Purged by Peter Laws

This week's buzz is all about Possessed by Peter Laws, which has just been published by Allison & Busby. If you want to know more about Possessed, follow the #Possessed hashtag and visit @sjroth21 on Twitter (https://stephsbookblog.com) tomorrow.

Rather than read Possessed straightaway, I decided to visit this series where it all began - with Purged, the first Matt Hunter book.

Purged
By Peter Laws
Published by Allen & Busby

Publisher's description

Matt Hunter lost his faith a long time ago. Formerly a minister, now a professor of sociology, he's writing a book that debunks the Christian faith while assisting the police with religiously motivated crimes. On holiday with his family in Oxfordshire, Matt finds himself on edge in a seemingly idyllic village where wooden crosses hang at every turn. The stay becomes more sinister still when a local girl goes missing, followed by further disappearances. Caught up in an investigation that brings memories to the surface that he would prefer stay buried deep, Matt is on the trail of a killer determined to save us all.

My verdict
I love creepy crime fiction, and Purged certainly didn't disappoint. The book begins with a disturbing scene and a great introduction to Matt Hunter, a former minister who is now an academic and assists the police with crimes motivated by religion.

Purged combines horror and murder mystery in a small-community setting, a village teeming with religion. Two women have disappeared, followed by a third, and the local church is at the centre of the investigations.

The book is well written with a well-developed plot. The author uses his own experience as a church minister to explore what happens when religion is taken to extremes. But rather than take everything too seriously, there's an enjoyable mix of humour and darkness. While there's more crime than horror in Purged, it certainly has a creepy vibe to it, with some very visual - and often disturbing - imagery. Matt is not only likeable but also believable, a family man with tragic events in his own past. And he certainly makes a change from the flawed police detective found in many other crime novels.

Purged is a great first novel and I found myself racing through it to the end. I enjoyed it so much that I've already bought the next book in the series!

Read the series
There are now four books: Purged, Unleashed, Severed and Possessed. Here is more information on the other three.

Unleashed

Fifteen years ago, 29 Barley Street in Menham, south London became notorious as the scene of alleged poltergeist activity and then as a crime scene with the death of young Holly Wasson. The shadow cast by this episode is still felt in the town, and among the gang of friends who were caught up in the tragic events. That shadow looms larger than ever when one of the group dies in horrific and strange circumstances.

Matt Hunter, former church minister and now university professor, is called in to advise the police on the possible ritualistic elements of the death. And he is forced to ask himself, are forces beyond the grave at work or is a flesh-and-blood killer at large?

Severed

During a Communion service, the teenage son of the vicar brutally attacks his father with an axe in full view of the congregation. A frantic police search for the boy follows as rumours circulate that he was involved in devil worship. Atheist ex-minister Professor Matt Hunter is brought in to advise, yet he soon suspects the cause is far more complex than first thought.

Elsewhere, a ten-year-old boy, Ever, grows up in a small cult who believe they are the only true humans left and that the world is filled with demons. Harnessing the powers of a bizarre ritual they hope to bring peace and paradise to the world.

Soon the worlds of Matt and Ever will collide in one terrifying and murderous night...

Possessed

When an unidentified and blood-soaked man is discovered with the name Baal-Berith scored into his flesh, Professor Matt Hunter is called in by the bewildered local police. As an atheist ex-minister and expert on religion, Matt can shed light on the ancient Canaanite demon known as the spirit of blasphemy and murder, but as he's drawn into a frenzied murder investigation, a fury of media interest and a TV show documenting a mass exorcism, the situation follows a much murkier path. Striving to provide balance to the show's increasingly sensational tone and rational support for the vulnerable 'clients', Matt cannot leave, even as events get seriously out of hand...

BEST OF CRIME with Gytha Lodge

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 

GYTHA LODGE

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

I'm choosing two current authors with multiple books because this is so hard any other way! I’ve loved Tana French for her gorgeous, atmospheric writing and dark themes. And Ruth Ware for her wonderful, timeless mysteries which sweep me away. 

... FILMS/MOVIES

The adaptation of Gone Girl was superb. Deliciously dark and tense. I also think Drive counts as a crime movie and it’s shocking, powerful and incredibly atmospheric. Loved it, in a flinching-at-the-violence kind of way. 

... TV DRAMAS

The Killing. I am only mid-way through it (I know – it disappeared off the channel I was watching it on and it’s taken me years to pick it back up) but blimey is it good TV. Skillfully interwoven and utterly addictive. 

