Bibel, review of The Pull of the Moon, p. 40; November 1, 2014, Emily Melton, review of Swimming in the Shadows, p. 30; November 1, 2016, Emily Melton, review of Stick or Twist, p. 33.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2014, review of Swimming in the Shadows; October 1, 2016, review of Stick or Twist,
Publishers Weekly, March 8, 2010, review of The Pull of the Moon, p. 39; October 13, 2014, review of Swimming in the Shadows, p. 40; October 24, 2016, review of Stick or Twist, p. 60.
ONLINE
Bookbag, http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (August 7, 2017), Luci Davin, review of The Pull Of the Moon.
Crime Traveller, https://www.crimetraveller.org/ (June 22, 2017), Fiona Guy, author interview.
Diane Janes Website, http://dianejanes.50webs.com (June 20, 2017).
Euro Crime, http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/ (May 6, 2010), Maxine Clarke, review of The Pull of the Moon; (March 9, 2011), Lizzie Hayes, review of Why Didn’t You Come for Me?.
Mysterious Reviews, http://www.mysteriousreviews.com/ (August 7, 2017), review of The Pull of the Moon.
Reviewing the Evidence, http://reviewingtheevidence.com/ (August 7, 2017), Yvonne Klein, review of Why Didn’t You Come for Me?.*
QUOTE:
I enjoy both equally - not least because they are two different disciplines.
Diane Janes was born and educated in Birmingham, but lived in various parts of the north of England for most of her adult life, until recently moving to Devon. Having worked in everything from mortgages to engineering, she is now a full time author of fiction and investigative non-fiction, specialising in crime. When still an unpublished writer, she was short listed twice for the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger and in 2010 was among the quartet of finalists in contention for the John Creasey Dagger. She is published in both the U.K. and the U.S.A. and some of her work has been translated into German and Japanese.
Diane regularly undertakes speaking engagements (see News & Events for those which are open to the general public) and very much enjoys getting out from behind her desk to meet people - although probably not quite as much as she enjoys writing and research!
∼F.A.Q.s∼
Did you always want to be a writer? Always.
Which do you like doing best - fiction or non-fiction? I enjoy both equally - not least because they are two different disciplines.
Do you write every day? Yes - unless it is a designated day off or holiday.
What is your favourite book? A fiendishly difficult question... I have a great many favourites, but if I have to be pinned down, then Ill choose Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca.
And a favourite from this century? Lionel Shrivers We Need to Talk About Kevin stands out for me.
How did you first become interested in murder? That is such a long story, youll need to book me for an evening…
QUOTE:
I suspect that we all love a mystery and would like to have a go at solving it. It isn’t just the case itself which I find fascinating, but all the social history these files unlock, showing us how people lived during the period in question. I am also fascinated by the way in which the truth has invariably become distorted as local myths gain currency, often from the very outset.
Death At Wolf’s Nick: An Interview With Author Diane Janes On The Killing of Evelyn Foster
22 June, 2017Fiona Guy
After almost 90 years the true story behind the harrowing death of Evelyn Foster in 1931, at Wolf’s Nick in Northumberland is revealed by crime writer Diane Janes. This suspicious death of a young woman has been surrounded in mystery and questions with some even questioning her own account of her attack given in the moments before she died.
Was this a terrible accident, a badly thought out plan that went horribly wrong or clear-cut murder? Through exhaustive research with access for the first time to the original police files, Diane Janes has pieced together this tragic story taking the reader back in time and revealing what happened on that night and the name of a viable suspect in the case.
DEATH AT WOLF’S NICK: The Killing of Evelyn Foster by Diane Janes
Mirror Books, 18 May 2017, Paperback and Kindle, 400 Pages
Buy From Amazon
In 1931, 28-year-old Evelyn Foster was found dying next to her car which had been engulfed in flames. With horrific injuries she had dragged herself out of the vehicle in a desperate attempt to save her life. Before she died she uttered a statement describing her attacker who while wearing a bowler hat attacked her, poured petrol over her and set her alight.
Whoever did this to Evelyn did it unseen and escaped with no witnesses. An inadequate investigation with closed mind policing from the lead detective led to interviews and leads not followed up failing this young woman and her family. Evelyn’s own account of what happened was questioned. Some said there was no attack from a stranger that night. Some called it an accident, others an attempt by Evelyn Foster herself to claim insurance money. The picture being painted of Evelyn by the very people who were supposed to be finding her killer, was of a deceitful girl who made up stories.
