The Murder Notebooks are a series of books about two teenagers, Rose Smith and Joshua Johnson. For three years they lived together as a family with Rose’s mother and Joshua’s father. One night their parents go out for a meal and never return. Rose and Joshua, 12 and 14 at the time are shocked and traumatised by this. Rose is sent to live with her grandmother in London and Joshua is sent to Newcastle to live with his uncle. All published by Bloomsbury.
There is a free Murder Notebooks short story for you to download, Black Days.
DEAD TIME takes place five years later when Rose and Joshua are to meet up for the first time since their parents disappeared. Rose witnesses the murder of a boy from her college whom she dislikes. Rose is sucked into this crime while at the same time Joshua is trying to find their parents.
Rose is thrilled to meet her one time step brother again. They are not related though. Their parents were never married. Rose finds herself drawn to Joshua and her feelings for him take an unexpected turn…
KILLING RACHEL continues as Rose and Joshua, with the help of Skeggsie, are still trying to find out what has happened to their parents. In their possession are two notebooks written in code which contain important information.
Rose receives letters from her old boarding school friend, Rachel who is in trouble. Rose can’t forgive Rachel for the way she treated her and ignores the letters. Then Rachel is found dead. Is it suicide? An accident? Or murder?
Joshua has found a place marked on a map of his father’s. He decides to investigate. He agrees to drop Rose off at her old boarding school so that she can find out what happened to Rachel. He tells Rose he’ll pick her up after he’s found the place and works out what it signifies. He doesn’t turn up though. Rose can’t reach him on his phone. She has to go and find out what has happened to him.
BUTTERFLY GRAVE takes Rose, Joshua and Skeggsie to Newcastle. Joshua’s uncle has had a fall and is in hospital. Rose and Joshua make a startling discovery about The Butterfly Murder and the actions of their missing parents become clearer. Along the way though they lose something precious and nothing is ever the same again.
DEAD AND BURIED is the last book of the series. Rose and Joshua are hunting for their parents in Essex. At this moment the body of a girl is found buried in the garden of their old house, Brewster Road, where they last lived together with Rose’s mother and Joshua’s father. The girl has been murdered and there are clues which suggest that Joshua’s dad, Brendan, is responsible. Rose and Joshua are pulled apart by this new turn of events. Still though they search and find out what happened to their parents. This knowledge does not give them the happiness they had hoped for.