The STAC Hit Parade

Half past six on a chilly February morning, the first glimpse of dawn barely showing over the rooftops, outside temperature is one below zero, and the sky is heavy with the threat of rain and/or snow.

And yet, it’s a grand day, thanks to the STAC Mystery readers.

All six books have been wobbling around the Amazon UK Crime and Mystery/British Detectives top 100 ever since the New Year. Naturally, that doesn’t apply to My Deadly Valentine, which was released only last week. Over the last few days, one or two of the titles have disappeared off the radar, when dropping below the 100 mark.

This morning, however, I woke to find major movement in the series. Permit me to spell it out the STAC Mystery Top of the Pops.

The I-Spy Murders is an oddity. For me, it’s one of the best of the STAC Mysteries, yet it often struggles to sell. Yesterday, it dropped out of the top 100 altogether, but managed to creep its way back in at number 58 yesterday evening, where it remained this morning.

Biggest mover overnight was A Murder for Christmas, climbing a massive 37 places from number 78, where it threatened to slip down and out of the chart, up to number 41. Not a title you’d expect to do well in February, but still proving popular.

My Deadly Valentine was released on Wednesday last week. It entered the Brit Detectives top 100 on the day of its release and although it’s wobbled quiet seriously at times, it’s never been out of the chart, and overnight it climbed 12 places from 50 to 38.

Next biggest mover, and another surprise, A Halloween Homicide, up from 55 to 35. Again aimed at a specific holiday, which doesn’t come round again for another eight months, it’s holding its own quite nicely.

The Filey Connection was the very first STAC Mystery. It’s been in the top 30 since the beginning of the month, and it shows no sign of moving out. Up this morning from 25 to 26.

And finally, Murder at the Murder Mystery Weekend is the morning’s highest placed title at 22: exactly where it was last night. Another title which has remained consistently in the top 30 since its release just before Christmas.

Obviously, I find all this quite pleasing, but I insist it has nothing to do with me. I write the books, I let people know they’re there. Other friends help in letting people know they’re there.

It’s you, the readers, who are responsible for their success. You read them, you pass judgement on them, and I’m sure you pass recommendation on them to your friends.

Thank you. What more can I say?

Well, I’ll tell you what more I can say. There are still two days left for you to win a paperback copy of My Deadly Valentine in a free to enter competition. Check it out.