tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800929286094235732024-03-18T03:03:49.104+00:00SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIALSHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL The blog space of www.shotsmag.co.ukMike Stotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05337961000383588556noreply@blogger.comBlogger3622125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-35026285802079113772024-03-14T10:00:00.001+00:002024-03-17T18:57:28.795+00:00Inaugural McDermid Debut Award launched.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGKzzBZfGusSL6cAWMQzqQt_rd0bfrKEa6moHbMB_OxAaSab1xzVTf-K-Aj78nRe0QYW_a619gDBTYtVRgIuLTkcPM2OqeNQ3BPgiwEXAB3I_G1SC2PBUTB5GPtKQd7ERzkbz3Jgnz4HESRcsl4WZsaYfoJ8dA4ln3KcUyB7cnGx5a-g13V4ycKz4N7_z/s3508/All%20gold%20highres.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="3508" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGKzzBZfGusSL6cAWMQzqQt_rd0bfrKEa6moHbMB_OxAaSab1xzVTf-K-Aj78nRe0QYW_a619gDBTYtVRgIuLTkcPM2OqeNQ3BPgiwEXAB3I_G1SC2PBUTB5GPtKQd7ERzkbz3Jgnz4HESRcsl4WZsaYfoJ8dA4ln3KcUyB7cnGx5a-g13V4ycKz4N7_z/w171-h171/All%20gold%20highres.png" width="171" /></span><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <span> <span> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGbcZ3TPLln0TiG2cXjArN7tnbJpp-EETgc7h4hWrwA5TxYMCho3Z7WrY0EHA2f3-WpiB_FviyfUIfYWYxwRTiU4ccRZiYX1jesyv2PagNMSQQiq282rSrshrwUGW93Yby7Sg5aU5GzMIecqlhJ7OMcI9Ua1RafxsgVPIq1P47M-lR5UrEtLrciClOeSh/s1417/TOPCWF%20white%20red%20logo%20TRANS.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1417" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGbcZ3TPLln0TiG2cXjArN7tnbJpp-EETgc7h4hWrwA5TxYMCho3Z7WrY0EHA2f3-WpiB_FviyfUIfYWYxwRTiU4ccRZiYX1jesyv2PagNMSQQiq282rSrshrwUGW93Yby7Sg5aU5GzMIecqlhJ7OMcI9Ua1RafxsgVPIq1P47M-lR5UrEtLrciClOeSh/w174-h116/TOPCWF%20white%20red%20logo%20TRANS.gif" width="174" /></a></div><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Harrogate International Festivals launches inaugural </b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>McDermid Debut Award </b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>to spotlight new generation of crime writing talent </b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSykXQTKOSECJf0YHeJYVmdqf_AtdzvFmBFMMJ2Bf1XCVKJD45H8EK-Du5V68JiIUuVQbWcxgbS_W3jBPvLxKf-F-bL9F8GeHKbLwhLn4457wIgJa97RuEa8f97vRMxPSdgWqoZgGbdIf6xArw523Ls_nYTsnu3aaBTlY-t5Sr7DmKmYClZyundAyhyphenhyphenrs/s3000/Val%202022%20(2)%20c%20Charlotte%20Graham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSykXQTKOSECJf0YHeJYVmdqf_AtdzvFmBFMMJ2Bf1XCVKJD45H8EK-Du5V68JiIUuVQbWcxgbS_W3jBPvLxKf-F-bL9F8GeHKbLwhLn4457wIgJa97RuEa8f97vRMxPSdgWqoZgGbdIf6xArw523Ls_nYTsnu3aaBTlY-t5Sr7DmKmYClZyundAyhyphenhyphenrs/w400-h266/Val%202022%20(2)%20c%20Charlotte%20Graham.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Festival Dates: 18 – 21 July 2024 </b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com </b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>#Theakstons Awards </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">14th March 2024 : Submissions have opened for Harrogate International Festivals ’ new award, the McDermid Debut Award for new writers, offering a unique opportunity to be recognised among the best in the crime fiction genre . The Award will be presented on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival ,the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Named in recognition of world-famous crime writer,Val McDermid, who co- founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, this new Award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Val McDermid said: ‘<i>Curating the New Blood panel over twenty years exposed me to an extraordinary range of crime fiction I might otherwise have missed. I’m hoping that this new a ward will do the same for the army of avid readers out there looking for new talent</i>.’ </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">The McDermid Debut Award is open to full- length debut crime novels by UK and Irish authors published for the first time in hardback or paperback original between 1 May 2023 and 30 April 2024, with submission s closing on the 21st March . A shortlist of six titles, selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors, will be announced on Thursday 13th June, with the winner determined by a judging panel of industry experts, including literary, broadcasting and media figures. All shortlisted authors will receive a full weekend pass to the Festival. The Award will be presented at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Awards event on Thursday 18th July , the opening night of the Festival , with the winner receiving a £500 cash prize. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, Sharon Canavar, said: <i>‘We are delighted to announce this new award honouring Val McDermid, one of the icons of the genre, and we can’t wait to discover the stars of the future, be they writers of psychological thrillers or murder mysteries</i>.’ </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd, commented: ‘<i>The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has always highlighted the best in crime fiction and the new McDermid Debut Award will help readers discover the next generation of crime fiction authors. I am sure this new award will attract even more of the best of crime writing talent and I very much looking forward to welcoming them along with all our friends t o this year’s Harrogate gathering.</i>’ </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Submissions are also now open for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year , the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime and thriller writing award. Previous winners include Mick Herron, Lee Child, Stef Penney, Val McDermid, Clare Mackintosh, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Steve Cavanagh and Denise Mina. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>KEY AWARD DATES: </b></span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• <span style="font-size: 13pt;">The McDermid Debut Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year are currently open for submissions . The deadline for receipt of entries is 23.59 (GMT) Thursday, 21st March . </span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">•<span style="font-size: 13pt;">The Shortlists of the McDermid Debut Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year will be announced on Thursday 13<sup>th</sup> June . </span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• <span style="font-size: 13pt;">Both Awards, along with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction will be presented at the opening n ight of the Festival on Thursday 18<sup>th</sup> July. </span></span></p></blockquote><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival , which celebrates its 21<sup>st</sup> year in 2024, is delivered by the north of England’s leading arts Festival organisation, Harrogate International Festivals, and forms part of their diverse year- round portfolio of events, which aims to bring immersive cultural experiences to as many people as possible. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">This year’s event is curated by bestselling crime writer and 2024 Festival Programming Chair Ruth Ware, with the programming committee, and Special Guests include global bestsellers and fan favourites Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman. Classic Weekend Break Packages, Author Dinners and tickets for Creative Thursday are on sale now. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">To book tickets, please call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email:- info@harrogate- festival.org.uk . More information about tickets and packages can be found here. The full programme for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will be announced in April 2024 . </span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-51922153630241653742024-03-12T15:00:00.001+00:002024-03-12T22:21:58.945+00:00Crime fiction: past, present and future with Simon Brett<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl63VjklkAQ1HLYelcdI2psrmeoR0V6Bx3JyciflsG04BkGRWUehObRGwNJ7PvoH1iaokSNZVf3ZcPkgCu8UEm6H2v8dTz0W_KZMNYUUk9K7jhawlJllh6Bq0aF3d4JPvjse_ulIfQssHjYla_PqDM-Z3Qy4DeAKnzDwvZJSGZjlo8ox_UHyOYb8-y3-4/s440/OU%20and%20SImon%20Brett.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="440" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl63VjklkAQ1HLYelcdI2psrmeoR0V6Bx3JyciflsG04BkGRWUehObRGwNJ7PvoH1iaokSNZVf3ZcPkgCu8UEm6H2v8dTz0W_KZMNYUUk9K7jhawlJllh6Bq0aF3d4JPvjse_ulIfQssHjYla_PqDM-Z3Qy4DeAKnzDwvZJSGZjlo8ox_UHyOYb8-y3-4/w640-h238/OU%20and%20SImon%20Brett.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">The following talk is part of the launch of the Open University’s new Introduction to European Crime Fiction course</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:00 - 14:00 BST (online)</span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">The team is delighted to welcome Simon Brett OBE, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and author of over one hundred published books.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>About the talk</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">Crime fiction is the most popular literary genre in Europe today. In conversation with the Open University’s Bill Alder, author Simon Brett will lead us on a journey of discovery of crime fiction’s past, present and future.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">He will share his thoughts on different types of crime fiction from the “golden age” mystery to the “hardboiled” thriller, from the “police procedural” to “cosy crime”, looking at different types of plots, detectives and approaches, and reflecting on the growing influence of non-Anglophone crime fiction from the latter years of the twentieth century to the present.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>About the speaker</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Simon Brett is a British author of detective fiction, a playwright, and a producer-writer for television and radio. He is best known for his mystery series featuring <i>Charles Paris</i>, <i>Mrs. Pargeter</i>, <i>Fethering</i>, and <i>Blotto & Twinks</i>. His radio credits have included <i>The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy</i>, <i>I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue</i> and <i>Just a Minute</i>, and a number of his Charles Paris stories have been adapted for BBC radio, featuring the acclaimed actor Bill Nighy. Simon Brett is a former President of the Detection Club and a recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger award.</span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13pt;">To attend the online talk/get the link, register <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crime-fiction-past-present-and-future-with-simon-brett-tickets-849502283197?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-25890821431540353742024-03-02T12:33:00.001+00:002024-03-03T12:50:00.926+00:00Why We Love The Bad Guy by Rachel Wolf<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA8W_iZD4C-KC4biD1hcoxM-nOKWL7wy2TCjHOY_L0S0O7zjxX7ZbMUQVOd3gosXfM1OYQUlvAntq6vvH8ar-tVrVJVwMcy2PcEXP9_XTaFi9UIoULuk6PqAcgTu8_G1eIqt1WoPeo9CVYvxDT3bQBIjN27fo2Yp_qhaSL2ms2cOEHFCPawnmqhI2vSj1/s6000/Rachael%20Wolf%20resized%20colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA8W_iZD4C-KC4biD1hcoxM-nOKWL7wy2TCjHOY_L0S0O7zjxX7ZbMUQVOd3gosXfM1OYQUlvAntq6vvH8ar-tVrVJVwMcy2PcEXP9_XTaFi9UIoULuk6PqAcgTu8_G1eIqt1WoPeo9CVYvxDT3bQBIjN27fo2Yp_qhaSL2ms2cOEHFCPawnmqhI2vSj1/s320/Rachael%20Wolf%20resized%20colour.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why are we so obsessed with the bad guys? There are so many books and films where the antagonists are more compelling than the protagonists. From Satan in <i>Paradise Lost</i> to Tyler Durden in <i>Fight Club</i>, I do enjoy loving a baddie. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Five Nights</i> is a novel set on a cruise ship, where a billionaire and his family and guests sail from Portsmouth to New York. Over the course of the cruise, secrets spill out and someone will die. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I wanted to write a novel about the hugely wealthy – particularly those who are selfish and entitled – and look at how badly they’d behave when something threatens their wealth and lifestyle. I also wanted to watch how characters change when tempted with great riches. Greed is a powerful motivator! </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In writing about these characters, I also wanted the novel to be one people enjoyed reading. Do we love bad guys? I decided we did. But why?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I suppose one of the reasons we feel drawn to antagonists is because of a secret desire to release all the shackles on our own behaviour. It’s freeing to live vicariously through fictional characters, enjoying bad behaviour with no consequences. We spend so much of our lives trying to live well – obeying rules and being aware of the importance of trying to get things right. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There are a few characters in <i>Five Nights</i> who don’t think twice about what they say. They never spend time considering the consequences of their behaviour and trying to get things right – and this was a lot of fun to write. They are rude, selfish, and they talk to other characters in ways I’d never speak to someone in real life. Sometimes when I write, I choose characteristics from people I know – certain tells or manners of speech that make someone distinct. I also put together mood boards with images of how they might dress, and things they may say, eat, watch or places they’d visit. I did this quite carefully for the Scarmardos because I just don’t have the usual pool of people in my day to day life for inspiration. I needed their terrible qualities to be exaggerated and inflated, as much as their wealth.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think another aspect of the appeal of the ‘<i>bad guy</i>’ is confidence, although this runs a tight line with conceit. There’s nothing quite as attractive as a lack of self-doubt. People tend to be plagued by self-doubt. We question ourselves repeatedly, we play over scenes from our lives in our heads like a bad rehearsal. How wonderful if we never doubted ourselves at all! Characters who never question themselves, however, are often narcissistic and ultimately selfish and sometimes cruel. When Hugh Grant went from the bumbling Charlie of <i>Five Weddings </i>to the charming Daniel Cleaver of <i>Bridget Jones</i>, he’d never seemed more attractive. He never once pauses to stumble over his words or repeatedly apologise for his inadequacies. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is certainly true of some of the characters in <i>Five Nights</i>. They live a life focused on their own pleasure, no matter how it might affect others. They don’t second guess their decisions. This is as attractive as it is repellent and it was great fun to play with when writing the novel. No one wants to marry a Daniel Cleaver, but a mini-break could be a lot of fun.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Emily, my protagonist in <i>Five Nights</i>, finds herself briefly the object of some love-bombing by the Scarmardos. Adoration and flattery can be very appealing – these men certainly know how to turn on the charm when they need to. In practice, love-bombing can be a very selfish tactic. It’s often done in order to deflect, or to get someone on side and to reel them in, so that you can behave badly later and get away with it! Yet to be the object of love-bombing, bombarded with charm and attention, does have its moment. Emily needs to be on her toes. She is out of her comfort zone, surrounded by threatening letters, mysterious happenings and threatening behaviour. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Attention, and its sudden withdrawal, can also make relationships seem more exciting. The on/off element, the will he call question. Reliable, steadfast partners might be what we want in real life, but on the page, we want something a little more exciting. We go on rollercoasters to feel our sense of balance upended, and we search for fictional bad guys for much the same reason. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writing <i>Five Nights</i> gave me ample opportunity to study bad behaviour and to try to work out why it can seem so appealing. I hope readers enjoy reading about my entitled characters. They are certainly characters you love to hate!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvODHOrvPYjkm7p33wjevJjcjQdxaWMIbD2dbFuPZ5J4Qw6_at7yqt7lAMna8GFjL4qG1Ljbb4cJofYpAYgsGHA6fw0MQJb0avfYUR-4h8I7Y_eL505L0uT9V8TgXBx9gqQKj5Eg45KM_exsP-CBWIjOCr_B-gRD7Assib6afPhMVzqq_ieSvpeahOtocE/s2368/Five%20Nights%20jpeg%20of%20jacket.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2368" data-original-width="1542" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvODHOrvPYjkm7p33wjevJjcjQdxaWMIbD2dbFuPZ5J4Qw6_at7yqt7lAMna8GFjL4qG1Ljbb4cJofYpAYgsGHA6fw0MQJb0avfYUR-4h8I7Y_eL505L0uT9V8TgXBx9gqQKj5Eg45KM_exsP-CBWIjOCr_B-gRD7Assib6afPhMVzqq_ieSvpeahOtocE/s320/Five%20Nights%20jpeg%20of%20jacket.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Five Nights</i> by Rachel Wolf (Head of Zeus) out now at £9.99 as a paperback original </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A powerful family. A luxury cruise. A killer on board… You're invited to join the infamous Scarmardo family on a five night voyage aboard their glamorous new ship. It's a chance to see your best friend, Belle, newly married to Mattia Scarmardo. You haven't seen her in years. Five - On the first night, you'll be wrapped up in the glamour of the ship. Four - On the second night, you'll wonder who is sending you threatening notes. Three - On the third night, someone will die. Two - On the fourth night, you'll discover that someone knows the truth of what you did. One - On the last night, you'll be left for dead. Will you make it back to shore alive.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-41108006153586227052024-03-01T13:22:00.000+00:002024-03-02T13:39:26.649+00:00International Thriller Awards Nominees Announced<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XGoPWXIsYCpUiVF4YAZZhcekXA7sBpVMsH8WFLGaVUmX65A-ISHpWaBcuKQrSZzMx-BLxzmQXnQ4IXH2NCkm8m34y4cSgy84n3bTAxMBettnmJgWfIBPeholxMhMaF8NLLmsLYIxcHj_it0Pe23yCxghCzuDAi3H3DvzsXCfuK6Bof6KyhjUq8ncV76i/s320/Thriller%20awards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="320" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XGoPWXIsYCpUiVF4YAZZhcekXA7sBpVMsH8WFLGaVUmX65A-ISHpWaBcuKQrSZzMx-BLxzmQXnQ4IXH2NCkm8m34y4cSgy84n3bTAxMBettnmJgWfIBPeholxMhMaF8NLLmsLYIxcHj_it0Pe23yCxghCzuDAi3H3DvzsXCfuK6Bof6KyhjUq8ncV76i/w400-h226/Thriller%20awards.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The International Thriller Writers announced the Nominees for the Thriller Awards. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL</span></b> </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>All The Sinners Bleed</i> by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books) </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Her Deadly Game</i> by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer) </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>It's One of Us</i> by J.T. Ellison (Harlequin – MIRA Books) </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Secret Hours</i> by Mick Herron (Soho Crime) </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Fixit</i> by Joe Ide (Mulholland Books) </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Drift </i>by C.J. Tudor (Ballantine Books) </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>BEST AUDIOBOOK </b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Peacock and the Sparrow</i> by I.S. Berry (Atria) Narrated by Pete Simonelli </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Last Orphan</i> by Gregg Hurwitz (Macmillan) Narrated by Scott Brick </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Housemaid's Secret</i> by Freida McFadden (Bookouture) Narrated by Lauryn Allman </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The House of Wolves</i> by James Patterson, Mike Lupica (Hachette Audio) Narrated by Ellen Archer </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Bad Summer People</i> by Emma Rosenblum (Macmillan) Narrated by January LaVoy </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">BEST FIRST NOVEL </span></b></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Peacock and the Sparrow</i> by I.S. Berry (Atria) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Golden Gate</i> by Amy Chua (Minotaur) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Scorched Grace</i> by Margot Douaihy (Zando) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder</i> by Kerryn Mayne (Bantam Books) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Perfect Shot: A Thriller</i> by Steve Urszenyi (Minotaur) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL </b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Hide</i> by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Paleontologist</i> by Luke Dumas (Atria) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Spy Coast </i>by Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>To Die For</i> by Lisa Gray (Thomas & Mercer) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Cave 13: A Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International Novel </i>by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin’s Griffin) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Call the Dark</i> by J. Todd Scott (Thomas & Mercer) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">BEST SHORT STORY </span></b></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Slot Machine Fever Dreams</i> by Chris Bohjalian (Amazon Original Stories) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>These Cold Strangers</i> by J.T. Ellison (Amazon Original Stories) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>An Honorable Choice</i> by Smita Harish Jain (Wildside Press) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Rush Hour</i> by Richard Santos (Akashic Books) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Unknown Caller</i> by Lisa Unger (Amazon Original Stories) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>One Night in 1965</i> by Stacy Woodson (Down & Out Books) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL </span></b></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Red as Blood</i> by Sorboni Banerjee, Dominique Richardson (Wolfpack Publishing LLC) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Where He Can't Find You</i> by Darcy Coates (Sourcebooks Fire) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Where Echoes Die</i> by Courtney Gould (Wednesday Books) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Where Darkness Blooms </i>by Andrea Hannah (Wednesday Books) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Stateless</i> by Elizabeth Wein (Little, Brown & Co.) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL </span></b></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Vulture Fund </i>by Jeff Buick (Self-published) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Bigamist</i> by Rona Halsall (Bookouture) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>A Good Rush of Blood </i>by Matt Phillips (RunAmok Books) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Close Her Eyes</i> by Lisa Regan (Bookouture) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Killing Room</i> by Robert Swartwood (Blackstone Publishing) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The In-Laws</i> by Laura Wolfe (Bookouture) </span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Congratulations to all the nominated authors.</span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">ITW will announce the winners at ThrillerFest XIX on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City.<br /><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-84198712816020724322024-02-29T16:19:00.008+00:002024-02-29T16:19:00.129+00:00Drama, Conflict, and Cruelty, The Real Appeal of Reality TV. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfshd4_62SfUIwSIBkDaXj13-38VNgNZfZCMy-Yme_gFeCbacHMeE3HsluB5R29iVct4MOYE8ojsmXrRxpPDJBffHvkUFkWA32Frzf4jHBr77_hRA4V7c95QKqYam-XswblNCfJr9QAsIUOMJGInXPUtVzKf8DPKKNpdhzIfKOeD14b4UwUl5-RIgAZqDI/s3024/Author%20pic%20-%20high%20res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfshd4_62SfUIwSIBkDaXj13-38VNgNZfZCMy-Yme_gFeCbacHMeE3HsluB5R29iVct4MOYE8ojsmXrRxpPDJBffHvkUFkWA32Frzf4jHBr77_hRA4V7c95QKqYam-XswblNCfJr9QAsIUOMJGInXPUtVzKf8DPKKNpdhzIfKOeD14b4UwUl5-RIgAZqDI/s320/Author%20pic%20-%20high%20res.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the basement of the psychology department at Sheffield University, where I studied for my degree, there was a nursery school in which one whole wall was a two-sided mirror. Students such as myself would file in to a thin dark room on the other side of that wall and watch. It was a sneak peek into how kids behave when they think no-one can see them. And we saw some fascinating things – like the boy behind the bookcase who hit three or four children as they were sent to fetch a book, only to then join them crying at the teacher’s table. A sign of intellect or criminal prowess? Only time would tell.