The story of Evelyn Foster is gripping from page one and once started it is impossible to let go until you know how the story ends. Diane Janes has used her skill and experience to walk you through this tragic tale in a relaxed but engaging style. Her ability to take you back to 1931 England, the way of the life, the attitudes and the culture increases this books grip and the impact of the details within its pages.
Q & A with Crime Writer Diane Janes
Diane Janes has kindly given me some of her time to answer some questions about the Evelyn Foster case and her investigation resulting in her book, Death At Wolf’s Nick.
Q. You have written a number of books examining historical true crime cases, many of which have been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. What are the aspects of unsolved and cold cases that you find appealing?
DJ – I suspect that we all love a mystery and would like to have a go at solving it. It isn’t just the case itself which I find fascinating, but all the social history these files unlock, showing us how people lived during the period in question. I am also fascinated by the way in which the truth has invariably become distorted as local myths gain currency, often from the very outset.
Q. How did you discover the Evelyn Foster case and what made you want to review it in so much depth?
DJ – The case is a very famous one and I’ve known about it since I was in my teens. I first read about it in any depth when Jonathan Goodman’s book ‘The Burning of Evelyn Foster’ came out in 1977 and I’ve been hoping to have a look at it myself ever since. Unfortunately a lot of his research was necessarily based on things which were printed in the newspapers at the time and quite a lot of this information turns out to have been wrong, but it was still a great introduction to the case for me.
Q. You are the first author to have gained access to the original police files on her murder and they sound like they amounted to a great deal of paperwork that wasn’t categorised and filed very well. How did you go about organising the information and embarking on your own review process of the evidence?
DJ – My own information from the police files is mostly in handwritten notebooks, copied in the order that things came out of the archive boxes, so once I had the information, I then had to go through it all with a fine toothcomb, cross-checking everything that everyone had said. It took weeks and weeks of detailed study, during which I gradually became immersed in every detail.
Q. Were there any specific types of things you were looking for in amongst the files?
DJ – I was careful to approach everything with a completely open mind and to consider all the accumulated evidence, not just evidence which supported one theory or another. I was very keen to tie up all the loose ends which had been left – for example the suggestions made in the press and the Goodman account that some people had seen an unidentified man in the village street that night, and that the police had for some reason suppressed their testimony – something which ultimately turned out to be completely incorrect.
Evelyn FosterEvelyn Foster
Q. The murder of Evelyn Foster is a tragic case made all the more harrowing by the insufficient investigation into her death by the leading police officer. Were you surprised at the extent that some investigators didn’t follow up leads or even believe Evelyn’s own account made before she died of what had happened to her?
DJ – Perhaps less surprised than annoyed. The enquiry was led by the chief constable and he simply didn’t know how to manage a major investigation. It is still hard to decide how much was down to his prejudices and how much to his sheer incompetence. By contrast the junior officers at the sharp end of the enquiry did a stirling job, working long hours and displaying great determination to track down the killer, but sadly they shared in the general criticism which was rightly directed at their boss.
Q. In the 1930’s the kinds of crime scene analysis and forensic evidence techniques and knowledge that we rely on today at murder scenes were just not available. In a case such as Evelyn Foster with no witnesses present at the actual attack, how did crimes like this ever get solved?
DJ – There were no other crimes exactly like this and that was part of the problem. The only other ‘blazing car’ murder at that stage was solved by sheer luck, because two witnesses happened to pass the perpetrator leaving the scene. The vast majority of crimes take place indoors, and even today, an outdoor scene like this would present problems forensically. However the crime might have been solved if a combination of things had come together – in particular if someone had reported their suspicions of one individual nearer to the time, and secondly if two members of the public who had given the killer a lift prior to his encounter with Evelyn had come forward. Unfortunately nothing was known about these two important witnesses, except that they were driving south from Scotland that night and though there was a public appeal, they may never have realised that they were the people sought, because the appeal was botched.
Q. There has always been an air of mystery surrounding this murder case with some still questioning the account given by Evelyn Foster, especially that she was ‘interfered’ with before being doused with petrol and set alight. Her memory in this light has been tainted and she has not necessarily always been viewed as the victim. How did that make you feel reading all the evidence surrounding her murder?
