Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.


This is the room where I write. It’s not a very sunny space, but the lights make it cosy. The painting on the wall is a watercolour by my brother and the display cabinet (and a lot of its contents) belonged to my grandmother. The books on the table are a weird mixture – several relate to birds and plants, and are useful for reference when I’m describing the natural world in my cosy mysteries. But there’s also a copy of the Crime Writer’s Handbook, with many grizzly ideas on how to kill my fictional victims. It’s lovely to have the sofa as well as the desk. I migrate to more comfortable seating when I’m proofreading. I have to confess, it’s not usually this tidy. I moved piles of random stuff before I took the photo!

The room provides worryingly easy access to the kitchen and fridge, and a clock to remind me of the passing hours if I start procrastinating. The fabric painting on the wall is by my mother. My husband bought me the red lamp for a birthday many years ago and just beneath it is a photograph of our kids. The mirror rests on a support with hooks. They hold up postcards and two bedraggled peacock feathers the children were given at school to practice circus skills. (They had to balance them on their fingertips. The kids are adults now, but I’m not good at throwing things away. I like that they have a story attached – that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!)