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COMING SOON — The 10th Car

COMING SOON — The 10th Car

When a disgraced Bristol detective-turned-PI, Omus Jones, is hired to sort out an eighteen‑million‑pound insurance claim, he stumbles onto a secret sealed inside a Cornish carriage house: a legendary pre‑war French “toile Noire” that should not exist. The discovery catapults Omus into a world where expertise is currency and authority can be forged—just like cars and documents.

As a revered Parisian authenticator reverses himself, a hedge‑fund owner wavers between victim and suspect, and a century of Penrose family secrets surfaces in a leather file, Omus and DS Zennor Quince trace a chain of desire, deception, and provenance across Cornwall, London, and Paris. To solve the case before a lawsuit crushes his client—and before the wrong people close ranks—Omus must answer four questions he’s asked his whole career: who made it, who forged it, why the expert changed his mind, and, most dangerous of all, who really benefits.

Praise

Love Notes and Sticky Tape "An intriguing, tender tale..."

— Kirkus Reviews

Perfect Attachment "Intense Swedish thriller exploring research, ethics, and human attachment "

— Booklife

Books

Perfect Attachment cover

Perfect Attachment

July 2025

St. James’s first offering in his Inspector Maja series pierces the limits of humanity, as Detective Maja Norberg and her partner, Sven Svensson, are entangled in a string of gruesome murders unfolding in Stockholm, Sweden. When a middle-of-the-night call brings Maja to a horrifying crime scene—two bodies fused together with a chemical compound, brutally murdered, and arranged to be discovered—she realizes this is a case like none other, the kind that will “follow her home… [and] sit at her kitchen table during her solitary dinners, [whispering] to her in the small hours when sleep refuse[s] to come.” As more bodies are found—and the media dubs the culprit “The Adhesive Killer”—Maja and Sven have just 36 hours to solve the case before the feds take over.

"Intense Swedish thriller exploring research, ethics, and human attachment"

— Booklife

Wow what a concept for a story. I was intrigued from the first few pages. Detective Maja Norberg get a call to a horrible crime scene. There are two body fused together by some chemical compound. This is not topical murder. This murder is by someone that is taking their time. Then more couples are bounded to each other. Detective Maja uncovers a professor that has been conducting unethical experiments on human attachment. Is the professor the killer or has the killer been using the professor scientific research? As Maja and her partner get close to finding out they become targets. Not giving anything away. Want to find out what happens check this book out.

— Amazon Reader

This book got under my skin in the best (and worst) possible way. Perfect Attachment takes a deeply unsettling concept of turning love and human connection into something deadly and makes it feel disturbingly real. Detective Maja Norberg is sharp, vulnerable, and incredibly easy to root for as she uncovers layers of obsession hidden behind Stockholm’s polished academic world. The story is bright, dark, and relentlessly tense, with scenes that genuinely made me squirm. If you like your thrillers intelligent, creepy, and emotionally charged, this one’s definitely worth your time.

— Amazon Reader
Lint Socks and Rock Paper Scissors cover

Lint Socks and Rock Paper Scissors

March 2025

This absurd and whimsical masterpiece follows eccentric professors and passionate enthusiasts as they transform mundane objects into subjects worthy of doctoral dissertations. Through elaborate research methodologies, peer-reviewed nonsense, and detailed statistical analyses of completely irrelevant data, these papers celebrate humanity's remarkable ability to find profound meaning in life's most trivial pursuits. Inside, You'll Discover: 29 meticulously researched chapters of perfectly crafted nonsense like; The groundbreaking field of Garden Gnome Consciousness Studies Secret migration patterns of rubber ducks (backed by questionable research) Underground competitive yodeling scenes in suburban basements Revolutionary breakthroughs in eyebrow dancing technique The intense world of professional thumb wrestling Detailed "scientific" observations of everyday objects Complex taxonomies of the absolutely ordinary Passionate debates about things that don't matter and Citations that definitely don't exist Perfect for fans of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and anyone who loves clever humor wrapped in pseudo-academic brilliance. Each chapter reads like a peer-reviewed paper from an alternate universe where the mundane becomes extraordinary through the power of overthinking.

"Lint, Socks and Rock Paper Scissors" is a laugh-out-loud journey through the most absurdly over-analyzed aspects of daily life.

Don't miss this groundbreaking contribution to the field of Unnecessary Studies. Your understanding of competitive yawning will never be the same.

Love Notes and Sticky Tape cover

Love Notes and Sticky Tape

Feb 2025

A mesmerizing tale of secrets, tradition, and the courage to chart one's own course. When Mei returns to her small Japanese fishing island after five years in Tokyo, she discovers mysterious paper boats appearing throughout the harbor—perfectly folded without tape, just as her mother taught her. These vessels contain messages that gradually unveil a fifteen-year-old secret involving her mother who left the island suddenly, widower Yoshida-san, and his daughter Sakura. As Mei investigates, she uncovers a hidden romance expressed through poetry written in the margins of weather reports, a connection the island elders suppressed to maintain harmony and tradition. Now, as Sakura faces an arranged marriage similar to what was planned for her fifteen years ago, someone is systematically removing tape from old letters and releasing these paper boats to reveal long-buried truths.

"An intriguing, tender tale..."

— Kirk’s Reviews

"Julien St. James doesn't just tell a story about love-romantic, familial, and self-directed-but about how traditions can evolve without losing their soul. It's heartfelt, gorgeously written, and left me feeling both wistful and hopeful in the best way."

— Amazon Reader

"This little novella is such a beautiful piece of work, full of lyrical prose, wonderful imagery, and pure heart."

— Goodreads
Julien St. James

About

Julien St. James is the author of Perfect Attachment (2025), a Nordic noir set in Sweden, and Love Notes and Sticky Tape (2025), a love story set in Japan. His forthcoming novel, The 10th Car, unfolds across the UK and France.

Influenced by Jo Nesbø and Jan Willem van de Wetering, he writes atmospheric crime and cross‑cultural fiction about belonging, obsession, and the bargains we make with tradition. Born in London and raised across four continents, he has worked in Canada, Mexico, the UK, the Netherlands, and Sweden, and has lived in Austin, Texas, since 2015. He sketches key scenes in a range of mediums (ink, watercolor, and digital) and shares them at julienstjames.com, where he offers original artwork for readers and ARC supporters.

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