DJ – The more I read and pieced together, the more infuriated I was on Evelyn’s behalf, but also on behalf of everyone else who became a victim. The Foster family were hounded by poison pen letters and accused of being involved in an insurance scam, completely innocent local people were rumoured to have been involved in the murder and there was ill feeling over the evidence given in completely good faith by some members of the local community. At least one officer felt driven to give up his career in the police as a result of being involved in the investigation, though the records show that he had behaved conscientiously and in good faith throughout.
Evelyn Foster's burnt out carEvelyn Foster’s burnt out car
Q. Life, attitudes and opinions in 1930’s England were so very different to what they are now. How much do you feel the era contributed to how Evelyn’s statement was viewed and how the police investigation was carried out?
DJ – The era contributed hugely to the outcome. Attitudes to women were completely different and the press wrote about Evelyn in a derisory way which would be completely unacceptable today. Police forces are no longer run by elderly men with absolutely no police training, and no police force today would need to borrow two trained CID men from a neighbouring force because they did not have a proper CID of their own.
Q. You did make a significant discovery in this cold case, one you have been able to follow up and provide a name of a suspect for Evelyn’s killer. Is this something you ever expected you would be able to find?
DJ – No, I never expected that outcome. My most optimistic expectation had been to establish whether Evelyn had been murdered, one way or the other. I was absolutely amazed when I found that the name of a realistic credible suspect had been available to the chief constable.
Q. Do you have any new true crime cases you are looking at next to review and maybe write another book on?
DJ – I am always looking at real life cases, both for possible new books and articles and also for a course I run, called ‘You the Jury’, in which I take a group of 12 students through a real life historical case, using original archive material, and they have to decide what their verdict is. However at the moment I am writing another novel – it’s a murder, of course.
QUOTE:
I suspect that we all love a mystery and would like to have a go at solving it. It isn’t just the case itself which I find fascinating, but all the social history these files unlock, showing us how people lived during the period in question. I am also fascinated by the way in which the truth has invariably become distorted as local myths gain currency, often from the very outset.
Stick or Twist
Emily Melton
Booklist.
113.5 (Nov. 1, 2016): p33.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Stick or Twist. By Diane Janes. Dec. 2016. 240p. Severn, $28.99 (9780727886514); e-book (9781780108179).
When police detectives Peter Betts and Hannah McMahon are asked to reinvestigate the never-solved case of Jude
Thackeray, they have no idea that what they find will lead them into both personal and professional crises. Jude was
kidnapped by her then-boyfriend, physically assaulted, and then taken to the woods to be killed. Although Jude
managed to escape, her would-be killer was never found. All of the information Jude offered about her boyfriend captor
led to dead ends. After many months, Jude has managed to recover sufficiently and has a new boyfriend, who treats her
with kindness and patience. But as Peter and Hannah work on what is now a very cold case, they find that nothing is as
it seemed. In a series of ever-more-shocking revelations, the bizarre story is finally revealed. An edge-of-the-seat, keep-
'em-guessing murder case with mind-blowing twists, an imaginative plot, plenty of suspense, brave heroes, and truly
dastardly villains.--Emily Melton
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Melton, Emily. "Stick or Twist." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2016, p. 33+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA471142837&it=r&asid=4f6fcfd1781315026ccfa78ba00a93c5.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A471142837
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 2/8
QUOTE:
Janes deftly, suddenly transforms her audience's understanding of her protagonists several times without making
delayed disclosures feel like literary trickery, keeping tension high to the very end
Stick or Twist
Publishers Weekly.
263.43 (Oct. 24, 2016): p60.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Stick or Twist
Diane Janes. Severn, $28.99 (240p) ISBN 9780-7278-8651-4
British author Janes (Swimming in the Shadows) strikes the perfect balance between gore and sappiness in this
satisfyingly sweet police procedural. Det. Constable Peter Betts and Det. Sgt. Hannah McMahon make a more-thanprofessional
connection while reexamining the cold case kidnapping of heiress Jude Thackeray, whose unknown captor
let her get away. Jude has since become romantically involved with Mark Medlicott, who tries to help her through the
aftershocks of her past trauma, though his motives for doing so may not be the purest. Meanwhile, a loner named Stefan
makes disturbing plans on an isolated beach in Cornwall. The bold pairing of the good-natured secret relationship
between Peter and Hannah and the sordid romantic intrigue involving Mark and Jude raises readers' interest in both.
