OXFORD writer Olivia Kiernan has completed her hat-trick - a third crime novel featuring Dublin-based DCI Frankie Sheehan.

If Looks Could Kill will be published next month by Quercus imprint Riverrun.

The third novel in the series follows the critically-acclaimed The Killer In Me and Too Close To Breathe.

After being born and raised in County Meath, near the heritage town Kells, the author gained an MA in creative writing at Sussex.

In 2003 she relocated to Oxfordshire to work as a chiropractor in Abingdon.

While staying at a B&B in Boars Hill she met Matthew Alden, who runs Aldens Butchers in Oxford.

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Mum-of-one Ms Kiernan said earlier: “Matthew is very supportive of what I do – when you are trying to get a publishing deal I think it can be quite hard for your significant other to watch but I’m in a much better position now.”

In the latest novel Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan is summoned to the rural Wicklow mountains, where local mother-of-two, Debbie Nugent, has been reported missing.

Oxford Mail:

A bloody crime scene is discovered at Debbie’s home but there is no body. Not only is foul play suspected, but Debbie’s daughter, Margot, has been living with the scene for three days.

Aware her team cannot convict Margot on appearances alone, Sheehan launches a full investigation into Debbie Nugent’s life.

And, before long, the discrepancies within Debbie’s disappearance suggest that some families are built on dangerous deceptions, with ultimately murderous consequences.

Ms Kiernan left Ireland when she was 19 and promoting The Killer in Me gave her the opportunity to enjoy a homecoming of sorts.

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Last year she attended a launch for the novel at Dubray Books at Grafton Street, Dublin, a stone’s throw from the location of her fictional detective’s flat.

After completing a diploma in anatomy and physiology then a BSc in Chiropractic before she succumbed to the creative itch and embarked on an MA in Creative Writing.

In 2015, she began writing Too Close to Breathe, a crime thriller featuring Dublin detective, Frankie Sheehan.

It was published in 2018 in UK and Ireland and in multiple territories including the US, Germany, France and Japan.

The second in the series The Killer In Me was called a ‘captivating new thriller’ by the Wall Street Journal and ‘a nail-bitingly good read” by Mystery Scene.

Last year Ms Kiernan was invited to speak as part of a panel at The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. The festival is one of the country’s most prestigious for crime writers, with some of the biggest names in crime fiction returning year after year.

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Ms Kiernan is now one of a number of women crime writers in Oxfordshire.

Oxford Mail:

Cara Hunter enjoyed instant success with her first novel Close to Home in 2017, which featured DI Adam Fawley’s investigation into the disappearance of an eight-year-old girl.

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Ms Kiernan said: “I’m thrilled to be releasing the next DCS Frankie Sheehan book here, where there is so much love for crime fiction. Over the last couple of years, local bookshops and readers have shown incredible support for my books.

“We have a good little nest of crime authors here and it is a real privilege to combine events with brilliant authors, such as, JP Delaney, Cara Hunter, Mick Herron and Lucy Atkins, to name a few.”

If Looks Could Kill is out on April 16, price £14.99.