Diagnosis or Death centers around a therapist who is pulled into a case involving a suspicious online video, benefit fraud, and the death of a fellow practitioner. What first inspired the idea behind Diagnosis or Death?

Annabel is a consultant in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a form of non-speaking therapy that sometimes sees her carry out a kind of detective work, figuring out what makes her clients tick. We wanted to position Janna, the heroine, as a character with a strong sense of fairness and justice. In real life, our local authority, Oxfordshire County Council, is involved in a scheme (like the fictional one in D or D) to ensure benefit claimants get the support they’re entitled to. So, for Janna to use her new Master of Psychology qualification to assist in this felt like a good fit.

Why was it important that Janna feel grounded in ordinary pressures like finances, work stress, and relationships?

Janna is not a cop, so a murder case is something she is drawn into; it’s not her business as a matter of routine. The stories follow her as she realises something is wrong, looks further into it, and finds her courage to push for the truth. In each, there is a particular reason (revealed as part of the story) why police investigations stall, and she has to step in.

How did you approach portraying therapy and EMDR responsibly within a suspense narrative?

Annabel is a registered EMDR consultant, so she kept a close eye on how this particular form of psychotherapeutic practice was portrayed in the novel.

Can we look forward to more mysteries featuring Janna Rose?

In the third Janna Rose mystery, now under construction with a working title of Seashore of Sorrows, she travels to Australia and our favourite spot there, Jervis Bay, an idyllic nook of the New South Wales coast. That will hopefully appear early in 2027.

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