Janes deftly, suddenly transforms her audience's under. standing of her protagonists several times without making
delayed disclosures feel like literary trickery, keeping tension high to the very end. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Stick or Twist." Publishers Weekly, 24 Oct. 2016, p. 60. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA468771810&it=r&asid=3170f129f67cdd7a9c662a3304a6a125.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A468771810
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 3/8
QUOTE:
Janes seems to specialize in heroines with
significant back stories
frontloads the complications and ends with a jolt.
Diane Janes: STICK OR TWIST
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 1, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Diane Janes STICK OR TWIST Severn House (Adult Fiction) 28.99 ISBN: 978-0-7278-8651-4
A team of detectives struggles to solve a case with both too few and too many clues.The abduction and attempted
murder of heiress Jude Thackeray is a thorn in DI Graham Lings side. Theres a detailed description of the kidnapper
from Jude, since she lived with the man for several months before he unexpectedly tied her up, threw her into a closet,
beat her, put a noose over her head, and drove her out to a deserted field where she was lucky or clever enough to
escape. But no one else seems to have seen the miscreant except for a dog-walking neighbor, who describes him only as
looking angry. Theres CCTV footage of him from a gas station. But his face isnt clearly visible. As Lings team,
including Jerry Wilkins, Joel McPartland, detail-oriented Hannah McMahon, and intuitive Peter Betts, struggles with a
huge pile of information that somehow doesnt add up to much, Jude seems to have moved on. Shes seeing Mark
Medlicott, who chucked his well-to-do familys Yorkshire business to seek his fortune in the South. In spite of her
brother Robins pleas to be careful, Jude seems inclined to pursue this relationship toward a more committed end.
Meanwhile, Peter begins a considerably less committed romance with Hannah. Both couples may end up with
something they didnt bargain for as Janes weaves an intricate web of deceit. Janes seems to specialize in heroines with
significant back stories. But where Swimming in the Shadows (2014) took forever to reach its conclusion, her current
tale frontloads the complications and ends with a jolt.
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Diane Janes: STICK OR TWIST." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2016. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA465181900&it=r&asid=9e0e4f4c430d7448e394f701c73540f1.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A465181900
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 4/8
QUOTE:
sets up a
clever puzzle only to trash it with a solution as improbable as it is long-winded.
Janes, Diane: SWIMMING IN THE SHADOWS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2014):
COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Janes, Diane SWIMMING IN THE SHADOWS Severn House (Adult Fiction) $29.95 12, 1 ISBN: 978-0-7278-8431-2
A runaway wife finds her new life threatened when the murder of a schoolgirl brings the police to her doorstep.Jennifer
Reynolds goes from the frying pan straight into the fire. She leaves her stern, unloving parents for Alan, an antiques
dealer whose trinket-filled living quarters seem at first a refuge from her parents' obsessively clean house. But Alan
treats Jennifer like a backward child, missing no chance to belittle her. So one day, simple Jennifer simply takes off. A
series of dead-end jobs under a string of temporary identities keeps body and soul together until the death of an old
school acquaintance, Susan McCarthy, gives Jennifer the chance at something more permanent. Since Susan died in
France, no death certificate has been recorded in England. Armed with enough vital statistics to apply for a birth
certificate, Jennifer becomes Susan. By the time she reaches Lasthwaite, a resurrected Susan McCarthy has a car, bank
accounts and enough work history to apply for a real job as manager of Lasthwaite Health Centre. She also finds real
romance with kind, solid Rob Dugdale, a teacher at a local secondary school. Susan is hesitant about accepting Rob's
proposal--after all, as Jennifer, she already has a husband. But she longs for a real home and family. She's already on
edge when a local television station airs Disappeared!, which tells the story of three unsolved missing persons cases,
including Jennifer's. But the murder of Rob's student Julie Peacock threatens to push her over the edge--especially when
the police learn that Rob was the last person to see Julie alive. Janes (Why Didn't You Come for Me?, 2011) sets up a
clever puzzle only to trash it with a solution as improbable as it is long-winded.
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Janes, Diane: SWIMMING IN THE SHADOWS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2014. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA389797719&it=r&asid=a5a6823dbe3b87da0befb6f8e2dd5efd.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A389797719
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 5/8
QUOTE:
Spooky, twisting, and
strange, this suspenseful mystery is guaranteed to keep readers glued to their seats.