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This was way before I had ideas of being a crime thriller writer, I just wanted to study people and find out what makes them tick. And TV was about to help out with that, big style, because a few years later, in July 2000, <i>Big Brother</i> launched and a new era of Reality TV was born. Here was the chance for all of us to stand on the other side of that two way mirror and see how real people behave in the real world. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But no one could have anticipated the fame and shame consequences that would befall Reality TVs participants. We came to love them or we loved to hate them. And there was no going back. Ever since, the nation has tuned in to watch everything from people competing for a job on <i>The Apprentice</i>, to looking for love on <i>First Dates </i>and <i>Married at First Sight</i>. We’ve rooted for our favourites on <i>The Hunted</i>, revelled in the drama of <i>Made in Chelsea</i> and relished secrets and lies in The Traitors. A recent survey of 2000 people in the UK by ONEPOLL found that nearly 40% of us watch some kind of reality TV every week, and this rises to 50% for under 35s and 48% for females.* </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why do we love it so much? Some psychologists believe it is all to do with Social Comparison Theory. We enjoy watching confrontations, people making a fool of themselves, or doing anything to entertain us, because it makes us feel better about ourselves. Others believe the shows we choose say something about our individual motivations: some of us are looking for companionship, some are looking for escapism and the competitive amongst us are enjoying taking sides. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The truth is we love human drama in all its forms – from the books we read to the movies and TV shows we watch. But Reality TV provides something more on top. Dr Carol Lieberman, a psychiatrist who works on reality shows says, “<i>We love reality TV because it allows us to live vicariously through the show participants without being publicly humiliated ourselves.</i>” Many reality TV shows now employ psychologists to help them to pick the right ‘characters’ and much time is spent on designing the best scenarios to elicit an emotional reaction. So if the scenes are staged and the characters hand-picked, what is real? It turns out this question is what many people have come to most enjoy about such shows. We have to figure out what part of the show is Reality and what part is Television, so we become ever more engaged in the experience. We become part of the game.**</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And so, it turns out the two-sided mirror is not enough. What we really want is to watch real people in extreme situations, and we don’t mind if this has to be stage managed. We might have been happy to watch the best of the best compete to be Sir Alan Sugar’s apprentice back in 2005, but by the time he was Lord Sugar it was more interesting to watch the egotistical being put in their place, or the whole team imploding in conflict. Perhaps this is why in 2019 the New York Times branded British Reality TV a ‘Theatre of Cruelty.’ ***</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">All this got me thinking, if Reality TV shows have to keep evolving to apply ever more pressure on participants so that they react in ways that keep us interested and entertained, how far would they go?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And if someone making such a show really hated the genre and the kinds of people who chose to participate - people they see as fame hungry, shallow, attention seekers – what then? What dire situation would they be willing to put people in to grab attention and make the public watch. This is the premise of <i>The Escape Room</i>. A reality TV show to end all Reality TV shows.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I decided that an escape room was the perfect vehicle to explore a reality TV show gone dark, because people readily volunteer to be locked inside such places to experience the thrill of being trapped. And so, my protagonist Bonnie and seven other contestants are taken to The Fortress, a three story cylindrical, concrete sea fort off the coast of Portsmouth. They arrive feeling confident that they can solve the puzzles and break free, but what they soon come to realise is that when you’re trapped inside a structure built to keep the enemy out, it can easily keep you in. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And when one contestant’s failure on a challenge leads to his death everything changes. It’s not about fun anymore, it’s about survival. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The death of a contestant seemed like a logical step in the dark evolution of such shows. We have all heard of the deaths sadly associated with reality TV, but thus far all have occurred outside of the show. In <i>The Escape Room</i> the contestants are unsure if the death is accidental or intentional. What they are sure of is that to escape they only have one option: to win. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLZ31dpqUlolo023WWmzlA9qUsfJpRZ0MytLwz4_BPrzUiFUkKs-o9W0egfqAA9cQX1rzzO4MWzRJIy-ck6EjB_WJCG9BDrrTVeEP25AhWC-mKA-EGJP62jKCP_avEDN-xCHS5fEyvL_Uyi1ZcJw-pbCuB2rXD9z10oHkwbpBuecWXxTUTqq_bAAWfyb5/s2764/The%20Escape%20Room%20HB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="1807" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLZ31dpqUlolo023WWmzlA9qUsfJpRZ0MytLwz4_BPrzUiFUkKs-o9W0egfqAA9cQX1rzzO4MWzRJIy-ck6EjB_WJCG9BDrrTVeEP25AhWC-mKA-EGJP62jKCP_avEDN-xCHS5fEyvL_Uyi1ZcJw-pbCuB2rXD9z10oHkwbpBuecWXxTUTqq_bAAWfyb5/s320/The%20Escape%20Room%20HB.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Escape Room</i> by L.D. Smithson is published by Bantam (£14.99).</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Everything is a clue. Bonnie arrives on a remote sea fort off the coast of England to take part in a mysterious reality TV show. Competing against seven strangers, she must solve a series of puzzles to win the prize money, but this is no game - and the consequences of failure are deadly. No one leaves. Under scrutiny from the watching public, the contestants quickly turn on one another. Who will sacrifice the most for wealth and fame? And why can't Bonnie shake the creeping sense that they are not alone? The only way out is to win. When the first contestant is found dead, Bonnie begins to understand the dark truth at the heart of this twisted competition: there's a killer inside the fort, and anyone could be next. If Bonnie wants to escape, she needs to win... Are you ready to play?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">L D Smithson can be found on “X” @LeonaDeakin1</span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">* OnePoll (2016) The reality TV habit </span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">** Rose, R.L, & Wood, S. L. (2005) Paradox and the consumption of authenticity through reality television.</span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*** The New York Times (2019) British Reality Television Is A Theatre of Cruelty</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-23309168500135616702024-02-28T10:00:00.001+00:002024-02-29T20:48:01.820+00:002025 Daggers Open for Submission <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwTEIqMJPMTt3gzlnbqYv8ly_GBtnEK1CvSbyXRXvguuGd7z6EDbmBUq9OyMdtQIXzaOJ396zla2JvNfmZaCAblcine2VSjKd8gNYWLNAhUkLAxA4fWGB0V1IdXYlICcNqwvsJAyXe8wlHPaUqkgsrWVmKHsRx5PIkmtOCP-FEI-_sQTRIU6GPiJ-JjFw/s4231/CWA%20Daggers%20photo%20by%20Gary%20Stratmann.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2141" data-original-width="4231" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwTEIqMJPMTt3gzlnbqYv8ly_GBtnEK1CvSbyXRXvguuGd7z6EDbmBUq9OyMdtQIXzaOJ396zla2JvNfmZaCAblcine2VSjKd8gNYWLNAhUkLAxA4fWGB0V1IdXYlICcNqwvsJAyXe8wlHPaUqkgsrWVmKHsRx5PIkmtOCP-FEI-_sQTRIU6GPiJ-JjFw/w640-h324/CWA%20Daggers%20photo%20by%20Gary%20Stratmann.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You are invited to submit eligible titles to the new and expanded 2025 CWA Dagger awards, which are now open for entries. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://thecwa.co.uk/awards-and-competitions/the-daggers/" target="_blank">Daggers Submissions</a></span></b></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Daggers are considered a marker of excellence in the industry and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. The awards are judged by independent expert panels. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The oldest membership organisation for crime writers in the UK, the CWA was founded in 1953. It began its awards in 1955, with Agatha Christie as the principal guest at its first awards ceremony in 1956. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">2025 includes two new Daggers, announced earlier this year - the CWA Twisted Dagger and the CWA Whodunnit Dagger. Eligibility criteria for both can be found below. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The CWA has also refreshed the name of two of its categories: the John Creasey New Blood is now known as the John Creasey First Novel Dagger, and the Debut Dagger is now the Emerging Author Dagger. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Vaseem Khan, Chair of the CWA, said: “<i>It’s always exciting when the Daggers open for submission, knowing that the very best books in the genre will shortly be winging their way to our independent judging panels. This year is extra special. Expanding the Daggers was one of my pledges as chair. The new Daggers recognise two subgenres that have grown to dominate the publishing landscape in recent years and I, for one, am excited to see who the first recipients of these Daggers will be. And in terms of refreshing the titles of the John Creasey New Blood and Debut Daggers – that was simply rectifying a longstanding point of confusion. The John Creasey First Novel Dagger is for a full-length debut novel while the Emerging Author Dagger is for early chapters of a work by an unpublished, unagented author.</i>” </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Crime fiction is now the most popular genre in publishing, with this trend showing no signs of abating. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The CWA’s mission is to promote the genre and act as a voice for the interests of its author members. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Daggers are one of the most inclusive genre awards, with categories for crime fiction in translation, short stories, and new authors, alongside the Gold Dagger for the novel of the year and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eligible books for the CWA Twisted Dagger are psychological thrillers (set in any period), suspense thrillers, and domestic noir. The Dagger will celebrate dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. Judges for this Dagger are Gavin Bell (aka writer Mason Cross), Tracy Fenton (founder of THE Book Club on Facebook) and writer Susi Holliday </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eligible books for the CWA Whodunnit Dagger include cosy crime (including the ‘modern cosy’), traditional crime, and Golden Age inspired mysteries. These books focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery and revolve around often quirky characters. The judges for this Dagger are writers, Steph Broadribb, Derek Farrell and Gytha Lodge. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Submission guidelines for the 2025 Daggers are now live on the CWA website. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The longlist will be announced at the CWA annual conference on 20th April, and the shortlist at the UK’s biggest crime fiction convention, CrimeFest, hosted in Bristol on Friday 10th May; the Dagger awards ceremony takes place in the summer. </span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-66390148040467404202024-02-28T09:00:00.001+00:002024-02-28T09:00:00.240+00:00March Books from Bookouture<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIMSRUVh5OCUrYyybWuxaP6hl67Fc3N4KcNVzQX-70vLdO_wsSK_rp_wS8cvj0di-H9bmoGkklXOPO6IRLqKZ0Vt2f9g4HkHvNad-Z5s2cv0mq_rpo4hGfh1qeSieF1youRIo2UpAsSiINCMVI4duJ2AaElHP5NcNa9tqke4iI1xDiE8f2cYgRdIFtiMr/s1500/71iXolwWPuL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="983" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIMSRUVh5OCUrYyybWuxaP6hl67Fc3N4KcNVzQX-70vLdO_wsSK_rp_wS8cvj0di-H9bmoGkklXOPO6IRLqKZ0Vt2f9g4HkHvNad-Z5s2cv0mq_rpo4hGfh1qeSieF1youRIo2UpAsSiINCMVI4duJ2AaElHP5NcNa9tqke4iI1xDiE8f2cYgRdIFtiMr/s320/71iXolwWPuL._SL1500_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Murder at the Island Hotel</i>. Spring, 1936. As the boat draws into the harbour of Bird Island, Kitty is absolutely delighted to see the stunning hotel for the first time. She and her friend Alice have been asked to join the distinguished guests before the hotel officially opens its doors, but they have barely unpacked when the owner is found dead in his own study… Sir Norman’s death looks like suicide. But Kitty isn’t convinced – she cannot find a note, and he is left-handed but was shot on the right side of his head. Kitty tries to reach the police, but a violent storm engulfs the island and the power goes out. Kitty and Alice need to move quickly before anyone else finds death on their dinner menu! With several old friends amongst their suspects, Kitty decides the investigation should stay secret. But it’s not until Kitty uncovers Sir Norman’s financial difficulties that she’s on the killer’s trail. Can Kitty and Alice catch the culprit in time for tea, or will they become the next guests on the murderer’s list? </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR6OSjFfslGTyv5ecn3J_TaMCKUXsm3D062lND80GOStg2QYgvI1ZV0tZJJZEStYUipJdUQazxbKJ2YQOKkQH1qHzTJzv_Fy6xymbDNtqbXBq3v8JPhsVzOQFMK6YR9qliX0TdTC7bdllU9BDPZwk0dSxwcak8HND_xZvEx75koxQvONxbmKm3_IxTFHb/s1500/71s1+h4B6HL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR6OSjFfslGTyv5ecn3J_TaMCKUXsm3D062lND80GOStg2QYgvI1ZV0tZJJZEStYUipJdUQazxbKJ2YQOKkQH1qHzTJzv_Fy6xymbDNtqbXBq3v8JPhsVzOQFMK6YR9qliX0TdTC7bdllU9BDPZwk0dSxwcak8HND_xZvEx75koxQvONxbmKm3_IxTFHb/s320/71s1+h4B6HL._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You look so happy in your wedding photo, gazing at your perfect new husband, glass of champagne held high in a toast. You chose to ignore the warning signs, but he hid more than one secret from you. And now he’s gotten away with your murder… Every night I watch Benjamin and Gwyn in their gorgeous, glass-fronted Seattle home. Your ex-husband. Your best friend. Newly engaged, they’re busy dreaming of their future. The official story is that you disappeared, but I know the truth. They killed you. I know Benjamin’s new business is in trouble, that he desperately needs your money. I saw the way Gwyn looked at him at your wedding reception, finding any excuse to be close, to laugh too loudly at his jokes. After all, she always wanted your perfect life. But don’t worry, Madeline. I won’t let it end like this. I can see everything from my place in the shadows between the trees. With their house lit up, they are on display. I’ll bide my time and worm my way into their home, their lives. They will never know the truth about who I am. You didn’t get your happily ever after, and neither will they… <i>Never Trust The Husband </i>is by Jessica Payne.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwDGAlA2j-u8qj_uh_q2dWNB8vwZEOwEur4aZ8PSArekhhnN6wHnfEZM4OKK35GeLagGzcmqG7ejL0laXSTRjFnmwf22uyXt09CEr8lwT1wXBy1GXpexznnrSxqYbXqvZl6owwWZhvQWICesGmwyuGk65dK5gdWsSzgVZFF8r504lNSJBWWaktTn2bu2Z/s1500/81gRqOv4SNL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="978" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwDGAlA2j-u8qj_uh_q2dWNB8vwZEOwEur4aZ8PSArekhhnN6wHnfEZM4OKK35GeLagGzcmqG7ejL0laXSTRjFnmwf22uyXt09CEr8lwT1wXBy1GXpexznnrSxqYbXqvZl6owwWZhvQWICesGmwyuGk65dK5gdWsSzgVZFF8r504lNSJBWWaktTn2bu2Z/s320/81gRqOv4SNL._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Her Last Hour</i> is by B.R Spangler. She can hear the faint lapping of waves nearby as she tries to open her swollen blue eyes. But all she can see is darkness, there is nothing but the suffocating sand that surrounds her. As her consciousness fades, she wishes she had never trusted him… When Ruby Evans is abducted on her way home from volunteering at a nursing home in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Detective Casey White’s heart breaks for the inconsolable mother. Terrible memories flood back of when her own darling daughter was taken twenty years ago. Pushing her own pain aside, Casey vows to find Ruby and bring her home. After desperately searching the road where Ruby was last seen, Casey receives a letter from someone claiming to be the kidnapper. In cursive red letters, she is warned that she has less than twenty-four hours to find Ruby alive. And when forensics reveal the letter was written in blood, Casey knows this isn’t a hoax. Working around the clock, Casey is devastated when her team hit another dead end, and she’s shattered when Ruby’s body is discovered buried on the beach—she’s too late. Now looking for a twisted killer, Casey is shocked when she receives a call from an evil predator she put behind bars ten years ago. He says he knows who the killer is, and will help Casey in exchange for his freedom. Casey refuses, but when she receives another letter, she is forced to reconsider. Because the killer promises the next victim will be someone much closer to her, and the clock is ticking. With only hours left, Casey has to decide if she’s prepared to free one evil monster to catch another, and if she doesn’t, will her loved ones pay the ultimate price?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__gJCITsvTHKcmH2Zqzhv0O7XZ0cBQPIoVjTRKx7WnX5bgYxNwE-VrvWNbZQD3xPPbicmyfZHqJ5xOW3XiFp8RBAat4txYbQAEOUNmCN_yeayNSnV7PcNqO8_I2dLi3JL7fq4BW8rGy7Xw7PHROau1t0Ia-ODZ9ZobZpp7d07rHuDLegoJHe-WUAp8lOi/s1500/71bzN2YF80L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="970" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__gJCITsvTHKcmH2Zqzhv0O7XZ0cBQPIoVjTRKx7WnX5bgYxNwE-VrvWNbZQD3xPPbicmyfZHqJ5xOW3XiFp8RBAat4txYbQAEOUNmCN_yeayNSnV7PcNqO8_I2dLi3JL7fq4BW8rGy7Xw7PHROau1t0Ia-ODZ9ZobZpp7d07rHuDLegoJHe-WUAp8lOi/s320/71bzN2YF80L._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The end of our marriage was only the beginning… Last night, we celebrated our anniversary. Over candlelight, we talked about the children, our work, and I was so happy, and felt so loved. But the next morning, when I check my phone, there is a message. From a friend. And a string of photos appear of my husband, Will, with another woman: walking along the street holding hands. Going into fancy hotels. Standing at a window, his arms around her, her head on his shoulder… I beg Will to tell me what’s going on. But all he can say is that it’s not what I think. As if the betrayal wasn’t bad enough, he won’t even be honest with me. And now there’s someone watching our house. Will is acting like a stranger and I think he’s following me. I can’t trust him anymore, and I desperately need to know who sent me those photos and why. But maybe Will is telling the truth. Maybe it’s not what I think. Because the more our pain stops us talking, and the more the two of us tear each other apart, the more I wonder if I ever knew him at all – and what I’ll have to risk to protect my children. And when at last the secrets are revealed, will the truth save our family, or destroy us all? <i>The Split</i> is by S.E.Lynes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnCYspNVVm_4-tw2ZfocUHx2lcGY8_NmnNJS9cwiR3b0WPaxeIqNsIXYN8HwIo5yasV__wG6Q1MzA9s4POyo1nb3ffe-L4GYzFswbXhNbbUne31z4UL3BwQMw3vPSCKZeYBREPggjAqfVOdWRC14ih1wtn2gF6eKWAoBe8fzKCJ0pEdi0J_kNg5U9wgpv/s1500/815T8Cka0VL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="984" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnCYspNVVm_4-tw2ZfocUHx2lcGY8_NmnNJS9cwiR3b0WPaxeIqNsIXYN8HwIo5yasV__wG6Q1MzA9s4POyo1nb3ffe-L4GYzFswbXhNbbUne31z4UL3BwQMw3vPSCKZeYBREPggjAqfVOdWRC14ih1wtn2gF6eKWAoBe8fzKCJ0pEdi0J_kNg5U9wgpv/s320/815T8Cka0VL._SL1500_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Widow Bride</i> is by Carey Baldwin. Her diamond engagement ring glitters as she tells me he’s the one. But I’m sure there’s hesitation in her voice and the way she winces when her fiancé pulls her close makes my stomach drop. Could he be as dangerous as I fear? I thought handsome, charming Blake would be the perfect fit for my quiet and sweet-natured friend Melanie. Widowed far too young, she deserved a second chance at love. So, when he proposed so soon after I set them up on a date, I convinced myself that the timing was just right. But I should have stopped it. I tried to ignore Blake’s controlling behaviour. It started small; telling her not to have a glass of champagne to celebrate their engagement, putting cameras up around her house for “safety”. But Mel seemed so happy and in love, I couldn’t bring myself to share my creeping doubts. If only I had. Because now I’m not only worried about what Blake is doing to Mel behind closed doors. Since he warned me to back off their relationship, I’m certain I’m being followed. Then I look into Blake's past. I’m sure he’s working with someone else. Someone close to me… I need to get us both out of here. What have I done?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZB5pJ_pkdNBuloFDqH3-LPRo4jISiEskyFrP39wzrHTik6tZQTK-hHy2TANv4PdbbjP_u0HZ0pfFEqmlem_6TGpDpltkzTY4o07NSBtFUVu4UUZJ5_ctjVz17QHBmjaKpugaAsYOQ8KPcMCHk6fI53P_xEXbIlu0xTI-EpearOiDl1YyLK83IZHEhksZP/s1500/81fzuQQBfPL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="979" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZB5pJ_pkdNBuloFDqH3-LPRo4jISiEskyFrP39wzrHTik6tZQTK-hHy2TANv4PdbbjP_u0HZ0pfFEqmlem_6TGpDpltkzTY4o07NSBtFUVu4UUZJ5_ctjVz17QHBmjaKpugaAsYOQ8KPcMCHk6fI53P_xEXbIlu0xTI-EpearOiDl1YyLK83IZHEhksZP/s320/81fzuQQBfPL._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The joyous crowd applauds as the happy couple strides down the aisle. This Cotswolds country wedding has everything – friends and family, beautiful flowers and… murder? When Julia Bird’s ex-husband Peter and his lovely partner Christopher decide to get married in Berrywick, Julia is delighted – after all, who doesn't love a country wedding? Little does Julia know that normally calm and collected Christopher will turn into a full-on Groomzilla – and that by the end of the night, someone will end up dead. The morning after the big day, the jolly nuptial mood turns grim when Julia discovers the lifeless body of the caterer, Desmond. Someone locked him in the cold truck and the poor man froze to death. Now looking for a murderer, all eyes are on Christopher who, mid-tantrum, had publicly threatened to kill him. Convinced that Christopher is innocent, Julia vows to find the real culprit. Julia soon discovers Desmond had a long list of enemies as she races against the clock to clear Christopher’s name. Could his death be the work of the respected wedding planner who was heard exchanging choice words with the victim? Or perhaps it was his wife – ‘til death do them part – who didn’t shed a single tear at his funeral? But just when Julia thinks she’s cracked the case, her prime suspect is found dead with a knife in their back. Can Julia find the murderer before they strike again? <i>A Country Wedding Murder</i> is by Katie Gayle.