Violet by SJI Holliday - resharing my review!

I loved Violet by SJI Holliday so much that I'm sharing my review again today. If you visit SJI Holliday's website blog here, you can see photos from 'Violet's journey'. The book is set on the Trans-Siberian Express. SJI Holliday took this journey herself in 2006 and, for 30 days in September to October this year, shared photos of locations that feature in her book.

And here's my review:

Violet 
By SJI Holliday
Published by Orenda Books (E-book - 14 September 2019; Paperback - 14 November 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

When two strangers end up sharing a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express, an intense friendship develops, one that can only have one ending … a nerve-shattering psychological thriller from bestselling author SJI Holliday

Carrie's best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they'd planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone. 

Violet is also travelling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is also desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available.

When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend's place.

Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be…

My verdict
If you follow my reviews, you'll know that I love SJI Holliday's books. Violet is set to be one of my favourite reads of this year.

Violet was great fun to read - there's mystery, humour and intrigue on every page. The writing is beautiful and compelling. The plot is creepy, chilling and clever - and very dark and very twisted.
It's what I often call a 'car crash book'. When you know something bad is going to happen but you have no idea what, and there's obviously nothing you can do to stop it. And then, BAM, it all hits you.

I could tell that the author has first-hand experience of the Trans-Siberian Express journey, from all of the tiny descriptive details, and I suspect that the book was a highly personal one to write. Maybe not the best book to read when your 18-year-old son is interrailing around Europe, but fortunately my son came back safely in one piece - unlike some of the characters in this book!

SJI Holliday has written two believable and deeply flawed unreliable narrators. I had no idea which one was to be trusted, if either of them. I read the book with bated breath - and wanted to applaud the author's brilliance at the end.

I don't often 'compare' books as it's not something I'm very good at, and reading is such a subjective experience anyway. But immediately I thought of Liz Nugent's Skin Deep - both books featuring an in-depth analysis of a female psychopath.

SJI Holliday is proving to be a master of psychological thrillers, with expert plotting and fabulous characterisation. Brilliant stuff! 

Follow the Blog Tour

Violet by SJI Holliday

Violet 
By SJI Holliday
Published by Orenda Books (E-book - 14 September 2019; Paperback - 14 November 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

When two strangers end up sharing a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express, an intense friendship develops, one that can only have one ending … a nerve-shattering psychological thriller from bestselling author SJI Holliday

Carrie's best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they'd planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone. 

Violet is also travelling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is also desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available.

When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend's place.

Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be…

My verdict
If you follow my reviews, you'll know that I love SJI Holliday's books. Violet is set to be one of my favourite reads of this year.

Violet was great fun to read - there's mystery, humour and intrigue on every page. The writing is beautiful and compelling. The plot is creepy, chilling and clever - and very dark and very twisted.
It's what I often call a 'car crash book'. When you know something bad is going to happen but you have no idea what, and there's obviously nothing you can do to stop it. And then, BAM, it all hits you.

I could tell that the author has first-hand experience of the Trans-Siberian Express journey, from all of the tiny descriptive details, and I suspect that the book was a highly personal one to write. Maybe not the best book to read when your 18-year-old son is interrailing around Europe, but fortunately my son came back safely in one piece - unlike some of the characters in this book!

SJI Holliday has written two believable and deeply flawed unreliable narrators. I had no idea which one was to be trusted, if either of them. I read the book with bated breath - and wanted to applaud the author's brilliance at the end.

I don't often 'compare' books as it's not something I'm very good at, and reading is such a subjective experience anyway. But immediately I thought of Liz Nugent's Skin Deep - both books featuring an in-depth analysis of a female psychopath.

SJI Holliday is proving to be a master of psychological thrillers, with expert plotting and fabulous characterisation. Brilliant stuff! 

Crime Fiction Coach - check out the new Facebook group features!

Are you writing crime fiction? Need a helping hand?

Wondering why crime writers are flocking to join Crime Fiction Coach on Facebook - an online writing group run by Susi (SJI) Holliday, Steph Broadribb, Louise Voss & AK Benedict?

Well there's only one way to find out... 

You can join the Crime Fiction Coach online writing group on Facebook by clicking here. 

Here's your chance to learn more about crime writing and publishing and get hints and tips from writing coaches and published authors.