Swimming in the Shadows
Emily Melton
Booklist.
111.5 (Nov. 1, 2014): p30.
COPYRIGHT 2014 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Swimming in the Shadows.
By Diane Janes.
Dec. 2014. 256p. Severn, $29.95 (9780727884312); paper (9781847515360); e-book (9781780105819).
Jennifer had an unhappy childhood, with a cold, distant father and a mother who cared more about what the neighbors
thought than she did about her daughter. So when Jennifer meets antiques dealer Allen Reynolds, she falls hard. He's
clever and worldly, with a nice home, money, and time to spend with Jennifer. But eventually Jennifer realizes he's
controlling and even cruel. She flees, assuming the identity of a long-dead school friend, Susan McCarthy, and
eventually ending up in Yorkshire, where she makes a new life for herself, with a loving boyfriend and a good job. Then
a television program on missing persons features the cold case of Jennifer Reynolds, whose disappearance has never
been solved. Terrified she'll be discovered, Jennifer is on tenterhooks. Then a woman's body is found, the police believe
it's Jennifer, and suspicion immediately falls on Allen Reynolds. Sure her husband is innocent, Jennifer decides to meet
him and declare to the police that she's alive and well. But what happens next changes everything. Spooky, twisting, and
strange, this suspenseful mystery is guaranteed to keep readers glued to their seats.--Emily Melton
Melton, Emily
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Melton, Emily. "Swimming in the Shadows." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2014, p. 30. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA391309086&it=r&asid=879c8038d001963a1a80381d2ed35915.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A391309086
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 6/8
QUOTE:
The action
builds to a chilling yet satisfying ending.
Swimming in the Shadows
Publishers Weekly.
261.41 (Oct. 13, 2014): p40.
COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Swimming in the Shadows
Diane Janes. Severn, $28.95 (256p) ISBN 9780-7278-8431-2
Jennifer Reynolds, the heroine of this intricately plotted romantic suspense novel from British author Janes (The Pull of
the Moon), escapes an unhappy marriage and humdrum existence by setting up a new identity and relocating to
Lasthwaite, a quiet town in the Yorkshire Dales. Years later, she is managing a health center and is eagerly anticipating
her wedding to a local teacher, Rob Dugdale, who knows nothing of her past. When a TV documentary airs about three
women who went missing and were never found again, including herself, she fears that she'll be exposed by the media
coverage. The murder of a 15-year-old girl, who was on her way home from the school where Rob teaches, focuses
further attention on Lasthwaite, adding to her worries. After a second body appears, Jennifer must decide whether to try
to preserve her new life or reveal her true identity and risk losing everything she has successfully built. The action
builds to a chilling yet satisfying ending. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Swimming in the Shadows." Publishers Weekly, 13 Oct. 2014, p. 40. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA386341362&it=r&asid=9c57a87d3e9573d42f47e0fbb4bddf0d.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A386341362
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 7/8
QUOTE:
In
addition to presenting an involving mystery, Janes insightfully explores the nature of relationships and the importance
of knowing the truth
The Pull of the Moon
Barbara Bibel
Booklist.
106.17 (May 1, 2010): p40.
COPYRIGHT 2010 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
The Pull of the Moon.
By Diane Janes.
May 2010. 336p. SohoConstable, $25 (9781569476390).
Kate Mayfield has lived with a terrible secret for 30 years. When she receives a letter from Mrs. Ivanisovic, a dying
woman, she realizes that her secret is no longer safe. The letter stirs up memories of a summer that changed her life, a
summer that may have included murder. Weaving effortlessly between past and present, this impressive debut novel
tells Kate's story as she remembers the summer of 1972 and the events that will haunt her for the rest of her life. In
addition to presenting an involving mystery, Janes insightfully explores the nature of relationships and the importance
of knowing the truth. The novel received a commendation by the British Crime Writers Association for their 2006
Debut Dagger Award. Hightly recommended for fans of Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters, and other classic British
suspense writers.--Barbara Bibel
Bibel, Barbara
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Bibel, Barbara. "The Pull of the Moon." Booklist, 1 May 2010, p. 40+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA226160951&it=r&asid=c3c360788908f824c3bbd2dd8a468a58.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A226160951
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648014590 8/8
QUOTE:
all readers will appreciate the prickly and intriguing Kate.
The Pull of the Moon
Publishers Weekly.
