A feature By Ella Piazzi
The first time I met Heaton it was roughly a year ago, he replied to one of our ‘call for submissions’, and the first thing that hit me was his refined politeness. Our first talks were brief working emails made of a few lines and specific details related to his books, but his calm and levelled personality still came across despite the lifeless technology we use these days. It was intriguing and refreshing: in a world were self-publishing is still frowned upon and 90% of self-published authors have to shout louder than their ‘neighbours’ to be heard, dealing with someone so quiet was almost a shock. But maybe that came from his background: he started as a newspaper reporter and eventually specialised in politics, before reaching the dizzy heights of news editor. He eventually changed course when work became a succession of meetings, and moved into local government communications, working in Southampton, and London, before turning as a consultant. From here his refined politeness and his skill to go straight to the point.
The first book I’ve read of the ‘Jane Birchfield Series’ was, unfortunately for me, the last one, Beneath the Surface, and I was positively impressed. The story was good, it was solid. In a market full of mysteries and whodunnit, ‘Beneath the Surface’ dipped its feet in the old school rules: we have a crime and a tough DCI investigating it, putting together piece after piece of the puzzle, each one leading the reader to one conclusion or another, only to find out, at the very end, that we were all terribly wrong and we wouldn’t have correctly guessed who really did it in a million years.
I read the last pages with a mix of relief and sadness: relief because the story made sense and sadness because I was late. Yes, there were three more books to read and appreciate, and plenty more words to love this fantastic main character that is Jane (which, for the record, is always appreciated: there will never be enough female leads), but it’s not the same as discovering a new series from the very first book, or when there are only a couple of books out and you itch for the next chapter.
I was happy to read and review The waves of Change, I enjoyed the story from the first to the last page, I appreciated the plot construction and I was impressed with the sad ending and the LGBTQ+ twist, but something was still missing.
So, coming December, in between a glass of mulled wine and the avoidance of any Christmas-themed playlists to win this year’s round of Whamageddon, me and the other thinking-half or Not for Vanity started planning our January content, Alex sitting on the sofa and me in my reading corner (a small area in our living room where I placed a carpet, lots of pillows and Morrisons, our giant teddy bear). After our feel-good, love-inspiring Christmas selection of books we thought we needed something different to start the year ‘with a bang’, and we settled for thrillers. They are realistic, at times brutal, but they also have a narrative component to consider that is what makes the story move forward. I am an avid reader and I like to mix genres a little, but there is nothing like a good thriller story to make my day. And since there is plenty on my TBR list, being able to cross one or two is definitely a plus. So, I gladly tackled the rest of the ‘Jane Birchfield Series’, without feeling guilty because I was leaving other books behind.
And I enjoyed every bit of it.
In the first book, ‘Every Reason’, Jane is investigating the death of politician Fiona Worsley. It’s always a shock when a person dies a violent death, but the fact that the victim was into politics makes it resonate even louder. Fiona is found on waste ground in a run-down area targeted for redevelopment. Is it a message? Is it a symbol? Is there a political reason behind it? Many elements come together in Jane Birchfield’s first murder investigation, after all so many people can have a ‘valid’ reason to commit a murder, but someone always has one more than others.
In the second book, ‘Whatever It Takes’, Jane is facing a series of personal challenges: a rocky relationship with her partner; her mum hardly talking to her; her boss and mentor critically ill, which means she is covering his post as well as her own. Not only she is human, but she is also so relatable! Of course there is a murder investigation, or we wouldn’t have a book at all. Jamie Castleton is found frozen in front of a computer in an internet cafe near Manchester. Why was he there? Yes, he was a tech consultant and some sort of computer geek, but also self-employed. He didn’t have reasons to hide in an internet cafe with his computer work, or even have business there, especially since the place was pretty dodgy.
Once again, Jane leads us into a sordid underworld, and there will be a surprise twist that puts her in front of an event of her past that she kept a secret for 25 years.
And finally the last one (for me!), ‘Retribution’, where an ex-soldier is killed in a brutal hit and run. Was it really an accident, or was it a premeditated murder? This time Jane struggles to focus on the case: it’s not just because she is awaiting news on a promotion, she and her team are still tying up the loose ends on their last murder investigation and they’re all feeling the pressure, but it’s mostly because she has to come to terms with a surprise marriage proposal. Not every girl is a princess, but not every woman who works in the police force is heartless.
Eventually Jane has to push it all to one side as the investigation escalates into the biggest challenge she has ever faced, causing conflict with her superiors, her partner, and the Army. It’a tough over measure and more than once Jane wonders if it’s worth it. Spoiler alert: it will be.
The progression in Heaton’s style is evident, especially when the four books are all available and can be quickly compared, and it’s exciting to see how each one – not just the plot, but also the formatting and the editing – is a better product that the previous one.
That Wilson can write is obvious, but, as he told us, it was only when he found some free time that he took up creative writing. “I found it tough to make the transition, particularly because my journalism background kept reminding me that if you can’t tell a story on one side of A4, there’s something wrong!” he added. But he made up for that with a BA in Literature and a lot of practice.
I have to admit that there are parts that, in my opinion, need some editing, but all things considered each book is becoming a more refined, finished product that deserves a special space in the TBR list of everyone reading this piece.
And we also have two exclusive updates! The first one is that there will be another Jane Birchfield book, (YAY!!!) and the second one is that Wilson has been invited by his local Waterstone to a ‘meet the author’ event next month! So, if you live on the Isle of Wight or close enough to travel there, go and have a look… And buy his books!
All books by Heaton Wilson are available for purchase at: https://amzn.to/3UjIREe
