Born in Hampshire, I was educated, and have spent most of my life, in Coventry. I read Sociology at Liverpool University (attracted more by the legend of the Beatles than any academic consideration, I'm ashamed to admit) before working first as a social worker, then at the University of Warwick, interspersed with spells as a barmaid, a seller of children's clothes, and as a full-time Mum - a woman of many parts! I was until recently a magistrate on the Coventry Bench and retain a strong interest in the criminal justice system.

I've always been fascinated by what makes people tick - all writers are - and I've been scribbling for as long as I can remember. I guess my choice of crime fiction springs from an interest in what makes an individual take that crucial step from wanting to kill someone (and who hasn't at one time or another!?) to actually doing it.

My first novel, Tread Softly, was published in 2000, followed a year later by Without Consent in 2001, at which point I was forced to stop writing about other people's dramas and face my own, when my husband, Clive, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. My third book, Better than Death (2003) is dedicated to his enormous courage and resilience. As a family, we've done a lot of fund-raising for Cancer Research UK, and I've spoken at - and done book-signings for - a number of charity events, as well as running writer's workshops for the local Carers' Society. Hear No Evil is set in my adopted home town, Coventry - a city that has had its share of bad press over the years, but, with its own share of courage and resilience, is very definitely on the up and a great place to live!

Read the books and enjoy!