Meet The Family: Francine
Back in November, I introduced you to Suzanne, the first of three strong women who feature in the Suzanne Jones series of thrillers. Last month, we met the second of the trio, her sister Charlie. This month I’m going to introduce you to their friend, Francine.
Francine Matheson is a natural blonde, well-built and with large breasts of which she is secretly very proud, although she would never flaunt them. She wears smart business suits in neutral colours that look good on TV; when off duty she wears smart casual outfits, such as long skirts and mohair jumpers with long boots. She is never, ever seen in a track suit.
Francine has a degree from London School of Economics and was training as a solicitor when in her 20s she was involved in a serious accident that hospitalised her for many months. When recovered she became a political activist and legal aid volunteer before entering parliament in 1997 at the age of 30. At the start of Counterfeit! she is Parliamentary Undersecretary in the Department for International Development.
Francine was born in Liverpool to an unmarried mother who was, and to some extent still is, a hippie. Francine found her mother’s bohemian lifestyle and behaviour embarrassing, and was therefore delighted when she gained a much more traditional stepfather who was serving in the Royal Marines. He moved his new family down to Devon, where she met the Jones sisters for the first time at school. However, she lost touch with them when she went off to London to study and they are only re-united towards the end of the book.
Francine plays a pivotal but largely unseen role in Deception! However, she will be the central character in book 3 of the series, Corruption!
Later in the year, we will meet some of the other key characters appearing in the Suzanne Jones series. In the meantime, if you want to see Suzanne, Charlie and Francine in action, you can find them in Counterfeit!, the first in the series, which came out last year. Deception! is due out later this year and Corruption! in autumn 2018.
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