Tag: crime

Events Alert: Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s “Creative Thursday”

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festival logo

festival logo

I’ve just heard that bookings are now open for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s creative writing course for aspiring writers – Creative Thursday. Held on Thursday 18th July 2013, and running from 9am to 6pm, it’s a fabulous opportunity for those interested in writing crime.

This day-long programme of workshops and seminars gives aspiring crime and thriller writers access to bestselling crime writers, publishing industry professionals and real-life crime experts.

The workshop will cover topics including:

  • Learning from the Greats
  • Constructing Character and Plot
  • Interactive Session with the Forensic Science Society
  • Plus the return of The Dragons Pen – Dare you enter and pitch your novel idea?

In addition, a lucky few Creative Thursday participants with a completed concept for a crime novel will get the opportunity to pitch their book to two agents

The Creative Thursday workshop costs £99.

To find out more, pop over to the Festival website here: http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime/creative-thursday/

Or to book your place, contact the festival office on 01423 562 303 or email crime@harrogate-festival.org.uk

 

 

A wonderful launch: C&R Crime

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C&R Crime launch

C&R Crime launch

 

Wonderful publishers Constable & Robinson launched their new consolidated crime imprint C&R CRIME on the 28th February.

I was really excited to be invited to the launch party, held at the fabulous location ‘The Crypt’ just off Trafalgar Square, London. It was a fabulous evening with loads of authors, the C&R Crime team, book bloggers and reviewers all mingling and chatting.

M.C. Beaton gave a speech in honour of the occasion, and it was revealed that she is just about to have her 106th novel published – a simply amazing feat.

C&R Crime have got some great books out at the moment including The Poacher’s Son by Paul Doiron (reviewed on this blog in February) and The Circus by James Craig (which I’m currently reading).

I’m also really looking forward to Quentin Bates’ new novel that’s coming out in April.

 

To find out more about C&R Crime head over to their website at http://www.crcrime.co.uk/

Sometimes you just need a bit of DEXTER

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Dexter books

Dexter books

Things have been a bit hectic with the ‘day job’ of late.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m feeling knackered and in need of a ‘pick me up’ I have a few favorite novel series that I turn to. And one of those series is DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay.

The deliciously deadly Dexter, and his complicated life of serving Blood Splatter Analyst (by day) and Serial Killer serial killer (by night) is always a joy to read about. The quirky voice of the character immediately pulls me into the story and lets me forget the world for a while. And sometimes we all need that, right?

Of course, if I’m feeling more like watching than reading I can always dig out the series box set (I have them all!) and watch a few episodes too.

Perfect to chill out to, don’t you think.

What’s your ‘chill out’ book or series?

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Attending the (Transworld) Crime Scene

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Transworld Crime Scene poster

Transworld Crime Scene poster

On Wednesday I was really excited to be heading over to the first ever Transworld Crime Scene event at Transworld Publishers, Ealing.

Special guest for the evening was Cath Staincliffe, author of the Scott & Bailey novelisations, who was interviewed by Rachel Rayner, Commissioning Editor for Crime and Thrillers.

Cath spoke about her latest book in the series BLEED LIKE ME and about how she ensures that the novels dovetail in with the television series and also work as stories in their own right.

With the Scott & Bailey series, plus standalone novels and radio plays in production, Cath sounds like she never has a dull moment.

When asked about her writing process, Cath revealed that she always writes her novels out in longhand first before typing them onto the computer. To make sure the procedural details and technical aspects are correct, she checks them with a police adviser before the final draft.

After the interview, Cath signed copies of her new book, BLEED LIKE ME, and there was plenty of time to chat to the Transworld editorial crime team, bloggers, competition winners and the folks from Dead Good Books.

It was a fabulous evening.

As well as the Scott & Bailey series, Cath also writes standalone crime novels for C&R Crime. Her next standalone book BLINK OF AN EYE will be published next month.

BLEED LIKE ME by Cath Staincliffe is available now (watch this space for a review coming soon).

In the Spotlight: CHALK VALLEY by D.L. Johnstone

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kindle cover CHALK VALLEY

kindle cover CHALK VALLEY

What the blurb says: “In a remote mountain valley in British Columbia, a human monster preys on innocent lives.  After teenagers discover the body of a missing girl in Chalk Valley, searchers find the remains of two more victims secreted deep in the woods.  A serial killer is at work.

Chalk Valley police detective John McCarty is picked to lead a task force to find the murderer, but inexperience, politics and McCarty’s own inner demons quickly overwhelm him and the investigation falters.

Meanwhile, on a dark, lonely highway many miles from Chalk Valley, RCMP Sergeant Dave Kreaver comes across a van crashed at the side of the road. The driver is anxious to leave the scene, but Kreaver discovers an unconscious teenaged girl in the van. Kreaver feels in his gut that the driver could be the serial killer everyone’s looking for, but his inquiries are ignored. The task force is in well over its head, buried by thousands of leads and potential suspects. His supervisors tell him to back off and let the task force do its job.