New monthly features

Crime Fiction Coach has introduced several new monthly features. These include:

1. 'Reading as a Writer' Book Group - analyse a crime thriller and share your thoughts in a live discussion with the author about how they wrote the book. Reading 'as a reader' is a very different experience to reading 'as a writer' - working out how the author built up the suspense and atmosphere, shocked their audience, structured their plot, created believable characters, conveyed emotions and themes etc. The first book club pick is The Last Stage by Louise Voss (published by Orenda Books).

2. CFC Monthly Challenge - use a specific prompt to write a short story or a scene in a novel (of up to 500 words), with a prize for the winner.

There's more ... including a hot monthly topic of discussion.

But you'll have to join the Facebook group to find out exactly what else is going on.

One-to-one advice

The Facebook group offers plenty of free advice in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. But if you're looking for specific help, Crime Fiction Coach also offers one-to-one coaching services and can help you through all stages of the writing process:

• gathering together your thoughts and ideas
• finding the writing process that works for you
• keeping you motivated
• writing a first draft
• wading through the editing process
• offering honest constructive critique
• creating a polished manuscript to submit to agents and publishers. 

You can visit the Crime Fiction Coach website here to learn more about their paid services and join the mailing list for an introductory discount. 

Plus, you can follow Crime Fiction Coach and the four brilliant authors on Twitter:

@CrimeCoach
@SJIHolliday
@crimethrillgirl (Steph Broadribb)
@LouiseVoss1
@ak_benedict (currently on maternity leave)

Violet by SJI Holliday - cover reveal!

Today, I'm delighted and excited to be hosting a cover reveal for Violet by SJI Holliday, which is being published by Orenda Books in November 2019.

SJI (or rather, Susi) Holliday is a favourite author of mine, as many people will know. I was mesmerised by her last book, The Lingering, on my way back from Harrogate last year. 
So I can't wait to read this new one. 

Before I show you the cover of Violet, you must read the blurb. 

*drum roll*

Violet: Read the blurb

Carrie's best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they'd planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone. 

Violet is also travelling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is also desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available. 

When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend's place.

Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be…
A tense and twisted psychological thriller about obsession, manipulation and toxic friendships, Violet also reminds us that there's a reason why mother told us not to talk to strangers…

Sounds brilliant, doesn't it?! 
I can't wait to read it - Susi is such a great writer and Violet sounds like yet another chilling read.   

AND NOW.... *drum roll*

Are you ready????

Violet: View the cover

Isn't this amazing? Clue: try standing on your head. 
If you've seen the cover of The Lingering, you'll see how well these two covers will sit alongside one another. If you haven't seen The Lingering, check out the cover and buy the book too! 

Violet: Read about author SJI (Susi) Holliday

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday is a scientist, writing coach and the bestselling author of five crime novels, including the Banktoun Trilogy (Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly), the festive chiller The Deaths of December and her creepy Gothic psychological thriller The Lingering. Her short story Home From Home was published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and shortlisted for the CWA Margery Allingham Prize. Encapsulating her love of travel and claustrophobic settings, her latest novel, Violet, explores toxic friendships and the perils of talking to strangers. All of her novels have been UK ebook number-one bestsellers. Susi was born and raised in Scotland and now divides her time between Edinburgh, London and as many other exciting places that she can fit in.

Find Susi Holliday via her website, through her Facebook page and on Twitter - @SJIHolliday

For ALL of your Orenda news, visit the Orenda website and follow @OrendaBooks on Twitter.

Susi Holliday's spooky holiday snaps!

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for The Lingering by S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday. I love looking at Susi's holiday posts on social media, as she's been to some fascinating (and often scary-looking) places. So I asked her if she would share some of her spookiest destinations on Off-the-Shelf Books today. The Lingering was published by Orenda Books on 15 November 2018.

Susi Holliday's spooky holiday snaps!

Growing up near Edinburgh, there was never any shortage of eerie places to discover in my youth – the old town streets are oozing with dark history, especially Mary King’s Close - the street full of plague victims that was blocked off – while all the inhabitants were still alive; and Greyfriars Kirkyard – the most haunted graveyard in the world – where George ‘Bloody’ Mackenzie imprisoned the covenanters and left them there to die. So, with that morbid history imprinted on me from the start, it’s no great surprise that I developed a fascination with the creepy and macabre on my travels… here’s a small selection of my favourites.

