Geraldine Evans

Biography

'Evans brings wit and insight to this tale of looking for love in all the wrong places.'
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW FOR DYING FOR YOU #6 in Rafferty series

'Clever plotting and polished prose make for a cracking good British police procedural.' BOOKLIST
ON BLOOD ON THE BONES #9 in Rafferty series

DEAD BEFORE MORNING #1 in her 15-strong Rafferty procedural series, is currently on FREE offer.
'This often comic tale sharpens the appetite for more.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON DEAD BEFORE MORNING

'Evans' humour seriously added to my enjoyment of her book. The series has stand out central characters and clever plots.' AUNT AGATHA'S BOOKSHOP, ANN ARBOR US ON DEAD BEFORE MORNING

Geraldine Evans is the traditionally-published British author of eighteen novels and, since turning indie in 2010, she has also independently published more novels, including two new Rafferty & Llewellyn, and other novels, plus four non-fiction, as well as bringing out her backlist as ebooks.

Her publishers include Macmillan, St Martin's Press (US), Worldwide (US pb), Isis Soundings (audio), Severn House (HB, PB AND LP, US and UK) and F A Thorpe (large print).

Geraldine has been writing since her twenties and published since her thirties. She decided to turn indie after nearly twenty years as a traditionally-published author.

Although originally a Londoner, Geraldine moved to a market town in Norfolk (UK) in 2000.

Her interests include growing plants from cuttings and seeds, painting portraits, mostly of her unwilling 'volunteered', family, and learning keyboards with a very patient tutor.

The author writes romance novels under the pen name Maria Meredith and New Age Non-Fiction under the pen name Gennifer Dooley-Hart.

Website/Blog: https://geraldineevansbooks.com

Here is a list of Geraldine Evans' published novels:

RAFFERTY & LLEWELLYN BRITISH MYSTERY SERIES
Dead Before Morning #1
Down Among the Dead Men #2
Death Line #3
The Hanging Tree #4
Absolute Poison #5
Dying For You #6
Bad Blood #7
Love Lies Bleeding #8
Blood on the Bones #9
A Thrust to the Vitals #10
Death Dues #11
All the Lonely People #12
Dance #13
Deadly Reunion #14
Kith and Kill #15
Asking For It #16
The Spanish Connection #17
Game of Bones #18

CASEY & CATT BRITISH MYSTERY SERIES
Up in Flames #1
A Killing Karma #2

Standalones
HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHICAL FICTION
Reluctant Queen: historical novel about King Henry VIII's Little Sister, Mary Rose Tudor

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
The Egg Factory: contemporary women's fiction set in the infertility industry

ROMANCE
Land of Dreams, FIRST PUBLISHED NOVEL, print only, generally unavailable
The Wishing Fountain
Strangers on the Shore

HERE ARE SOME REVIEWS FOR GERALDINE'S BOOKS:

DYING FOR YOU #6 RAFFERTY SERIES
'Evans brings wit and insight to this tale of looking for love in all the wrong places.'
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW FOR DYING FOR YOU #6 in Rafferty series

'It's bad enough being suspected of a double murder, worse still when it's your alter ego being pursued and it's the pits when you are the policeman in charge of supposedly catching yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed Dying For You, the sixth in the series. A lot of humour is injected in Rafferty's narrative. He's got himself in an impossible situation and one wonders what can go wrong next. I savoured this book and I'm keen to read the rest in the series asap.' EUROCRIME

'A fun read for the mystery lover who enjoys tales with a twist. A cleverly plotted tale. Enjoy.' MURDER AND MAYHEM BOOKCLUB

KITH AND KILL #15
‘Wonderful series. Fantastic books. They have terrific characters and interesting plots.’ AUTHOR, GAIL FARRELLY

DEADLY REUNION #14
'This is another excellent entry in this marvellous series. The characters spring off the page. The dialogue is sparkling, great interplay between the two detectives, and the mystery is intriguing to the end.’ EUROCRIME

