Meet Helen Jacey

I’m Helen Jacey, the creator of Elvira Slate Investigations and founder of Shedunnit Productions. Thank you for visiting our website and taking a peek! Maybe like me you are a big fan of 1940s noir, but just as sick of the backward values in the genre.

I fell in love with the 1940s as a young girl, watching countless old Hollywood musicals and noir movies.  Many years later, creating the book series has brought all my passions together: noir, intersectional feminist values, vintage fashion, old Hollywood glamour, fighting social injustices, outsider fiction, and not forgetting concocting very complex plots!

I grew up in South London, a place which definitely inspired Elvira Slate’s origins. Many other South Londoners migrated to Golden Age Hollywood including the first woman to direct a noir film Ida Lupino, the legendary Charlie Chaplin, the actor Claud Rains not to mention several South London mobsters!  Today I live on the south coast of England, and travel widely including, of course, to my favourite city Los Angeles.

Creating Elvira Slate has been a dream come true for me. I sincerely hope you enjoy this unique 1940s world and its vibrant and diverse cast of characters. I hope the book series indulges your dreams of a more inclusive 1940s, where finally we can follow relatable women!

If you’d like to know more about my other work and writing, please visit www.helenjacey.com