May Newsletter

Hi All,

If in England, I hope you’re enjoying the current spell of lovely spring weather.  Typically it’s due to break just in time for the bank holiday. Does the phenomenon of bad weather for public holidays occur elsewhere in the world, or is it unique to the UK? On the positive side, I heard my first cuckoo of 2026 when walking our dogs this morning.

I have had a very busy month. Books 2 and 3 in the Geldard series were republished on 7

and 27 of April respectively. I was chugging along quite nicely writing Geldard No 12, when I got a sudden request to make some changes to No 11, and then also to review the soon to be republished manuscript for no 4. I'm relieved to say that everything’s been done on, or ahead of, schedule, and I’m back to writing No 12. In fact I reached 40k words today, so I'm roughly at the halfway point. 

I must just mention here, that my publisher, Joffe Books, has just won Trade Publisher of the Year. Huge congratulations to the team. If my experience of them is anything to go by, it’s very well deserved. 

OK, I'm now going to sit in the sunshine while we have some (!), but before I go, I promised last month that I would include an interview with Greg Geldard in my next newsletter. So here it is, covering the five most popular questions. 

Interview with Greg Geldard

Q 1: What made you want to join the police?

Greg: If I’m honest, a good bit of the decision was about finding a job I wouldn’t find boring. I’m not a sit-in-an-office type. I like to be out and about. On that basis it was a good decision. Every day is different, and every day has new challenges. It was only after I started on the beat that I really got my head around how important justice is, for victims, for their families and for society. I like contributing to that ideal. And I like being part of the team that runs towards danger instead of away.

Q 2: What’s the worst thing about being in the police?

Greg: That’s an easy one. The paperwork. Yes, I know it’s necessary  - some of it at least - but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. After paperwork, the next worst thing is doing the best you can and getting slated for it. I know, better than most, that not all police are perfect, and it’s right we get pulled up if we let ourselves, and you, down. On the other hand, it’s hard sometimes to face uninformed criticism from armchair warriors who’ve never had to deal with an attack from a man with a knife or a gun. 

Q 3: And the best thing?

Greg: The team, closely followed by that feeling of achievement when you know you’ve put someone away who was a danger to society. 

Q 4: Do you think prison works?

Greg: That sounds dangerously close to the sort of political question my bosses would rather I didn’t answer. But if I’m going to stick my neck out, I’d say sometimes, for some prisoners. Some people are just too dangerous to be loose. They have to be contained to protect everyone else. For other crimes, I don’t think we do enough to reclaim people who have taken the wrong direction, and set them on a more constructive road. 

Q 5: What was your most challenging case.

Greg: It’s always the case I’m dealing with now. Sorry if that sounds like a cop out - no pun intended! But cases that have been solved and put to bed - they disappear into history pretty quickly. A current case - that’s bound to be the one that’s challenging me, as I and the whole team try to establish precisely what's happened and who's guilty - sometimes from some scant and confusing clues.

copyright: Heather Peck 2026