Tuesday 17 April 2018

BEST OF CRIME with Vicky Newham

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 




Today I'm delighted to welcome 

VICKY NEWHAM

for her Turn A Blind Eye Blog Tour

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...



... AUTHORS
Sophie Hannah (because her debut novel, Little Face, blew me away with its mix of psychology and procedural) and Kate Atkinson (whose Case Histories showed how a crime novel doesn’t have to be either literary or commercial).
Other favourites are Gillian Flynn and Tana French (both for their extraordinary use of language), Peter Robinson (Inspector Banks was one of the first long-standing series that I read), Anya Lipska (whose writing is smart, funny and fresh) and Harlan Coben, who does identity illusion and suspense like no-one else.


... FILMS/MOVIES
Tell No-one (adapted from the Harlan Coben novel) is one of my all-time faves.
Psycho, although I could just say anything by Hitchcock, who is the master of suspense.
Cape Fear still has it. Atmosphere from the setting, suspense and it’s extremely scary. Brilliant acting from De Niro and Nick Nolte.


... TV DRAMAS
I got into Peaky Blinders late and then became obsessed. It’s a bit violent for me and I’ve got bored with the storylines but the first two series are pure class. Cinematically sumptuous, fast and dramatic.
I adore Line of Duty. Great characters and isn’t everyone secretly fascinated by police corruption? Plus I’ve had a secret crush on Adrian Dunbar for twenty years.
I adored The Bridge. Saga is gutsy, compelling and struggles in her social world. It’s impossible not to root for her. Hinterland for its brooding landscapes and plots which originate in the socio-economics of the region, plus its fabulous acting. Wallander and Inspector Morse are my go-to comfort-drama. Krister Henriksson and John Thaw are the ultimate jaded, grumpy detectives.


... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Dexter was such a clever idea, and so funny.


... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 
Inspector Morse, because he’s all about the deduction. DI Jimmy Perez in Shetland because he wants to do the right thing, takes risks and cares hugely.


... MURDER WEAPONS
I read a recent book which had murder by cake poisoning. Won’t say which as I don’t want to spoil it.


... DEATH SCENES
I’ve recently been reading some of Chris Carter’s novels and he sets the bar high for imaginative murder methods and crime scenes!
  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES
My books are very psychological so I use the British Psychological Society, New Scientist, and the BPS Research Digest regularly.


... WRITING TIPS
Mine are simple: write about what fires you up, set targets for yourself and forget about how other people’s books and careers are doing.


... WRITING SNACKS
I would love to say that I don’t snack but … biscuits, crisps and chocolate.


About VICKY NEWHAM
Vicky Newham grew up near Chichester, West Sussex. She moved to London to go to university, and taught Psychology there for many years before moving to Whitstable, Kent, where she now lives. Vicky gained an MA Creative Writing from Kingston University in 2014. 
Vicky has drawn on her Psychology background and her experience of living and working in East London for her debut novel, Turn a Blind Eye. Published by HQ/HarperCollins, it’s the first in a new series featuring Bangladeshi-born DI Maya Rahman and Australian fast-track officer, DS Dan Maguire. It has been optioned for TV by Playground Entertainment. 

Find Vicky Newham on her website, on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @VickyNewham


About TURN A BLIND EYE



Publisher's description
A dead girl.
A wall of silence.
DI Maya Rahman is running out of time.
A headmistress is found strangled in her East London school, her death the result of a brutal and ritualistic act of violence. Found at the scene is a single piece of card, written upon which is an ancient Buddhist precept:
I shall abstain from taking the ungiven.
At first, DI Maya Rahman can’t help but hope this is a tragic but isolated murder. Then, the second body is found.
Faced with a community steeped in secrets and prejudice, Maya must untangle the cryptic messages left at the crime scenes to solve the deadly riddle behind the murders – before the killer takes another victim.

Read a snippet of my review
'Turn A Blind Eye is a well-paced, well-researched, well-written and well-plotted police procedural... It felt fresh and authentic and in keeping with modern times.'

To read the rest of my review, click here.

Turn A Blind Eye was published by HQ on 5 April 2018.


Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

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