BLOOD ON THE BONES #9
'Clever plotting and polished prose make for a cracking good British police procedural.' BOOKLIST

ABSOLUTE POISON #5
‘Well, this was a real find. Geraldine Evans knows how to make a character leap off the pages at you.’ LIZZIE HAYES, MYSTERY PEOPLE

‘An ingeniously constructed plot, deft dialogue, well-drawn characters, and a few humorous touches, make this an enjoyably intriguing read.’ EMILY MELTON, BOOKLIST

DEAD BEFORE MORNING #1
'This often comic tale sharpens the appetite for more.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

'Evans' humour seriously added to my enjoyment of her book. The series has stand out central characters and clever plots.' AUNT AGATHA'S BOOKSHOP, ANN ARBOR US

BAD BLOOD #7
'A spirited mix of detection, family drama and social commentary.' KIRKUS REVIEWS

LOVE LIES BLEEDING #8
'This cleverly-plotted tale has plenty of humour. It's another page-turner from Geraldine Evans and is crime writing at its best. A must for all lovers of the genre.' MYSTERY PEOPLE

Smashwords Interview

When did you first start writing?
I've always enjoyed writing. English was my favourite subject at school. But I only really tried (and failed) to write seriously in my twenties. I got into my stride when I hit thirty and finally got published six years' later.

Most writers have to serve a long apprenticeship. Yes, it's hard, with plenty of tears along the way. But if you have the 'write stuff', you'll stick it out. What else are you going to do? I knew I wanted to be a writer and i was prepared to do whatever was necessary to accomplish that ambition.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up on several south London (UK) council estates. Not the greatest start for a would-be writer! You don't see too many haling from such locations. But did I let that deter me? Did I, heck. I regarded it as a challenge. Just as well I like a challenge because all during my dilettante twenties I just played around with writing, never finishing anything. It seemed I wasn't UP to the challenge...

Then I hit the age of thirty. There's nothing like another year creeping by to gain your attention and push your determination into overdrive. I wrote and completed a book a year for each of six years after that. All romances. All rejected by Mills & Boon, the publisher I was aiming at, though the last of the six did get published, but not by Harlequin/Mills & Boon. Anyway, after my next book in the romance genre received the thumbs-down, I got good and mad. I felt like murdering someone. So I did. No, this is not a real-life confession. I don't fancy doing jail-time. Besides, murdering people in fiction is much more satisfying; you can kill off all those people who rejected you but without the unpleasantness of having the police break down your door. And you get paid. What's not to like?

My council estate upbringing has been a major influence, not only on my (eventual) choice of genre, but also on my style. Although most crime novels seem to be written by the educated middle-classes and they set their novels in that milieu, I knew it wouldn't suit my natural style. I enjoy throwing some humour into my novels and, in my DI, Joseph Aloysius Rafferty, I think I hit on the perfect pairing for me. We have a lot in common. Both lapsed Catholics from large London-Irish families with a council estate upbringing.

I gave Rafferty a family who felt— if he must be a copper— he might at least have the decency to be a bent one. No reflection on my own family who are snow-white law-abiders to a man and woman. But that premise for the series has given me some fun sub-plots that have poor Rafferty getting into more trouble than a Victoria lady of the night sans the morning-after pill.

To add to his troubles, I've given him DS Dafyd Llewellyn for a partner. More moral than the Pope, Rafferty's educated, intellectual Welsh sergeant can be relied upon to look down his nose whenever he gets a whiff of the Rafferty family's erring. To Llewellyn, even the 'bargain'-hunting mothers of detective inspectors aren't immune from prosecution by the law.
Read more of this interview.

Where to buy in print

Series

Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries
Handicapped by a less than law-abiding family and a boss that would like nothing better than having him locked up, Detective Joe Rafferty still collars murderers on the side.
Dead Before Morning
Price: $0.99 USD.
Down Among the Dead Men
Price: $3.99 USD.
Death Line
Price: $2.99 USD.
The Hanging Tree
Price: $3.99 USD.
Absolute Poison
Price: $3.99 USD.
Dying For You
Price: $3.99 USD.

