Book: Jack-Knifed (DCI Martin Phelps Cardiff Bay Series Book 1) by Wonny Lea

categories: Book, Murder Mystery, Crime, Cardiff South Wales, DCI Martin Phelps, SOC Team, Serial Killer, Police Procedural

Wonny Lea

about this book: When do we stop trying to do 'new' things? I hope the answer to that is 'never'.

My career as a nurse started in the 'swinging sixties' and I went on to become a midwife at a time when the term independent practitioner really meant something. I managed breech deliveries, twins and various other complications without an Obstetrician in sight and loved every minute of it.

Marriage and a young family, without the luxury of extended maternity leave, called for a change of direction and at various points of my life I have managed my own florist business, supported my husband in the tourist trade and overseen the running of a pub!

I dipped in and out of the National Health Service (NHS) and when I retired in 1995 it was from the position of Chief Nurse at one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK. I have seen the very best and the cruelest of human nature and now my latest 'new' thing is to write about it.

I live in Wales and as I am passionate about my country I automatically chose our capital city, Cardiff as the setting for a series of crime novels. Detective Chief Inspector Martin Phelps is my main character and I hope readers will learn to enjoy learning about Martin, his team and his life as much as I like writing about them.

My first novel Jack-Knifed is about a serial killer called Jack and his weapons of choice are knives. When something is jack-knifed it folds in on itself as do the minds of most serial killers and so Jack-Knifed seemed an appropriate title. The cover of this book is made from a picture I took on my iPhone when walking around Cardiff Bay looking for ideas. It was a cloudy day and the Bay looked angry and brooding and seemed to fit the dark mood of my murderer.

I never set out to write a great piece of literature just a good story and the fact that most people seem to enjoy it is an incredible bonus.