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Tom Ripley. He brings such depth to the classic psychopath and it’s possible to empathise with him as he treads towards the terrible end-points of his machinations. 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

Rebus for me. He’s such a rounded, real, messed-up character. And he isn’t a short-hand, either. There’s no replacing character with a tragic back-story. He lives and breathes (and swears). 

... MURDER WEAPONS

A set of church bells (Dorothy Sayers). 

    

... DEATH SCENES

I’m an emotions kind-of girl, so I’m going to go with one of the saddest and most futile deaths in crime: Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Love, riches and a perfect lifestyle proved to be false. And in the end, only the library books were real.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

Judiciary.uk is a wonderful resource for all the legal wranglings, and I also loved Clare Mackintosh’s excellent Twitter feed on what annoys her in crime novels. 

... WRITING TIPS

It’s going to be tough, and there are going to be failures. So just do not. Stop. Writing. 

... WRITING SNACKS

Yoghurt covered brazil nuts. Or pretty much anything coated in yoghurt.  I often consider asking my editor to cover any notes on my books in yoghurt as I’d immediately bond with them better. 

About GYTHA LODGE

Gytha Lodge is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of She Lies in Wait, a Richard and Judy Book Club and Sunday Times Crime Club pick. She has lived in Cambridge for more years than she cares to remember, and prior to becoming an author was an award-winning playwright. She has also spent some years as a copywriter, with a little marketing thrown in. She writes YA and children’s novels on Wattpad, where she has accrued over 7 million reads, and coaches rowing for the City of Cambridge. She is profoundly addicted to tea, crosswords, and awful puns. 

Find Gytha Lodge on Twitter - @thegyth

About WATCHING FROM THE DARK

Publisher's description

Aidan Poole logs onto his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. But to his horror, he realises she is not alone. 

Completely helpless, all he can do is listen to the sounds of a violent struggle. 

And then a chilling silence. 

He's desperate to find out if she is OK. But then why is he so hesitant to call the police? 

When his messages finally reach them, DCI Jonah Sheens and his team take the case. 

And discover the body. . .

Watching from the Dark was published by Michael Joseph on 6 February 2020.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

BEST OF CRIME with Jessie Keane

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 

JESSIE KEANE

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

This has to be Stephen King. Ever since I picked up Carrie, I’ve been a fan. I truly believe he’s one of our greatest living writers. My favorite book of his? Duma Key.

... FILMS/MOVIES

I’ve just seen The Irishman with Robert de Niro and Al Pacino. A genuinely great film, fantastic actors, loved it.

... TV DRAMAS

This will probably come as a surprise to my fans because of the gritty nature of the books I write, but I love Midsomer Murders. So gentle, so cosy (all right, a bit gruesome too), like an old comfy pair of slippers that I just love to slip into.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Have to hark back to Stephen King here, and his novel Doctor Sleep – Rose is truly terrifying.

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

I have to choose my own creation DI Romilly Kane. She appears for the first time in The Edge and gives Kit Miller quite a hard time…

... MURDER WEAPONS

The .38 revolver favored by Max Carter in Dirty Game.

    

... DEATH SCENES

The crucifixion in the DaVinci Code, just bizarre, loved that.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

I rarely use the internet for research. I have a LOT of books to refer to instead.

... WRITING TIPS

Keep going! I cannot emphasise the importance of this too strongly. People will tell you that you’re a dreamer. That you’re mad. That you ought to get a proper job. Ignore all that. Persist.

... WRITING SNACKS

Got to be sherbet lemons!

About JESSIE KEANE

Jessie is a Sunday Times top ten bestselling author with 14 fiction books to her name - although her own life has been as eventful as many of her characters! Born in a caravan to a Romany mother, she has lived at both ends of the social spectrum. Her gritty hard-hitting books are centred around the darker side of London, in particular in Soho. It was a world that fascinated Jessie when she ran away to the capital as a teen, and was to provide her inspiration when she began writing years later.

Find Jessie Keane on her website and on Twitter - @realjessiekeane

About THE KNOCK

Publisher's description

Dora O’Brien had a good start in life, but things went bad when she began to mix with the wrong company. Pregnant by her gangster lover, she found herself on the streets and then in the grips of a bent copper called Donny Maguire.