 

Kreaver finds himself in a deadly cat and mouse game with a murderous psychopath, a race against time with innocent victims in play. Operating alone and without official sanction, can he stop the Chalk Valley Killer before he claims more lives?”

This complex, multi-agency and multi-location police procedural has the big picture feel of a television show like The Wire. Told through the point of views of a range of characters involved in the case – including police officers, journalists, victims and the killer – it shows how incidents that at first seem unconnected all fit together into a web of violence and terror.

The twists and turns of the story sprint along but there’s still plenty of procedural detail to satisfy fans of the sub-genre. With the killers point of view included, readers discover their identity before the police have collaborated all of the evidence – this ups the tension for the reader as you will on the various police departments, hoping that they’ll find the connections before it’s too late.

With a dramatic finale and a poignant ending this is a story well worth checking out.

D.L. Johnstone lives in the Toronto area. He’s co-authored several medical research publications and is a semi-dedicated fitness freak with a second degree black belt in Taekwondo. CHALK VALLEY is his debut novel.

You can find out more about him and his writing at www.dljohnstonewriter.com

Book Review: Sleepwalkers by Tom Grieves

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book cover: Sleepwalkers

book cover: Sleepwalkers

 

A disturbing, gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing to the end

What the blurb says: “Blink. Keep your eyes open. Blink. That’s it. Don’t go back to sleep, not yet. If it weren’t for the nightmares, Ben would say he had a good life. He’s happy with his steady job, and loves his wife and kids to death. But it’s hard to ignore the dark, violent images that are so vivid that he often worries that the dreams are real and everything else around him is a lie.

Toby also suffers from nightmares. And the scars on his fifteen-year-old body are a ghostly reminder of actions he doesn’t remember or understand. Two people, two separate, unremarkable lives.

When their dreams and doubts collide and become too powerful to ignore, one fact will become clearer than any other – that the truth they are running towards is the very thing from which they should be fleeing.”

 

Rather like The Matrix, Sleepwalkers has the characters, and therefore the reader, questioning ‘what is the true reality?’ Three strangers – Ben, Toby and Anna – want to find out. Family-man Ben wonders if he’s just ungrateful for his seemingly pleasant albeit average family life, and is haunted by violent nightmares. Teenage Toby puzzles over how he came to have the scars that line his body, and if they are linked to the strange dreams he’s been having. And teacher Anna wonders whether this really is all there is in life. As their paths join, and they set out to discover what the truth really is, they discover that their lives are more connected than any of them could have guessed.

As Ben and Toby try to work out why their dreams seem more real and more vivid than their waking hours they discover a truth more shocking than they could have ever imagined. I found that I quickly cared about these characters and wanted them to succeed in their quest, even though I feared it could end badly for them. As the danger drew closer (I won’t tell you what – no spoilers here) I found myself holding the book tighter and reading faster and faster.

Tom Grieves’ writing is stunning: pacy, bold and completely absorbing.

In this action filled, disorientating and gripping story, nothing is exactly as it first seems. Sleepwalkers had me reading well into the night, unable to put the book down, and trying to puzzle out the truth (and what the characters will do when they find it) right to the end.

Highly recommended.

Indie Spotlight: The Missing by Karl Vadaszffy

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The Missing cover image

The Missing cover image

What the cover says: “John Simmons is en route to London with his girlfriend, Jennie Michaels, whom he intends to propose to that evening. He pulls into the London Gateway Services, leaving Jennie in the car. But when he returns, she has disappeared. Frantic with worry, he turns to the police for help. The police doubt that Jennie exists: there is no trace that she ever existed.

John, convinced Jennie was not a figment of his imagination, sets out in a desperate attempt to find the woman he fell in love with. He has the help of Detective Sergeant Kate Nielsen, herself haunted by a botched undercover operation that led to her being raped four years earlier.

Everything he can remember of Jennie – where she worked, where she lived – turns out to be untrue. Nielsen, following John as he lurches from one lead to another, begins to wonder if Jennie could be the eleventh victim of a serial killer. Their investigation becomes increasingly urgent and threatens to bring back dark and murky images from Nielsen’s past.”

John Simmons is in a nightmare situation. His fear for Jennie and his determination to find her make him a sympathetic and compelling character. Even though everything he thought was true about his girlfriend turns out to be false, he won’t give up. Finally, he persuades DS Kate Nielson to help him.

But as John becomes increasingly desperate to find Jennie, and his behaviour becomes more and more erratic, DS Kate Nielson’s challenges grow. Her boss thinks John is delusional, and Kate herself begins to doubt if Jennie ever did exist.

But when another woman is brutally attacked and murdered, John’s convinced there’s a connection. As John and Kate hunt for the killer, they become targets themselves.

