BBC Producer Jayne Chard Releases Second Cornish Crime Novel

A multi-award-winning television producer is making waves in the world of crime fiction, with her second novel landing this May, and this time the action heads straight to Cornwall.

Jayne Chard, whose TV credits include the BBC’s long-running drama Silent Witness, is launching The Body that Floats on 7th May 2026, the second book in her The Julia and Frankie Mystery Series. Published by Chapters Crime Press and priced at £10.99, the novel sees characters Julia and Frankie entangled in a brand new murder mystery set in Cornwall.

📷Jayne Chard

From the Royal Shakespeare Company to Cosy Crime

Jayne’s creative career began long before the cameras started rolling. She started writing plays at the age of eight and had completed her first novel by fourteen. After graduating with a degree in psychology and drama, she won the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Buzz Goodbody Director Award, going on to direct productions at the Royal Court Theatre and the Riverside Studios. Two of her plays were also performed on the London Fringe during this period.

She eventually moved from stage to screen, directing television dramas before building a career as a multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, with Silent Witness among her most notable credits.

📷Copyright 2017 Andy "Rails" Railton

A New Chapter in Crime Fiction

Jayne made her fiction debut in 2025 with More Than Murder, the first book in the series, which she describes as an “edgy cosy crime series” where sharp wit meets suspicious deaths. The book drew strong early praise, with bestselling author Antony Johnston, known for The Dog Sitter Detective series, calling it “a wonderful debut. Julia and Frankie are hilarious, and More than Murder is a real page-turner.” Choice magazine added that Jayne “clearly knows all about crafting a nail-biting thriller.”

The Body that Floats promises more of the same, with what the publisher describes as witty and charming characters and a plot with “more twists and turns than a country road.” It is being pitched as an ideal read for fans of Robert Thorogood, Fiona Leitch, and Richard Osman.

Jayne lives in the West Country with her partner and two cockapoos.

The Body that Floats is available from 7th May 2026 from all good book retailers, and you can Pre-order it on Amazon now.