A scary Mexican saloon

No Scum Allowed Saloon’ – a bar in White Oaks, New Mexico. Once a mining community, and now officially a ghost town, this place was once frequented by Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. We stayed in a dilapidated mobile home on an old rock mine… and didn’t sleep a wink. 

Eerie desert sands

On the same trip, we visited White Sands National Monument – an eerie desert of gypsum and calcium sands, bordering the White Sands Missile Range, where they tested the first atomic bomb.

Haunting Chinese memorial

Nanjing Massacre Museum, China – a haunting place filled with the bones of the dead. I found out about it after reading Mo Hayder’s book ‘Tokyo’ and became fascinated by a dark period of history that I had previously known nothing about. This led me to read Iris Chang’s book ‘The Rape of Nanking’ – and it was only when I saw the memorial to her here that I found out that she had committed suicide two years earlier, purportedly haunted by her research.

Statues of remembrance

Jizo Statues, Kamakura, Japan – another thing I learned about in Mo Hayder’s book – these are statues to remember unborn babies. It is believed that as the babies did not have the chance to build up good karma on earth, Jizo helps smuggle the children into the afterlife in the sleeves of his robe. Beautiful concept, but chilling, nonetheless.

Gothic Yorkshire ruins 

Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire – classic gothic pilgrimage spot, famous for being the place where Dracula came ashore as ‘a large dog’ and proceeded to climb the 199 steps which lead up to the ruins. The steps are a bit of a challenge, but it’s a must-do to get the full experience. There’s a youth hostel attached to the abbey, which is still on my ‘must-stay’ list.

Dracula's Transylvanian castle

Bran Castle, Transylvania – the famous ‘Dracula’s Castle’ – very difficult to get to, and while it’s a fascinating place, the journey there via a (possibly) psychotic Romanian taxi driver was more frightening than Bram Stoker’s book, the true story of Vlad the Impaler, and the tourist-eating brown bears that roam the mountains, all put together.

Czech church of bones

Kutna Hora Ossuary, Czech Republic – a church full of bones, apparently decorated by a mad monk… again, while the place itself was quite eerie, it was far more chilling walking the streets of this almost deserted town in the Czech countryside.

Creepy Cornwall moors

The Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall – nothing much to report during the day, although walking across the moor in the fog is quite an experience – but come night-time, when the bus parties of cream-tea tourists have departed, this place is more than a little creepy… another place where I didn’t sleep a wink!

            

About S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday is a pharmaceutical statistician by day and a crime and horror fan by night. Her short stories have been published in many places and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize with her story ‘Home from Home’, which was published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in spring 2017. She is the bestselling author of the creepy and claustrophobic Banktoun trilogy (Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly) featuring the much-loved Sergeant Davie Gray, and has dabbled in festive crime with the critically acclaimed The Deaths of December. Her latest psychological thriller is modern gothic with more than a hint of the supernatural, which she loved writing due to her fascination and fear of ghosts. She is proud to be one of The Slice Girls has been described by David Mark as 'Dark as a smoker's lung.' She divides her time between Edinburgh and London and you will find her at crime-fiction events in the UK and abroad. 

Find S.J.I Holliday on Facebook, on her website and on Twitter - @SJIHolliday

About The Lingering

The Lingering

By S.J.I. Holliday

Published by Orenda Books (15 November 2018)

Publisher's description

Married couple Jack and Ali Gardiner move to a self-sufficient commune in the English Fens, desperate for fresh start. The local village is known for the witches who once resided there and Rosalind House, where the commune has been established, is a former psychiatric home, with a disturbing history.
When Jack and Ali arrive, a chain of unexpected and unexplained events is set off, and it becomes clear that they are not all that they seem. As the residents become twitchy, and the villagers suspicious, events from the past come back to haunt them, and someone is seeking retribution...


Here's a snippet from my review: 'Susi Holliday has created a brilliant combination of psychological thriller and ghostly mystery - a 'chiller thriller' or 'ghostly noir'.'

Read my full review here.

Follow the Blog Tour

Crime Fiction Coach - a new service from four leading crime authors!!

Writing fiction can be a daunting experience, and many writers (unpublished and published) often welcome a helping hand.

Thanks to four brilliant, experienced crime fiction authors -
Steph Broadribb, Susi Holliday, AK Benedict & Louise Voss -
there's a new coaching service focusing specifically on writing crime fiction. 