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vk2ejmehpxDAogicovU1M9PqXFCuJ0AJc6e6tctlXTxX229guRMxesnbVzHW650XryVvCCHRhw6FXW9NKBJuX-J3li7bbPxyiHJ7D5wy_JoYjg_mwF5sDW7VPsQmsT2qNvHtEjeOMSp0rDJnXZyIZGaMPorbseF33GkQxeUPI9Cv-vxBhDZ3NfOpl3s-/s1500/91FCclfc7+L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vk2ejmehpxDAogicovU1M9PqXFCuJ0AJc6e6tctlXTxX229guRMxesnbVzHW650XryVvCCHRhw6FXW9NKBJuX-J3li7bbPxyiHJ7D5wy_JoYjg_mwF5sDW7VPsQmsT2qNvHtEjeOMSp0rDJnXZyIZGaMPorbseF33GkQxeUPI9Cv-vxBhDZ3NfOpl3s-/s320/91FCclfc7+L._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Garden Party</i> is by Wendy Clarke. It’s so kind of our neighbours to throw this party welcoming us to our new home. My husband and I finally moved to the right place. A happy, safe street where nobody knows about my mistakes. But I soon learn their smiling faces hide even deadlier secrets… As I take in the little plates of sandwiches arranged over checked tablecloths, the lavish cocktails, and children playing, I finally feel happy in my new home with Owen. I love hearing the gossip from the local families; the whispers about which wives I should avoid, and which husbands sneak out at night. But then I notice that the mother at number 3, Phillipa, is completely ignoring her sweet little girl. All blue-eyed Lexi wants is for her mother to play with her. And as Lexi pulls on Phillipa’s skirt, I’m certain I hear the woman threaten to smack her. Isn’t anyone going to say something? Even as I’m filled with rage, terrible memories flood back: of standing in a cold, thin hospital gown, hearing I may never have my own biological child. And then a shout pierces my memory. Lexi has run away from her mother and nearly fallen into the large, deep pond in the middle of the green. Everyone rushes over to comfort her, while Phillipa stays at the party to top up her drink. I promised Owen I’d put my past behind me so that we could start a new life. But some people don’t deserve to become mothers. I plaster a smile onto my face. I need to befriend Phillipa. And do whatever it takes to keep Lexi safe…</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5oe6oLm9n_IStVJIhDByVC1JmpBK_0HANOijpM7a6jC2sN1-GNgxH8kSsbAnCPszhS2JPJ0HgVirOik9JyHNiueyCYsgsLqH6VgjN22bqv0CPfItAjTATgdVyuThl-yQwp002MTHEY6ZuOOf5-VIm8nkTZ-eRncNmZL5mtUjBeeXcPnc20zw3BFHG3EM/s1500/81wV8rWPMzL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5oe6oLm9n_IStVJIhDByVC1JmpBK_0HANOijpM7a6jC2sN1-GNgxH8kSsbAnCPszhS2JPJ0HgVirOik9JyHNiueyCYsgsLqH6VgjN22bqv0CPfItAjTATgdVyuThl-yQwp002MTHEY6ZuOOf5-VIm8nkTZ-eRncNmZL5mtUjBeeXcPnc20zw3BFHG3EM/s320/81wV8rWPMzL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A discovery of bones on a windswept beach, the disappearance of a young woman, and a detective whose secrets are about to come out… Summoned to a crime scene swarming with people, Detective Billie Ann Wilde is devastated to find a woman’s broken bones abandoned in a suitcase on the sand of a popular Florida beach. And Billie’s blood runs cold when she reads the name “Danni” handwritten on the luggage tag in black ink: the name of Billie’s own best friend. Rushing over to Danni’s home, Billie is relieved to find her alive, preparing dinner for her two young daughters. So whose bones are in the suitcase? And why was Danni’s name at the scene? For years, Billie has worried that the dark secrets in her past might put her loved ones in danger, and soon her connection to the case is confirmed. Another set of bones is found at a busy local mall. With shaking hands Billie reaches out to read the luggage tag where another name is written in black ink: but this time, it’s Billie’s own name. And now, Danni has gone missing… Can Billie face up to the past and unravel her connection to this twisted killer? Or, with two young women already gone, is it too late for Billie to save Danni’s life? <i>Then She Is Gone i</i>s by Willow Rose.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgida4kMsztzZwFb0Ziie9PTg3QLDtBwH8Oj0Rf_Vm8NlWKj97QNW3AjysCAl04mQDt4AstDuT7sIV6gikMkxKvq0jo7RTwnQss2r068SaD_nSE1JV6CtUvAaRKBn2pNEws2B4jeWjbzqEZHZ2s1smNFs62Hxr9yp2a5fujDSN17JFdz5Bp1IUKd-yZciHF/s1500/81GUoEtuMWL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgida4kMsztzZwFb0Ziie9PTg3QLDtBwH8Oj0Rf_Vm8NlWKj97QNW3AjysCAl04mQDt4AstDuT7sIV6gikMkxKvq0jo7RTwnQss2r068SaD_nSE1JV6CtUvAaRKBn2pNEws2B4jeWjbzqEZHZ2s1smNFs62Hxr9yp2a5fujDSN17JFdz5Bp1IUKd-yZciHF/s320/81GUoEtuMWL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>I Let Her In</i> is by Maria Frankland. I tread quietly up the plush carpeted stairs. There’s no-one here to see me as Cassie and Jon’s bedroom door creaks gently open. I’ve watched them from afar for so long. Now I’m finally in their house. But there’s no time to waste. I’m here for a reason, and I’m going to get what I came for, whatever the cost… I open the front door and there’s Amy, smiling sweetly and ready to help. She’s been a lifesaver since Jonand I moved here – from walking the dog to picking up my little son Teddy from nursery last minute. I’m so lucky we met in the playground the first day we arrived. Amy is more than just a good friend. My only friend, really. Whenever Amy and Jon exchange glances I’m sure it seems like they’ve met before, even though Jon swears they haven’t. But then again Jon recognises lots of people from his childhood round here without truly knowing them. I’ve put it out of my mind. Just like my fear of being watched. I need to remember I’m safe now. But today, when I turn up at Teddy’s nursery, I learn I was so, so wrong. The teacher tells me Amy picked him up an hour ago. Now they have both disappeared. I am frantic. I will do anything to get my son back. I should have known I can’t trust anyone. Then the phone rings, and I know what I have to do… </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOUJMWZVxCYeYsGspSU-E9dgtIPNco42CKjHYKGX2og40Rhjf83cMIeS8S6bRAFyNc01Hjfq_OcIrsgGS7JZ31T7RbK9gdIrzzcfpa0_16EvgcTYx4hE_vr4jgnw8aRSjyTpRB18u-wNmEN3YpO26g8iZDtQ0ESAgf2Lx2Nk6xawebslICa5RjMxbtbm_/s1500/71RRVa8S8RL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="969" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOUJMWZVxCYeYsGspSU-E9dgtIPNco42CKjHYKGX2og40Rhjf83cMIeS8S6bRAFyNc01Hjfq_OcIrsgGS7JZ31T7RbK9gdIrzzcfpa0_16EvgcTYx4hE_vr4jgnw8aRSjyTpRB18u-wNmEN3YpO26g8iZDtQ0ESAgf2Lx2Nk6xawebslICa5RjMxbtbm_/s320/71RRVa8S8RL._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Breath catches in my throat and terror grips me as my daughter’s favourite jumper slides into focus. Time slows. Helpless, I watch my precious little girl run into the road. Screeching tyres slice through the quiet afternoon. Days from now, my friends will say the worst day of my life was all my fault… A bright and welcoming haven, the playgroup sits at the heart of the town, tucked away inside a red-brick building. The Nest should have been the safest place for my rosy-cheeked, pink-obsessed daughter, Florence. Run by mothers like me, I trusted my newfound friends – Alice, Beth and Georgie – to take care of my child. But now my choice has left Florence fighting for her life. My heart pounds thinking about what I will tell my husband, James. He stayed with me through the darkest times, and I thought some space would bring us closer. But as I watch our little girl sleeping in a hospital bed, I know our relationship may never recover from this. How can I tell James what really happened if I don’t know myself? I can’t shake the feeling the other mothers are lying to me; they know I’d never let Florence leave the nursery by herself. We’ve all got dangerous secrets we want to protect, but if they expose mine, will anyone, including my husband, believe me when I say I didn’t harm my daughter? <i>The Playgroup</i> is by Leah Mercer.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXK0vNTwOjNwWFE2dC1vv6s7cCgSqEZ-NhKTICFzjfSVgevSvvWT-Tk8wiynEPBFwTmf7cINi4TLHjB1hdXJMI5buHSBLqNlX5v1_EraruU5DFxPPryFWug6fOo_492syCcEzANNpUbV6RGeaXojYkMyt7AOkP8sBihmF-Ea7S-SxnGKSbOpioL7Cb39R/s1500/812+mxQcdcL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="978" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXK0vNTwOjNwWFE2dC1vv6s7cCgSqEZ-NhKTICFzjfSVgevSvvWT-Tk8wiynEPBFwTmf7cINi4TLHjB1hdXJMI5buHSBLqNlX5v1_EraruU5DFxPPryFWug6fOo_492syCcEzANNpUbV6RGeaXojYkMyt7AOkP8sBihmF-Ea7S-SxnGKSbOpioL7Cb39R/s320/812+mxQcdcL._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Girl in the Dark</i> is by Zoë Sharp. The woman falls. Her body begins to shake. Her brown eyes turn upwards, showing a mix of panic and desperate hope. She takes a deep breath and says one word: 'Blake.' Then her eyes close, her face pales, and she goes still forever… The victim: Shannon, a woman who went out of her way to help the lost and hopeless, left abandoned to die by the side of the road. Where was she in those last few days before her death, and why was she so frightened? The avenger: Blake Claremont, who knows only too well how it feels to be alone on the streets of a big city. Blake survived, thanks to Shannon. She’s determined to find out who killed her friend, and why. Before she died, Shannon was searching for answers. She knew that people were going missing… never to be seen again. Now, with the help of Detective John Byron, Blake must take up Shannon’s investigation. She knows these streets and the predators who walk in the darkness. She will follow in Shannon’s footsteps until she finds her target: the ruthless men and women who steal people’s lives and will do anything to protect their secrets. And then, they will pay. </span></p><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQTIr2lGt7nje6E08J3NY-ChW4IKUUYEzTgq6kEUVAIS9WuyKRZHUEUJNMd9i9LjWP6K-UmwkpZ6TWA1A-YFVXv_nZuKUTKPw4xhIw_RhRNu1JwSrlvN9Mt7dHh31wEUVcPOpZVstzvtCOIqNOU6EigQxtKy_14G1jpL9fYgEAMF5lcIY_H58wDPVbF-2/s425/81-fY11v6gL._SY425_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQTIr2lGt7nje6E08J3NY-ChW4IKUUYEzTgq6kEUVAIS9WuyKRZHUEUJNMd9i9LjWP6K-UmwkpZ6TWA1A-YFVXv_nZuKUTKPw4xhIw_RhRNu1JwSrlvN9Mt7dHh31wEUVcPOpZVstzvtCOIqNOU6EigQxtKy_14G1jpL9fYgEAMF5lcIY_H58wDPVbF-2/s320/81-fY11v6gL._SY425_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Mother of the Bride</i> is by Samantha Hayes. My mother is obsessed with every detail of my wedding – controlling my dress, my ring, my happiness… But when the day finally comes, will she really let me go? I’m smiling as I walk down the aisle, but my smile masks cold, clammy, prickling fear, even though it’s meant to be the happiest day of my life. My husband-to-be, Owen, is everything to me, with his sandy hair and sparkling blue eyes. He convinced me everything would be fine. That we’d be safe. I pray he was right as I reach for his hand. He smiles reassuringly. I swallow hard. Because last year, my sister’s fiancé was murdered on his wedding day. And I found my mother’s corsage next to his body… So when our guests are asked if they have any objections, I hold my breath. Please let me be wrong about what she did. Please let Owen be safe. But when I turn to look at my mother, my blood turns to ice. There is only dark, calculating fury in her eyes. I knew she didn’t want to let me go. But is my husband’s life actually in danger? Or is mine…?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSaG0Y48BFSlEqL6kYtQcN0G4KziYPCw2HSPyDpqsMDs8bGaEKyUidTmyLOJZSUeLACFvqNpB3GVphIXH0fco67DtAvWOX4XIj3mlMqX5WvTMLofTlECNM07XN-gZ_I48hj1MwBsh2jU_cI-Oj_EfuBY7gJU9cZ7telI2V2pyckk8E5hVhI-oJmTmJdfm/s1500/81qJu1Bn6RL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSaG0Y48BFSlEqL6kYtQcN0G4KziYPCw2HSPyDpqsMDs8bGaEKyUidTmyLOJZSUeLACFvqNpB3GVphIXH0fco67DtAvWOX4XIj3mlMqX5WvTMLofTlECNM07XN-gZ_I48hj1MwBsh2jU_cI-Oj_EfuBY7gJU9cZ7telI2V2pyckk8E5hVhI-oJmTmJdfm/s320/81qJu1Bn6RL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You let her in. You shouldn’t have… I was so nervous about someone new joining our house share; after everything that happened with my parents, my friends are like my family. Our imperfect but well-loved house is the only place where I can be myself. But when Poppy knocks on our door, blonde hair, wide eyes and a friendly smile, we all agree she’s a perfect fit. I just wish I could shake the feeling that I’ve seen her before… At first, everything runs smoothly. But one day, Poppy arrives home with my housemates in tow. She says she ‘forgot’ to invite me to the movie. My stomach drops. As she sidles up to my friends, I’m gripped by a familiar panic. If Poppy is from my past, will she turn my friends against me? Will she tell them the secret I’ve so carefully buried? I feel like Poppy’s watching my every move. My home used to be the place where I felt most comfortable. But as she places a delicious home-cooked meal in front of me, I don’t even feel safe eating here. I have to find out who she really is, and what she wants. And when I do, will she realise too late which one of us is truly dangerous? <i>The Perfect Housemate</i> is by Lorna Dounaeva.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qDrlf403WSkA-oaVqwdbgJ8uvDhve4RyjHYENr9AdDu362KZlGPpoELGvsIQtKKTW-6rAVEwHJMs6KhewHZWIXvbOfeA1njU4L92dWSuSiqGF22JAYPEfeQJDlv5RAGRX6bxJhpw-UsdhDsOk-DIcZuZNBKZJWoCkzGwDpb1QYuNXLd3cs3xBcU7_wLc/s1500/81DGQZtYPSL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qDrlf403WSkA-oaVqwdbgJ8uvDhve4RyjHYENr9AdDu362KZlGPpoELGvsIQtKKTW-6rAVEwHJMs6KhewHZWIXvbOfeA1njU4L92dWSuSiqGF22JAYPEfeQJDlv5RAGRX6bxJhpw-UsdhDsOk-DIcZuZNBKZJWoCkzGwDpb1QYuNXLd3cs3xBcU7_wLc/s320/81DGQZtYPSL._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Stunning views across the Grand Canal and a hotel suite fit for royalty… Lady Eleanor Swift is having a jolly good time on her Italian vacation, until a gondola ride is cut murderously short! 1924. Lady Eleanor Swift has been on a grand tour around Italy for a month with her butler Clifford. Finally arriving in Venice, she’s thrilled to be attending the famous carnival: all that’s needed is the perfect bejewelled costume for her faithful bulldog, Gladstone. But on her first gondola ride to take in the sights, a passenger collapses into the canal with a knife sticking out of his back. Eleanor saw an argument break out between the gondolier and the victim, Councillor Benetto Vendelini, and it turns out they're rivals from the city's two great families. Vendelini’s murder is sure to reignite their centuries-long feud. While attending a glitzy ball that night, Eleanor learns of a plot to steal a precious family heirloom from the Vendelini household. Is the stolen item the key to solving this baffling murder? In this floating city of tiny winding alleyways, Eleanor traces the missing heirloom to an antiques dealer in a far-flung corner of town. But when her handbag is snatched by a cloaked thief, she realises the murderer is dangerously close. Can Eleanor unmask this most cunning of killers, before she joins the other victim at the bottom of the Grand Canal? <i>A Death in Venice</i> is by Verity Bright.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-84840474542658579922024-02-27T14:30:00.001+00:002024-02-27T21:10:10.071+00:00Murder by the Book: A Celebration of 20th Century British Crime Fiction<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDILbmusovgZ98XXlEnJCcxl-2mOAlVC6C8LJb1j7vg8XFQ6Qpa6VUOs76dJGIRFqWIaNMn21NL5e1IJcfd0YCPouNmp_0VhZRAQsFSlqyChW9iB8HFaPOvkhLDbx5x7g-LwsrXItCavayaB_dbHRxxjQDAMxDtXwCDAm22ywEZmADUdGKmZ0yYJxdyH-/s2458/mbtb_coming_soon_medium_web_banner_590x288px_1_300ppi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2458" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDILbmusovgZ98XXlEnJCcxl-2mOAlVC6C8LJb1j7vg8XFQ6Qpa6VUOs76dJGIRFqWIaNMn21NL5e1IJcfd0YCPouNmp_0VhZRAQsFSlqyChW9iB8HFaPOvkhLDbx5x7g-LwsrXItCavayaB_dbHRxxjQDAMxDtXwCDAm22ywEZmADUdGKmZ0yYJxdyH-/w640-h312/mbtb_coming_soon_medium_web_banner_590x288px_1_300ppi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Murder by the Book: A Celebration of 20th Century </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>British Crime Fiction</b></span></div><p></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">23 March – 24 August 2024</span></span></p><p align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Monday – Friday 9am – 6:30pm</span></p><p align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Saturday 9am – 4:30pm</span></p><p align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Closed Sundays, and 29 March to 1 April 2024 inclusive </span></p><p align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Booking is essential. <a href="https://tickets.museums.cam.ac.uk/overview/8041">Entry is FREE</a>.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Crime fiction is the UK's most read, bought and borrowed genre. Cambridge University Library draws on its world-leading collections of British crime fiction to stage a murderously good exhibition! </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Bringing together literature, culture and heritage, <i>Murder by the Book: A Celebration of 20th Century British Crime Fiction</i> illuminates and celebrates the stories of the UK’s most popular fiction writing. Curated by award-winning crime novelist Nicola Upson, the Library's exhibition challenges traditional distinctions between literary fiction and genre fiction. Murder by the Book examines crime’s place in our literary history and the Library’s own Special Collections. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The exhibition showcases rare books and audio-visual recordings looking at the genre from its origins in the works of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens to contemporary best-sellers Val McDermid and Ian Rankin. </span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">With first editions of The Moonstone and Bleak House, as well as Sherlock Holmes' debut appearance, the exhibition also looks at the Library’s remarkable collections and stylish dust jackets that represent more than a century of British book design. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Tickets can be booked <a href="https://tickets.museums.cam.ac.uk/overview/8041">here</a>.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Curated by crime novelist Nicola Upson.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-16720138467046493352024-02-26T17:00:00.070+00:002024-02-27T20:42:32.312+00:00The Barry Award Nominations 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaA88DG4T4DCXTmF-di5FOTrZ64QifpDH-wKnhuVp7XABhfgKVqEGwO6W1KtxEwvXjBZ7JWKE8-dIG39y4CIE3DWG0EXQJL1gOWKJpNr7X9m_reTQLxph0xPxT4BCW5GSGhm8M0X6o6S2w1fjDXrMiBjX8DYCdONfknGdXZ25xc8ZlfRdtlFl4_EpSAYH/s400/Unknown-2-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="70" data-original-width="400" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaA88DG4T4DCXTmF-di5FOTrZ64QifpDH-wKnhuVp7XABhfgKVqEGwO6W1KtxEwvXjBZ7JWKE8-dIG39y4CIE3DWG0EXQJL1gOWKJpNr7X9m_reTQLxph0xPxT4BCW5GSGhm8M0X6o6S2w1fjDXrMiBjX8DYCdONfknGdXZ25xc8ZlfRdtlFl4_EpSAYH/w640-h112/Unknown-2-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Barry Awards are awarded by <a href="http://new.deadlypleasures.com/">Deadly Pleasures Magazine</a>. The winners in each category will be announced at the Opening Ceremonies of the Nashville Bouchercon on August 29, 2024. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Best Mystery or Crime Novel</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Dark Ride</i> by Lou Berney (Morrow)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>All the Sinners Bleed</i> by S. A. Cosby (Flatiron)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Ozark Dogs</i> by Eli Cranor (Soho Crime)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Everybody Knows</i> by Jordan Harper (Mulholland)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Small Mercies</i> by Dennis Lehane (Harper)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The Detective Up Late</i> by Adrian McKinty (Blackstone)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Best First Mystery or Crime Novel</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Better the Blood </i>by Michael Bennett (Atlantic Monthly Press)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The Peacoock and the Sparrow</i> by I.S. Berry (Atria)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The Bitter Past </i>by Bruce Borgos (Minotaur)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The Golden Gate </i>by Amy Chua (Minotaur)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Age of Vice</i> by Deepti Kapoor (Riverhead)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Mother-Daughter Murder Night</i> by Nina Simon (Morrow)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>City Under One Roof</i> by Iris Yamashita (Berkley)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Best Paperback Original Mystery or Crime Novel</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Murder and Mamon</i> by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Every Thing She Feared</i> by Rick Mofina (MIRA)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Who the Hell is Larry Black?</i> By Jake Needham (Half Penny)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderer's</i> by Jesse Sutanto (Berkley)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Expectant</i> by Vanda Symon (Orenda)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Lowdown Road</i> by Scott Von Doviak (Hard Case Crime</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Best Thriller</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Burner</i> by Mark Greaney (Berkley)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The Secret Hours </i>by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Moscow Exile </i>by John Lawton (Atlantic Monthly)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Going Zero</i> by Anthony McCarten (Harper)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Drowning</i> by T. J. Newman (Avid Reader Press)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Zero Days</i> by Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout Press)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Congratulations to all the nominated authors.. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-2116640134079460452024-02-23T06:00:00.028+00:002024-02-25T19:18:02.071+00:00LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE: MYSTERY/THRILLER FINALISTS<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> The LA Times Festival of Books have announced the Mystery and Thriller finalists</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2JvUnu3rRQ4a9Ao__dJhFUevSOYGXy7kNTe3lPw4xvxlrnHGo3vMtF3AFI-ulXXKGTbZJvRtVFjHIMYfZGSz33x7xCHZbfQuoGDr4r8XwBN8Vh8ktHovBoaszV7xO5ypRvTMFSJB0MnacPz2uUe-jV0Dqr_1FCrk3AMuEKUxmRcpHg1rHUt14a-a4LD0/s1146/LA%20Festival%20of%20Books.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="1146" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2JvUnu3rRQ4a9Ao__dJhFUevSOYGXy7kNTe3lPw4xvxlrnHGo3vMtF3AFI-ulXXKGTbZJvRtVFjHIMYfZGSz33x7xCHZbfQuoGDr4r8XwBN8Vh8ktHovBoaszV7xO5ypRvTMFSJB0MnacPz2uUe-jV0Dqr_1FCrk3AMuEKUxmRcpHg1rHUt14a-a4LD0/w640-h194/LA%20Festival%20of%20Books.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Dark Ride</i> by Lou Berney</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>All The Sinners Bleed</i> by S A Cosby</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Everybody Knows</i> by Jordan Harper</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Time's Undoing </i>by Cheryl A. Head</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Sing Her Down</i> by Ivy Pochoda</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> Congratulations to all the nominated authors! Winner will be announced at the LA Times Festival of Books on Friday 19<sup>th</sup> April 2024 at 7:00pm.</span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-59273315741878204562024-02-22T16:00:00.003+00:002024-02-23T12:25:31.172+00:00Social, Cultural and Political climate of Victorian England<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8lEtIEbfJ0z1GZFvLaPTiI578KB92qyedhTk3oc25OibKl7-gHC88qQ-vG6gfGjcA2plhTCN_NN-l9BvXw-GaKqcnZaxoguwvATC-7Z5FdWx5FEagAKq0226B0vMP1DsrD8D7h-ACCuvDDyPoYIzJutDlYkzDdBZBmv6k4bdDTm7FsL7PU4W3P_ohLaw/s1573/Kim.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="1432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8lEtIEbfJ0z1GZFvLaPTiI578KB92qyedhTk3oc25OibKl7-gHC88qQ-vG6gfGjcA2plhTCN_NN-l9BvXw-GaKqcnZaxoguwvATC-7Z5FdWx5FEagAKq0226B0vMP1DsrD8D7h-ACCuvDDyPoYIzJutDlYkzDdBZBmv6k4bdDTm7FsL7PU4W3P_ohLaw/s320/Kim.jpeg" width="291" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How
the social, cultural and political climate of Victorian England combined to
create a perfect storm of crime, murder and sensationalism.</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kim
Donovan, author of <i>The Mysterious Mrs Hood</i>, provides the historical backdrop to
her great -great aunt’s murder in 1900.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">England
1898 --It has been ten years since Jack the Ripper terrorised the streets of
Whitechapel, London. Charles Booth and his team of socialists have been working
on a project to map wealth and poverty across the city since 1886, and have
recently named Stockwood Street, which was home to Mary Jane and Herbert
Bennett, as being one of the ‘lowest class’ streets in Victorian London. It was
at this point that Mary Jane and Herbert made a choice: to turn to crime to
escape poverty. Mary Jane’s desperate struggle for survival had begun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Charles
Booth’s work would eventually result in a colour-coded map of the city, which carved
out and demarcated the poorest streets with thick black lines. Booth classified
these areas as being home to the ‘lowest classes.’ The notebooks that accompany
Booth’s poverty map add vivid detail about the social character of each street,
which helps to give us a sense of the conditions in which people were living at
the time. Stockwood Street, a dingy thoroughfare off Plough Street, near
Clapham Junction, was described as being awash with ‘drunken, rowdy and
troublesome people’. It is easy to imagine the danger that may have lurked on
the ‘vicious and semi-criminal’ street after dark. It is no surprise, then,
that a heavily pregnant Mary Jane would have urgently sought to liberate
herself from these challenging social conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPnvFp_42IzP1eIKLjhNUpMUqpuWBXpcdyTrNZ50LFI_u1JXOj1jIdTOobLZ6g8kjXWMoON6mYaUPVELUm_VpgFzszywX546NtykVDzwU_dOjgD7zwboeQy8y49Yg4dfqhDMV3GrBoAplK6NBVoJGVlNshtO_xgBAAEdzo0_AY1jKigrxIZTdwIOX1nqr/s4263/Mary_Jane.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2835" data-original-width="4263" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPnvFp_42IzP1eIKLjhNUpMUqpuWBXpcdyTrNZ50LFI_u1JXOj1jIdTOobLZ6g8kjXWMoON6mYaUPVELUm_VpgFzszywX546NtykVDzwU_dOjgD7zwboeQy8y49Yg4dfqhDMV3GrBoAplK6NBVoJGVlNshtO_xgBAAEdzo0_AY1jKigrxIZTdwIOX1nqr/s320/Mary_Jane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
researchers documenting the conditions on London’s streets would at times be
accompanied by the police officer for the district in which they were charting.