257.10 (Mar. 8, 2010): p39.
COPYRIGHT 2010 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Pull of the Moon
Diane Janes. Soho Constable, $25 (336p) ISBN 978-1-56947-639-0
In British author Janes's solid debut, Kate Mayfield, a retired teacher, has tried to forget about the summer of 1972,
when she stayed at an isolated country house in Herefordshire with her then boyfriend, Danny Ivanisovic, and Danny's
friend from university, Simon Willis. Tasked with landscaping for Simon's uncle, who owns the house, the trio spend
most of the time lounging and drinking. The dynamic irrevocably shifts after they meet Trudie Finch during a trip to the
beach and invite her to stay at the house. Though the boys are entranced by Trudie, Kate is suspicious of their evasive
guest. When tragedy inevitably strikes, Kate buries her past until three decades later Danny's elderly mother, desperate
to know the truth about her son, sends her a note, imploring her to visit. While fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History
will be able to predict developments, all readers will appreciate the prickly and intriguing Kate. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"The Pull of the Moon." Publishers Weekly, 8 Mar. 2010, p. 39. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA221092459&it=r&asid=2c869872a7ac3fb8da4dbe52f8103540.
Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A221092459
QUOTE:
excellent suspense novel and a good book club selection, with a list of reading group discussion questions included.
The Pull of the Moon
by Diane Janes
The Pull of the Moon by Diane Janes
Review: Set in the present day, a woman recalls the events of the summer of 1972 after receiving a letter from the mother of her long dead fiancé, in which she writes "I must find out what happened to my son," in The Pull of the Moon, a stand-alone thriller by Diane Janes.
Kate Mayfield was supposed to be spending that fateful summer between terms at the teaching college she was attending with her friend in France. Instead, and without telling her parents, she was in fact spending it with two university mates, Simon and Danny, the latter her current boyfriend, at a house in the English countryside. Simon's uncle owned the house and had agreed to allow them to stay providing they fix up the garden, including the construction of a pond and water feature. On a whim, before arriving, they traveled to a beach in Wales where they met Trudie, a charming young woman about Kate's age but one without a past — at least none she would admit to — who joined the threesome for a day of fun. But somewhat unexpectedly, and rather annoyingly to Kate, Trudie accompanies them to the house where she takes up residence, as if that were her plan all along. Kate's feelings about their living arrangement become more unsettled after she learns of an unsolved murder in the nearby wood with Trudie playing the role of a medium to the dead woman, and when a university classmate of Simon and Danny shows up, hinting a mystery of their own in the recent past.
The Pull of the Moon alternates between Kate relating events from 1972 that led up to the death of Danny and Kate in the present thinking back on how those events have shaped her life. An overriding theme to the book is one of knowledge. "I … ponder the contents of [Danny's mother's] first letter — her demand for the truth," Kate muses. "I must know, she says. Why must she? Why do people think it will always be better if they know? Trudie's mother doesn't know. She has been spared the truth and surely it is better that way." But is Kate, who is hardly an objective bystander, the right person to be deciding who goes to their grave knowing and who doesn't?
Even though the sequence of events in The Pull of the Moon is rather predictable, most hinted at early, the narrative is written in such a way that keeps the reader off guard, as it were. It could have been a much longer book, but the author wisely chooses not to explore many of the tangential plot elements that arise, some of which are left tantalizingly unresolved in the end. (Kate unilaterally deciding the reader doesn't need to know?) Overall, it's an excellent suspense novel and a good book club selection, with a list of reading group discussion questions included.
Acknowledgment: Soho Press provided an ARC of The Pull of the Moon for this review.
QUOTE:
Janes is apparently an experienced writer of non-fiction, and The Pull of the Moon is well written and constructed – I thought this was an accomplished work but not a likeable one.
The Pull of the Moon by Diane Janes
The Pull of the Moon by Diane Janes
Category: Crime
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Luci Davin
Reviewed by Luci Davin
Summary: A letter forces Kate to confront her memories of the past. Mrs Ivanisovic wants to know what happened to her son before it is too late.
Buy? Maybe Borrow? Yes
Pages: 210 Date: April 2010
Publisher: Robinson Publishing
ISBN: 978-1849010467
Share on: Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit Stumbleupon Follow us on Twitter
The main story, the events in Kate's memory, is set in summer 1972. Simon's uncle has gone away for a few months and Simon and his friend Danny are meant to be doing some work on the garden over the holiday. Danny brings his girlfriend Kate along, and Trudie invites herself to join them a couple of weeks later. How did a summer of lounging around and drinking with a little work on the garden end in murder? And what can Kate tell Danny's mother Mrs Ivanisovic?
