JD Kirk's Writing Tactics + New British Books This Week

May 30, 2025

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JD Kirk is a Scottish author who has written some of today’s most popular and compulsively readable crime fiction. His self-published DCI Jack Logan series has sold more than 3 million copies, and while I don’t know how many copies the Robert Hoon spin-off series have sold, I struggle with reading them in public because I end up laughing too hard. His most recent release is a standalone psychological thriller called My Daughter is Missing.

If you’re curious about his approach to writing, he recently appeared on the Writing Community Chat Show to talk about his books and how he writes. We’ve provided direct links for a few major platforms below, but you can search the podcast name in pretty much any podcasting app and you’ll be able to navigate to the interview without much trouble (it was recent, so it’s not yet buried in the archives).

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New British Books This Week

One Big Happy Family by Sam Vickery

When baby Ava vanishes from a sunny seaside outing, her mother’s growing suspicion of her ex’s unsettling new girlfriend may be the key to bringing her home—before it’s too late.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

The BusyBody Book Club by Freya Sampson

In a quirky Cornish village, a bickering book club must set aside their differences to solve a murder, clear a friend’s name—and save their beloved community center.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

The Cardinal by Alison Weir

In Tudor England, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey rises from humble beginnings to become Henry VIII’s closest adviser—until a forbidden love and a royal divorce bring his world crashing down.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

Bodies & Battlements by Elizabeth Penney

When a local critic is found dead at her family's haunted Yorkshire castle-turned-B&B, herbalist Nora Asquith must solve the mystery—before her new business and freedom vanish like a ghost in the fog.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James

Three strangers stumble into a mysterious bookshop and discover that one magical midnight book club might just rewrite their lives.

Get it: Amazon 

The Mistake by MJ Arlidge

When baby Erin vanishes during a tense family party, long-buried secrets explode—because in this house full of lies, everyone has a motive.

Get it: Amazon 

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

In 1865, two sets of Austen-obsessed siblings sail to England in search of a secret literary legacy—unaware their lives are about to be rewritten.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

Death of an Officer by Mark Ellis

London, 1943: As war rages and crime surges, DCI Frank Merlin investigates a murdered doctor and vanishing officers—uncovering secrets that could shake the Allied front.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

What We Left Behind by Luisa A Jones

In 1939, as war looms and evacuee children arrive in her quiet village, Dodie Fitznorton must protect their fragile hopes—and uncover the secrets threatening them all.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley

Over ten eventful years in London, Coralie builds a life with witty, lovable Adam—but as love and family flourish, she wonders if she’s lost herself along the way.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

An Enigmatic Woman by Sarah F Noel

Newlyweds Tabitha and Wolf trade a quiet summer for a perilous detour to a Welsh estate—where protecting Empress Sisi from a deadly threat becomes their latest case.

Get it: Amazon

Manic Pixie Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday

When a lovestruck viscount posing as “Euphemia” is surprised by his editor-turned-soulmate, their mistaken-identity romance threatens his title—and just might lead to true love.

Get it: Amazon

No Man is Just a Number by Robert Clarke

From clueless recruit to armed responder, Robert’s true-crime memoir reveals the grit, chaos, and unexpected humor of life on the front lines of British policing.

Get it: Amazon 

“Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically.”

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