It was a time when officers walked their beats. Forensic science was in its
infancy, and the police still relied heavily on clues to solve crimes. The
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Scotland Yard had been set up ten
years before, and plain clothed police officers, who had originally been
thought of as ‘spies’ had made significant strides in winning the trust of the
public. Despite this more robust police force, Mary Jane and Herbert would
successfully evade the scrutiny of the authorities as they travelled across the
country, graduating from fraud to theft, and eventually to arson, while leaving
a trail of disgruntled people in their wake.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When
relations between the couple eventually began to sour, it is unlikely that they
would have considered divorce. Although legal by that time, divorce was expensive
and brought with it great shame, especially for women. Mary Jane would have
been dependent on her marriage for reasons of reputation, and she would have
been reliant on her husband for money.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Despite
the great swathes of black on Booth’s map of London, social conditions across
the country were being to improve. The Bank holiday Act of 1871 had introduced
four regular bank holidays, which gave workers more time for leisure activities,
and the development of the railways made it possible to travel longer distances
with more ease. Seaside resorts had begun to spring up, and Great Yarmouth in
particular became a popular holiday destination. It was here, on a holiday with
her infant daughter in September 1900, that Mary Jane would meet her tragic end.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This
increase in leisure time coincided with a rise in literacy levels and the development
of a more affordable and less regulated press, which, in turn, led to a
dramatic rise in newspaper readership. The Victorians had a reputation for being
avid consumers of violent entertainments, and a new-fangled form of journalism
dubbed ‘<i>Tabloid Journalism</i>’, or ‘<i>Yellow Journalism</i>’ (in North America) had started
to develop. Articles in this style had a focus on bold headlines, emotive
writing and sensationalist stories. They were, broadly speaking, a development
of the Broadside, a type of street literature that had been infamously sold at
public executions in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
sensationalist reporting of crime was at odds with a legal system that required
impartiality, and there were calls at the turn of the 20th Century to regulate
the press through fear that sensationalist reporting would prejudice active cases.
It was into this press that the story of Mary Jane’s murder found its way, and
it was through a newspaper report that her father would learn of his daughter’s
murder. The press whipped up such a frenzy around the case that the ensuing
trial attracted attention from across the country and Mary Jane Bennett became a
household name. She had escaped poverty, and her desperate struggle for
survival had come to an end, but not in the way she would have hoped for.</span><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04TcyD2F-T_NdrennUzbPaK8uKHKr2_FVXjDTcaDra56GTfvPwxgZKwafJkCFFVCVkrStbxtD9tv4zbe_VXZ67tn2t3I2AE7nDKXETuYgcdBwCx7YICefrxPp6fHbqeUMclD4KIcS-ooTC850O1D2ZBkIsd3RJIL_YOBjIVNblCL3nZ1unBPwThXOyao9/s500/9781399615389.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04TcyD2F-T_NdrennUzbPaK8uKHKr2_FVXjDTcaDra56GTfvPwxgZKwafJkCFFVCVkrStbxtD9tv4zbe_VXZ67tn2t3I2AE7nDKXETuYgcdBwCx7YICefrxPp6fHbqeUMclD4KIcS-ooTC850O1D2ZBkIsd3RJIL_YOBjIVNblCL3nZ1unBPwThXOyao9/s320/9781399615389.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Mysterious Mrs Hood</i> by Kim Donovan (Orion Publishing) Out Now</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A true Victorian murder mystery... Great Yarmouth, September 1900: A young woman is found dead on the beach, a bootlace tied tightly around her neck. Despite her death attracting national attention in the press, nobody claims her. Detective Inspector Robert Lingwood of the Great Yarmouth police force declares he will not rest until the mystery of the young woman's death is solved. But it's only once the case has been referred to Scotland Yard that the layers of mystery start to peel away... 'Mrs Hood' was in fact Mary Jane Bennett, and this is her story. Following clues and tracking red herrings leads the police to close in on their one and only suspect. With arson, fraud, an affair and a sensation-hungry press, the murder gripped the nation in one of the most eagerly anticipated trials of the early twentieth century.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kim Donovan can be found on X @Kim_Donovan_</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-50267615674559711012024-02-20T10:00:00.014+00:002024-02-20T14:38:10.068+00:00Theakston's Special Guest Authors Revealed<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">GLOBAL
BESTSELLERS AND FAN FAVOURITES CELEBRATED AS THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME
WRITING FESTIVAL REVEALS SPECIAL GUEST AUTHORS FOR 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdicAGLkNg2upWhm54rR0ATQ1K-g6ODmDlBYI5RxdBwyL9wnQ8UdJq-O8rOJN0UgUkyQ12VaZX7leNnv3vCEUZcpcshuRTjJmVEm9tOx7JlhOLfNKw_ZBCdHsagF2kiUb5HgfuTTGD4MID8YwmFIamVkrj7ydF11LAmTZvZbCw7AbU7fSwmsG09No3iI0/s1080/All%20on%20one%20Square%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdicAGLkNg2upWhm54rR0ATQ1K-g6ODmDlBYI5RxdBwyL9wnQ8UdJq-O8rOJN0UgUkyQ12VaZX7leNnv3vCEUZcpcshuRTjJmVEm9tOx7JlhOLfNKw_ZBCdHsagF2kiUb5HgfuTTGD4MID8YwmFIamVkrj7ydF11LAmTZvZbCw7AbU7fSwmsG09No3iI0/s320/All%20on%20one%20Square%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">www.harrogateinterna</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">ti</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">onalfes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">ti</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">vals.com <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Theakston
Crime Harrogate Interna</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ional
Fes</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ivals has announced the Special
Guests for the 2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Wri</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing Fes</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival, the world</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">s largest and most pres</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">igious celebra</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion of crime fic</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Curated
by bestselling crime writer and 2024 Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
Programming Chair Ruth Ware, with the programming commi</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">tee, the Special Guests on this
year</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">s programme include
global bestsellers and fan favourites Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths,
Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz
Nugent and Richard Osman. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Returning
to Harrogate for its 21st year, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival (18</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">–</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">21 July 2024) is a
highlight of the crime fic</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion
year, offering fans from around the world a unique opportunity to hear from the
biggest stars of the genre, discover exci</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing
new talent and enjoy a packed programme of panels, talks and inspiring crea</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ive workshops. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">This
year</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">s Special Guests
include home-grown talent from around the UK, alongside exci</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing writers from Canada, Brazil and
Ireland, in a thrilling celebra</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion
of the genre that highlights its strength, diversity and global appeal. Ruth
Ware, bestselling author and 2024 Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
Programming Chair said: "<i>I'm so proud of the incredible roster of special
guests appearing at this year's Fes</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
- together they showcase the strength, breadth and sheer excellence of the
crime-wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing landscape.
Harrogate has always been a Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
with readers at its very heart, and there really is something for everyone in this
glorious celebra</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span></i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><i>ion
of our brilliant and bloody genre.</i>"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Vaseem
Khan, award-winning author of the Baby Ganesh Agency series and the Malabar
House novels and last year’s Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
Programming Chair, will open the Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
in conversa</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion with Abir
Mukherjee, author of the globally bestselling Wyndham & Banerjee series.
2024 Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival Programming Chair Ruth Ware
will interview author, producer and television presenter Richard Osman about
his mul</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">ti</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">-million copy
bestselling <i>Thursday Murder Club</i> series. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Interna</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ional bestseller Shari Lapena
visits from Canada to talk about her latest thriller What Have You Done with
Liz Nugent, winner of four Irish Book Awards and fellow Irish crime writer Jane
Casey will be in conversa</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion
with Erin Kelly, whose highly an</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">icipated
new novel <i>The Skeleton Key</i> is published in April. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Big
name thriller writers Chris Carter, the bestselling author of the Robert Hunter
series, and Dorothy Koomson </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">–</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">
the </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">‘</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Queen of the Big Reveal</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">–</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> unveil their latest
novels and Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival favourite
Elly Griffiths will discuss her new standalone mystery <i>The Last Word</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Simon
Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd, said: “<i>It con</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">inues to be a privilege to support
the world</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">s
best crime wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival as we have over the last 21
years. In that </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">tim</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">e,
we have had the great honour of hos</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing
crime wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing legends from
across the globe as well as introducing brilliant new voices, and I am looking
forward to celebra</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing
what promises to be yet another wonderful Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
with my festival friends over a pint of Theakston Old Peculier!</span></i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">”</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Sharon
Canavar, Chief Execu</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ive
of Harrogate Interna</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ional
Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ivals, said: </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">“</span><i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The Theakston Old
Peculier Crime Wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing
Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival turns 21 this year, and we
look forward to bringing another brilliant Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
to Harrogate in celebra</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion.
Ruth has curated a thrilling programme with every crime fic</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion reader at its heart. We look
forward to sharing the full programme in the coming months and cannot wait to
welcome everyone to the Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
in the summer </span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">–</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">
whether it</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">s
your first </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">tim</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">e or your
twenty-first!</span></i><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">”</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Theakston Old Peculier Crime Wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing
Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival is delivered by the north of
England’s leading arts Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival
organisa</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">tion</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">, Harrogate Interna</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ional Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ivals and forms part of their
diverse year-round por</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">tfolio</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">
of events, which aims to bring immersive cultural experiences to as many people
as possible. Classic Weekend Break Packages, Author Dinners and </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">tic</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">kets for Creative
Thursday are on sale now. To book </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ickets,
please call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email info@harrogate-fes</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">ti</span></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">val.org.uk. More informa</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ion about </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ickets and packages can be found
<a href="https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/theakston-festival/topcwf-2024-ticket-information/" target="_blank">here</a>. The full programme for this year</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">’</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Wri</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ing Fes</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">t</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ival will be announced in Spring
2024<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-5781915190484894602024-02-15T10:00:00.001+00:002024-02-15T13:53:18.242+00:00Murdle Star Joins CrimeFest Headliners<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrstXePT_ZRopkqODWHZM7379UnbPbK-yR6UNG8WT-0TYh4C4EEEXpmAY2P-BW-Okj48QucI9aqGLovxOWcBZzPXDuUvvbPHB8jd2D_evUzjfWh1paRKdWLPDm_qlscD_AJfEWP8YHe_0SahX0EMtw9G8Qal4cHC2uzaA41lHJpZMHJUBrV70xkT94Ceuj/s1800/G_T_Karber%20-%20Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrstXePT_ZRopkqODWHZM7379UnbPbK-yR6UNG8WT-0TYh4C4EEEXpmAY2P-BW-Okj48QucI9aqGLovxOWcBZzPXDuUvvbPHB8jd2D_evUzjfWh1paRKdWLPDm_qlscD_AJfEWP8YHe_0SahX0EMtw9G8Qal4cHC2uzaA41lHJpZMHJUBrV70xkT94Ceuj/s320/G_T_Karber%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">CrimeFest, the UK’s biggest crime fiction
convention, has announced a headline 2024 event with the Murdle author,
G.T. Karber.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Murdle took the coveted Christmas 2023 number
one spot, beating Richard Osman, who called it, “<i>an absolute phenomenon</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Arkansas author has staged more than 30
immersive whodunits in the LA area, as the General Secretary of the Hollywood
Mystery Society, and will host a special Murdle event on CrimeFest’s
opening night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">CrimeFest, sponsored by Specsavers, is hosted from
9 to 12 May 2024 at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. Up to 150 authors take
part, appearing in over 50 panels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">G.T Karber joins featured guests for 2024’s
CrimeFest - Laura Lippman, Denise Mina, Lynda Plante and James Lee Burke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Karber will also take part in a panel on Columbo,
alongside fellow aficionados of the iconic TV show, Laura Lippman, and Vaseem
Khan, chair of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">G.T Karber’s third instalment, <i>Murdle: Even
More Killer Puzzles</i> is published on 9 May by Souvenir Press.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The fiendishly compulsive mini-mystery puzzles
challenge readers to find whodunit, how, where, and why. The new book features
the deadly secrets of a mysterious manor, the riddles of a suspiciously orderly
science institute and the eerie corridors of a tech billionaire’s island
retreat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Adrian Muller said: “<i>We’re really excited that G.T
Karber is coming from Hollywood to open CrimeFest on Thursday night. It
promises to be a thrilling, fun, and hugely entertaining evening, and with the
many crime authors and readers taking part, it will be intriguing to see who
cracks the Murdle code.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The convention will also feature a homage to PD
James, known as the Queen of Crime Fiction, with the award-winning crime writer
and lawyer, Frances Fyfield, the Sunday Times chief fiction critic,
Peter Kemp, and the author, playwright, and producer, Simon Brett.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Welsh-Canadian mystery writer Cathy Ace will be
the Gala Dinner’s 'Leader of Toasts', toasting the authors nominated for
the 2024 CrimeFest awards. Cathy's Cait Morgan Mysteries have been optioned for
TV by the production company, Free@Last TV, which is behind the hit
series, Agatha Raisin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The convention was founded in 2008 and features the
annual CrimeFest Awards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-74101765516824474182024-02-15T06:00:00.012+00:002024-02-15T06:00:00.269+00:00Tom Baragwanath on small-town claustrophobia<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_si7huQg1YlMN1xs1b9t5c9dgjTR1hH76FEdmFLJs1Aku-trjONd1FRAgRKj3jdBT2Q2qZ_rW_wtn9tz6fPW10v5joFXLd1WkT1X3C8QFhLpnwQ2mdvfC6lHo_J8d7Y1s2Ou1EygD5KfpQieyRMH_8Dc-UApK3HlhrQg650K9k-OZknmcf50PeFMoG9p/s596/Author_Tom-Baragwanath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="596" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_si7huQg1YlMN1xs1b9t5c9dgjTR1hH76FEdmFLJs1Aku-trjONd1FRAgRKj3jdBT2Q2qZ_rW_wtn9tz6fPW10v5joFXLd1WkT1X3C8QFhLpnwQ2mdvfC6lHo_J8d7Y1s2Ou1EygD5KfpQieyRMH_8Dc-UApK3HlhrQg650K9k-OZknmcf50PeFMoG9p/s320/Author_Tom-Baragwanath.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some
years ago, I moved from a place where it felt like everyone knew me – and I, in
turn, felt I knew everyone – to a place where nobody knows me. From small-town
New Zealand to Paris, I exchanged bumping into mates on the walk to the
supermarket for bread for a thousand incredible boulangeries where not a single
soul knew my name. This sudden anonymity was bracing, and a little thrilling.
But soon, I found myself craving a little small-town claustrophobia. When
nobody in the street knew a thing about me, I wondered what it would be like if
everybody knew everything about me.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I
didn’t realise it at the time, but this germ of homesickness was ready to
sprout into a book: my debut novel <i>Paper Cage</i>. Naturally, I gave my
heroine Lorraine Henry an encyclopaedic knowledge of my rural hometown of
Masterton. As a file clerk in the police station, Lorraine would know better
than anyone the way stories, facts, and gossip all intertwine and coalesce to
form a sense of a person: what they’re like, what they do, how far they can be
trusted. As far as it’s possible to know a person, Lorraine would know them –
or she would think she did. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lorraine
would have an unerring compass when it came to navigating threats both within
the community and outside of it. As the embodiment of small-town collective
surveillance, Lorraine would have a sense of the unspoken things lurking
between the police reports she’d been writing. Because she’d been watching;
because she’d been listening. So when children from marginalised families
started going missing, she’d know exactly where to look. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But
because this is small-town New Zealand, Lorraine would quickly run into the
emotional miasma that builds up inside so many insular communities. Getting
useful information would mean contending with decades-old grievances,
obsessions, and spats. It would mean navigating the invisible web of judgement
and suspicion, and pulling apart some of the secrets binding people so tight
they can barely breathe. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Working
on this novel was more than just a chance to treat my own homesickness –
cheaper than a plane trip home, and with a lot less paperwork given the New
Zealand government’s near penitential COVID lockdown policy at the time. It was
a chance to explore small-town claustrophobia from all sides, and to understand
what it is about marginal or forgotten places that writers – especially writers
of crime or thriller stories – just can’t seem to escape. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">From
Ottessa Moshfegh’s <i>Eileen</i> to Shelley Burr’s <i>Wake</i>, from <i>True
Detective </i>to<i> Fargo,</i> there’s something about tiny communities that
lends itself to great stories. For me, it’s the sense of people being so deep
in each other’s business: of living, as Lorraine puts it, “cheek-to-jowl”. In a
city of millions, it’s easy to disappear into the crowd. In a town of
thousands, hundreds, or even dozens, one feels constantly exposed, and
constantly judged. And while it’s true that small communities can pull together
in miraculous ways to face external threats, it’s just as common for these
threats to pit neighbour against neighbour. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In
the vein of the Coen Brothers, I also wanted to showcase the straight-up
weirdness of small-town New Zealand. Or rather, I wanted to showcase how our
local flavour of weirdness can better illuminate a more universal strangeness.
Is it really that odd that the Gull service station in Masterton sells its
fried chicken at half-price after midnight, for example? Should it surprise
anyone that fights often break out at Featherston’s Underhill Road swimming
hole on the hottest days of summer? And isn’t it only natural that gangs of
bored kids might spear eels in the gutters with garden forks during a
once-in-a-century flood?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I
never imagined that by indulging my homesickness and sharing these kinds of
hyper-local details I would end up connecting with a global audience of
readers. But now that <i>Paper Cage</i> has made its way onto bookshelves around the
world, I’ve come to understand that we make sense of ourselves not through
sweeping universal stories, but through small ones. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As
I walk the streets of Paris, I find myself still enjoying my mask of relative
anonymity. And yet, there’s something about small-town claustrophobia that
keeps drawing me back to Masterton, and back into Lorraine’s story. Or maybe
it’s only by going back to those streets where my characters feel like they
can’t breathe that I’m able to breathe easy.</span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hPWWPjOwByMiOTMGoZ_WqYSPKOn16UtAeFApiPNPx_HB8EoyOSPq82062cG1GtpwmmQAm7Sx8dUOUhPnEqvhvffGdfNyHpRhEuD-k9j_tAgYRGd_XRfscMGb4SlU3GGUI6VFTAqon1k5W41n-at2Rc1F3mXSNF0QrKOfCuY6qrpf_u7wegyAWXfFqu0b/s500/9781399808118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hPWWPjOwByMiOTMGoZ_WqYSPKOn16UtAeFApiPNPx_HB8EoyOSPq82062cG1GtpwmmQAm7Sx8dUOUhPnEqvhvffGdfNyHpRhEuD-k9j_tAgYRGd_XRfscMGb4SlU3GGUI6VFTAqon1k5W41n-at2Rc1F3mXSNF0QrKOfCuY6qrpf_u7wegyAWXfFqu0b/s320/9781399808118.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Paper
Cage</i> by Tom Baragwanath (John Murray Press) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Masterton,
New Zealand may be a small town, but its residents are certainly not united.
Old resentments and the simmering tensions of race and culture divide the Maori
and white inhabitants, with everyone keeping to their own patch of turf. But
when local children start to go missing, vanishing between the cracks,
accusations are hurled, and community relations reach boiling point. Caught in
the middle is Lorraine Henry. She works as a lowly records clerk at the police
station amongst towering piles of paperwork, quietly making connections and
remembering things that the cops would rather not. Solving cases is not part of
her job, but when her great-nephew is the next to disappear, she must put her
skills to the test as she is called in to help, all before time runs out for
the children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-35523470517699976572024-02-13T16:30:00.011+00:002024-02-16T16:11:05.751+00:00Murder on the Menu by Orlando Murrin<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xUT6OWbeAMo-4QzEQVXsvF5qfUgTL54yuNO5LynzFJogqNqIR6tvpxMKsYrRv7T53q6Qw7nIVNX8djdTjEpxZFahMRXQoxaX47l85XG4EfGPplvMTPss4X5etZYBx5LfRgBBrZ1UHmaAsqsqquZW8z0ON_v-umeCyrWOmRmQNCiBqxgNXSPvJgXI1Vq0/s8256/Orlando%20Murrin_Author%20pic_credit%20Matt%20Austin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8256" data-original-width="5504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xUT6OWbeAMo-4QzEQVXsvF5qfUgTL54yuNO5LynzFJogqNqIR6tvpxMKsYrRv7T53q6Qw7nIVNX8djdTjEpxZFahMRXQoxaX47l85XG4EfGPplvMTPss4X5etZYBx5LfRgBBrZ1UHmaAsqsqquZW8z0ON_v-umeCyrWOmRmQNCiBqxgNXSPvJgXI1Vq0/s320/Orlando%20Murrin_Author%20pic_credit%20Matt%20Austin.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">© Matt Austin</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Having
enjoyed a career editing food magazines and writing cookbooks, I imagined that
making the transition to writing culinary cosy crime would be a snap. How wrong
I was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now
that <i>Knife Skills For Beginners</i> is finally out – it’s been a long time coming –
I’m enjoying a short pause to look back over the experience. Which, in the
manner of all good meals, has been a succession of delicious surprises. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Amuse-bouche</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When
I was growing up, the family hero was my maternal grandfather, William Skardon,
who started life as a copper on the streets of Pimlico, later becoming a
detective then crack MI5 interrogator. Among his celebrated successes, he
caught and arrested Lord Haw-Haw in Germany, exposed the Portland Spy Ring and
extracted a confession from atomic spy Klaus Fuchs. After defecting to Moscow,
Philby declared, ‘<i>The only man I feared was Skardon</i>’. <i>The Daily Express</i> called
him ‘<i>England’s Most Famous Pipe-Smoker</i>’ and the <i>Sunday Times</i> spent years
stalking him in Torquay, in a vain attempt to get him to ditch the dirt on an
ex-boss at MI5.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Granddad
was forbidden to talk about his exploits as a spycatcher, so he used instead to
regale us with stories of gruesome murder cases from his detective years, and
the clues and tells that enable him to solve them. Ever since I’ve found
whodunits and murder mysteries fascinating and dreamed of writing one of my
own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Starter</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I
left it late to write my first novel – in my early 60s – but that’s because I
was doing other things. I’ve had several careers – restaurant pianist,
advertising copywriter, features writer, magazine editor, cookery writer, chef,
hotelier – and threw myself into all of them; there simply wasn’t time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A
few years ago, I decided the moment had come and booked myself on an Arvon
course taught by Andrew Taylor and Laura Wilson; they were so inspiring. Another
turning point was being asked to write a column for <i>Waitrose Weekend</i> newspaper,
thro</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">ugh which I polished my style and learnt how to make readers laugh. (I
hope.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Main
course</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Three
years ago, I wrote a half novel, then another full one, at which point disaster
struck. I’d assumed I’d be spared the horror of the slush pile because I
already an agent (for my cookbooks). Imagine my dismay when she announced that
for conflict-of-interest reasons, she couldn’t represent my fiction. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I stuck
a note on my computer - I AM IN DEADLY EARNEST - then spent fifty days and
nights in submission hell, waiting for agents to respond. Finally, I had a
glimmer of interest from a couple, followed by a send me the whole manuscript
from the most covetable of all, top crime agent Oli Munson at AM Heath. <i>Knife
Skills For Beginners</i> is the result. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s a
culinary cosy crime story set in a posh but shabby-round-the-edges London
cookery school, where our hapless hero, Paul, is summoned to teach a course at
short notice. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There’s
something a bit rum about its proprietor, Rose, to say nothing of the eight
eccentric students who gather to learn the finer points of haute cuisine. On
the first night something terrible happens, and Paul finds himself embroiled in
a grisly crime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While
the police investigate, the students are told to stay on the premises, and Rose
- anything rather than offer refunds - insists Paul continue teaching. He uses
lessons in bread, pastry and sauce making as covert operations, watching the
students for clues whodunit, unaware that meanwhile someone is framing him for
murder…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In
classic cosy crime tradition, clues and red herrings abound, including six
‘killer’ recipes, which provide hints to the killer’s identity. I should add
that these are real recipes, which combine to form a sophisticated dinner party
menu. My dearest wish is that a fan somewhere will throw a <i>Knife Skills For
Beginners</i> dinner party – minus, of course, the dastardly crime.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Side
dish</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ve
heard the publisher-author relationship can be a tricky one, but I have no
complaints – quite the opposite. We’re all on the same side: trying to sell
books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Initially
I was shocked by the amount of re-writing I was asked to do, and I recall a
somewhat embarrassing meltdown when my third set of structural edits came in (I
didn’t realise this was normal). I’m now at work on a second Knife Skills
Mystery and there’s no question that, with each draft, the book gets better.
