It’s almost time to check into hotel beaupain…

Summer is finally here! I hope all is well with you and you’re enjoying a little downtime. It’s the same old, same old here. Dan’s health is still a cause for concern, but as usual, he’s taking it all in his stride. I’m hoping we’ll get away for a short break next month. I can’t wait to hit the beach again with the pups, a chance to recharge our batteries. 

Thank you all for your amazing kind words regarding  ‘Quatre Pièces.’ I’m delighted you enjoyed a new mystery from our delightfully chaotic heroine. I’m pleased to say that editing is progressing with the next release, ‘Hotel Beaupain,’ the thirteenth Hugo Duchamp Investigates novel. I still can’t believe there have been so many. I’ll tell you more about it after we finalise the release details. It’s an interesting story combining these old tropes: Hugo is in deep trouble as he fights against a mysterious foe who is hell-bent on revenge. But why? And more importantly, who hates Hugo so much that he is willing to destroy everything Hugo loves and holds dear? All will be revealed soon…

I’ve just finished the second in the ‘Les Enquêteurs’ series. I oringailly envisaged ‘Above. Lies. Below,’ as a sort of ghost story. Of course, it couldn’t really be a ghost story, but hopefully, you’ll find a few ghostly goings-on to keep you on the edge of your seats. Although the story begins in Paris and takes a slight detour to Switzerland, it is principally set in a small town in Scotland. It was nice (but very odd) to set a story outside France; it is only the third story of twenty-five, based mainly in a different country. It makes a nice change of pace for me, but oddly, and despte the fact that I’m British, I find those stories more challenging to write than the French ones. 

Now I’m finished, I planned to start work on the next Coco book, but instead, I’m going to jump straight into the third book in ‘Les Enquêteurs,’ series, basically because I’m super excited to get started on ‘Bertram Hervé’s Final Case,’ which brings back the wonderful Bertram Hervé, Hugo’s mentor. What excites me most about this story is that it will allow me to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: combine all of my universes. Bertram will be joined in on this investigation by Hugo, Coco, and Caspar, and a few other surprises will be thrown in for good measure! I can’t tell you more about the story because I’m still working out the details. You’ll be the first to know when I have more to share! 

Other than that, work continues on new audiobooks, and the first French translation is now complete and will be released later this year. It is so good to finally have ‘Un homme qui attend,’ the story where it all began, now in the beautiful French language. I’ve worked with a fabulous French lady who is passionate and diligent and cares about her work, so I’m confident the stories are in good hands. Right now, she’s working on ‘Sept Jours’ and ‘Hugo & Josef,’ which is very exciting.

I am sending you my best wishes for a beautiful summer. We’ll talk soon!

Gx

PS Oh, and as for that image. It’s an outtake of the cover for ‘Hotel Beaupain’ - a great picture, but probably a little extreme for the actual cover. Still, I love it because it’s extremely atmospheric and intriguing. Who do you think is in the bed???