I’m not sure how I missed this when it came out two years ago, but the lovely Miss Jane featured the first two books in the series in her Mystery Monday video review. Lovely to hear that Poppy has another fan.
Six Mystery & Thriller Authors Wiki feature
Poppy Denby does get around. This week she has made her way onto the Ezvid Wiki website and is in a video featuring six mystery and thriller authors. She very kindly allowed me to come along for the trip too. Check us out here on the Ezvid Wike website.
Covid-19 – at home with Fiona
For National Crime Reading Month – which is coming up in May – I am heading up a series of videos called Crime Writers in Residence in which CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) members talk about their life under lockdown during the Covid-19 crisis, what they are writing and which other CWA members books they are currently reading. Check out the first video here.
Poppy in Writing Magazine
My lovely (sadly now former )editor, Jessica Gladwell, and I are in this month’s Writing Magazine talking to Dolores Gordon-Smith about my journey to publication and the Poppy Denby novels. Check it out if you get the chance.
Poppy Denby in surround sound!
Today is a very exciting day for me, it’s the launch of the Poppy Denby audio books! Hurrah! If you are looking for something to wile away a long journey on holiday or lounging by a pool, then why not download one now? (They are also available in audio and MP3 cds). Narrated by the fabulous Helen Keeley and published by Lamplight Audiobooks,
I am thrilled to hear Poppy and her friends brought to life. I hope you will be too. Please note, the first three books, The Jazz Files, The Kill Fee and The Death Beat are available now. The Cairo Brief will be released next month. Download your books here.
Newcastle Noir
I had a fantastic evening at last night’s historic crime panel, the penultimate event of the flapulous Newcastle Noir 2019. Here I am in conversation with my fellow partners in crime. From left to right, Ann Landmann (moderator), Lesley Thomson, Nicola Ford, yours truly and Oscar de Muriel.
Delicious chills & un-sensible shoes
A delicious review of The Cairo Brief from the CWA’s delightful Dea Parkin, writing for Promoting Crime Fiction
“Atmosphere is as important as the slick plot and engaging story in this novel and it added hugely to my enjoyment. The misty gardens at Winterton Hall, the British Museum and surrounding streets in snow, all underpinned by that first spooky scene in the newly discovered tomb provoke delicious chills and put the reader very firmly in Poppy’s un-sensible shoes. A delight from start to a rewarding finish.”
– Dea Parkin, Secretary of the Crime Writers’ Association.
If you have read The Cairo Brief, please consider voting for it for the People’s Book Prize where it has been shortlisted for the best winter read of 2018/19. You can vote here.
Cairo Brief Blog Tour
This week Poppy and I are zooting around the internet on a blog tour for our latest book, The Cairo Brief. Do drop by if you have some time. Yesterday on Love Books I was talking about how my characters present themselves to me in ‘creative visions’. And today I’m talking about seances on Claire Musters’ blog, as well as the murky world of antiquity theft with Shelley Fallows. All sounds a bit dodgy, doesn’t it? 😉 For links to those articles plus the rest of the tour, see the list below.
Poppy is pick of the week!
What a lovely surprise to hear that The Cairo Brief is one of the Love Reading’s editors picks of the week. And what a fabulous review!
“An entirely charming, fascinating murder mystery set in the Golden Age Twenties. The Cairo Brief is the fourth in the simply fabulous ‘Poppy Denby Investigates’ series. Poppy is invited to attend a country house for the auction of an Egyptian mask… murder, curses and general skulduggery await her keen investigative skills. While this could potentially be read as a standalone, I do recommend starting at the beginning of the series with the wonderful The Jazz Files which was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Endeavour Historical Dagger Award. Fictional characters mingle quite beautifully with historical figures such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Howard Carter and Emmeline Pankhurst. I adore Poppy, she’s intelligent, progressive, and knows her own mind. Fiona Veitch Smith’s descriptive detailing is just gorgeous, the dresses sparkle, the cars zip (or putter) along, and historical facts pepper and blend in with the storyline. Just perfect if you love to visit a bygone era, The Cairo Brief is a teasingly delicious and wonderfully readable mystery.”
LIZ ROBINSON
To read other reviews of The Cairo Brief on Love Reading click here.
Vote for Poppy to win the People’s Book Prize!
Friends, fans and followers of Poppy Denby I need your help. I’m delighted to report that book 4 in the series, The Cairo Brief, has been nominated for the People’s Book Prize for fiction. It is one of 20 books on the shortlist. The list now goes out to public vote. If you enjoyed the book – or haven’t read it yet but have read and enjoyed the other Poppy books – please vote for it. And ask your friends and family who you have passed it onto to do the same! Thank you 
You can vote here.