The race is on. Can Kate find Jennie and catch the killer before she becomes the next victim?

The Missing is an action packed, high tension read. The stakes continue to rise, and the list of suspects continues to grow, while the question ‘Did Jennie Michaels really exist?’ adds further complications.

Part police procedural, part action thriller, part psychological thriller, with more than enough twists to keep the reader guessing until the end, this is a debut novel well worth checking out.

Debut novelist, Karl Vadaszffy, is published by Peach Press in eBook format. You can find out more at his website: www.karlvad.com

The Missing is the first book in the DS Kate Nielson series.

 

Guest review on the Mean Streets Crime Fiction blog: Snakes and Ladders by Sean Slater

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This week I’ve been guest reviewing over on the awesome Mean Streets Crime Fiction review blog.

Here’s a sneaky peek at my review:

A smart, rapid-paced crime thriller that’ll keep you guessing to the end

Detective Jacob Striker is facing the most shocking case of his career.  Called to attend a suicide death in a bad part of town, Striker expects to find another life lost to drug addiction. But this time the victim isn’t just another sad statistic, it’s someone Striker knows. And he’s sure it wasn’t suicide.

Striker and his partner, Felicia, investigate, uncovering connections between the victim and the support group overseen by psychiatrist Dr Erich Ostermann. As they delve deeper in the goings on at the Riverglen Mental Health Facility, Striker discovers his good friend and recent patient of Ostermann, Larisa Logan, has gone missing.

Striker battles to discover the identity of mysterious killer ‘The Adder’ while also searching for Larisa. With every lead Striker finds, The Adder makes a brutal move. As the body-count rises, Striker risks his professional and personal lives to bring the killer to justice.

Detective Jacob Striker is a bold and likable character. He’s smart, brave and wants to do the right thing – even if it’s not exactly following orders. He’s also a single parent, trying to care for his troubled teenage daughter while staying on top of his cases. Larisa, his work partner (and on/off lover) is equally smart, courageous and focused, and together they make a formidable team.

And they need to be …

Hop over to the Mean Street Crime Fiction blog to read the rest http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/crimefiction/2012/11/snakes-and-ladders-by-sean-slater/

Events: Crime Fiction Academy taking applications for Spring 2013 intake

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If you’re an aspiring crime writer and are close to (or get get to and spend a while in) New York, you might want to check this out …

The Crime Fiction Academy are now taking applications for their spring 2013 workshops.

This blog post by Jonathan Santlofer, the CFA Director, talks about why the CFA was set up, and what participants can expect from the programme: http://publishingperspectives.com/2012/09/crime-fiction-academy-where-a-listers-teach-aspiring-bestsellers/

You can find out more, and learn how to apply here: http://www.centerforfiction.org/crimefiction

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Review: Come the Fear by Chris Nickson

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Come the Fear book cover

An atmospheric and chilling historical mystery

“March, 1733. Richard Nottingham, Constable of the City of Leeds, joins others trying desperately to put out a fire in an empty house before it destroys the entire street. The next morning, searching the blackened ruins, he finds the charred corpse of a girl, and something placed on her chest. Had the fire been started to conceal her murder?

Starting with just a single clue, Nottingham his deputy John Sedgwick and Rob Lister slowly piece together the girl’s past, a journey that takes them into the camps of the homeless, the homes of rich merchants, down to the poor and those beyond hope, deep into the dark secrets and lies that families keep hidden.”

I have to admit that I’ve not read much historical crime fiction, so this book was a bit of a first for me.

It’s the fourth book in Chris Nickson’s Richard Nottingham series. And, although it’s part of a series, I found it easy to get into the story having not read the books that precede it.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the way in which the multiple plot-lines crossed and then joined together. The gruesome discovery of the murdered girl in the burnt-out house is the main story, but through the eyes of the main characters the reader also discovers what it was like to police the city of Leeds during the period. Nottingham, Sedgewick and Lister encounter troubles with prostitution, theft (and thief-takers) and violent crime, and it’s through how they deal with these challenges, and the issues that they face in their personal lives, that the reader gets an insight into what it must have been like to live in those times, to have a relationship with someone outside the social class society deemed appropriate for you, to raise a family, and to cope with the joys and the tragedies that living in that period made commonplace.

Nickson paints a rich picture, conjuring the sights, smells and sounds of the period through his vivid narrative. That said, the novel moves with a quick pace and, as the reader uncovers the clues and events with the main characters, you’re soon swept up in the story and in trying to work out who did it and why.

Come the Fear gives a fascinating glimpse into life and crime in the 1730s, as well as providing an engaging mystery for the reader to unravel alongside Constable Richard Nottingham and his team.

Highly recommended.

Come the Fear is published by the Crème de la Crime imprint of Severn House on 30th August 2012 (UK) and in November 2012 (USA).

 

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