I was interested in the setting of this story in the recent past, and the group of young people as characters. The novel kept me turning the pages very quickly to find out what had happened and why Kate is so disturbed by her memories.
However, I found this book a little bit disappointing. I didn't like most of the characters much. Trudie was the most attractive, wanting to talk and do things, and she seems to enjoy the adventure of being at the house much more than the others. Kate is initially suspicious of her as a potential rival for Danny's affections but Trudie wins her round. This made the point at which things began to turn nasty more effective. I found it hard to see what Kate initially saw in Danny, though, and even for a naive young woman she was very slow to grasp what was really happening. Kate is quite a cold person – she probably has reason to be but this, and the fact that there can be no real resolution, nothing to offer hope to the reader at the end of the story, made it an unsatisfying read.
This is a first novel but Diane Janes is apparently an experienced writer of non-fiction, and The Pull of the Moon is well written and constructed – I thought this was an accomplished work but not a likeable one.
Thank you to the publishers for sending a copy of this book to The Bookbag.
Another crime novel set in the recent past is Bad Penny Blues by Cathi Unsworth, set in the 1960s. Bad Friends by Claire Seeber is about secrets and about friends who are perhaps not what they seem.
QUOTE:
I enjoyed reading THE PULL OF THE MOON very much
also liked the settings of Birmingham, Hereford and the surrounding countryside, which are relatively under-used in English crime fiction.
Janes, Diane - 'The Pull of the Moon'
Paperback: 336 pages (Apr. 2010) Publisher: Robinson Publishing ISBN: 1849010463
Several books have been published fairly recently that address Barbara Vine-like themes of young people living in an isolated house over a summer, culminating in tragedy. Examples include HALF-BROKEN THINGS by Morag Joss, THE LIKENESS by Tana French and THE POISON TREE by Erin Kelly. THE PULL OF THE MOON is another one of this sub-genre.
The story is told from the point of view of Kate, a woman in her 50s who has taken early retirement from teaching after the death of her mother, and who leads a predictable, safe suburban life. She does early-bird swimming at the local pool each morning and takes Italian classes, for example. However, she is a woman with a secret past, memories of which are triggered when she receives a letter one day.
Katy (as she was then known) was at teacher-training college in Birmingham in the early 1970s, staying at home with her stifling, disapproving parents while studying. Although she is not allowed out much, she and her French friend Celine manage to sneak off to the funfair one night, where she meets Danny and his friend Simon, who are university students. Danny and Katy hit it off, so when Simon's uncle asks the two boys to spend their summer vacation at his house near Leominster rent-free in exchange for digging a pond and clearing out the garden, Katy leaps at the chance to join them, telling her parents she is going to France to visit Celine's family as she knows they won't approve of her plans. The trio enjoy their summer of love, until one hot day they impulsively drive to the coast where they meet Trudy, an attractive, free-spirited young woman who asks for a lift home with them. Trudy's entry into the group is the catalyst for all kinds of confrontations and crises.
While she is considering what to do about the letter she's received, the present-day Kate remembers all the events of that summer - to my mind in rather over-leisurely detail - leading up to the culmination of various plotlines in a simultaneous set of disasters. Kate is an interesting character, in particular in her edgy relationships with Danny's mother and her swimming companion, the gossipy Marjorie, and the mystery of her secret drives. I think the present-day part of the plot is more successful than the retrospective one, despite one highly unlikely coincidence. Overall, I enjoyed reading THE PULL OF THE MOON very much, although felt that it could have been 50 pages shorter, and that the build-up of various tensions was slightly marred by an over-hasty description of the outcome. I also liked the settings of Birmingham, Hereford and the surrounding countryside, which are relatively under-used in English crime fiction.
Maxine Clarke, England
May 2010
Maxine blogs at Petrona.
More European crime fiction reviews can be found on the Reviews page.
QUOTE:
The climax is shocking, more I will not say. But read this excellent piece of compelling writing for yourself.
Highly recommended.
Janes, Diane - 'Why Don't You Come For Me?'
