Jul 22

Jul 22 Elly Grant

Author Elly Grant

Biography

Elly Grant’s not the sort of person you want to meet in a dark alley. By her own admission, she likes to kill people and from what we can see, she’s very good at it - there must be dozens.

Elly Grant is an accomplished author who’s won a string of awards and commendations for her writing.

She specialises in crime. Her Death in the Pyrenees series is set in a small spa town in French Catalonia. The books give a real flavour of the delights and quirkiness of the region. They feature Danielle, a female detective, and follow her career progression as she investigates and solves a range of murders and mysteries. Although written in English, and selling predominantly in English speaking countries, Elly’s books have held a #1 position on Amazon France. She’s even had feedback from French readers agreeing with Danielle’s extreme opinions of expats. There are currently five books in the series. Starting with Palm Trees in the Pyrenees, then progressing through Grass Grows, Red Light, Dead End and Deadly Degrees.

For those who like their crime thrillers to be more hard boiled, Elly’s Angela Murphy series is darker and set in Glasgow, Scotland. These tartan noir, murder mysteries follow Angela, a smart but junior female detective working in Glasgow’s serious crimes unit. The first, The Unravelling of Thomas Malone, deals with a psychopathic sociopath, a creepy dangerous character trapped on a downward spiral by his own vulnerability. In the second, The Coming of the Lord, the authorities are desperate to track down an escaped madman on a mission.

The body count rises at an alarming rate in Death at Presley Park. Written in the style of a disaster movie, the story starts when a crazed gunman starts a killing spree after arriving at a charity picnic. The clock then turns back two weeks to see what led up to the massacre and follow the lives of those affected.

It’s not all blood and guts, though; Elly’s Never Ever Leave Me is a modern romance with plenty of passion. That isn’t to say there’s no violence or extreme behaviour but in this book there isn’t a corpse to be found.

For readers who like something a bit different, But Billy Can’t Fly is a black comedy set in Glasgow. This book is co-written with Angie Fox. Billy is simple minded but imagines himself a superhero, interfering to right what he sees as wrongs in the lives of his friends and colleagues.

And for variety, Elly collaborated with Zach Abrams to produce Twists and Turns, a book of short stories and flash fiction where little is as it first seems.

All of Elly’s books are available in paperback and ebook format. Audiobook versions are available of the Death in the Pyrenees series, narrated by Alicia Rose and of the Angela Murphy series, narrated by Kim Hughes.

Elly lives much of her life in a small French town in the Eastern Pyrenees where she’s an active member of the community, participating in local events. She takes inspiration from the way of life and the colourful characters she comes across. She doesn’t have to search very hard to find things to write about and living in the most prolific wine producing region in France makes the task so much more delightful.

Perhaps you will visit her town one day. Perhaps you will sit near her in a café or return her smile as she walks past you in the street. Perhaps you will hold her interest for a while, and maybe, just maybe, you will be her next victim. You may think this funny and not a matter of concern, reassuring yourself that, up until now, she has always managed to confine her murderous ways to her writing. But are you really willing to take the chance. If you have to travel down any dark alleys, be sure to check out who’s near you.