Crime Fiction Coach can help you through all stages of the writing process:

• gathering together your thoughts and ideas
• finding the writing process that works for you
• keeping you motivated
• writing a first draft
• wading through the editing process
• offering honest constructive critique
• creating a polished manuscript to submit to agents and publishers. 

I've been fortunate enough to gather these four authors together to find out more about Crime Fiction Coach and how it can provide advice, guidance and support.

Why did the four of you set up Crime Fiction Coach - and did anything in particular prompt this decision?
We set up Crime Fiction Coach because we know what it's like to be just starting out writing your first novel, or having written a novel not being sure what to do next, and we wanted to make a place for those people to come and get advice and support. We also wanted to create something that is flexible to individual needs - yes we do standard coaching programmes, critiques and writing packages, but we also recognise that everyone is different and so we can create a programme or package that's tailored for a person's needs if our standard services aren't hitting the spot.

Who is Crime Fiction Coach aimed at?
Crime Fiction Coach is aimed at people who want to write, whether they're at the very start of their writing project (or not sure how to start) all the way through to getting their final draft and submission package ready for agents and publishers. 

Do you think writing crime fiction requires additional or different skills to writing in other genres?
If we’re talking commercial genre fiction overall, then the elements are quite similar – bestselling books are generally hooky, well-paced and written in a way that makes you want to keep turning the pages. Crime fiction does have some additional elements – namely suspense, mystery and often psychological elements of both the good and the bad guys. If you’re writing commercial fiction of any sort, then your main aim has to be to keep the reader hooked throughout. In crime, it’s about that, plus leaving clues, red herrings and creating satisfying ways to murder people that serve as entertainment rather than purely exploitative gore. Also, there are so many sub-genres of crime fiction, that it’s often the case that you read a book that is not billed as crime, but still contains many similar elements. I think the four of us specialise in crime because we prefer the darker side of storytelling. 

Why are the four of you ideal for the job?! 

Steph Broadribb

"I write two series - one US set action thriller, and one UK police procedural - and have a background in coaching. I'm passionate about working with writers at all stages of their journey and use a range of coaching techniques to help you free your creative thinking and move forward to achieve your ambition. I love a fast-paced page turner and my strength is in supporting writers who are writing for the commercial fiction market."




Susi Holliday

"I’m still juggling a day job with writing and other commitments, so I know how hard it is to find the time to write and stay motivated when you feel under pressure – this is something that I think I can help others to work out in their own way, to make sure you stay on track with everything and don’t get totally overwhelmed."








AK Benedict

"I have over ten years' experience in coaching writers, guiding them from their tentative first drafts to finished, often published, novel or script."











Louise Voss

"We all have different strengths so whatever your writing issue, we have no doubts that one of us will be able to fix it. Personally, I love to help people bring their characters to life using great dialogue and vivid detail."









What are you offering that other critique services don’t?
There are lots of great companies offering manuscript critique services, agent submission package critique, feedback on partial and full novels – we do offer those things – but for us the focus is more about helping people along the way. The coaching element is our unique selling point. Whether you are a complete beginner and don’t know where to start, or you’ve written for a while but haven’t secured a deal yet, we can help you. Our aim is to guide you through the things that are holding you back, whether it’s time, ideas, being blocked, lacking in confidence – whatever it might be – these are the things that we are passionate about helping you with.

Thanks for the insight into Crime Fiction Coach, Steph, Susi, AK and Louise!! 

And good luck with what looks to be a fabulous service.

Visit the Crime Fiction Coach Website here to learn more and join the mailing list. 

You can also join the Crime Fiction Coach online writing group on Facebook (click here).

The Lingering by Susi Holliday

The Lingering
By Susi Holliday
Published by Orenda Books (Ebook - 15 September; Paperback - 15 November)

Publisher's description

Married couple Jack and Ali Gardiner move to a self-sufficient commune in the English Fens, desperate for fresh start. The local village is known for the witches who once resided there and Rosalind House, where the commune has been established, is a former psychiatric home, with a disturbing history.
When Jack and Ali arrive, a chain of unexpected and unexplained events is set off, and it becomes clear that they are not all that they seem. As the residents become twitchy, and the villagers suspicious, events from the past come back to haunt them, and someone is seeking retribution…

My verdict
Writer Susi Holliday combined with publisher Orenda Books is a winning formula for me. Susi is one of my favourite authors, and I love her writing, having watched it develop from her Banktoun Trilogy crime series through to last year's festive crime novel The Deaths of December and now The Lingering, a cleverly plotted ghostly thriller that left me tingling. This certainly proves her versatility as a writer, and I can't wait to see what's coming next.

