June 2015 – Life of Cri.me

Evil Games – Angela Marsons

Posted on June 22, 2015July 8, 2015 by J

The greater the Evil, the more deadly the game…

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work.

With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment.

Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time – it’s personal.

…a genuine one sitting read….

Back in the Black Country, back with DI Kim Stone, who in this cracking sequel finds herself locked in an evil mind game, with a deadly opponent. If you enjoyed Silent Scream, you will love Evil Games. Faster, and more adrenaline fuelled, and with a truly evil antagonist who is destined to get under the skin of the troubled yet feisty DI, it’s a genuine one sitting read, as its villains heinous plan is slowly revealed.

It’s another gripping plot that will enthrall you, and make you question just how easily one person can manipulate another. Beginning in court with the trial of a mother accused of trying to kill her child, a series of unrelated crimes are slowly revealed to be linked but only Stone knows who is behind it all. The difficult part is finding, someone, anyone who believes what she knows and can help her prove it.

I’m still amazed that this is just the second outing for Angela Marsons, serial character DI Kim Stone, as the writing is solid, the characters even more intriguing and the cracks in Kim Stone are cleverly picked at, giving us greater glimpses of both her weakness, and her inner strength. A character with such a mixed and difficult background that I’m already looking forward to the next installment.

Reading, Reviews

Silent Scream – Angela Marsons

Posted on June 21, 2015July 8, 2015 by J

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?

I picked up Silent Scream not just as a fan of crime fiction, but also because finally there is a book that has been set where I grew up. My Great Great Grandfather’s portrait hangs in the pub in The Black Country Museum, and if you mention the names of either of my Grandmothers to many of the staff working there, they’ll know exactly who I am. I’m a proud direct descendent Black Country girl, who’s moved away from home, and the memories that have been brought to mind of the places I lived, played and went to school have been a delightful aside. I also believe it’s one of the things that helps with the mystery and intrigue of Silent Scream. With so many modern-day novels set in big cities or rural backwaters, it’s fantastic to see something in a setting more accessible to many, with its own quirks and issues of just who polices whom.

I absolutely loved the character of Kim Stone, and not only because of a shared loved of Kawasaki motorbikes. I enjoyed the way that rather than being given a motorbike as transport in an effort to ‘butch up’ her personality, our feisty DI is but a true petrol head with a passion for bikes old and new. She’s a sarcastic, rule breaker who, despite her childhood, cares more for her team than she’d like to let on. Gritty, and determined, this DI is one fantastic character you’ll immediately want to get behind with a great line in sarcasm that will genuinely make you smile.

With a great cast of supporting characters around her, all of whom are well-developed and will have you keen to learn more about them, what’s most surprising about Silent Scream is that it is a debut novel. It’s cleverly put together with an intriguing plot that pull you in and have you whizzing through pages. I’m definitely adding Angela Marsons to my ‘authors to watch’ list.

Author Q&A's, Guest Posts

Asked and Answered – Christopher Fowler

Posted on June 7, 2015June 17, 2015 by J

A while ago I got to ask a few questions of the delightful Christopher Fowler.

Chris is a prolific writer of books of many genres, who is currently most notable for his series about the adventures of octogenarian detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, and their increasingly antiquated, much maligned and yet highly successful Police Department, The Peculiar Crimes Unit.

His latest book Bryant & May: The Burning Man is out now.

LOC: The Burning Man marks the end of the second overreaching story arc’s in the Bryant and May series, what’s next? will we be seeing more from our favourite octogenarian pairing?

CF: The cat’s out of the bag now, Jo…I’ve been signed to more, but I’d always planned to go on – and I’d planned a way of doing so even though it appears that I’ve written the characters into an impossible corner.

LOC: My personal favourite of the series so far has been White Corridor, because of its shorter timescales, and for taking Bryant & May out of their comfort zone. What’s your favourite Bryant & May novel and why?

CF: Ah – that’s one of my ‘precinct’ tales, where you deliberately limit your options. They’re hard to write but very satisfying. I plan to do another soon. If you look at the timescales you’ll find that nearly all of the stories take place over one week and in exactly 50 chapters. I really love ‘The Burning Man’, but then I tend to be proudest of the latest one anyway.

