I’m delighted to wish JM Simpson ‘Happy Publication Day’ on the launch of her latest novel The Ophelia Murders. It marks the start of a new series centred around Whistlers Peak which sees a move away from the seaside town of Castleby to the Scottish Highlands, swapping the lifeboat team for mountain rescue. What doesn’t change though is the attention to detail, engaging the reader with scenic locations, relatable characters and a warm and welcoming community – barring the murderers of course!
What’s the Book About?
In a mountain resort in the Scottish Highlands, the body of a young woman is found in a loch, carefully arranged. The murder is vaguely reminiscent of a famous painting.
Detective Sergeant Scott Hansen is called in to investigate. Shortly after his arrival, another body is found, but the evidence at the scene is confusing. Is it a murder or a suicide? Are the murders linked? There are too many coincidences, too few suspects and no leads.
After a couple go missing in bad weather, a woman is found dead at the bottom of Devils Ridge. Mountain rescuer Jack Mackay and his daughter, Bonnie, find the dead woman’s husband, miles away on Whistlers Peak Mountain, close to death and incoherent.
No one knows what happened, how he got there, or how his wife died.
But someone saw something.
With deaths stacking up, Scott is led a dance of lies and misdirection until he finally discovers the shocking truth that some secrets are worth killing for.
Murder, suspense, drama and mystery in the first of the Whistlers Peak series.
What do early readers say about it
Another corker of a book by J M Simpson. With hints of the Castleby style community this new Whistler’s Peak series introduces some fabulous characters and their interactions are brilliantly written. – Em Nightreader (Goodreads)
The story was filled with surprises and shocks. It really had me guessing all the way to the end. I thought it was a quite different story in that there were actually two different, unrelated cases being investigated in tandem. I don’t think I’ve run across that before. It added to the intensity and engagement of the story. I can’t wait to see where this series goes in the future. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The author has a great talent for creating fabulously enjoyable reads. – Tami Wylie (Goodreads)
Everything about this brand-new series is brilliant: the scenery, the characters, the sass, the humor, the intensity. Jo can set a scene like no other author I’ve read. I felt like I was in the mountains, feeling the breeze and chill from the snow. – KKEC Reads (Goodreads)
The characters are so descriptive and I felt so invested in them by the end of the book, that I look forward to meeting them again. The location set in the Highlands of Scotland was an amazing place to set this series in! I loved the community and how close they are to each other and so welcoming to newcomers to the village. I loved that the Mountain Rescue, which is vital in real life, is a part of the plotlines. All the subplots weave together to a surprising conclusion. More please!! – Sarah B (Goodreads)
One word – wow!!
I am a huge fan of J M Simpson’s writing style, criminal plots and the Castleby series so The Ophelia Murders was top of my anticipated reads list and it did not disappoint! If you’re looking for a book full to the brim with love, lies, deciet, grief, deadly twists, mystery, and (most importantly) MURDER, then this is the perfect book for you. – Zoe Williamson (Goodreads)
About the Author
J.M. Simpson was born in Essex, but was raised primarily in the West Country, never far from a rugged coastline, a sandy beach, or harbour. With a degree and PhD, much of Jo’s working career has been spent undertaking research in a variety of subjects; most notably in construction and development where her expertise lies.
Staying in the Welsh town of Tenby some years ago and watching the local lifeboat launch one stormy winter night, gave Jo the beginnings of an idea for a book. She was fascinated with the idea of the crew risking everything they know and love to plunge into a stormy sea to rescue a stranger. She wondered who these people were and what their lives were like. And so, the Castleby series was born.
Jo’s Castleby series; Sea State, Sea Change Sea Shaken, Sea Haven and Sea Rift are suspense thrillers set against the backdrop of the lifeboat crew in a coastal town. There is a Christmas Special due in November and there are further books in the series to come.
Jo lives in Kent, with her two (occasionally stroppy) teenage daughters, her extremely long-suffering husband and her rescue Border Collie Merlin. She also runs a successful research consultancy, but dreams of becoming a full-time writer. In early 2025, Jo will release the first in a new series based in the Scottish Highlands called The Ophelia Murders – First in The Whistlers Peak Series.
In what little spare time Jo has, she spends writing, walking the dogs, seeking out live music (except difficult jazz), being an armchair movie critic, dreaming of Scotland or the Pembrokeshire coast; drinking endless coffee’s in various local café’s (on the pretence of writing) or drinking copious amounts of wine in her most favourite pub with friends, (where no writing occurs whatsoever).