I don't want to give away too much about The Lingering. For me, it was all about thrills, chills and surprises, and I wouldn't want to deprive anyone else of that experience. But I will say that it has an amazing sense of foreboding from the start and one particular 'gasp out loud' game-changing moment somewhere along the way before the end.

The characters are very real, from newcomers Jack and Ali to 'Fairy' Angela and Smeaton - a group of people who have made Rosalind House their home, a self-sufficient commune where they can escape from their previous, often-troubled lives. I found myself right inside their heads, whether chapters were written in the first or third person. Susi Holliday has created one of the most 'seemingly ordinary' evil protagonists I've come across for a while.

Rosalind House is a key component of the story, bringing the characters together and also the past and the present. This former psychiatric home has a disturbing history and is filled with secrets. When newcomer Ali experiences some strange happenings, it makes her (and made me, as the reader) wonder what horrors took place there, what evil lingers there and whether it is the house itself or the occupants, past or current, causing the darkness within its walls. The vivid descriptions made me feel like I was there too, experiencing some shocking moments - there are couple of scenes in particular that have remained in my head.

The Lingering is a dark, creepy story delving into the true nature of evil. Is it born, taught or guided? Nature or nurture? And can you ever escape from your past mistakes? Susi Holliday has created a brilliant combination of psychological thriller and ghostly mystery - a 'chiller thriller' or 'ghostly noir'.

Put this on your shopping list!

Top 5 Worst Christmas Presents by Susi Holliday

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for The Deaths of December by Susi Holliday. Today, Susi talks about the top 5 worst Christmas presents. The Deaths of December was published by Mulholland Books on 16 November 2017.

The Top 5 Worst Christmas Presents

By Susi Holliday

5. Household electrical appliances

Seriously, it’s never ok to buy someone an iron for Christmas, even if they really want one. Don’t be too surprised when they channel Little Mo in Eastenders and smack you in the face with it.

4. Out-of-date chocolate

We know you bought it in the January sales, and no we don’t think that flaky white stuff around the edge is put there on purpose to look like snow.

3. Bath salts

They smell funny, they’re gritty, they don’t dissolve properly, and honestly, how old do you think I am? Also, they are really difficult to use when you don’t have a bath.

2. Fitness DVD

What exactly are you trying to say, pal?

1. A “re-gift” to the person who gave it to you last year

Um . . . OOPS?! I totally understand you didn’t really want that ceramic lizard-shaped tea caddy but you really should’ve just thrown that thing out with the wrapping.

Avoid these disasters and play it safe with a gift of books. Or novelty socks. Because everyone loves novelty socks.

About Susi Holliday

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday has written three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, East Lothian, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly - all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray. Her festive serial killer thriller, The Deaths of December, is out now. 

When she's not rehearsing with her Slice Girl bandmates, you can find Susi on her website, on her FB page and on Twitter - @SJIHolliday

About The Deaths of December

The Deaths of December

By Susi Holliday

Published by Mulholland Books (16 November 2017)

Publisher's description

The hunt is on for a serial killer in a thrilling festive crime novel.

It looks like a regular advent calendar. 

Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one. 

The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for twenty years. 

But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station? 

As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them...

It's shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas.

Here's a snippet of my review: The Deaths of December was a perfectly wrapped festive read for me. And I'm sure it will be a perfect Christmas stocking filler for other crime fiction fans too. Buy it!!

Click here to read the rest of my review.

Have you followed the Blog Tour?

The Deaths of December by Susi Holliday

The Deaths of December
By Susi Holliday
Published by Mulholland Books (16 November 2017)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

The hunt is on for a serial killer in a thrilling festive crime novel.

It looks like a regular advent calendar. 

Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one. 

The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for twenty years. 

But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station? 

As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them...

It's shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas. 

My verdict
I'm a great fan of Susi (SJI) Holliday's writing, having enjoyed her Banktoun series - Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly. So I was very excited to read her new book, The Deaths of December. 