I’m in total awe of my editor – Finn Cotton at Transworld – who in an odd way
reminds me of my grandfather: courteous, patient and charming, but with a deadly
eye for detail.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dessert</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0ACr16PwzHaGZ9qIbv67obZMYaBqvfJabMaLMbtR86iKZIw99LxTVmpn7EAYJKwPZ5aI_n2YtoE5dN5T8u1GQNSmScPMiIkBCcYaIQb0xtkTCUkjC82DRv1tZE_H0mje4tywXxSe_Dq2_QVUj062sqn8kGV4mMilrdKh4M8dWIZenIu929cl1tNv3uS5/s320/IMG_1791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0ACr16PwzHaGZ9qIbv67obZMYaBqvfJabMaLMbtR86iKZIw99LxTVmpn7EAYJKwPZ5aI_n2YtoE5dN5T8u1GQNSmScPMiIkBCcYaIQb0xtkTCUkjC82DRv1tZE_H0mje4tywXxSe_Dq2_QVUj062sqn8kGV4mMilrdKh4M8dWIZenIu929cl1tNv3uS5/s1600/IMG_1791.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My
cookbooks have always been well publicised and marketed, but working with
Transworld has been whole different experience. A lot of activity seems to
happen as if by magic, with no effort on my part, but there’s still social
media to manage, proofs to drop, enjoyable articles (such as this) to write,
booksellers and reviewers to schmooze, events to be confirmed and diarised… to
say nothing of keeping my orlandomurrin.com website up-to-date (with the help
of the world’s best web manager, Heather Brown) and begging everyone I know to
post reviews on Amazon. True, most of this is optional, but with my publisher evidently
pulling out all the stops, I feel I must as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This
means that – like a Victorian lady – I find the first hour or two of the day is
spent answering messages and dealing with ‘stuff.’ I tell myself this is a
warm-up exercise before the actual writing of the day begins, but if it expands
much further, I will need a personal assistant. (Just joking). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Petits-fours</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
surprises keep on coming, even after launch…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How peculiar to find my favourite
fountain pen – which has autographed countless cookbooks over the years – can’t
be used to sign a novel because the ink runs. (Oh, the days of glossy paper.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How touching to hear my words brought to
life as an audiobook. (Warm thanks to Sebastian Humphreys, the man of a
thousand voices.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The most amazing thing of all, however,
is discussing your story with someone and discovering that it no longer belongs
to you – it’s out in the world. (‘You just don’t understand her,’ a fellow
author told me about one of my more dislikeable characters; ‘She’s got a heart
of gold.’)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Despite
everything, I am beyond thrilled to have written something from my imagination which
gives people pleasure… If it sounds your sort of thing, I hope you’ll give it a
go, and that it will make you SMILE, SALIVATE and SHIVER. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk0wSqIxiNAU7ubroKz5UtXe8cc9qhCzqxT6dQZKEkA3cHpUvZwWM7qXwCzZP8yclc1tBW7WUlC4CNhxM-luO31w6gG0aon5zJjw6fiwMeLvyi-JoY_hnNxzdrDaCBxZ-3SC-OdmXEQ5yD9WtqC5u7_dv8cjoOWxHFtcLwRCmEcqceLUfiJkCaUfmsIev/s350/thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="229" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk0wSqIxiNAU7ubroKz5UtXe8cc9qhCzqxT6dQZKEkA3cHpUvZwWM7qXwCzZP8yclc1tBW7WUlC4CNhxM-luO31w6gG0aon5zJjw6fiwMeLvyi-JoY_hnNxzdrDaCBxZ-3SC-OdmXEQ5yD9WtqC5u7_dv8cjoOWxHFtcLwRCmEcqceLUfiJkCaUfmsIev/s320/thumbnail.jpg" width="209" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Knife
Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin (Transworld Publishers) Out Now <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A
recipe for disaster. When chef Paul Delamare takes a job teaching at an
exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia, the only thing he expects
his students to murder is his taste buds. But on the first night, the
unthinkable happens: someone turns up dead... The school rests on a knife-edge.
The police are convinced Paul is the culprit. After all, he’s good with a
blade, was first on the scene – and everyone knows it doesn’t take much to push
a chef over the edge. To prove his innocence, he must find the killer. Could it
be one of his students? Or the owner of the school – a woman with secrets and a
murky past? It all boils down to murder. If Paul can’t solve the mystery fast –
as well as teach his students how to make a perfect hollandaise sauce – he’ll
be next to get the chop.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">More
information about the author can be found on his <a href="https://www.orlandomurrin.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. You can also follow
him on X @orlandomurrin on Instagram @orlandomurrinauthor and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/orlando.murrin/">Facebook</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-77327985926541213962024-02-10T06:00:00.007+00:002024-02-11T16:21:20.517+00:00CFP: Literatures and Laws<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2mbcdQFFBPUBaQ-glQihCXSBZUOSMGIQh9l11-ml0Xkp8dUkr8OMBcliVg_nqzFqcdXf9Bai6E-Gh6rk0ED4AErAjTCK_DZojY17Fu7HKD5nkHFyzePIQ_1cd_8gdhkKtXPvhppWwe6nQvWmmFkXE4lA5StP87BxRf3hJ_qc2rk9D42nO5j8_ZzOtDHy/s320/Book%20and%20Magnifying%20War.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="320" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2mbcdQFFBPUBaQ-glQihCXSBZUOSMGIQh9l11-ml0Xkp8dUkr8OMBcliVg_nqzFqcdXf9Bai6E-Gh6rk0ED4AErAjTCK_DZojY17Fu7HKD5nkHFyzePIQ_1cd_8gdhkKtXPvhppWwe6nQvWmmFkXE4lA5StP87BxRf3hJ_qc2rk9D42nO5j8_ZzOtDHy/s1600/Book%20and%20Magnifying%20War.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </div><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>CFP: Literatures and Laws online one-day symposium</b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A one-day symposium hosted online by Bournemouth University, UK, held on 13th April 2024. </span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Department of Humanities & Law, and Narrative, Culture, and Community Research Centre</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">‘Literatures and Laws' considers law as literature, and law in literature. The first considers how law constructs narratives to make sense of and process non-legal events and experiences. Thus personal experiences of an event or dispute with another have to be translated into their legally relevant features so that a legal narrative can be constructed. Additionally, barristers when presenting a case in court seek to build a narrative to persuade juries. The second explores how law, courtroom spaces and rhetoric, justice, and legal systems and infrastructure (and their associated politics) are represented in (or excluded from) literature.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At a time where legal frameworks and understandings are increasingly contested, it is important that we consider how storytelling enables to the law to operate and how storytelling represents law and affects our understanding of law. An important component of a successful judicial system is the general trust the public have in that system. We want to explore both legal and literary perspectives on how that trust relates to storytelling and fictionality, and how both fictional literature and law construct stories about us as participants within a legal system. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At Bournemouth University, literature studies and law sit within the same department; inspired by this contiguity, we are inviting research and/or creative papers that explore the ways storytelling and narrative intersect within representations of law, justice, and legal systems. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Broad themes considered within the symposium, then, may include but are certainly not limited to</span></p><ul><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Law and literary genre, for instance papers that focus on representations and significant instances or structures of law and legality in crime and detective fiction, Gothic and historical fiction, procedurals, ecological fiction</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Inventions of law and legal systems in speculative fiction</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Courtroom drama</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Law, politics, and the state in literature</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Historical case studies</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Precedent and storytelling: Cases as links in a storytelling chain</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lay terminology to legal terminology: Lay and legal understandings</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Genres of law: Conceptualising law as genre</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Storytelling conventions in strands of law: Criminal, civil and human rights</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fictionality and media framing of law: Sensation, celebrity and perception</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Please submit a 200-word abstract for a 15-minute presentation and a brief biographical note to swalker@bournemouth.ac.uk no later than February 22nd 2024. You may direct general queries to the same address.</span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Keynote speakers:</span></b></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="yiv2574080121OWAb4fb3f02-5809-4e2d-0e86-93651cfb5d09"></a>Professor Hywel Dix (Bournemouth University, NCCR member)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hywel is interested in the relationship between culture and social and political change, especially in relation to political devolution in the 4 nations of the UK, as well as autofiction and cultural memory. Recent publications include Compatriots or Competitors: Welsh, Scottish, English and Northern Irish Writing and Brexit in Comparative Contexts (University of Wales Press, 2023). </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="yiv2574080121OWAf0cdebe2-0bdb-bcc3-544a-cc6b9290243c"></a>Dr Caroline Derry (Open University)</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Caroline Derry joined the Open University in April 2017. She is a senior lecturer in law, teaching subjects including criminal and evidence law. Her other roles include Law School EDI Champion. Caroline qualified as a barrister, practising in criminal defence law, and as a solicitor in a large, central London legal aid practice. She then taught for fifteen years at London Metropolitan University, where she was a senior lecturer in criminal and evidence law and gender & law, and course leader for the LLB Law. She has been a visiting lecturer in criminal law at SOAS and at Paris Descartes (Masters in Common Law).</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Symposium organisers</span></b></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="yiv2574080121OWA5bc63b8b-84b4-fe77-1220-2e92434ad474"></a>Dr Rebecca Mills is Senior Lecturer in English and Communication at Bournemouth University. Her publications include work on crime and detective fiction, particularly of the interwar era. Please contact Rebecca if you have any questions about developing a literary topic for the symposium: rmills@bournemouth.ac.uk</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="yiv2574080121OWA2e75efea-807c-628a-ae0c-eb83caa7d2fb"></a>Dr Samuel Walker is Senior Lecturer in Law at Bournemouth University. He researches the notion of embodiment in law, and how literature explores our understanding of law and justice. Please contact Sam if you have any questions about developing a topic on law-focused topic for the symposium: swalker@bournemouth.ac.uk</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></li></ul>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-71152978304709078132024-02-08T06:00:00.052+00:002024-02-08T06:00:00.134+00:00Ajay Close on What Doesn't Kill Us.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NPaZZDE9rBcGkh-xQRsRkm3wkPIu0z23VraWM7Qv6FJCBgQBm-Q1-GUVFv257VorwRfbYD3IUw3ON73tDx5rBpPT3yk7ltp-knmhs5a_R2a0KrKq46RmKRl-dPuUxwtjpkaju7HsWyesoylmMqcStMkAenr91STphz9IuLAztKB-XG_z2h4XJDxURZT6/s3248/ajay%20close.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2165" data-original-width="3248" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NPaZZDE9rBcGkh-xQRsRkm3wkPIu0z23VraWM7Qv6FJCBgQBm-Q1-GUVFv257VorwRfbYD3IUw3ON73tDx5rBpPT3yk7ltp-knmhs5a_R2a0KrKq46RmKRl-dPuUxwtjpkaju7HsWyesoylmMqcStMkAenr91STphz9IuLAztKB-XG_z2h4XJDxURZT6/s320/ajay%20close.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I was 15 in 1975 when </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Peter Sutcliffe </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">killed his first victim, and
21 when he was caught in Sheffield, about a mile from my home. My teenage years
were coloured by the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">folk
culture that sprang up around the 13 murders: graffiti, urban legends, football
terrace chants, sick jokes. A young woman in the north of England who walked
home alone at night, I was his target demographic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Although Sutcliffe died in 2020, those years live
on in the memories of countless women. Many of us have stories to tell. As a
novelist, I often use personal experience as the starting point for my fiction.
But fiction inspired by the Sutcliffe case is a sensitive matter. There’s a risk
of trampling over private tragedy, or even being accused of exploiting it.
These days we see fame as the ultimate prize. A twisted individual like
Sutcliffe doesn’t deserve to be remembered. Then there’s the whole question of <i>why</i>
– why write about it, why read it? No one wants to pander to the sort of person
titillated by attacks on vulnerable women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Even that nickname is
controversial. In the late 70s the term ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ was everywhere: on
television and radio, in newspaper headlines and on newsagents’ bills. Now It’s
suspect because of its ‘dark glamour.’ When ITV was making a seven-part drama
about the police investigation and the impact of the murders on victims’
families, members of those families lobbied to prevent ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ from
appearing in the title. The series was broadcast last autumn as <i>The Long
Shadow.</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">However understandable
that decision, I wouldn’t want to see the term added to our list of taboo vocabulary.
This is about much more than Peter Sutcliffe. The words ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ are an
evocative shorthand for a social history we’re not yet ready to forget.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Millions
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">of women across the north of England lived
through the 70s. Plenty of us were enraged by the incompetence of the police, the
curfew effectively imposed on single women, the sexist attitudes of the
detectives</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> who
appeared on the nightly news. (Memories refreshed by the murder of Sarah
Everard in 2021 and ongoing reports of police abusing their power over women.) Domestic
violence was rife. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Some wives were so
frightened of their husbands they shopped them to the Ripper tip-off line. Any
woman who didn’t own a car and couldn’t afford taxis had to make a choice. She
could stay in night after night, letting a man she had never met put her under
house arrest. Or she could insist on her right to a social life, accepting that
walking home alone was akin to playing Russian roulette.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Like </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">most women I knew, I was terrified after dark,
constantly looking over my shoulder, suspicious of every man I passed. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Writing about that time is a longstanding ambition.
I have absolutely zero interest in the psychology of Peter Sutcliffe, but I’m
fascinated by how society reacted to his crimes. Sutcliffe was a stick that
stirred up a lot of very nasty sediment.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So yes, I’ve written a
novel, but no, the killer is not Peter Sutcliffe, and the victims are not
ciphers for the women he murdered over those six years. PC Liz Seeley and her
superiors are not the actual Ripper Squad detectives, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">even if the plot borrows aspects of the bungled police investigation.
(You couldn’t make it up!) Likewise, t</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">he
militant separatists who fight back against male supremacy and offer Liz a refuge
from her violent boyfriend are not the real Leeds Revolutionary Feminists. <i>What
Doesn’t Kill Us</i> is a historical novel set in a very different Britain – but
not all the evils it depicts are safely in the past. </span><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY8YMBPLI4bNJB7IaW-BFa1EDFm0Wwdw9mbF0-_1W0wO2Avekps-0z5vUa402hK1xKkB6Tz2ROikhRGkVHDUvJh-lgG2yr82qQYJueY3u_j8LcHs8Ga2FxFEw1ix5x3Nc9T6T0CafatLKZCANN4YsikfsWnMTQhikJtMzxoWTi5ct_5R3uXD7VMtO7onF/s2339/WDKU-cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY8YMBPLI4bNJB7IaW-BFa1EDFm0Wwdw9mbF0-_1W0wO2Avekps-0z5vUa402hK1xKkB6Tz2ROikhRGkVHDUvJh-lgG2yr82qQYJueY3u_j8LcHs8Ga2FxFEw1ix5x3Nc9T6T0CafatLKZCANN4YsikfsWnMTQhikJtMzxoWTi5ct_5R3uXD7VMtO7onF/s320/WDKU-cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>What
Doesn’t Kill Us</i> by Ajay Close (Saraband) Out Now </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A killer stalks the streets of
Leeds. Every man is a suspect. Every woman is at risk. But in a house on
Cleopatra Street, women are fighting back. It’s the eve of the 1980s. PC Liz
Seeley joins the squad investigating the murders. With a violent boyfriend at
home and male chauvinist pigs at work, she is drawn to a feminist collective
led by the militant and uncompromising Rowena. There she meets Charmaine –
young, Black, artistic, and fighting discrimination on two fronts. As the list
of victims grows and police fail to catch the killer, women across the north
are too terrified to go out after dark. To the feminists, the Butcher is a
symptom of wider misogyny. Their anger finds an outlet in violence and Liz is
torn between loyalty to them and her duty as a police officer. Which way will
she jump? <i>What Doesn’t Kill Us</i> combines the tension of a police procedural with
the power and passion of the women’s lib movement. By turns emotional,
action-packed and darkly funny, it reveals just how much the world has changed
since the 1970s – and how much it hasn’t.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">More information about the author can be found on her <a href=" www.ajayclose.co.uk" target="_blank">website</a> . You can also follow her on X at @AjayClose and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ajay.close" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-82287801674190248272024-02-07T17:00:00.015+00:002024-02-07T21:17:37.155+00:00First Blood. Writing your debut crime novel.<p> </p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB"><b>In-person, at our home in Goldsboro Books </b></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB"><b>22b Ship Street Brighton. BN1.</b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIk5f6QzTF-vycG6yLUlKmY6nRs1v4HNdvmOfADWJkesf0wVm7u63X5wT6jrpGIw8yDluFVIdirirUJJj84gx8_ZUrlh37WKznuouJZEyxKPmYrshHKd5_EAvtYGnLoSdZExMvKnvMrbjSmDW-VIuDovarczNoX7YbdNVR9p76RQH9Zl7q4akeZaAJTj4/s770/Goldsboro-homepage-carousel_Jan24_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="770" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIk5f6QzTF-vycG6yLUlKmY6nRs1v4HNdvmOfADWJkesf0wVm7u63X5wT6jrpGIw8yDluFVIdirirUJJj84gx8_ZUrlh37WKznuouJZEyxKPmYrshHKd5_EAvtYGnLoSdZExMvKnvMrbjSmDW-VIuDovarczNoX7YbdNVR9p76RQH9Zl7q4akeZaAJTj4/w640-h382/Goldsboro-homepage-carousel_Jan24_v1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writers on this intensive course will develop their ideas and their writing craft, hand-in-hand with an understanding of the market and industry trends today. Throughout the course, you’ll learn to stress-test your ideas by pitching them to writers and industry professionals.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>The Course</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eight evening sessions (Monday<span lang="en-GB">s, </span>18:30–21:30) in person.<span lang="en-GB"> April 15th – June 3rd </span><br />Two hour-long, one-to-one sessions with course director P. D. Viner. The first will be scheduled before Monday April 15th to build a personal plan, based upon your experience, and where you are in your writing process</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monday evening sessions will include:</span></p><ul><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Crime writing and its subgenres—developing an understanding of the marketplace and where you want to position your novel — with GWA founder <b>P. D. Viner</b>.</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">How to develop the hook of your novel, giving it a story structure and a plot that thrills and excites — with top thriller writer Si<b>mon Toyne</b>.</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Character development and relationship-building, for creating suspense and incredible twists and turns — with bestselling psych thriller writer<b> Araminta Hall</b>.</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Insight into police procedures and how law enforcement works. Ideas and strategies for developing contemporary crime stories with real-world characters and issue-led storylines — with retired Chief Superintendent and best-seller <b>Graham Bartlett</b>.</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Creating multi-level story-worlds with recurring characters and ensemble casts. From TV writing to gangland thrillers and edgy police procedurals — with hybrid author <b>Susan Wilkins</b>.</span></p></li><li><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Understanding the agent-author relationship. Considering the wider rights possibilities of your novel (TV, Film, Games etc). How to pitch your idea (and get immediate feedback) — with top agent, and founder of the Capital Crime festival, <b>David Headley</b>.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For all ability levels. Only 10 spaces available.</span></span></p></li></ul><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-family: georgia;">£399 (£349 early bird if booked by March 15th)</span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Application form at our website: https://goldsborowritingacademy.co.uk/courses/</span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For more information email: phil@goldsborowritingacademy.co.uk</span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-56223602372052513252024-02-06T12:57:00.001+00:002024-02-08T13:08:42.343+00:00Malice Domestic - 2024 Agatha Award Nominees <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> Malice Domestic 36 have announced the nominations for the 2024 Agatha Awards</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_p2d8ya6DCxYHUTWk8lhipY8St2R08bw_8eoGD9qHio490G_lHgSZ6kLi7YkM6gEqQQKyAEryoJfk8dKO0aMvAH85JHVEApL8MKnDDhLOkexZ860bSAm0OEIdobhgJJ97RAgw8uhwmbIuJycWJG9MpTyU-ANzxz3zXlJudRry_U6NgV9PrHGBmVR7uTc/s768/Malice%20Domstic%20Nominees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="768" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_p2d8ya6DCxYHUTWk8lhipY8St2R08bw_8eoGD9qHio490G_lHgSZ6kLi7YkM6gEqQQKyAEryoJfk8dKO0aMvAH85JHVEApL8MKnDDhLOkexZ860bSAm0OEIdobhgJJ97RAgw8uhwmbIuJycWJG9MpTyU-ANzxz3zXlJudRry_U6NgV9PrHGBmVR7uTc/w640-h467/Malice%20Domstic%20Nominees.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Congratulations to all the nominated authors.</span><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-62769286037370924932024-02-05T16:30:00.018+00:002024-02-07T21:34:31.561+00:00Call for Chapter Proposals: Golden Age Detection Goes to War <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Pnc0fvEOBk42h7ESL76myGBVbeh0t1N5JZTpBwbPCK7pYgaxcM9OvEuoD2pV_o99k_EicxuPMvqqKLFRfwaDvFPEuq5THvzfUjz4jRTJdrefkeqzHBjNwEYx9vEgiBhyh2cQCabFqbVU8XjM1cxoKwTOeDNmA-MfHEr45h1Bay8mUyslD_vQ1xtBKEW/s320/Book%20and%20Magnifying%20War.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="320" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Pnc0fvEOBk42h7ESL76myGBVbeh0t1N5JZTpBwbPCK7pYgaxcM9OvEuoD2pV_o99k_EicxuPMvqqKLFRfwaDvFPEuq5THvzfUjz4jRTJdrefkeqzHBjNwEYx9vEgiBhyh2cQCabFqbVU8XjM1cxoKwTOeDNmA-MfHEr45h1Bay8mUyslD_vQ1xtBKEW/s1600/Book%20and%20Magnifying%20War.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Editors: Dr J.C. Bernthal (Visiting Fellow in