Hardback: 336 pages (Mar. 2011) Publisher: Constable ISBN: 1849011257
Although now settled and happy with her new husband Marcus, Jo is still haunted by the abduction of her baby daughter Lauren, nine years ago.
Jo and Marcus now live in Cumbria. Together they founded M H Tours, which has proved incredibly successful, so much so that they have recently merged with another tour company. The result of the merger is that there is now a third director - Melissa. Originally Jo and Marcus had organised and conducted the tours between them, but Marcus's son hates his mother's new partner and so fourteen-year-old Sean has come to live with them, and, as Marcus explains to Jo, with Melissa being able to take over some of the tours Jo will be able to be at home with Sean.
On the face of it all is normal, when some of the tours that Jo was to take are given to Melissa the reasoning is sound, or is it. Jo is still getting postcards with photos of baby Lauren and the message 'I still have her' but the police have long given up trying to trace the source, and there has even been a suggestion that maybe Jo is sending them herself.
The mounting tension and the strain on Jo's relationships with Marcus and those around her are skilfully handled. Jo struggles valiantly to keep her foothold and tell herself everything is OK, but as a reader, watching her desperate struggle to hold onto normality was painful. The disintegration of Jo is masterly; I kept turning pages back and thinking - could she have done anything different that would make her look less off the wall - but the pressure was relentless, and almost frighteningly transparent.
The climax is shocking, more I will not say. But read this excellent piece of compelling writing for yourself.
Highly recommended.
Read another review of WHY DON'T YOU COME FOR ME?.
Lizzie Hayes, England
March 2011
Details of the author's other books with links to reviews can be found on the Books page.
More European crime fiction reviews can be found on the Reviews page.
QUOTE:
I particularly admired the way the larger community around Jo shrank to insignificance as she deteriorated. This is rather more early Laura Wilson than late Barbara Vine, but still very likely to hold your attention to the end.
WHY DIDN'T YOU COME FOR ME?
by Diane Janes
Soho Constable, May 2011
288 pages
$25.00
ISBN: 1569479402
Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada
Were it not for bad luck, some people would have no luck at all, as the saying goes. As this novel opens, Jo Handley might not altogether agree that it applies to her. Certainly she had a horrible childhood, ultimately winding up with a foster family. Then, as an adult, her luck appeared to change. She fell in love, married, and had a little girl, Lauren. She was, in short, blissfully happy, convinced that her early sorrows were behind her. But on a terrible day while the family is on holiday, she left Lauren in her buggy while she slipped into a shop for a few moments. When she came outside, Lauren was gone and has never been seen since. In short order, her husband is also dead, a presumed suicide.
But Jo has a strong and stubborn streak. Convinced that Lauren is still alive, she does not succumb to despair. Indeed, in time she makes a second, and happy, marriage and finds a new career in a literary tour business with her new husband. Although Lauren is never far from her thoughts, she has a satisfactory life. Except, of course, that periodically, she receives unsigned postcards bearing Lauren's baby photo and the message "I still have her." Her husband Marcus and the police believe these come from a warped practical joker, but to Jo, they are proof that Lauren is still alive and to be found.
But true to the pattern of Jo's life, her contentment will be short-lived. Marcus's surly teen-aged son Sean comes to live with them and his mere presence seems to upset Jo's delicate equilibrium.
She gradually but inexorably sinks into depression and minor madness, a descent fuelled in part by Marcus withdrawing his unconditional affection, perhaps because of Sean's unrelieved hostility to Jo. Much of the book is given to detailing her slow withdrawal into a single-minded obsession with recovering Lauren, whom she believes is in the neighbourhood.
I have to admit to a certain bias against the woman-being-driven-slowly-mad theme, but in this case, the process is detailed with sensitivity and the author writes very well indeed. Thus, although we can see the outlines of the conclusion well before the end, still Janes provides enough suggestions of alternate possibilities to keep us in suspense. I particularly admired the way the larger community around Jo shrank to insignificance as she deteriorated. This is rather more early Laura Wilson than late Barbara Vine, but still very likely to hold your attention to the end.
Note: For some odd reason, the tense of the title changed as the book crossed the Atlantic. Simultaneously published in both the UK and the US, it appears in Britain as WHY DON'T YOU COME FOR ME? Otherwise the two are identical.
§ Yvonne Klein is a writer, translator, and retired college English professor who lives in Montreal.
Reviewed by Yvonne Klein, June 2011