Books

Death Dues
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 75,280. Language: British English. Published: October 3, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
'Geraldine Evans penned a wonderfully entertaining story.’ A Little Laughter. A Little Mayhem. A Little MURDER… With his wife-to-be’s wedding budget spiralling out of control, and his Superintendent demanding a swift resolution to the series of muggings of a local loan shark's collectors, DI Joe Rafferty is expecting a long and trying week. And sure enough, he isn’t disappointed.
The Spanish Connection
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 68,250. Language: British English. Published: October 2, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
ʻThis series gets better and better.’ A nine-month pregnant wife, a murder victim found on an archaeological dig minus his fingers, and very limited time, meant that Joe Rafferty wasn’t a happy bunny. Superintendent Bradley, media darling and determined to stay that way, only added to Rafferty’s stress.
Asking For It
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 61,260. Language: British English. Published: October 2, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
ʻJust love these stories, brilliantly sad and funny.' Detective Joe Rafferty thinks: nice easy sex murder, when young schoolteacher Laura Scott is found murdered and half-naked. It puts his problems–from his brothers accusing one another when ‘stuff’ goes missing from their lock-up, to the Chief Constable’s porno-starring granddaughter in perspective. Until it doesn't.
Up in Flames
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 63,430. Language: British English. Published: October 2, 2021 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
'Well-researched. Intriguing plot. Good pace. Excellent characterisation and wry humour makes this a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.' MYSTERY WOMEN When Chandra Bansi and her baby, Leela, are burned to death, DCI ‘Will’ Casey and his less than politically correct sergeant, Thomas Catt, come under pressure from their superintendent to put a couple of skinhead thugs behind bars for arson.
Rafferty and Llewellyn Mystery Series Boxed Set Books 1 to 4
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 290,030. Language: English. Published: April 30, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Cozy, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
Books 1 - 4 full novels of the Rafferty and Llewellyn mystery series
All the Lonely People
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 80,190. Language: British English. Published: December 4, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural
When Detective Inspector Joseph Rafferty visits his local pub for a quick drink, he’s looking to forget his troubles, not add to them. But Rafferty is not destined to enjoy his drink in peace. Because a man is found dead – stabbed in the pub’s car park – and a preoccupied Rafferty is to lead the investigation.
Love Lies Bleeding #8 in the Rafferty & Llewellyn British Cozy Mystery Series
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 10. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 72,240. Language: British English. Published: June 5, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Crime thriller
A most unlikely murderer, DI Joe Rafferty thinks when the slender and bloodied Felicity Raine stumbles into the police station and confesses to killing her husband. Felicity's entire demeanor proclaims her innocence. As does Felicity herself once she's consulted a solicitor. Rafferty sets out to discover who else in the Raine family stands to gain from Raymond's death. The answer surprises him.
Blood on the Bones #9 Rafferty & Llewellyn British Cozy Mystery Novel
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 9. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 74,210. Language: British English. Published: June 5, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Religious
'Nuns!' Gladly-lapsed Catholic DI Joe Rafferty, faced with leading a murder investigation at the local enclosed and secure RC Convent, where a body had been discovered in a shallow grave, was horrified that religion was about to re-enter his life. Distracted not only by the religious aspect, but also by the blackmail letter he had received that morning, Rafferty wasn't at his investigative best.
Death Dance
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 78,250. Language: British English. Published: May 25, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
Adrienne Staveley had a husband, a stepson, and several lovers. And while other men liked her TOO much, her own menfolk had reasons not to like her very much at all. And as for her female in-laws... DI Joe Rafferty and his partner, Dafyd Llewellyn, had to sort through Adrienne's tangled love life to find just who had left her strangled on her kitchen floor.
The Wishing Fountain A Cornish Romance
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 53,450. Language: English. Published: January 8, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Contemporary, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
After ending an abusive relationship, Tessa Morgan hoped for a fresh start in Cornwall working as housekeeper to the elderly Emmeline Dolan. Eccentric, but kind, Emmeline made Tessa feel immediately at home. She thought she could put the unhappiness of the past behind her. But Tessa had reckoned without the fates and Emmeline's immediate family. Her new start looked set to come to a speedy end.
