Driven To Murder: The Story Behind The Book

Driven To Murder is book 2 in the Hampshire Crime series, and the idea for it was sparked off when I was researching potential locations in Hampshire.

Driven To Murder book cover

Aldershot has a racetrack which hosts stock-car racing. Immediately, that piqued my interest. I used to have a boyfriend who raced stock cars and I watched him race several times, so I picked up a fair bit of knowledge from that. Before I met him, he had won the national go-kart championships, so he explained the whole progression of many racing driver's careers, that often start with go-karting.

Motor racing is full of dramatic possibilities, which I love, but it's a very male-dominated sport. I wanted a female driver. Further research led me to Jamie Chadwick. You can read about her here: https://www.tatler.com/article/the-next-queen-of-f1-meet-jamie-chadwick-britains-best-female-racing-driver

Jamie was proof that it's possible for the girls to come out on top in the sport. She inspired my character, Summer Darby, in the book, although the only similarity between them is that they are both brilliant drivers.

I had the most fun writing this book because I love interesting characters and drama-filled action scenes. Summer Darby and DI Charlie Steele both prove that women can succeed in careers traditionally dominated by men. I was also able to include some thrilling car chases, both on and off the track.

Driven To Murder can be read as a standalone, although for the best experience, read the Hampshire Crime series in order, starting with book 1, A Killing Agreement.

Driven To Murder is available on Amazon and is in Kindle Unlimited.