Jill Whitehouse

The Deal is a locked room murder mystery set in a City law firm, inspired by my time as a corporate finance partner in two such firms.

In the glitzy offices of a City law firm, people are working late into the night. There are only three days to close the deal and the pressure is intense. But that’s not the only stress in play. Ancient history, hidden jealousies and guilty secrets swirl beneath the surface while an ambitious puppet master pulls strings.

Eight people are there that night. One will be dead by morning.

Seven suspects. Seven secrets. One killer.

Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast meets Suits.

I’m a former corporate finance lawyer, having been a partner in two City law firms before becoming General Counsel and COO of two legal headhunting businesses. I now work as a freelance solicitor, doing pro bono work for charities and causes I believe in. I am also very proud to be a trustee of The Multibank, a charity founded by Gordon Brown and others. Multibanks are clothes, bedding, baby, hygiene products and furniture banks all rolled into one. We connect companies with surplus goods with local charities who know how to get these products to the people who need them. (www.themultibank.com)

My previous novel reached the top 10% of the First Pages prize, was highly recommended in The Novelry's Firestarter and won third prize in the I Am Writing Thriller competition in 2022.

I’m an alumna of the Curtis Brown Creative Six Month London Novel course and of Faber Academy. I live in Richmond with my husband, a varying number of my four adult children and their partners (who don’t seem to have the hang of empty nesting yet), three golden retrievers and two weird cats.