Creative Writing at the University of Suffolk) and Dr Rebecca Mills (Senior
Lecturer in Communication and English, Bournemouth University).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Proposal deadline: March 31st 2024<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chapter proposals are invited for an edited
collection exploring and evaluating the representation and navigation of war in
writing set in, looking back to, and negotiating the parameters of, the Golden
Age of detective fiction. Our first co-edited collection <i>Agatha Christie
Goes to War </i>(Routledge 2019) explored the structuring principle of war in
the work of the ‘Queen of the Golden Age’ Agatha Christie, demonstrating a
recurring anxiety regarding war and its aftermath that permeates the idiom and
structure of Christie’s work as well as plotting and characterisation; here we
intend to follow up this investigation by extending our scope to both the
Golden Age and later authors such as Robin Stevens and Catriona McPherson, who
explicitly hark back to its conventions but develop more modern thematic
approaches, foregrounding themes, issues and anxieties that would then have
been subtextual. This will also afford readings of recently rediscovered and
republished crime and mystery fiction from the early and mid-twentieth
centuries by, for example, Dean Street Press and British Library Classics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Golden Age of detective fiction is often held
to be a) English-centric, b) situated between the First and Second World Wars
and c) focused on puzzles and clues rather than social and cultural reflection
and context. Public imagination and academic conversations have started to
capture the diverse, often nuanced, and impactful significance of Golden Age
detective fiction, but its engagement with war, while richly varied and
textured, has not been widely studied. The editors of <i>Golden Age Detection
Goes to War</i>, then, envisage a collection of essays in conversation with the
work of scholars such as Gill Plain, Alison Light, and Phyllis Lassner, that
challenge traditional readings of isolation, escapism, or simple visions of
national identity and purpose, and interrogating the role of these popular
texts in the study not only of war fronts and battlefields, but also of complex
moralities, social and cultural upheaval, trauma, displacement, and individual,
national and internationally negotiated identities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We are particularly interested in feminist,
spatial, queer, post-colonial, and sociological readings that contextualise
Anglo-centric English Golden Age work within its contemporary literary,
political, and social environments; we also encourage interdisciplinary
approaches, particularly drawing on cultural history, geography, trauma and
memory studies, and the medical humanities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our chronological span for the Golden Age here is
Agatha Christie’s lifetime (1890 to 1976) in order to include work leading up
to the First World War and post-Second World War work that deals with its
aftermath and the early Cold War.</span></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Topics might include (but are not limited to) the
following:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"></p><ul><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Detective writers, life writing, and war work</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Codes and coding</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thrillers and espionage stories with substantial
detection elements</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">National identities and propaganda -Censorship and
ethics</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Individual and/or collective memory and
trauma </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Technologies of war </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gender and/or sexuality and war </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Grief, loss, and bereavement </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Displacement and exile </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Home Front and/or foreign fields</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Social and cultural change during and caused by
war </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">War and psychology </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Underrepresented writers and communities impacted
by military conflict </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Representations of ideologies such as Communism and
Nazism </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Conscientious objection</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Military heroism </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">War and reshaped cartographies </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Colonial wars and Empire </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Britain and the European Continent</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Britain’s relationship with its allies </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Comparative analysis of war in the work of authors
from Britain and other countries</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Foreign fields </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The relationship between detective fiction and
other literary modes such as modernism and the middlebrow </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The relationship between Golden Age detective
fiction and other crime narrative modes such as noir and pulp fiction </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cinema, radio, theatre, and the Golden Age in
wartime </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Historical detective fiction set in/navigating war
and engaging with the conventions of the Golden Age</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Authors we are interested in include but are not
limited to: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"></p><ul><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dorothy L. Sayers</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Agatha Christie (if you are planning a proposal on
Agatha Christie, we encourage you to take a look at Agatha Christie Goes to
War)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Josephine Tey</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">E.C.R Lorac</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">J. Jefferson Farjeon</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gladys Mitchell</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">John Dickson Carr</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nap Lombard</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Celia Fremlin</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Michael Gilbert</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Anthony Gilbert</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Graham Greene</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elizabeth Bowen</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ngaio Marsh</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Margery Allingham</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Edmund Crispin</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We are also interested in detective fiction from
outside England and America that can be situated in conversation with the
Golden Age periodization and tropes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We invite 300-500 word abstracts for contributions
of 6,000-8,000 words taking a global and in-depth approach to wars and their
traces in early-to-mid-century detective, crime, and mystery fiction, as well
as life writing by and about authors in this field, and historical detective
fiction written later. Please include a brief biographical note (up to 100
words). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>We have early interest from a major academic
publisher.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Please send your proposals and enquiries to
goldenagedetectiongoestowar@gmail.com by March 31st 2024. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For further details,
see <a href="http://Please%20send%20your%20proposals%20and%20enquiries%20to%20goldenagedetectiongoestowar@gmail.com%20by%20march%2031st%202024.%20for%20further%20details,%20see%20https/jcbernthal.com/2024/01/19/call-for-proposals-golden-age-detection-goes-to-war" target="_blank">https://jcbernthal.com/2024/01/19/call-for-proposals-golden-age-detection-goes-to-war</a></span></span></span></p></div><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-77703474352036656522024-02-02T18:21:00.129+00:002024-02-04T21:37:25.981+00:00February Books from Bookouture.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYOKZys_iifguI3fAMGhAT9nKEEaVY0rP60lE_YG9ANNnt6lpI9PgvxbXfii2lMSb69MoM_8qUW2euFoLLI2UF3J6kKj6-dgWkqP2w1RrVWBIp5jI6rmiPnV6c0_h3jwSMoZ_7ojCTOPCsvayB7d97nP-QtGyWgduiYurxKVO1KFo6UOdFZZoMiimGpkW/s500/9781837909469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYOKZys_iifguI3fAMGhAT9nKEEaVY0rP60lE_YG9ANNnt6lpI9PgvxbXfii2lMSb69MoM_8qUW2euFoLLI2UF3J6kKj6-dgWkqP2w1RrVWBIp5jI6rmiPnV6c0_h3jwSMoZ_7ojCTOPCsvayB7d97nP-QtGyWgduiYurxKVO1KFo6UOdFZZoMiimGpkW/s320/9781837909469.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>The Baby Monitor </i>is by Rosie Walker. I’m closing my daughter’s bedroom door after putting her to bed and saying I love her one last time, when I hear the baby monitor crackle to life. The voice sends shockwaves to my core: ‘Your mother doesn’t love you.’ </span>My husband says it’s just exhaustion and I’m hearing things. But he has no idea what that voice is doing to Olivia. He doesn’t see the look in my daughter’s eyes as she pushes me away and says, ‘I want my other mother.’ Then Olivia plunges down the stairs screaming. In my worst nightmares, I never imagined I could come so close to losing my child. As I watch Olivia sleep in a hospital bed, her broken arm in a sling, I decide this has to stop. Someone unscrewed our baby gate from the wall. I know I’ve been unwell in the past, but I’m not making this up. The only people who’ve been inside our house are the ones I thought I could trust. Someone close is watching me, speaking to Olivia and trying to make me look like a bad parent. I don’t care what my husband says. I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life, but my precious child means everything to me. They have no idea how far I’ll go to protect my daughter… </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgkqiMUNKXq_RFGxzj-g745rGBa-10vVX54UYH7vEIv7IP804mRv3PEIIAm-7pch8oMFgiHse9hZTNVzS2rJfdJWK7a0PyzrLcjrJyHUaXszpru9uHU3Euy_OVSG-NEtKwjQDvQGSHPvxP8eDMG2T42rnEzaQWb5qfgxZK1Wia3de6svk-zsGp6soEHWi/s425/81Dt1rJAPfL._SY425_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgkqiMUNKXq_RFGxzj-g745rGBa-10vVX54UYH7vEIv7IP804mRv3PEIIAm-7pch8oMFgiHse9hZTNVzS2rJfdJWK7a0PyzrLcjrJyHUaXszpru9uHU3Euy_OVSG-NEtKwjQDvQGSHPvxP8eDMG2T42rnEzaQWb5qfgxZK1Wia3de6svk-zsGp6soEHWi/s320/81Dt1rJAPfL._SY425_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A missing five-year-old girl is the key to unlocking a detective’s terrifying past. When Detective Billie Ann Wilde receives a desperate call that five-year-old Emma Wilson is missing,she rushes to the family home. But inside the picture-perfect house surrounded by Florida marshlands, she finds no children’s clothes or toys, no photos of the innocent child Emma’s mother Marissa describes. Billie suspects Marissa Wilson is hiding from someone. It’s a race against the clock to find Emma. But Marissa refuses to tell Billie anything about her past, and before long, she also disappears… And then Billie realizes who Marissa is. She’s the ten-year-old girl Billie failed to find in her first ever case fourteen years ago. The leads went cold because Billie made a fatal mistake. As more bodies turn up in the same marshlands, Billie must revisit her past and face up to her demons to find Marissa and her child. But she is unknowingly putting herself in the path of a terrifying serial killer… <i>Don't Let Her Go </i>is by Willow Rose.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0bq6GcLfm0OTcJT1GzVJyhqlce_ayts6KziCJuoTt_Il13NHRsD7zRntCfwLoFwkD1SHBz99P7WIFlIYuTwCKDY3EbNVHSqGLy79kof-qxukdbRQawevkUhK0gCX3a3PTBBhYgS-eko0Rij1pa3A1PKB9WOT3VnFO0cnixr77xS74S_uS_J0tVp-YXJ0/s500/9781837907144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0bq6GcLfm0OTcJT1GzVJyhqlce_ayts6KziCJuoTt_Il13NHRsD7zRntCfwLoFwkD1SHBz99P7WIFlIYuTwCKDY3EbNVHSqGLy79kof-qxukdbRQawevkUhK0gCX3a3PTBBhYgS-eko0Rij1pa3A1PKB9WOT3VnFO0cnixr77xS74S_uS_J0tVp-YXJ0/s320/9781837907144.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Missing Mother</i> is by Casey Kelleher. I place my tiny, newborn baby in the box. A ‘safe haven’, they call it, for unwanted babies. She’ll be warm, someone will find her soon. She’ll be cared for. But not by me. I will always want her, but I can never be her mother. And she can never know why. Jenna has never truly known who she is or where she came from. Abandoned as a baby, she grew up with a caring adopted family, and never felt the need to know more about her birth parents. Until one night, nearly thirty years later, when she sees a desperate young woman tearfully kiss her little baby, put it gently down in a safe haven box, and walk away. In that moment, Jenna’s mind starts to race. Who could abandon their child like that, and why? She may never find her own parents, but Jenna is determined to uncover the truth behind this baby’s missing mother. Because Jenna has a terrible feeling that she knows who the mother is, and what happened… As Jenna digs deeper she uncovers something – someone – far more dangerous than she ever feared. And the secrets they’re hiding are much bigger than just one night, just one woman, just one baby. But what Jenna hasn’t realised is that they know what she’s doing and they are watching her. Whatever the cost, they’ll do anything to keep Jenna from revealing the truth…</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3nJ0ATQYYJG4gz1MIgIAkMSOu_9MsS97n4Gz73jSdmow2ZSbWWHFCstp_2-h2ERtxwaox7ZiZwnQQXrhcCLtL-GARHsVC8I8_ISjrwOh5iZHd69pqgl-XV0V6hnfoaNNkswvSlffPsU0j_bmjArUz0wZ_sPLozQ89RBkPFgXf9xoaO1fHK4kJxjG8Bfe/s425/81LPz7yRHIL._SY425_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3nJ0ATQYYJG4gz1MIgIAkMSOu_9MsS97n4Gz73jSdmow2ZSbWWHFCstp_2-h2ERtxwaox7ZiZwnQQXrhcCLtL-GARHsVC8I8_ISjrwOh5iZHd69pqgl-XV0V6hnfoaNNkswvSlffPsU0j_bmjArUz0wZ_sPLozQ89RBkPFgXf9xoaO1fHK4kJxjG8Bfe/s320/81LPz7yRHIL._SY425_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Morgan shivers in the darkness as she walks through the park towards the abandoned building. She sees the body and the blood dripping onto the cold, frosty grass. A beautiful teenage girl is dead. Morgan feels rage build inside of her as she realises who it is… Arriving at a quiet family home on the outskirts of the Lake District, Detective Morgan Brookes must deliver devastating news to a heartbroken mother. Seeing Lexie’s pink boots against the side of the house, she remembers the girl’s happy face and can’t help but think of her carefree childhood. Three years ago, Morgan saved Lexie from a serial killer, who is now behind bars. But this time, she’s failed to protect her. Certain a new and more terrifying killer is at large, Morgan finds a neighbour who claims a man in a silver car was watching Lexie’s house. Then she discovers that Lexie was meeting other survivors of serial killers at a local victim support group. Another girl, Milly, thinks she has been followed by the same silver car. But just as Morgan rushes to warn the other women, the case takes an even more sinister turn. One of them is found dead, posed in a chair with her hands tied in prayer. Flames engulf the church where the victims usually meet, with several of the others trapped inside. Morgan manages to save the women just in time, but she knows this killer will never give up. To find him, she must relive every terrifying case she’s ever worked on. Somewhere in her history lies the key to saving more lives, but Morgan has no idea that this dangerous individual wants her as his final victim… <i>Save Her Twice</i> is by Helen Phifer.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0c8tFt8n9TxqKFJrXDwPIsASxuTG7yMX6PvLqn3TnF-m877Dlcux2XKgPAtPGV2qefafdNpXjYq3nzIeJGJkAO0mUw486VnyWlBd-scy728CcFoiMv9cnJrf_wn0dsGXnnw-5bpKMZvWsaXsTjEL-akLHb4kVhJ7IWQD-Wy4TKVkeLXS-DEymBv6QqG_/s500/9781835251928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0c8tFt8n9TxqKFJrXDwPIsASxuTG7yMX6PvLqn3TnF-m877Dlcux2XKgPAtPGV2qefafdNpXjYq3nzIeJGJkAO0mUw486VnyWlBd-scy728CcFoiMv9cnJrf_wn0dsGXnnw-5bpKMZvWsaXsTjEL-akLHb4kVhJ7IWQD-Wy4TKVkeLXS-DEymBv6QqG_/s320/9781835251928.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“My baby! You stole my baby!” Lara Smith is hysterical, her red lipstick smeared. A teddy lies abandoned in the empty crib. But I wasn't hired to look after a baby. I didn’t even know this nursery existed… Lara’s husband calls the police and screams: “The nanny has taken our little girl.” I’m frozen in shock. This is impossible. I was only meant to be looking after the Smiths' nine-year-old twins… I'm certain that earlier this evening when they left for their fancy event—Lara in high heels and a floor-length gown, Corbin in a tux—they never mentioned a baby. And they definitely didn’t show me this nursery room, up in the eaves of their sprawling, beachfront mansion. But their angelic blonde twins are now blinking at me in matching horror, and my heart pounds painfully as handcuffs snap shut around my wrists. As I'm pushed towards the waiting police car, I look back one last time and meet Lara's eyes. Am I imagining the cold calculation in them? I try to swallow my panic. Why was I really hired for this job? And then an even more chilling thought races through my mind. Do Lara and Corbin know who I really am? Because if they do, my life is in terrible danger… <i>The Perfect Nanny</i> is by Shari J Ryan.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLhbww670ZR7Jq_iWyk48PSc4OY-G4M54B0mEB5F8Ws4hIFOdzVJpR214ST309mK1xHMUg7Kve8HB2GuNbaW-_WE7RYmlQa3eS16onflkGQY-4lL5EGxjrm5rqN6au5KCAAInDZBxqWR5VqceV_zK7lQdIFVY-SedhAxuxaGJMcs8YbfugcTuW71Df487/s425/81h2UuNt9ML._SY425_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLhbww670ZR7Jq_iWyk48PSc4OY-G4M54B0mEB5F8Ws4hIFOdzVJpR214ST309mK1xHMUg7Kve8HB2GuNbaW-_WE7RYmlQa3eS16onflkGQY-4lL5EGxjrm5rqN6au5KCAAInDZBxqWR5VqceV_zK7lQdIFVY-SedhAxuxaGJMcs8YbfugcTuW71Df487/s320/81h2UuNt9ML._SY425_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Little Witness</i> is by S A Dunphy. They came in the dark. They took her parents. And now she is the only one who can save them. Hidden away in an isolated cabin on the edge of her farm, seven-year-old Aisling Connolly shivers as the cold night air whistles through her thin jacket. It’s been two days since the men came, since her mammy told her to run like she’d never run before, to not look back. She hasn’t seen her parents since. And she’s terrified. But when Aisling is finally found by the police, she knows instinctively she can trust Detective Tessa Burns. A former child-witness herself, Tessa understands what Aisling has been through, and that Aisling must remember everything she can about that terrible, dark night if she’s to save her parents. Something Tessa was unable to do for her own parents all those years ago. As the little girl slowly starts to open up, Tessa uncovers much more than she’d bargained for – another murder, clearly a horrific warning to Aisling not to speak. But time is running out, and any hope of finding Aisling’s parents alive is rapidly fading. And Tessa must do everything in her power to ensure the little girl isn’t next…</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3RuLM8ImLk_n3F7u6BFRI4X0FmTxcZuvkiXM5Svd0VIpO-yISDcZqP8OJrqiA8ss5LFrT8HwwC0TjF65-b0S2tUJuQfIeoJy5XCNfdlIJAUJBWGkZvZ7ap4hGNBs_8V1_t_ujfjlZA6YT6BwJvrqWxXfkQO-Jl5eia8LmGj4xsIhgmLucJdmCgwJ0x9Z/s500/9781803147239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3RuLM8ImLk_n3F7u6BFRI4X0FmTxcZuvkiXM5Svd0VIpO-yISDcZqP8OJrqiA8ss5LFrT8HwwC0TjF65-b0S2tUJuQfIeoJy5XCNfdlIJAUJBWGkZvZ7ap4hGNBs_8V1_t_ujfjlZA6YT6BwJvrqWxXfkQO-Jl5eia8LmGj4xsIhgmLucJdmCgwJ0x9Z/s320/9781803147239.jpg" width="207" /></i></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Only The Children</i> is by S A Dunphy. The little girl stares up at Tessa, trembling so hard her whole body shakes. Her brothers stand clutching her hands, both pale with shock. ‘They told us not to speak,’ she finally whispers. But the terror in her tear-filled eyes tells Tessa all she needs to know… When a cargo ship runs aground off the Irish coast, the police are horrified to find the captain dead at the helm, the crew missing, and three little red-haired children, terrified but unharmed, locked in the galley kitchen.As an expert detective running a child-centred taskforce, Detective Tessa Burns is called in to lead the case. Despite Tessa’s best efforts, the children won’t reveal a thing – not even their own names. Slowly gaining their trust, Tessa uncovers a deadly secret about their past – and the mystery of their missing parents’ whereabouts – that turns everything she thought she knew on its head. But just as it seems she’s cracked the case, Tessa’s team is attacked one dark night, and the youngest boy is kidnapped yet again. It’s clear the children are still in terrible danger. And when another senseless killing sends shockwaves through her team, Tessa realises the murderer is someone much closer to home than they could have ever imagined. Will she be able to uncover the truth in time, or will it be too late for her, and, most devastating of all, for the children…?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7A3V-3fF63bw3wXwrA00IQoCb8LB-vjBaEHhcAHa2yRNxpd0CyJgi5lvNg8ASZUik9dd-LgIp2iW-B3aoI0mIUPhfmtM3sI81X7mvCHssNiFMEInbnWZCrUSY8TQ-sCXS7GJGLRFBTSCc3EMvddf0GSeFcnk2IXs_3DPtOaV__M5papybRhPOMDk9Eial/s1500/81wiSYJPzbL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7A3V-3fF63bw3wXwrA00IQoCb8LB-vjBaEHhcAHa2yRNxpd0CyJgi5lvNg8ASZUik9dd-LgIp2iW-B3aoI0mIUPhfmtM3sI81X7mvCHssNiFMEInbnWZCrUSY8TQ-sCXS7GJGLRFBTSCc3EMvddf0GSeFcnk2IXs_3DPtOaV__M5papybRhPOMDk9Eial/s320/81wiSYJPzbL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Patient </i>is by Teri Terry. I feel the steady thump of my new heart beating inside me. The surgeon said everything went well. But I can’t stop thinking about my donor: the girl who was killed. Her death saved my life. But now whoever took hers is coming for mine… I can’t believe it when I learn my donor’s identity. The attack on Flora was all over the news. From my hospital bed I read every article, obsess over every word and soon I feel like I know her: the beautiful girl with flame-coloured hair, adored by everyone around her. Why would anyone hurt someone so perfect? When Flora’s family reach out to me, I’m unsure. My hands are shaking as I arrive at their grand mansion with its golden stone and sprawling gardens, but they’re warm and welcoming, tears shining in her mother’s eyes as she smiles at me. She even tells me to take anything I want from Flora’s things, as she can’t bear to go through them herself. I run my fingers over the racks of beautiful designer items, carefully choosing outfits in Flora’s signature yellow, the bright colour complementing the new flush in my cheeks. I think of the years I’ve wasted being ill, and the crushing loneliness I thought would never end. I deserve this. But then there’s a violent attack on another patient who received one of Flora’s organs. My heart – Flora’s heart – races dangerously fast. Is it a coincidence? Maybe I’ve made a mistake by stepping into Flora’s life. Has this second chance really saved me? Or has it cost me everything?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hm63tzLAcKXcPnWUP4c0WqhzlWJ6XLGrgP5_NN8bP3v2OhMhNToC5FKwJ4EuaN3xIQw3AZANf5ZzMEUpz9p16FH15eCopbAE5FCK0TqtmAidlYzFrMt_z7rZurkZr3zKud493Nmp5N-lw0SLnw51HbXooW6XFEAj7DXNHYFMZy0tVtURJXryu3-1dL9O/s1500/81KQx15mGJL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="940" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hm63tzLAcKXcPnWUP4c0WqhzlWJ6XLGrgP5_NN8bP3v2OhMhNToC5FKwJ4EuaN3xIQw3AZANf5ZzMEUpz9p16FH15eCopbAE5FCK0TqtmAidlYzFrMt_z7rZurkZr3zKud493Nmp5N-lw0SLnw51HbXooW6XFEAj7DXNHYFMZy0tVtURJXryu3-1dL9O/s320/81KQx15mGJL._SL1500_.