A Q&A WITH PETER JAY BLACK

Can you give a brief introduction to The Ruth Morgan Mysteries and what readers can expect?

The Ruth Morgan Mysteries are a series of light-hearted, modern British whodunnits following a former police officer turned food consultant who thought she’d traded her police badge for cake-tasting. However, her supposedly quiet life has a habit of being interrupted by murder! 

Ruth’s travels take her all over Britain: quaint villages, remote islands, steam trains, stately halls, shopping outlets, quiet coves, and even cruise ships. Wherever she goes, secrets, suspects, and very suspicious behaviour are sure to follow.

With that in mind, readers can expect cosy settings and puzzle-driven whodunnits in the classic British tradition. Each book has a colourful cast, light humour, enough twists to keep you guessing, and a warm central partnership between Ruth and her grandson, Greg.

Can you introduce Ruth Morgan and the other key characters?

Ruth Morgan travels the country in her mobile home. She’s sharp, unflappable, and has an old copper’s habit of noticing the one detail everyone else walks straight past.

With her is Ruth’s grandson Greg, who signed up for a quiet gap year of sightseeing before starting university. He imagined a relaxing time on the road, but often finds himself pulled into chaos by his eccentric grandmother.

There’s real warmth between them, along with the kind of bickering only family can do properly, and it’s that dynamic, as much as the mysteries themselves, that I hope readers come back for.

What did you enjoy most about writing this series?

I’ve most enjoyed creating cosy settings full of fun characters. Every book gives me an excuse to drop Ruth into somewhere new: a village fête, a shopping outlet after closing, an empty cruise ship . . . and work out who’d have a reason to murder someone there.

I like building places readers can really picture, then populating them with people who all seem to be hiding something. Getting that balance right, between the puzzle and the characters, is the part I look forward to with every new story.