LOC: I have a long drive to work each day and regularly listen to audio books. I’ve ‘read’ all of the previous Bryant & May novels this way. Tim Goodman is a fantastic narrator, how much input did you have in selecting him, and into the production of the audio books?

CF: I didn’t, but as soon as I heard him I knew we were in a safe pair of hands. I think they’ve done an unusually fine job on the books, and I hope Tim stays in there for a long time.

LOC: If they were ever brought to the Film or the TV screen, who would you like to see in the roles?

CF: Well the rights have been sold several times, once with Derek Jacobi attached. I think Toby Jones would be a great Bryant. There’s a theme tune for the show on YouTube and on my blog, written by Des Burkinshaw. Crippen’s on it!

LOC: What’s your writing space like, and do you have a regular writing routine?

CF: I have two very different writing spaces, one in London, in a minimalist space on an entirely glass table with no papers anywhere, the other in Barcelona on a pre-Franco voting ballot-table covered in papers and ink stains.

LOC: What are you working on at the moment?

CF: I recently finished ‘The Sand Men’ a paranoid and very sinister thriller set in Dubai, which comes out in October (I think) from Solaris. And ‘Bryant & May: London’s Glory’, a collection of their forgotten cases, comes out in time for Christmas this year.

LOC: What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

‘CF: You don’t need to explain why people fall in love, you just need to know that they do.’ That, and ‘Dialogue is not conversation.’

LOC:Who inspires you?

CF: Gad, where to start? People in the street; I’m a good observer (harder than it sounds). Lots of writers from Dickens to Joe Orton to JG Ballard, and a lot of female American crime writers from the 1950s.

LOC: You obviously have a great deal of love for London, and its myths, magic and legends. How do you go about discovering these and carrying out research?

CF: I walk a lot, have an insane collection of strange London books (‘The Lost Cinemas of Camden Town’, anyone?), and have a tendency to make connections that only seem obvious when you put them together. Then once I have a hypothesis, I go out and see if it could be true. In ‘The Burning Man’, it seemed obvious to me that there was a connection between Guy Fawkes and the banking riots.

and for the LifeOfCri.me quick fire round…..

Bryant or May? Both, plus London

Fact or Fiction? Both, plus Surreality

London or Barcelona? Both

Historical or Modern? Both, plus Future

Crime or Sci-Fi? Both, plus alt. timeline

TV or Film? Both

Book or E-Book? Both

You can find more about Christopher Fowler can be found on his website christopherfowler.co.uk where he blogs on a daily basis or you can follow him on twitter @Peculiar

Blogging

That was the break that was

Posted on June 6, 2015June 15, 2015 by J

So I’ve been away for a little while. I’ve been reading a lot, but I’ve also been celebrating a lot too. I recently turned 40 and have spent three weeks, catching up with friends, attending festivals, going on holiday, and attending parties. It’s been fabulous.

It started with CrimeFest where I had an absolutely amazing time as always. There were some interesting panels, some strange and wild conversations, author meet and greets, awards announcements, gala dinners, publisher drinks parties, oh and free books…. but most of that paled into insignificance as over the course of the weekend, I got to go out for lunch with Lee Child. I think I forgot most of everything that happened after that, including getting an author to write a guest feature for me! (oh the horror….)

There’s even more fantastic author news lined up, but I’ll save that for closer to the time it’s due to happen as I really don’t want to jinx it.

After CrimeFest, I flew to Las Vegas, I *almost* touched David Copperfield (my huge teenage crush), and I walked. A lot. When they say the hotels are big, you really just cannot comprehend. They are beyond huge. It took 20 minutes to walk from our hotel room through the MGM Grand and Casino to The Strip, but every blister, and night falling into bed with tired and sore feet was worth it.

I’ve been out and about in ‘that London’ with friends to celebrate the actual day, drunk an awful lot of champagne, and avoided writing the reviews and publishing the articles I usually do, because I’ve simply not found the time.

But now the hiatus is over, watch this space, as I catch up with events, competitions, reviews, awards and more.