A Thrust to the Vitals
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 8. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 79,080. Language: British English. Published: July 12, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural
#10 iin series: Returning to his home town many years after his involuntary departure, to attend a civic reception in his honour, murder victim Sir Rufus Seward ignored the maxim that 'going back' is not always wise.
Bad Blood
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 7. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 68,690. Language: British English. Published: January 13, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
#7 in series: A killing in a secure apartment has DI Joe Rafferty wondering if wealthy widow Clara Mortimer is a victim of her ever-loving family.
Kith and Kill
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 75,480. Language: English. Published: September 13, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
#15 in series: The murder of the matriarch of a family of fashion designers on her ninetieth birthday has DI Joe Rafferty wondering if one of her family thought she'd lived too long, because there is a limited cast of suspects, nearly all of them wealthy Sophia Egerton's ever-loving family.
Dying For You
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 6. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 66,560. Language: English. Published: September 13, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
#6 in series: DI Joe Rafferty finds himself chief suspect in a double murder mystery -- and all he'd been doing was looking for love.
Absolute Poison
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 5. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 66,230. Language: English. Published: September 13, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
#5 in series: Another case for DI Joe Rafferty: when the tyrannical Barstaple is poisoned Rafferty discovers he was hated by most of the office - but did he really deserve such a horrible death?.
Reluctant Queen - The story of Henry VIII's Defiant Little Sister, Mary Rose Tudor
Price: $5.99 USD. Words: 124,680. Language: English. Published: June 17, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » United Kingdom, Fiction » Historical » Renaissance
Mary Rose Tudor, the youngest and favourite sister of infamous English king, Henry VIII, is nonetheless pushed into a State marriage with the old and sickly King Louis XII of France. At the French court, she is relentlessly pursued by Louis’ heir, the debauched Francis. In spite of her reluctant marriage and her would-be seducer, all Mary really wants is marriage to Charles Brandon, her true love.
The Hanging Tree
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 4. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 75,390. Language: English. Published: May 8, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
#4 in series: Inspector Joe Rafferty is disturbed when a bound and hooded body hanging from a tree in Dedman Wood is identified as Maurice Smith, a man once accused of four child rapes; thrown out on a technicality, the case had caused much ill-feeling in the town -- was a self-appointed executioner meting out his own justice on the legendary Hanging Tree?
Death Line
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 3. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 89,290. Language: English. Published: March 29, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Humor & comedy » Satire
#3 in the 15-strong Rafferty & Llewellyn procedurals. Jasper Moon, internationally renowned ‘seer to the stars’, had signally failed to foresee his own future. Found dead on his consulting-room floor, skull crushed with his own crystal ball and, all around him, his office in chaos, the murder has DI Joe Rafferty wishing he had a Seer's vision. Because all he learns of Moon is contradictory.
Down Among the Dead Men
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 2. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 67,640. Language: English. Published: March 29, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
#2 in series: A beautiful vicitim, found dead in a meadow, uprooted wild flowers strewn about her and, in her hand, a single marigold, inclines Inspector Joe Rafferty to think the murder is the work of the serial killer over the county border in Suffolk - until he meets her family, that is - when he rapidly concludes that the murderer is much closer to home.
Dead Before Morning
Series: Rafferty and Llewellyn Mysteries, Book 1. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 81,410. Language: English. Published: March 29, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Cozy
#1 of 15 Just-promoted Brit DI Joe Rafferty lands the case of 'The Faceless Lady', as the media has dubbed it. So he could do without his wily Ma's wheedling demand that he spring her niece's fiance from poky in time for their wedding. A critical Superintendent, a gung ho media who seize on the 'Faceless Lady' case and the latest tricksy family problem put Rafferty between a rock and a hard place.

Geraldine Evans' tag cloud

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