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In a haunted mansion, ghosts are not the only danger… I’m Rylan Flynn. I hunt for ghosts and restless spirits, and solve the mysteries that make them haunt the living. My ex-boyfriend Declan never believed in my abilities. Now he thinks his home is haunted and he’s pleading for my help. Declan lives in a huge mansion, full of history and secrets. When I arrive at the house, I find a dying woman in the gardens. It seems like the spirit in Declan’s house may be the only witness to a murder. For the first time, Detective Ford Pierce asks for my help. Inside the mansion, we find mysterious locked rooms and shattered windows, but the ghost stays hidden. Why won’t it speak to me? I’m almost ready to give up when my best friend, Mickey, is snatched from her home in the middle of the night. The killer has her, and time is running out. I’ll do anything to bring Mickey back. But will my desperate search for clues uncover the truth, or lead me right into the killer’s hands? <i>The Whisper House</i> is by Dawn Merriman. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GgHRgh1uvIffCRhuAG9mqeGXGBkiX9-VJAPtbOPLPcUkwvNu7Y2GvmzQzEi5lxAsJB7NTtBde_1Np1iJqUWc8oB19ku2j500Q6euz5OVvaHyGCw6VeVfcfhAvQEb_tp2vA2c6BWr5dYxEIiG9ukiLt8gp7hfS5-OeRotHgbWBMK77mBryIVWlNU01JV3/s1500/81cN4xiApvL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GgHRgh1uvIffCRhuAG9mqeGXGBkiX9-VJAPtbOPLPcUkwvNu7Y2GvmzQzEi5lxAsJB7NTtBde_1Np1iJqUWc8oB19ku2j500Q6euz5OVvaHyGCw6VeVfcfhAvQEb_tp2vA2c6BWr5dYxEIiG9ukiLt8gp7hfS5-OeRotHgbWBMK77mBryIVWlNU01JV3/s320/81cN4xiApvL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Wife's Mistake </i>is by Lorna Dounaeva. I have the life I’ve always dreamed of… but how long will it be until the past catches up with me? I can’t believe how far my husband, Hayden, and I have come. I never expected that one day I’d be sipping a steaming coffee over our marble countertop or finishing off a humid summer day with a dip in our sparkling pool. But even though we’re living in paradise, I’ve never felt so distant from my husband. I’m certain he’s hiding something from me. Before, I would have confided in my friends and family but in this new life of ours, I’m terrified to trust anyone… Now, with Hayden out again, my evening is quiet. From our floor-to-ceiling windows, I watch the pool water ripple under the raindrops. But I swear I see movement beyond the garden hedges. I try to shake my fears away, I must be imagining things. That’s what Hayden would say. But then I find the hand-delivered note and my heart pounds in my chest as I scan the neat words. You don’t deserve this life. My blood runs cold. I thought I’d kept all my secrets well hidden, but now as I look out to the still night, I realise it’s only a matter of time until my past catches up with me – a past my husband still has no idea about. I know what I have to do to protect my perfect new life, but those around me have no idea how far I’m willing to go to keep it…</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXc2SIQyFtzzaIxCkVjrbkOiPEkyhw_un_-4IQFLDZXJe8N-qb9pipukueVnS5-ZwaaVrjwpa2ch_pxqwm0PTZHNHkYHcR8s-YJoVADcSuLm4X5Lp7DC2AiGYPJFnhbmt_YwTjgopY4-nZmJL5qFOVsRzhIVpktACgefCLK4wmmXEm2w_EniBmbR277jU/s1500/81Nwfw0IEDL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXc2SIQyFtzzaIxCkVjrbkOiPEkyhw_un_-4IQFLDZXJe8N-qb9pipukueVnS5-ZwaaVrjwpa2ch_pxqwm0PTZHNHkYHcR8s-YJoVADcSuLm4X5Lp7DC2AiGYPJFnhbmt_YwTjgopY4-nZmJL5qFOVsRzhIVpktACgefCLK4wmmXEm2w_EniBmbR277jU/s320/81Nwfw0IEDL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Custody Battle</i> is by Ellie Monago. “What’s going to happen to me?” my darling girl asks, voice trembling, clutching her favourite teddy bear. I ache as I tell her, “Daddy and I love you more than anything. Nothing is going to change.” If only I had known how wrong I was. I’ve been dreading this moment. Lola’s blue eyes fill with tears as Greg and I explain our separation. We focus on what matters to a ten-year-old: every other weekend, she and her dad will be off having adventures; every morning before school, I’ll still brush her beautiful blonde hair. She will always, alwaysbe the most important thing for us both. But the worst was yet to come. Greg is saying one thing to my face and another to his lawyer. Now he wants full custody. It breaks my heart how Greg is trying to make my own daughter hate me. And he’s determined to dig up dirt on me, to make the court think I’m a terrible mother. And while I do have my own secrets, two can play that game… I never imagined it would come to this. But if exposing Greg’s past is what it takes, I’ll do it. Because if the whole truth comes out, it won’t just mean my little girl is taken from me… Lola will be in danger.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoAKEcbGe3qsL_y5tBdUs1hyneXRLUMP-9PTC1Xyjh2WZ9nADpiQQeMoAtwO4P-d_xMnaWDou34Tq94OMDkJzLL_15MsOhGu1GP3ben_-mw8yKSIn5MU9FJrDsJpZyI7kp3MdLXYNKkuJsW8y7FcQresGPtLR2Sx3_iHDz2oeE4O7ieJ01UB1G32i4wk-/s1500/81YnKY4JxnL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoAKEcbGe3qsL_y5tBdUs1hyneXRLUMP-9PTC1Xyjh2WZ9nADpiQQeMoAtwO4P-d_xMnaWDou34Tq94OMDkJzLL_15MsOhGu1GP3ben_-mw8yKSIn5MU9FJrDsJpZyI7kp3MdLXYNKkuJsW8y7FcQresGPtLR2Sx3_iHDz2oeE4O7ieJ01UB1G32i4wk-/s320/81YnKY4JxnL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She wakes surrounded by an inky black darkness and can barely breathe. A sack is covering her head, and her hands are tied behind her back. She desperately tries to struggle free as she hears footsteps walking toward her. She silently starts to cry as a chilling voice whispers “It’s time to pay for what you did…”When Detective Amanda Steele is called to the murder scene of a young gas station clerk just before dawn, she assumes it must be a robbery gone tragically wrong. But when she discovers nothing has been stolen, she knows the motive must be far more personal. Watching the security footage, Amanda is shocked to witness the cold-blooded killer not only shoot the clerk dead but abduct a customer. And her heart stops when she recognizes the customer as her former colleague, Katherine Graves. As Amanda breaks the news to Katherine’s heartbroken Aunt May, she vows to do whatever it takes to bring her niece home alive. Desperate for a lead, Amanda and her partner, Trent, search Katherine’s home. Soon, they discover that despite no longer being with the police department, Katherine has a long list of very dangerous enemies. Enemies who have been sending her anonymous letters promising revenge. The more Amanda digs into Katherine’s past, the longer her list of suspects becomes. But when May is sent a ransom demand and a picture of Katherine close to death, Amanda knows time is running out. With only hours left to find Katherine alive, Amanda is prepared to risk everything to keep her promise to May, even her own life… <i>Missing Before Daylight </i>is by Carolyn Arnold. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dP8NRvDWJgo2kHSOoVX1HOM63zMP8ONONtl_u8HGQG5Dy6D6-zURBnParGQLp6V2xtalPqnpAprKmZ_7Q9xN0R94fIcJhUR25xop_ncmy2oJJJEWcWyIv8231LyIug-1BddW-LIVe_H5n7H27dpW5OZHdHQpQ2ScF_6AhBsUyCu_NAidxZw-QjJZxlrc/s1500/81aIxneFJ3L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dP8NRvDWJgo2kHSOoVX1HOM63zMP8ONONtl_u8HGQG5Dy6D6-zURBnParGQLp6V2xtalPqnpAprKmZ_7Q9xN0R94fIcJhUR25xop_ncmy2oJJJEWcWyIv8231LyIug-1BddW-LIVe_H5n7H27dpW5OZHdHQpQ2ScF_6AhBsUyCu_NAidxZw-QjJZxlrc/s320/81aIxneFJ3L._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On a sunny Friday afternoon, beloved teacher Mrs. Walker and her eight-year-old son wave goodbye to their friends in the school playground. But they never make it home… It’s only been a week, but the bright little faces at the picture-perfect school I’ve stepped into have captured my heart. Their big doe eyes, their paint-covered fingers and clinging hugs. They’ve been through so much, with their favourite teacher and classmate still missing… I’m doing all I can to help them adjust, but I can’t avoid the swirling rumours that say Cate Walker’s charismatic husband, Oliver – our headteacher – is involved in her disappearance. The thought makes me shudder. But the more I find out about Cate, the more I wonder if she was also hiding a terrible secret… I’m determined to uncover the truth about what really happened. I have to protect these other innocent children from the same fate – it’s my duty as their teacher. That is, until an anonymous note turns up threatening me if I don’t stop looking. Until my home is broken into while I sleep. I know the longer I stay here, the more danger I’m in. But whoever’s trying to scare me doesn’t know who I am – or why I’m really here. Or just how far I’ll go to protect the people I love… <i>The Teacher's Secret</i> is by Lauren North.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYB897FIRHN-trxtOecpcAg1mUw38NX6ofMVs2HS6UjCZyNhUYaFxnWtkkxq5NKCFFN3WpDMalySL4EGGVEB1THkCqJrWwX-AWURkneBup6Le3DHYzo9NqRXKyaQ5ceT-xhXwiwulal_ESu949nE8fHzjIMD1_buHgLPj7EX_RxWvGDnznyPaZywGj9wi2/s1500/81k+kqkxKUL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYB897FIRHN-trxtOecpcAg1mUw38NX6ofMVs2HS6UjCZyNhUYaFxnWtkkxq5NKCFFN3WpDMalySL4EGGVEB1THkCqJrWwX-AWURkneBup6Le3DHYzo9NqRXKyaQ5ceT-xhXwiwulal_ESu949nE8fHzjIMD1_buHgLPj7EX_RxWvGDnznyPaZywGj9wi2/s320/81k+kqkxKUL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Dark Hearts</i> is by D.K.Hood. Under a thick canopy of pine trees, Cassidy Wilder frantically searches for a hiding place. Her breath catches in her mouth as she hears heavy footsteps. She says a silent prayer, but she knows he’s closing in on her. She knows it’s too late… When a robbery at a local store ends with multiple deaths and the abduction of sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Cassidy Wilder, FBI agent Beth Katz and her partner Dax Styles are called in. Visiting Cassidy’s family home just a couple of blocks away from the quiet little store where she went missing, Beth’s heart breaks as she talks to her grieving parents and promises to find their daughter. Looking at CCTV footage, Beth is horrified to see how calm the killer is as he shoots everyone in the store before forcing the terrified Cassidy to follow him into his truck. Then Beth uncovers multiple robberies just like this one, where all witnesses are killed and a young girl is taken. All of the victims are taken at night and found dead the following morning, so Beth knows time is running out to save Cassidy. When Cassidy’s lifeless body is discovered dumped on a busy highway near a patch of forest, Beth is devastated. And as more girls go missing, she fears the murderer is escalating. A breakthrough finally comes when she finds a name written in blood next to one of the bodies. Beth knows she’s close to catching the killer and is determined to stop any more lives from being taken—even if it means serving her own form of justice. Will she be able to resist the urge to take a life herself? Or will she become the killer’s next victim?</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-Z5SuGsi2ZMSmG6N8rZTz5ohTfLPon-dWTM6ZPuXdc6P5RjwFZ6gy9TdnllFxocng-rpEzdiZJGIEHS5RiGROO-NrmNRFX7-QKvG6eB8xOTquLhxEgzi_cm4ArMPcJKuP8YH6dHtRkakJNAxBrAIjHzl_fnkCUpE41OBmtVuL0MTdVeJwE5V4Zs8EJ86/s1500/81YldVzeuQL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="981" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-Z5SuGsi2ZMSmG6N8rZTz5ohTfLPon-dWTM6ZPuXdc6P5RjwFZ6gy9TdnllFxocng-rpEzdiZJGIEHS5RiGROO-NrmNRFX7-QKvG6eB8xOTquLhxEgzi_cm4ArMPcJKuP8YH6dHtRkakJNAxBrAIjHzl_fnkCUpE41OBmtVuL0MTdVeJwE5V4Zs8EJ86/s320/81YldVzeuQL._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Family is everything to Lily Drew and she’s always battled to keep hers together. But following the death of her only daughter, Ruby, and after losing her son, Connor, to a rival firm, Lily feels like everything she’s fought so hard to protect is about to fall apart: and when a turf war between two rival gangs starts on the Drew’s doorstep, Lily must pick a side… The right choice could take the firm to a whole new level and bring her beloved son back into the fold. But get it wrong and her empire could come crashing down, and all of their lives could be in danger. When Lily makes a bold decision and goes up against the most powerful firm in the city, she puts all of her men on the case. But the job goes wrong, and when one of London’s most dangerous crime bosses comes after the family, hellbent on revenge, Lily’s heart pounds. Did she just put everyone she loves in danger? And when the bitter feud ends, what will be left of the Drews? <i>Her Feud</i> is by Emma Tallon. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo94-nPAgnuYhOBsdF7DkyljAz9CeM8QEC8meGiebmvFn2Let8f8n1hnEUn__8azUoo9WCRwFJZEsVdHYD8PcjNiCzQWpaCFeMiwrkkrIP1om2TmtGOXrfTYRuYZSmu-eJm7ertAwSZKAvWO_IzyK7GVx3cL7HX3bbn417eRtkViuUGxHNnANM9OI85q-3/s1500/81jazh1CNzL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="981" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo94-nPAgnuYhOBsdF7DkyljAz9CeM8QEC8meGiebmvFn2Let8f8n1hnEUn__8azUoo9WCRwFJZEsVdHYD8PcjNiCzQWpaCFeMiwrkkrIP1om2TmtGOXrfTYRuYZSmu-eJm7ertAwSZKAvWO_IzyK7GVx3cL7HX3bbn417eRtkViuUGxHNnANM9OI85q-3/s320/81jazh1CNzL._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>His Double Life</i> is by Nicole Trope. Loving father. Loyal husband. Liar? In our large family home on a peaceful, tree-lined street, I clear away the breakfast things whilst my husband ignores me, his eyes on his phone. Leo comes home from conferences with flowers for me and hugs for our twin ten-year-old boys, but each time I smell an unfamiliar perfume on his shirt. I know all about his affairs and it’s tearing my heart in two. When one of the boys tumbles into the kitchen, full of laughter that he beat his brother in the race home from the park, I smile despite everything. When his brother isn’t right behind him, I start to worry… and then I get a text that makes my blood run cold. If you want your child to come home, your husband needs to tell the truth. Is my husband hiding even darker secrets than his affairs? As I realise his double life has put my children in terrible danger, I make a promise: I will not let my husband’s lies destroy my life. And I will do anything to get my son back…</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-89842565899043587162024-02-01T08:00:00.001+00:002024-02-01T08:00:00.143+00:00Joe Thomas on writing about one's past within Red Menace<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKoMYFqwIZCwo_MYrqBQmi2NA8bOq8jt40FCosCFhA4DuLE5bfrnOSrTuc5GwUZF_pVCYr_llWf62hNRpRib2qJqtO-mrHXl5Jn27Hl-rBl7-idRJP882VuKWks6ACPDFXzQbxcHWbSDjKPvnircVX1JA4WzG-0ysO-XoJG7gH9o3xN1jhiTwc5tqYd8l/s5000/JOE_THOMAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5000" data-original-width="3333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKoMYFqwIZCwo_MYrqBQmi2NA8bOq8jt40FCosCFhA4DuLE5bfrnOSrTuc5GwUZF_pVCYr_llWf62hNRpRib2qJqtO-mrHXl5Jn27Hl-rBl7-idRJP882VuKWks6ACPDFXzQbxcHWbSDjKPvnircVX1JA4WzG-0ysO-XoJG7gH9o3xN1jhiTwc5tqYd8l/s320/JOE_THOMAS.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was born in Hackney in 1977 and for 25 years I wanted to leave. Now, it’s an aspirational address, gentrified and expensive. I was born in Hackney Mothers’ Hospital on Lower Clapton Road which was later to become known as ‘Murder Mile’. I lived on Mildenhall Road, just down from Clapton Pond. I wrote <i>White Riot</i> to try and better understand the Hackney I grew up in, the time and place, and how the borough, it seems to me, is something of a lightning rod for the political and social currents of the country. I wrote <i>Red Menace </i>to extend the geographical focus, to widen it to other areas of east and north London.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Red Menace</i> is a historical, social crime novel about police corruption, institutional racism, the devastating effects of Thatcherism, and the counter-cultural movement of the ‘80’s. The novel takes in Live Aid, the Broadwater Farm uprising, the Wapping Dispute and, like <i>White Riot</i>, is rooted in the Hackney experience of the 1980s. Mark Sanderson, writing in the Times, called <i>White Riot</i>, ‘a love letter to London, seething with outrage’. In <i>Red Menace</i>, the love is still there, but I think the outrage is intensified.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I remember the Hackney Show on Hackney Downs, the Labour Club in Dalston, steel bands and heavy reggae, kids in I Love ILEA and GLC t-shirts, Granny’s takeaway and Chimes nightclub, where, for a period, serious violence was a regular occurrence. </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the novel, I write about the Hackney Show of 1986, one I went to, and the fictionalising of it is an insight into how I accessed sensual memories, sights and sounds, smells and tastes to try to recreate – and reimagine, resurrect – Hackney in the 1980s.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here’s an edited extract from the novel that I think is instructive:</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="break-before: auto; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Over the weekend, the football season safely finished for another year, there’d been the festival up on Hackney Downs, the Hackney Show. Fairground games and food, Jean Breeze and Dennis Bovell, the London All Stars Steels and the Perpetual Beauty Carnival Club, stunts, stalls and side shows –</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Across the park, on the north side, a little bit away from the festivities, a tent emitting pounding reggae, pulsating dub.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">He and the boy had wandered over towards it, the towers of the Nightingale Estate to their right, Hackney Downs School to their left –</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">The tent shook with the soundsystem, the sides flapping, the roof lifting and falling, one or two men dancing on their own just outside it, shirts off and bare feet, eyes red, eyes wild –</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jon felt the bass tearing through him. The boy slowed down a touch as they approached.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jon shook his head and put a hand on his shoulder. The boy close, like when he was a shy toddler, wrapping himself around Jon’s leg, pouting.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">The volume and depth of the music made the lights shake and flash.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Air thick with smoke –</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jon seeing the boy’s eyes start to water, not a great deal else.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">They stayed about fifteen minutes, Jon recognising a Steel Pulse track that had been stripped right down and then powered right up, an MC over the top of it, that was enough.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the way out, one of the Rastas winked at the boy, grinned.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.98in; margin-right: 1.26in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.01in; widows: 2;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">‘Welcome to Jamaica,’ he said.</span></i></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">All of this is true, all of this happened, but how much more is there that I can’t remember? </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writing about your own past in the context of a transparently political novel, a novel unashamedly interrogating society, does something to your own history; if you can get that right, then it’s a good start.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKfliTZ7s95dKZzOViFqjz-_17sAp3dPmE6VCwvtbkGxS1aO449DxxyAz6C3xDrAKmKF-YcH5xoDzKt9F8Yo2vsefJZK2Ogxn_mR9s5rjlzOCYmUGPyveU9mmMPwh1UwdtRwDH6aUw7lVghVGzOsPQ-kuI8vOBTiYvuhb9sFEkblxNcN_2xhSGUGGieqX/s2835/9781529423402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2835" data-original-width="1843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKfliTZ7s95dKZzOViFqjz-_17sAp3dPmE6VCwvtbkGxS1aO449DxxyAz6C3xDrAKmKF-YcH5xoDzKt9F8Yo2vsefJZK2Ogxn_mR9s5rjlzOCYmUGPyveU9mmMPwh1UwdtRwDH6aUw7lVghVGzOsPQ-kuI8vOBTiYvuhb9sFEkblxNcN_2xhSGUGGieqX/s320/9781529423402.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Red Menace</i> by Joe Thomas (Quercus) Out Now</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Live Aid, July 1985. The great and the good of the music scene converge to save the world. But the TV glitz cannot disguise ugly truths about Thatcher's Britain. Jon Davies and Suzi Scialfa have moved on since the inquest into the death of Colin Roach, but they're about to be drawn back into the struggle - Jon by his restless curiosity and Suzi by the reappearance of DC Patrick Noble. Noble's other asset, the salaried spycop Parker, is a pawn in a game he only dimly comprehends. First, he's ordered to infiltrate the Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham; next will come Wapping, ground zero of a plot to smash the print unions. But who is Noble working for, and how far can he be trusted? The Iron Lady is reforging the nation, and London with it. Right to Buy may secure her votes, but who really stands to benefit? Corruption is endemic and the gap between rich and poor grows wider by the day. Insurrection seems imminent - all that's needed is a spark.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-49851698434400272192024-02-01T06:00:00.003+00:002024-02-01T06:00:00.131+00:00Setting as Character By Ashley Tate<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QMb_C70O4UUcgm-qDYc2IEoC1lRtm8mRJ9Yd3k6PBxsHUvtMtthyphenhyphenssjCgEKlNd34LqIzSzNQZUwIftFQgPmAGo2xo1n54GSuzp_3JPtDG64vosilQZSwx5tnvh1reBGwESKz0w8aZ40EcS96SjnsxJm6dX3lxpkG7uhliYIOP2QKXZj-ngFkAfNxbmfa/s2434/Ashley%20Tate%20(c)%20Camilla%20Pucholt%20Photography.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2434" data-original-width="2434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QMb_C70O4UUcgm-qDYc2IEoC1lRtm8mRJ9Yd3k6PBxsHUvtMtthyphenhyphenssjCgEKlNd34LqIzSzNQZUwIftFQgPmAGo2xo1n54GSuzp_3JPtDG64vosilQZSwx5tnvh1reBGwESKz0w8aZ40EcS96SjnsxJm6dX3lxpkG7uhliYIOP2QKXZj-ngFkAfNxbmfa/s320/Ashley%20Tate%20(c)%20Camilla%20Pucholt%20Photography.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <span style="text-align: justify;">Although I am a writer
(and a soon to be published author!), I consider myself a reader first and
foremost; starting as a child when I’d read from sunup to sundown, and whenever
I can squeeze a book in now. And as an avid reader and lover of storytelling, I
want to be pulled into a book from the outset; I want to become so immersed in
the pages that everything else slips away. Reading is my absolute favourite thing
to do—imagine! You can fall in love, be horrified, be inspired all from the
comfort of your couch or bed—but it also serves as a great escape from reality.
Nothing pulls me out of the stresses and anxieties of the real world (of which
there are many, especially in the last handful of years) like getting lost in a
good book. And I think that one of the best ways to ensure that a reader is
hooked (whether that’s me reading or someone reading my book) is with setting.
So, it’s probably no surprise then, that creating and crafting setting is my
favourite part of the entire writing process.</span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I treat setting as though
it’s just as important as the plot and characters and structure—this is how I ensure
my sense of place and world building leaps directly off the page to pull my reader
all the way in. In this way setting can become a character in its own right. A city
or town or planet or dystopian hell-scape on a far-away star that can live and
breathe and be its own multi-dimensional character.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some authors prefer to
write about places and locations that exist in the world, but I prefer
fictionalizing them, so that my reader can picture themselves being dropped
right there without any preconceived idea of what the place is really like. My
debut thriller, Twenty-Seven Minutes, takes place in fictional West Wilmer, a
small rural town that could be found anywhere in North America. The kind of
town that everyone knows; surrounded by a patchwork of razed fields, a long dusty
highway, and rusting water tower. A town where there’s one Main Street and one
local bar, in the case of my debut this bar is Flo’s, and where everyone knows
everyone else and has for generations; where no one really leaves, where the
secrets linger within the town’s borders and gossip can take on an insidious
life of its own.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When crafting my setting,
I want the reader to feel it and smell it and live in it for the duration of
the story. To that end, setting is one of the first parts of my writing
process—where do I want this story to take place? When? How? Further: How can
this small fictional town of West Wilmer help tell the story of its characters?
