Anna Sayburn Lane

Mystery and thriller author

Helen Oddfellow

Coming soon: The Crimson Thread

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A theatrical curse. A shocking discovery in the cathedral. Only one woman can unravel the mystery and prevent more bloodshed.

When Helen Oddfellow goes to Canterbury for the opening of a Christopher Marlowe play unseen for 400 years, she is expecting an exciting night. But the performance is disrupted by protests, then a gruesome discovery in the cathedral crypt draws her into a desperate hunt for a murderer.

Is the play cursed? The actors think so, but Helen doesn’t believe in curses. As friends go missing and Helen herself is threatened, she pursues the clues through the ornate tombs of the cathedral and the alleyways of the ancient city. Mysteries from the distant and not-so-distant past are exposed. Can Helen find the killer – before he kills again?

The third Helen Oddfellow mystery is coming soon.

To receive a free e-book of THE CRIMSON THREAD on publication, sign up to Anna Sayburn Lane’s newsletter here.

Publishing Spring 2021.

Christmas offer – two-book signed bundles

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Are you looking for a perfect present to introduce someone to the Helen Oddfellow mysteries this Christmas?
I’m offering two-book bundles, each including a signed copy of Unlawful Things and The Peacock Room, gift-wrapped and sent to the address of your choice, for £15 (including posting and packing). UK postage only.
I only have a few of these available, so if you’d like to order one, email me today at hello@annasayburnlane.com.

Cover reveal: The Peacock Room

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And here it is! I’m delighted to share the cover for the new Helen Oddfellow mystery, THE PEACOCK ROOM, which will be published in October.

A literary obsession.

An angry young man with a gun.

And one woman trying to foil his deadly plan.

When Helen Oddfellow starts work as a lecturer in English literature, she’s hoping for a quiet life after the trauma and loss of her recent past. But trouble knows where to find her.

There’s something wrong with her new students. Their unhappiness seems to be linked to their flamboyant former tutor, Professor Petrarch Greenwood, who holds decadent parties in his beautiful Bloomsbury apartment.

When Helen is asked to take over his course on the Romantic poet William Blake, life and art start to show uncomfortable parallels. Disturbing poison pen letters lead down dark paths, until Helen is the only person standing between a lone gunman and a massacre.

As Helen knows only too well, even dead poets can be dangerous.

THE PEACOCK ROOM is the intriguing follow-up to the acclaimed 2018 mystery thriller UNLAWFUL THINGS, which introduced the London literary sleuth Helen Oddfellow.

Thanks to designer Jessica Bell for another great cover.

New year, new book

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Mosaic of William Blake near Hercules Buildings, Lambeth, where the poet lived for 10 years.

I’ve made just one new year resolution this year – to write the first draft of my next novel.

Reading the reviews for Unlawful Things has been a delight, not least in discovering what people think about my heroine, Helen Oddfellow. She’s been described as “the new Morse”, a “splendid protagonist” and “who Dan Brown’s Professor Robert Langdon from The Da Vinci Code would have been if he were younger, female and travelled using an Oyster Card”.

But the big question readers have asked is: what happens next? Will Helen disappear back into my imaginary world, or are there plans for a sequel? The good news is, she’ll be back. I’m deep into researching, plotting and planning for the second Helen Oddfellow mystery.

I’ve been intrigued by the poetry and art of William Blake since university. Most people know him from the Songs of Innocence and Experience, including classics such as London and The Tyger. He was a bit of an oddball, a London tradesman who saw visions of angels and ghosts, and who struggled for recognition as an artist all his life.

I’m busy weaving a mystery around his already extraordinary life, for Helen and her friends to unravel. Think he’s not relevant today? Think again… I’ll keep you posted on progress. But let me know what you think – are there any other Blake fans out there?

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Walk through Helen Oddfellow’s Southwark

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The George Inn, Southwark (Shakespeare’s local)

Have you got your free map of Helen Oddfellow’s Southwark? Every subscriber to my newsletter is sent a downloadable PDF of a hand-drawn map, drawn by Crystal Palace artist David Vallade. The map shows some of the key locations from Unlawful Things, enabling you to recreate the guided tour to Southwark that Helen gives near the start of the novel. I include background information about the sites, which formed part of the research I did for the novel.

Southwark and the Bankside area have been the heart of London’s entertainment district for hundreds of years. From the inn where Chaucer’s pilgrims set off to Canterbury, to the sites of the Rose Playhouse and Globe Theatre, they reflect the ways that people enjoyed themselves in days gone by. Part of this history is because theatres and other places of entertainment were banned from the city centre, so moved south of the river, where the authorities took more relaxed approach.

To get your copy of the map, sign up for the newsletter. You’ll receive regular updates on my books and events, and of course you can unsubscribe at any time.