Books – DI Bernie Noel series

You can buy my books here. Last Seen is the first book in the DI Bernie Noel series, set in Wiltshire.

I can see her, laughing as she swings as high as she can, her beautiful blonde curls flying out behind her. My little girl. If only I’d listened to my gut. Then maybe she’d be safe here with me…

When five-year-old Molly Reynolds is snatched from the park in the small village of Otterfield, Detective Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Noel throws herself into the search, sick with worry for the quiet, sensitive little girl and her distraught mother.

Wasting no time, Bernie finds a small green cardigan under a bush in the park. It still has the smiley face sticker Molly won that week at school. It’s the first in a chain of clues – and Bernie can’t shake the feeling that it was left deliberately, as a message.

But Bernie encounters a wall of silence. Otterfield is a close-knit community, yet no one in the village has anything to say about the missing child. And Bernie is sure there is something Molly’s mother isn’t telling her either. Why?

And then she makes a chilling discovery: twenty-five years ago, another little girl went missing from the area. Her name was Sophie, and all they ever found of her was her teddy bear, hidden under a bush, just the same as Molly’s cardigan. Now Bernie knows she’s in a race against time to save Molly’s life.

Bernie’s team work round the clock to find a connection between the two girls – but when they find their proof it comes at the price of a shocking tragedy that strikes right at the heart of the case. Molly’s family have been hiding a secret, and now their little girl is in greater danger than ever.

Then Bernie makes one deadly mistake that places her right in the hands of the most dangerous criminal she’s ever faced. She was willing to go to any lengths to solve the case – but will she stay alive long enough to do it?

‘A fresh new voice in police procedural. This compelling debut hits the mark – cleverly plotted, engrossing storyline and refreshingly diverse characters. A must-read! I’m hooked and will look forward to catching up with Detective Bernie Noel in the next book. A fantastic start to the series.’

Sam Carrington – author of The Open House and I Dare You

‘A taut, cleverly plotted debut from a fresh new voice in crime fiction with a very bright future. Last Seen is tense, moving, heartbreaking in some places, thrilling in others and keeps you guessing right until the end. DI Bernie Noel is a great character and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid and Angela Marsons.’

Alex Caan – author of Cut To The Bone and First To Die

‘Tense, dark & deliciously addictive. This will leave you wanting more.’

Jane Isaac – author of The Other Woman and One Good Lie

Coming 27th July 2021, DI Bernie Noel 2 – Broken Girls

Brambles catch her dress, scratch her legs, pierce her feet. To escape, she’d had no option but to go barefoot. They’d been laughing together a few minutes before, but things can change in the blink of an eye…

The woman is dark-haired and young, judging by the short red dress. Any other signs of her identity have been erased during her long wait to be found, but it’s clear she was strangled: this was a passionate and personal murder.

D.I. Bernadette Noel knows that every second counts if she is to catch this killer, but she has no leads – until the discovery that the dead woman’s rings match a stolen property report, and the rings’ owner mentions Rosa, her missing nanny.

Just when Bernie and her team think they’re getting somewhere, a shocking discovery about Rosa – and the news that another young girl has been abducted – changes everything the team thought they knew about the case.

Laura is only twelve, and her parents are beside themselves with worry – but Bernie has an additional fear. Laura’s home is right next to the woods where their murder victim was found: are the cases connected?

When Bernie notices similarities between descriptions of the man last seen with Rosa and someone Laura was messaging online, these fears grow stronger. But they still have no clear leads as to the identity of the culprit.

With few options left, and time running out, she makes a desperate plan to trap the predator. But any mistakes will mean another innocent life lost…

The detective stared at the young woman lying on the bed. She almost looked peaceful, her face like porcelain. Despite everything she had been through, she was still beautiful.

When DI Bernie Noel hurries to Keira Howard’s hospital bedside, she knows that Keira has been lucky. Barely conscious and badly injured, at least she is alive. Convinced that Keira’s attack is the latest in a string of increasingly violent assaults on young women in the area, the next victim might not be so fortunate. So she vows to find the man who did this, and to stop him before anyone else gets hurt.

Spurring her team into action, she quickly hones in on a prime suspect. But then he suddenly dies while on police watch, and Bernie’s investigation goes into freefall. When Bernie’s superiors won’t let her take the case any further, her gut instinct tells her there’s much more to his death than meets the eye. If it was murder, who would want him dead, and why? So she determines to set out on her own to find out what happened.

But the closer Bernie comes to discovering the truth, the more she is putting her own life in danger. And with Keira finally strong enough to talk her about her attack, Bernie worries she may be at risk yet again. There’s someone out there who has killed to stay safe in the shadows; can Bernie stop another senseless death, and save Keira, before it’s too late?

An utterly compelling crime thriller full of twists and suspense, perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Angela Marsons and Cara Hunter.

Readers love LEFT FOR DEAD:

‘Wow!! Just Wow!! What can I even say?!? Joy you have absolutely slam dunked it yet again!!.. absolutely heart racing!! What an absolutely EPIC read… The storyline is absolutely gripping, addictive and captivating. Filled with everything you are looking for in a book… Suspense, tension, mystery, red herrings, researched police procedural, bombshells, you name it this book has it. I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last… LOVED the ending…!! This is one of the best crime series I’ve read… Overall an addictive, gripping, heart racing, nail biting and page turning thriller that will keep you hooked… I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans Melissa Leigh, Carla Hunter, Angela Marsons, C. L Taylor, Val McDermid, Carol Wyer and anyone looking for a great new series.’ bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow what a book… I don’t want to say anymore as it could spoil the book for others but this an excellent story and I have loved every second of reading it. BRILLIANT!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘WOW! This certainly is a gripping crime thriller… a thrilling and addictive fast paced read, made pacier with the delightfully short and snappy chapters. The ending actually left me with tears in my eyes… Fantastic read, LEFT FOR DEAD is perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Carol Wyer and Carla Kovach.’ Confessions of a BookaholicI, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Joy Kluver has done it again! DI Bernie Noel is easily one of my favourite literary characters I’ve ever come across. What a treat book 3 is! Such beautifully complicated storylines throughout… Nail-bitingly tense.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I raced through this book, I just couldn’t put it down. I was so eager for Bernie and the team to get to the bottom of this case. It was just so gripping! I can’t wait for more!’ Star Crossed Reviews

‘One of the best crime series out there at the moment! Honestly, it’s absolutely brilliant… kept me thoroughly entertained and on edge the whole time I was reading it… plenty of unexpected twists and turns.’ My Chestnut Reading Tree, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