And as a thriller writer, how can it help add tension for the reader?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Twenty-Seven Minutes</i>
is a thriller about the transformative nature of grief and what happens when long-standing
secrets become impossible to keep buried. The decision to set this in a small
town meant that I could draw on the aspects of one—how close-knit communities
can sometimes feel claustrophobic (adding tension to the story), how everyone
knows everyone’s business (making it hard to hide from your past) and how those
hard-to-hide secrets can weigh so heavily on someone that they begin to unravel
(adding more tension and a propulsive sense of a ticking clock) for the reader.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The irony here is that
I grew up in the middle of a very large, very busy city. But I spent many
childhood summers on the farm where my mother grew up, in a rural town on the
East coast of Canada. During those idyllic summers, I learned to swim in the
Ocean, hang laundry on a clothes’ line, eat vegetables pulled directly from the
garden, borrow books from the Book-Mobile that would rumble by the old farmhouse,
and hear nothing at night but crickets, and nothing in the morning but crows. I
learned the art of “visiting” neighbours, and the smell of barns and old
churches and the joy of pulling into the parking lot of an ice-cream bar on the
side of the highway (trust me, nothing tastes as good as when it comes from a bored
teenager behind a splintered wooden counter).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As writers, we must be
keenly observant and attuned to noticing even the tiniest of details—this is
how we add layers of reality to our stories, how our characters come alive, and
in terms of setting, how readers can really feel themselves in that place—and it
was that incredibly stark contrast of those quiet rural summers spent on the
farm, to my loud and busy and boisterous city life, that made such an
impression on me during those formative and impressionable years as a wide-eyed
young girl, that I fell in love with setting, and especially small towns.</span><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSdsRikhxr8yoc88eY1kdOP-7HzSi4sH2zaDcdJ9gVvNkO2sje2CvYvTmMfrNs4vOQRc5TlH98QEqC_VH77_0ZV3GkrhMJmZNOhITQm4-cfLH8r7Jm4KA37IXeBMdJPPtBgr8I0qviNP5i6Tgb6kbcCYC343ptbXW7-w1zviSU9JfO3wzTHm6pLG5roW_/s2835/Twenty-Seven%20Minutes.%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2835" data-original-width="1843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSdsRikhxr8yoc88eY1kdOP-7HzSi4sH2zaDcdJ9gVvNkO2sje2CvYvTmMfrNs4vOQRc5TlH98QEqC_VH77_0ZV3GkrhMJmZNOhITQm4-cfLH8r7Jm4KA37IXeBMdJPPtBgr8I0qviNP5i6Tgb6kbcCYC343ptbXW7-w1zviSU9JfO3wzTHm6pLG5roW_/s320/Twenty-Seven%20Minutes.%20cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Twenty-Seven Minutes </i>by
Ashley Tate (Headline, £20)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>THE QUESTION</b>- For the
last ten years, the small town of West Wilmer has been struggling to answer one
question: on the night of the crash that killed his sister, why did it take
Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help? If he'd called sooner, Phoebe
might still be alive. <b>THE SECRET </b>- As the anniversary of Phoebe's death
approaches, Grant is consumed by his memories and the secret that's been
suffocating him for years. But he and Phoebe weren't the only ones in the car
that night. Becca was there too - she's the only other person who knows what
really happened. Or is she? <b>THE TRUTH</b> - Everyone remembers Phoebe, but local
girl June also lost someone that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for
ten years and, now that her mother is dead, June has no one left - no family,
no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who knows what really
happened that night. And they are ready to tell the truth?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ashley Tate can be
found on X @tate_ab and on Instagram @ashleytateauthor</span><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><p></p>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-11674353785654789982024-01-31T10:30:00.003+00:002024-02-01T10:51:08.781+00:00Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke Join 2024 CrimeFest Headline Acts<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHs7v_I7MFbBLqrawiyliPKfP2SWKROAC4qvhIRbsvqZxNIR_d41Q6CNv82CbChax0D9DBlZjnSQhHQQlpzg_be0n0V-1On3fyni4n_JZPpCxDOenk86jSvHQ9Sqgr1tA0pkLt3ySxlXD_SgFUPZM0r7H9yN6TvhHUWmprZwlcwjDDydmomc-AUtr0B5pF/s465/CWA%20CrimeFest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="465" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHs7v_I7MFbBLqrawiyliPKfP2SWKROAC4qvhIRbsvqZxNIR_d41Q6CNv82CbChax0D9DBlZjnSQhHQQlpzg_be0n0V-1On3fyni4n_JZPpCxDOenk86jSvHQ9Sqgr1tA0pkLt3ySxlXD_SgFUPZM0r7H9yN6TvhHUWmprZwlcwjDDydmomc-AUtr0B5pF/w640-h200/CWA%20CrimeFest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">CrimeFest
- the UK’s biggest crime fiction convention - has announced two iconic crime
writers will feature at its 2024 event: Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Both
are co-recipients of the prestigious 2024 Crime Writers' Association's (CWA)
Diamond Dagger Award, which was announced this January.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
pair join Denise Mina and Laura Lippman as featured guests for 2024.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">CrimeFest,
sponsored by Specsavers, is hosted from 9 to 12 May 2024 at the Mercure Bristol
Grand Hotel. Up to 150 authors will descend on Bristol appearing in over 50
panels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Adrian
Muller, co-host of CrimeFest, said: “<i>Each year, CrimeFest invites the CWA
Diamond Dagger winner as a featured guest. This is the first time in the CWA’s
70-year history th</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>at two authors received the Diamond Dagger, so it is a real
honour to be able to host both</i>.”</span><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-wRbDoLi2hG7bw-Q3D5u6L99D8Ukzg3U6u0YcdGB5rLDnXY2BPnnTtg7guz46GDBhdNgSG0E2XkQk9Ix8q_QdIbHFxYNxR6p28-L5RBrCumNzN9hqOfl8mxj4KzE2ywJ3TtL0R3oiltSUMUCJQgwSxc2KwXRTBLEb1tbhM53lM4sCviPWnsAgDL1U0zR/s2250/Lynda%20La%20Plante%20photo%20credit%20Gemma%20Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-wRbDoLi2hG7bw-Q3D5u6L99D8Ukzg3U6u0YcdGB5rLDnXY2BPnnTtg7guz46GDBhdNgSG0E2XkQk9Ix8q_QdIbHFxYNxR6p28-L5RBrCumNzN9hqOfl8mxj4KzE2ywJ3TtL0R3oiltSUMUCJQgwSxc2KwXRTBLEb1tbhM53lM4sCviPWnsAgDL1U0zR/s320/Lynda%20La%20Plante%20photo%20credit%20Gemma%20Day.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Ly</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">nda
La Plante CBE began her career as an actor in TV and theatre. The
BAFTA-winning Prime Suspect was released in 1991, starring Helen
Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As
well as a career as a bestselling author, La Plante set up her own television
production company, La Plante Productions, and a global rights and production
company, La Plante Global.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her
current book series features Detective Jack Warr. She received a CBE for
services to Literature, Drama and Charity in 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Adrian
said: “<i>Lynda La Plante is a true icon, and trailblazer of the genre,
particularly for women not just in publishing but in TV, thanks to the
ground-breaking Prime Suspect, starring Helen Mirren. She is rare in that
not only does she create and produce major TV shows, she also writes hugely
successful novels</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">La
Plante is set to publish her final book in the young Tennison series, alongside
a memoir, detailing her career as an actress, television, and crime writer in
2024.</span><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPh4yduYi6jKSw6hGwM17-062R5cq1-YabsFJRMQR05uzykufvY2DLaWvFiZo6EWyFYxya1Ov9ui66mwF35mkEuSG-ya-KfLZ97uSjxp6OXc_kxRghKoz3NnLSs7PUWf4VYhyF9vfjZXr05UqS7vBQj2xlwqsPINomhBF-1_51ge7ZvLpOCAKZujVqiGk/s1971/James%20Lee%20Burke%20Photo%20credit%20Deborah%20Feingold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1971" data-original-width="1326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPh4yduYi6jKSw6hGwM17-062R5cq1-YabsFJRMQR05uzykufvY2DLaWvFiZo6EWyFYxya1Ov9ui66mwF35mkEuSG-ya-KfLZ97uSjxp6OXc_kxRghKoz3NnLSs7PUWf4VYhyF9vfjZXr05UqS7vBQj2xlwqsPINomhBF-1_51ge7ZvLpOCAKZujVqiGk/s320/James%20Lee%20Burke%20Photo%20credit%20Deborah%20Feingold.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">James
Lee Burke will take part remotely in a live interview from America with the
chair of the CWA, the crime author, Vaseem Khan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Commenting
on James Lee Burke’s Diamond Dagger award, Vasem Khan said: </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><i>His
prose is often considered among the best to have graced the genre</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Born
in Houston in 1936, James Lee Burke</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">s
first novel was compared to the work of Faulkner and Sartre by the New
York Times. Despite this, he was out of hardback print for 13 years until his
third novel, <i>The Lost Get-Back Boogie</i> was published and submitted for
a Pulitzer Prize, after being rejected over 111 times. Over the years, has
taught at universities, worked as a case worker with former felons, as a
pipe-liner for an oil company, a long-distance truck driver, and a newspaper
reporter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">James
Lee Burke has two Edgar Awards, a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers
of America, and has been a Guggenheim Fellow. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">CrimeFest
has a strong relationship with the CWA – as well as interviewing its Diamond
Dagger winners, the convention hosts the annual reception announcing the CWA
Dagger nominations each year. 2024’s line-up also includes Simon Brett, who
received a Diamond Dagger in 2014, and will host a panel in tribute to PD
James, who was awarded the Diamond Dagger in 1987.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><br />Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80092928609423573.post-39570686192234440822024-01-30T07:00:00.045+00:002024-02-11T13:38:38.517+00:00Forthcoming books from Orenda Books<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>January 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5Cdsh88t1UmGnBtBbJywi2hR_YG5Pja3HN-eymMuAJkn89DswXlhyphenhyphenKyagoNBAS73M_jZMiuiCU0SGaQZi0cfn5BDrCkltW81Sc3GPkTc-MLLXLN2bBaZ-6aTn4N_1Nz1Bj27UMcYk6dvVODhVZiUl2MqeJ5C6gpjHx-9hGkI9fxLbyxudsAIizH0BHzO/s500/9781913193584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5Cdsh88t1UmGnBtBbJywi2hR_YG5Pja3HN-eymMuAJkn89DswXlhyphenhyphenKyagoNBAS73M_jZMiuiCU0SGaQZi0cfn5BDrCkltW81Sc3GPkTc-MLLXLN2bBaZ-6aTn4N_1Nz1Bj27UMcYk6dvVODhVZiUl2MqeJ5C6gpjHx-9hGkI9fxLbyxudsAIizH0BHzO/w131-h200/9781913193584.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwUznq98D5Uxjt-P22edEUF2H6eXKmRZkNdE31aZjLmlNbkPCPBJj7kMdHmasni8h87UEkETKOMKcyWuqElAQS8AUchq0aFbIwjkKXModv3O79ezhLf0w5mt-ncx7cDJ44J4ty3GS9dtjkqq9nXigqZOhKU_VMtwcW2SIHtkJVE18Wfc2ZMJig4uip_o8/s500/9781914585708.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwUznq98D5Uxjt-P22edEUF2H6eXKmRZkNdE31aZjLmlNbkPCPBJj7kMdHmasni8h87UEkETKOMKcyWuqElAQS8AUchq0aFbIwjkKXModv3O79ezhLf0w5mt-ncx7cDJ44J4ty3GS9dtjkqq9nXigqZOhKU_VMtwcW2SIHtkJVE18Wfc2ZMJig4uip_o8/w131-h200/9781914585708.webp" width="131" /></a><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: georgia;">A young couple are entangled in a nightmare spiral of lies when they pretend to be someone else … <i>The Guests</i> is an exquisitely dark psychological suspense by the bestselling author of <i>The Bird Tribunal </i>Agnes Ravatn.</span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: georgia;">A young woman relies on her wits to survive when she’s taken hostage on her first shift at an Edinburgh halfway house for violent offenders. And that is just the beginning. <i>Halfway House</i> is the shocking, darkly funny thriller by Helen FitzGerald.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 2024</b></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNxjnS001uPjwzkmMXPlVZ0Vr2uUEeZSfNcdO-eovwBZnQtiv8-kPaG5UgC7EphOX7y40l20Z_veipPT6Y_tGjfwhE-lc3q1RSvPRhYPO7RwuxfE6AWcvSBsCh6eDoooMtoeA-tewKTP_yOOUQome6lGPBqVjEy_XcW6Z9ayvKDU_Pk4w0yY5hgXRfdFQ/s500/9781916788015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNxjnS001uPjwzkmMXPlVZ0Vr2uUEeZSfNcdO-eovwBZnQtiv8-kPaG5UgC7EphOX7y40l20Z_veipPT6Y_tGjfwhE-lc3q1RSvPRhYPO7RwuxfE6AWcvSBsCh6eDoooMtoeA-tewKTP_yOOUQome6lGPBqVjEy_XcW6Z9ayvKDU_Pk4w0yY5hgXRfdFQ/w131-h200/9781916788015.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cub reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of victims of Argentina’s Dirty War, when a headless torso has washed up on a city beach, thrusting him into a shocking investigation… Argentina. 1998. Human remains are found on a beach on the outskirts of Buenos Aires – a gruesome echo of when the tide brought home dozens of mutilated bodies thrown from planes during Argentina’s Dirty War. Flights of death, with passengers known as the Disappeared. International Tribunal reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of the missing, desperate to keep their memory alive, when the corpse turns up. His investigations with his companion, freelance photographer Paloma Glenn, have barely started when Argentina's simmering financial crisis explodes around them. As the fabric of society starts to disintegrate and Argentine cities burn around them, Jonny and Paloma are suddenly thrust centre stage, fighting to secure both their jobs and their livelihoods. But Jonny is also fighting something else, an echo from his own past that he'll never shake, and as it catches up with him and Paloma, he must make choices that will endanger everything he knows. <i>Death Flight </i>is by Sarah Sultoon.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgTjEdP3wtnf3EysJ4G4O_9SWpUAG0N-phTmgKKYQVeb9Qqmi3JOzPmB3pZN9_863W1S0ubbKKP7r5C94UXfpwE9sfDva3xjUT8mPhCyMSwjKEkfM73r98Z9BIfZXPPcalCgs0EtlcNKZZgmYnKMPqIDVYOwPYJCxcS0tIxqIy3zII0GqsC6pSPVIJohk/s500/9781916788039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgTjEdP3wtnf3EysJ4G4O_9SWpUAG0N-phTmgKKYQVeb9Qqmi3JOzPmB3pZN9_863W1S0ubbKKP7r5C94UXfpwE9sfDva3xjUT8mPhCyMSwjKEkfM73r98Z9BIfZXPPcalCgs0EtlcNKZZgmYnKMPqIDVYOwPYJCxcS0tIxqIy3zII0GqsC6pSPVIJohk/w131-h200/9781916788039.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Descent</i> is by Paul E Hardisty. Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the planet on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, <i>The Forcing</i>. But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, and then stumbles across an account by someone close to the men who forced the globe into a climate catastrophe, he knows that it is time to find out for himself. Determined to learn what really happened during his mother's escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku's father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.</span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 2024</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiHG3pI01zadqF9NscMtK6k-yr2ByreFi8We9eqSTcCxHtZYDRnpVbz3KScOyUIZQUnPbp4eO4klLffJqvoHVs0FHnLVw3G28AfkGGed1LwaujMsW9PY77V_9gC4TUHZagRpAHCvsLBjqXMY696AFli4CjjsKlemVQXz8ZdNhH2L11HqFTbioj2dU12Dz/s500/9781916788053.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="327" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiHG3pI01zadqF9NscMtK6k-yr2ByreFi8We9eqSTcCxHtZYDRnpVbz3KScOyUIZQUnPbp4eO4klLffJqvoHVs0FHnLVw3G28AfkGGed1LwaujMsW9PY77V_9gC4TUHZagRpAHCvsLBjqXMY696AFli4CjjsKlemVQXz8ZdNhH2L11HqFTbioj2dU12Dz/w131-h200/9781916788053.webp" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The Collapsing Wave</i> is by Doug Johnstone. Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens' visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland's west coast. Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities. Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history. When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mk_55ZURcxTiHXQYH-IBriRHASkKWSQNOCOb5sMLe1BBzbHj6ahL3WgLZzpbev8LRywBRTYV375-APFrKuk8WqlLNVexL37zCgXPcib9d7rPCUhLQD1449ixbakzbyhPixS_9EX5ExI5J72kElg_kTXsuP9NYiOV7jmZzG53nLbGRnKKelIpb-c5PdDk/s500/9781914585500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mk_55ZURcxTiHXQYH-IBriRHASkKWSQNOCOb5sMLe1BBzbHj6ahL3WgLZzpbev8LRywBRTYV375-APFrKuk8WqlLNVexL37zCgXPcib9d7rPCUhLQD1449ixbakzbyhPixS_9EX5ExI5J72kElg_kTXsuP9NYiOV7jmZzG53nLbGRnKKelIpb-c5PdDk/w131-h200/9781914585500.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed… Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back...When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha… <i>Crow Moon</i> is a debut novel by Suzy Aspley.</span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 2024</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgre4CwzuumxUgg96B01_eieFWjzie8s8Hzvr48nOLItlslSS_6e4S3AJ_dI2pfNKj3dY3PUlRFz0ZtmEIxb9f80EI9sV1Snp-7iPYuJJ4oC4JHUD0M-1yHoHNumAdfI7b09JGGv5ly5SsvVZDYMPnjVgJczhtyIehntJDxuAnIpyFbhCs19HovUEeHgkx5/s500/9781916788077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgre4CwzuumxUgg96B01_eieFWjzie8s8Hzvr48nOLItlslSS_6e4S3AJ_dI2pfNKj3dY3PUlRFz0ZtmEIxb9f80EI9sV1Snp-7iPYuJJ4oC4JHUD0M-1yHoHNumAdfI7b09JGGv5ly5SsvVZDYMPnjVgJczhtyIehntJDxuAnIpyFbhCs19HovUEeHgkx5/w131-h200/9781916788077.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues investigate the murders of men with a history of abuse towards women … as a startling, horrifying series of revelations emerge. When neatly packed male body parts wash up by the River Elbe, Hamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues begin a perplexing investigation. As the murdered men are identified, it becomes clear that they all had a history of abuse towards women, leading Riley to wonder if it would actually be in society’s best interests to catch the killers. But when her best friend Carla is attacked, and the police show little interest in tracking down the offenders, Chastity takes matters into her own hands. As a link between the two cases emerges, horrifying revelations threaten Chastity’s own moral compass, and put everyone at incalculable risk… <i>The Kitchen</i> is by Simone Buchholz.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbYZkW9-f_d3eHbamzNFDLW0U3CNs9ggAb0Qnfk1M_bJPfVcBj_mDpnKLz9sNnRCl0uxGoHTHrcsqU2C9LwMsfkjo33m0qA0qs-puk2Ejq_LwiqyjAvNNF_M-vq7IghOKiEElGx13-R99NbzrkO3ip973-j8tIAYHST3t3-vmqmE2CE4xgcf66w3CKZyu/s500/9781916788091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbYZkW9-f_d3eHbamzNFDLW0U3CNs9ggAb0Qnfk1M_bJPfVcBj_mDpnKLz9sNnRCl0uxGoHTHrcsqU2C9LwMsfkjo33m0qA0qs-puk2Ejq_LwiqyjAvNNF_M-vq7IghOKiEElGx13-R99NbzrkO3ip973-j8tIAYHST3t3-vmqmE2CE4xgcf66w3CKZyu/w131-h200/9781916788091.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fresh from the scandal at Hampstead County PD, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray works a complex double-homicide that points to a killer on a murderous rampage and a shattering series of discoveries that could end her career … Hampstead County Police Department is embroiled in scandal after corruption at the top of the force was exposed. Cleared of involvement and returned to active duty, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray nonetheless finds herself at a crossroads when it becomes clear not everyone believes she’s innocent. Partnered with rookie Billy Drocker, Casey works a shocking daytime double-homicide in downtown Rockport with the two victims seemingly unknown to one another. And when a third victim is gunned down on her doorstep shortly after, it appears an abusive ex-boyfriend holds the key to the killings. With powerful figures demanding answers, Casey and Billy search for the suspect, fearing he’s on a murderous rampage. But when a key witness goes missing, and new evidence just won’t fit, the case begins to unravel. With her career in jeopardy, Casey makes a shattering discovery that threatens to expose the true darkness at the heart of the murders… with a killer still on the loose…<i>Shatter Creek</i> is by Rod Reynolds.</span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>May 2024</b></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dJQqIDAaZLVi6cbolCCm70uLQHixXZacnqrll5lexguc1yCdVP0rQlr3z_DTwEOvSLV055P0A8_tgIpvHQF6U6ccLBVMgzWxjlPfQwt5Y_65i_MeR7e6HS-ekhFz9rQw0gmBlnYgstjXRJXegdFD6NbnUzvCA4vZlrD9UfXqJncMC7dMKcOsnWWHb-x7/s500/9781914585623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dJQqIDAaZLVi6cbolCCm70uLQHixXZacnqrll5lexguc1yCdVP0rQlr3z_DTwEOvSLV055P0A8_tgIpvHQF6U6ccLBVMgzWxjlPfQwt5Y_65i_MeR7e6HS-ekhFz9rQw0gmBlnYgstjXRJXegdFD6NbnUzvCA4vZlrD9UfXqJncMC7dMKcOsnWWHb-x7/w131-h200/9781914585623.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Thirty Days of Darkness</i> is by Jenny Lund Madsen. Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer’s block, Hannah has the feeling that she’s doing something wrong. When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to Húsafjöður – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration. But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman’s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…</span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>June 2024</b></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHonzkJ_eTeBVcUakmdaI0uIPU8YcdvXLQKRVN9scoZAuC912VBOCOIFycX_4ol3JnwiwIemy2nRQrccR9vP660xdHzRyjLXN6iCwu8tllBpPbY8ekueU_-kKGI943Ps4MevtGKvbIpomymSex6uOjW6Se0Rro0B3yaUpw1NV5UgDxYp7ZX6saj6OhY2Fj/s320/9781916788152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="207" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHonzkJ_eTeBVcUakmdaI0uIPU8YcdvXLQKRVN9scoZAuC912VBOCOIFycX_4ol3JnwiwIemy2nRQrccR9vP660xdHzRyjLXN6iCwu8tllBpPbY8ekueU_-kKGI943Ps4MevtGKvbIpomymSex6uOjW6Se0Rro0B3yaUpw1NV5UgDxYp7ZX6saj6OhY2Fj/s1600/9781916788152.jpg" width="207" /></a></span></div><p></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It is the year 1710, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost in the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses. Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love? Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is by A J West and is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal… </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions… Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn't grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father's quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’. Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name. Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts. But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening everything they know… <i>Fascination </i>is by Essie Fox.</span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"> </span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><br /><span style="color: #1d2228;"><br /></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.08in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>Ayo Onatadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00182517367944292315noreply@blogger.com0