This is a police procedural with a Christmas theme. Someone has sent negatives of crime scenes in an advent calendar to the police. I loved the new characters - DC Becky Greene and DS Eddie Carmine - who have to figure out whether this is a prank or if there's a serial killer on the loose. I have no idea if this is the start of a new series, but I really hope it is, as I'd love to watch them develop.

The Deaths of December is definitely Susi Holliday's best one yet. It reads very differently from her others, proving the flexibility of her writing skills. I feel like I've watched her grow as an author over the last couple of years. This chilling book has a great twisty plot, with a race against the clock, and is lots of fun (in a sinister murderous kinda way). It also has realistic dialogue and great descriptive writing. It kept me guessing and I couldn't put it down.

I have to be honest - I don't 'do' Christmas, not in the way most other people do (please don't hate me for writing that). And I don't read Christmas-themed fiction. Or rather, the only Christmas-themed fiction I usually read involves crime, thrills and... erm... murder.

So The Deaths of December was a perfectly wrapped festive read for me. And I'm sure it will be a perfect Christmas stocking filler for other crime fiction fans too. Buy it!!!!

BEST OF CRIME with Susi Holliday

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 

SUSI HOLLIDAY

to share her BEST OF CRIME ... 

... AUTHORS

I always look forward to the next Mo Hayder. You can be guaranteed of a nicely disturbing tale and I love DI Jack Caffrey. 

... FILMS/MOVIES

Silence of The Lambs and American Psycho. Both classics featuring charismatic psychopaths. Both book-to-movie adaptations that work equally well on paper and on screen. 

... TV DRAMAS

Holby City. Oh wait, does it have to be crime? Columbo, then. Good solid detective work there. Did he ever NOT solve a case? 

... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Patrick Bateman. You’d have a pretty wild night with him, even if it might be your last...

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
Columbo, again. And Jack Caffrey. Both very different, both get the job done.

... MURDER WEAPONS

Pigs. They’ve been used in various works of fiction, and I’m told by a reliable source that they really DO eat anything.

    

... DEATH SCENES
The burning in the original version of The Wicker Man. You keep thinking that he’s going to escape somehow. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

Google isn’t really a website, but it is my most frequently visited thing. My search history is a bit eye watering. I also spend a lot of time on the National Rail and Booking.com sites, arranging travel. I pop onto various social media websites too, very occasionally*

(*all day) 

... WRITING TIPS

Don’t worry about how other people do things, because what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. However, I would recommend mapping out the timeline of your novel as you write, because if you do, it will be much easier to edit later on. 

... WRITING SNACKS
I’m not very innovative here. Tea, sometimes coffee. Biscuits. I like Orange Clubs and Gold Bars. Oh, and cheese toasties, if Mr H is around to bring them to me!

About SUSI HOLLIDAY

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday has written three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, East Lothian, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly - all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray. She's currently working on a festive serial killer thriller.  For details, click here.

When she's not rehearsing with her Slice Girl bandmates, you can find Susi on her website, on her FB page and on Twitter - @SJIHolliday

About THE DAMSELFLY

Publisher's description

An unsolved murder. A community turned against each other. A killer close to home...

Katie Taylor is the perfect student. She is bright, funny, and has a boyfriend who adores her. She’s just had a very handy windfall of cash, and there are only a few months left of school before she can swap the small town of Banktoun for the bright lights of London. But she doesn’t make it that far...

Because Katie is dead.

Polly McAllister has left her husband and returned to Banktoun to make amends. She wants to start afresh with the father of her unborn child – but she’s got to tell him, first. She’s thrown in at the deep end with her job as school counsellor, and it’s not long before she uncovers a multitude of murky secrets.

Katie had enemies. Katie’s boyfriend is not so squeaky clean.

DC Louise Jennings has a crush on a colleague: her new partner. Fresh from training, Detective Sergeant Davie Gray must work with Jennings to unravel the latest dark mystery in a town blighted by tragedy.

Katie’s brother has a mysterious friend. But it’s OK. He’s only imaginary. Isn’t he?

With the community enveloped in angry turmoil, Gray and Jennings must find out who murdered Katie, before someone takes matters into their own hands.

Trial by social media. A baying mob.

But they’ve got the wrong man...

Because the real killer is closer than you think.

The Damselfly was published by Black & White Publishing on 2 February 2017.

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