Adams, Jane 1960-

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Adams, Jane 1960-

PERSONAL:

Born July 4, 1960, in Leicester, England; married; children: two. Education: Received degree in sociology.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Leicester, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Novelist and educator. Worked at various occupations, including barmaid, folk rock lead singer, darkroom technician, and customer advisor for a building society; Vaughn College, University of Leicester, Leicester, England, part-time writing teacher.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Bird, Macmillan (London, England), 1997.

Dangerous to Know, Allison & Busby (London, England), 2004.

A Kiss Goodbye, Allison & Busby (London, England), 2005.

"MIKE CROFT" MYSTERY NOVELS

The Greenway, Macmillan (London, England), 1995.

Cast the First Stone, Macmillan (London, England), 1996.

Fade to Grey, Macmillan (London, England), 1998.

Final Frame, Macmillan (London, England), 1999.

"RAY FLOWERS" MYSTERY NOVELS

The Angel Gateway, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Like Angels Falling, Macmillan (London, England), 2001.

Angel Eyes, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

"NAOMI BLAKE" MYSTERY NOVELS

Mourning the Little Dead, Severn House Publishers (Sutton, Surrey, England), 2002.

Touching the Dark, Severn House Publishers (Sutton, Surrey, England), 2003.

Heatwave, Severn House Publishers (Sutton, Surrey, England), 2005.

Killing a Stranger, Severn House (Sutton, Surrey, England), 2006.

Legacy of Lies, Severn House (Sutton, Surrey, England), 2006.

"RINA MARTIN" MYSTERY NOVELS

A Reason to Kill, Severn House Publishers (Sutton, Surrey, England), 2007.

Author of blog, Janeadams's Web log.

SIDELIGHTS:

When her younger son entered school, Jane Adams used her free time to write stories, primarily science fiction, horror, and mysteries. As she told an interviewer for the Write Words Web site, "I guess, the truth is, I must have been waiting to do this and just not realized it." She has gone on to produce a number of novels, primarily mysteries, including her "Naomi Blake" series. These feature a policewoman who is forced to retire from the force when she is blinded in an accident. Still a detective at heart, Naomi decides to pursue an old case from her own childhood in Mourning the Little Dead. Twenty-three years earlier her best friend, Helen, had disappeared, and together with Helen's brother, Naomi pursues the dusty trail of clues to their startling conclusion.

In Heatwave Naomi finds herself in the middle of a hostage crisis; what begins as a simple trip to the bank becomes a highly charged situation when bank robbers burst in and a would-be hero policeman traps them inside with the customers. To make matters worse, Naomi soon realizes that she has tangled with one of the robbers before, and she hopes he does not recognize her as the former policewoman who once thwarted his plans. For Booklist reviewer Emily Melton, "Good writing, a unique heroine, and an inventive plot add up to a very readable thriller."

In 2007, Adams published the first book of her "Rina Martin" series, A Reason to Kill. In the book, police officer Sebastian McGregor is riddled with guilt over witnessing the murder of a child, which he believes he could have stopped. He moves to a small town and joins the local police force, hoping to move on with his life. He soon finds himself investigating the robbery and murder of an elderly woman. Brother and sister George and Karen Parker know something about the crime but aren't divulging the information. Series namesake Rina Martin comes into the picture as a retired amateur detective who helps McGregor solve the case. Critics responded positively to A Reason to Kill, citing its fast-moving narrative and interesting characters as highlights of the book. The novel has an "appealing plot," wrote one Kirkus Reviews contributor. Readers expressed high hopes for upcoming books in the series. Adams "proves her versatility with this new series," noted Emily Melton in a review for Booklist.

Adams once told CA: "I first started writing seriously when my youngest child went to school. It was, at the time, purely on impulse, though, looking back, I've always told stories, changed the ending of films, that sort of thing. Once the floodgates had opened, it was impossible to close them again. My first published stories were fantasy and gothic horror.

"As for my favourite book, I have great affection for The Greenway, being the first. Bird, because there were elements of my father's story in there, and The Angel Gateway because I had to wait several years from conception of the idea until I'd developed the skills to write it. I'm very fond of the central characters, Ray Flowers and Sarah Gordon.

"Ultimate favourite is a crime/fantasy crossover I'm revising at the moment. It's called Priest and is first of a four-part series collectively entitled Swordweaver.

"I have learnt that different people take different things away from the books, so I no longer try to second guess. I hope, as a writer, to entertain and inform, but ultimately the reader is the other half of the partnership, and what they take away largely depends on what part of themselves they've brought to the party."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2004, Emily Melton, review of Heatwave, p. 1165; May 1, 2007, Emily Melton, review of Legacy of Lies, p. 41; January 1, 2008, Emily Melton, review of A Reason to Kill, p. 50.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2004, review of Heatwave, p. 1165; May 15, 2006, review of Killing a Stranger, p. 496; July 1, 2007, review of Legacy of Lies; January 15, 2008, review of A Reason to Kill.