Telford romance author pens psychological crime thriller set in Shropshire

Diane Saxon, of Waters Upton, near Telford, has written a string of romances in the past, but for many years she has wanted to explore a new genre.

After securing a four-book deal through Boldwood Books, the first in the series – called The Keeper – was released this month.

Responding to reports of deadly screams in the Ironbridge Gorge, it features Detective Sergeant Jenna Morgan who is first on the scene to investigate.

As the search intensifies, Jenna soon discovers her sister Fliss’s severely injured Dalmatian, Domino, and the naked, tortured body of an unknown woman.

Mother-of-two Mrs Saxon, who gave up her job as an officer manager to focus on writing, says the plot is full of twists and turns.

The 55-year-old said: "I have 12 published books in the romance category.

Inspired

"They have been published through the US market.

"I read a huge amount, always across the genres.

"Some people like one genre or another but I've always read everything.

"I love thrillers. I had the idea to do one before I wrote a romance and last year I thought I just had to do it."

She says the book was inspired by her long walks in the Ironbridge Gorge, something she did often when she lived in Horsehay.

"I have a vivid imagination," she said.

"One day I was walking through Ironbridge and looked up in the hillside because I felt I could see something watching me.

"It was a herd of deer. We looked at each other and I thought what if that hadn't been a herd of deer and what if it was a person."

She says her new book has had 'fantastic feedback', adding: "It's only been out a fortnight and it has lots of reviews on Amazon already.

Delighted

"I'm delighted with how it has turned out.

"People can expect a twisty storyline. It's chilling and it's sometimes not what you may want to read before you go to bed."

The Keeper is available in paperback from Amazon for £12.99, and costs 99p for the Kindle edition.

It will also be available as an audio book and on CD.

Mrs Saxon will also be at Wellington Library from 10am on Saturday(26) for a meet the author event, running as part of Wellington October festival.

Her next book, Copycat, is due out in March next year.

The final two books are expected to be published in October next year and March 2021.