The Bookseller.com

1st December 2008

Newham bans Billie Jo reading

29.08.08 Benedicte Page

Newham Council has prevented Preface novelist Kimberley Chambers reading from her book Billie Jo at one of its libraries after fearing that connections could be made to the Billie-Jo Jenkins murder.

Chambers was scheduled to read from the novel, Billie Jo—an East End gangland tale in the Martina Cole mould—to an over-55s reading group at Beckton Library earlier this month. But the council cancelled the event a week before it was due to take place because the book's title was reminiscent of the name of the teenager killed in 1997.

A different book, The Murder of Billie-Jo by Siôn Jenkins, the girl's foster father, who was originally jailed for her murder then later acquitted on appeal, was also published this month (Metro Books).

Rhiannon Spellman of FMCM, which handles the publicity for Preface titles, said: "It's all a bit ridiculous. There is no connection with the murder case—Billie Jo is a "Royle Family" meets "EastEnders" meets "Footballers' Wives" story. It's Kimberley Chambers' first novel and she was keen to go ahead with the event, which would have sold a lot of books and got her name out there. She was disappointed and frustrated."

A spokesperson from Newham Council said: "We acknowledge that the title of Kimberley Chambers' book and the timing of the publication of Siôn Jenkins' book were significant to the decision to cancel the event.

"We were concerned that connections may be made between Ms Chambers' book and murdered teenager Billie-Jo Jenkins, especially during a time when Siôn Jenkins' book was receiving wide publicity. Members of Billie-Jo's family still live in Newham and we took the decision to cancel out of respect for them."

Benedicte Page Home Preface Newham Council Billie Jo Kimberley Chambers

Comments on this article