Diane Janes

Prior to this autumn, I’d only met Diane Janes once before. But after we collaborated at the Windermere authors’ evening, we bumped into each other again at a lunch held three days later by the Northern Chapter of the Crime Writers’ Association.

Diane’s novel Moonshadow was short-listed for the CWA’s Debut Dagger in 2006and I very much look forward to its appearance in print. Meanwhile, she has published Edwardian Murders, an attractively produced true crime book. I'm keen on true crime - hence my interest in Crippen, and hence Dancing for the Hangman, and Victorian and Edwardian murder cases have a special appeal for me.

The book highlights a 1908 case that I’ve read about in the past. It concerns the shooting of Caroline Luard at an isolated summerhouse at Igtham in Kent. Shortly afterwards her husband, Major Charles Luard, committed suicide. Two years later, a man called Nisbet was murdered, and one John Dickman was convicted of the crime and duly executed. There have been suggestions that Dickman was also responsible for Caroline’s murder.

It’s a convoluted and fascinating case and I was glad to swop books with Diane so as to have the chance to study her research and theories. I've belatedly made a start on Edwardian Murders, and so far I've found it very interesting.