When her daughter Angel is born, Dora is already under the influence of drink and drugs, and handed around to Donny’s mates. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s abusive relationship, Angel is nothing like her mother, but when matters turn murderous, Angel is forced to grow up fast and survival becomes the name of the game.

For some, being on the wrong side of the law is the safest place to be...

The Knock was published by Pan Macmillan on 9 January 2020.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

BEST OF CRIME with Catherine Steadman

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 

CATHERINE STEADMAN

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

Gillian Flynn.

... FILMS/MOVIES

Seven.

... TV DRAMAS

It’s true crime but ... The Jinx.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Cat Woman (Tim Burton’s Batman Returns).

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

Rebus (I can’t not think of Ken Stott in this role).

... MURDER WEAPONS

Plant pot on head, lol! See Hitchcock’s ‘A Lady Vanishes’.

    

... DEATH SCENES

I did an episode of Midsomer Murders a couple of years ago where my husband was run over by a decommissioned WW2 tank after a cosplay Blitz party, lol!

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

YouTube - a treasure trove of weapon information and practical tips...

... WRITING TIPS

A thriller is around 85,000 words: that’s 34 chapters at about 2500 words each. I am to get around 2500 to 3000 words a day. Don’t judge the first draft, just redraft before passing it on to anyone else. It’s so much easier to whittle a story out of a rough first draft than to try and write a third draft out of thin air.

... WRITING SNACKS

 Coffee.

About CATHERINE STEADMAN

Catherine Steadman is an actress and writer based in North London. She has appeared in leading roles on British television as well as on stage in the West End, most recently in The Rook on Starz and Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution in 2018. In 2016 she was nominated for Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in Oppenheimer. She is best known for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey. She grew up in the New Forest and now lives in London with a small dog and average sized man. Her first novel Something in the Water was selected for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club in July 2018 and has been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox for adaption, with Reese Witherspoon attached to produce. It was also a Richard & Judy Book Club pick in 2019.

Find Catherine Steadman on Twitter - @CatSteadman

About MR NOBODY

Publisher's description

When a man is found on a Norfolk beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him; to international medical experts who are baffled by him; to the national press who call him Mr Nobody; everyone wants answers. 

Who is this man? And what happened to him? 

Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she’s been waiting for and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same small town in Norfolk fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then. 

But now something – or – someone – is calling her back. And the more time Emma spends with her patient, the more alarmed she comes. Has she walked into danger?

Mr Nobody was published by Simon & Schuster on 9 January 2020.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

Jewish Book Week 2020

This year, Jewish Book Week takes place from 29 February to 8 March 2020 - at King’s Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG and JW3, 341-351 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET. 

Yet again, there are plenty of fabulous events and live performances on offer.

Great events
For nine days, Jewish Book Week brings together nearly 200 multi-award winning writers from the worlds of history, journalism, philosophy, science, art, music, poetry and fiction in a celebration of ideas. Themes range from memory to espionage to what it means to be a 'Jewish writer'.

The 2020 line-up includes:

• Emma Barnett
• Tom Bower
• Camilla Cavendish
• Gavin Esler
• Jonathan Freedland
• Nicci Gerrard
• Adam Gopnik
• Howard Jacobson
• Rachel Johnson
• Norman Lebrecht
• Sue MacGregor
• Douglas Murray
• Melanie Phillips
• Philippe Sands
• Marcus du Sautoy
• Simon Schama
• Tom Segev
• Elif Shafak
• Martin Rees
• Andrew Robinson
• Edmund de Waal
• A.B. Yehoshua

Live performance is a big feature – and this year, highlights include Rob ‘Judge’ Rinder and singer Claire Martin with music of Hollywood’s golden age, and Simon Schama performing his Wordy: The Show.

Tickets are now available! To see the full programme and book your tickets, click here.

First-ever family day

Jewish Book Week's first-ever 'Family Day' is on Sunday 2nd February, when Murderous Math's Kjartan Poskitt celebrates his hero The Great Houdini: The World's Most Amazing Escape Artist and Michael Rosen discusses The Missing: The True Story of My Family in WWII, his new book on speaking with children about the Holocaust.

Schools programme

Jewish Book Week is running a speakers programme  for schools in the London area. Many of the authors appearing at Jewish Book Week generously donate their time to speak in schools in the Greater London area about topics ranging from Politics to Physics, supporting Jewish Book Week's goal of encouraging conversations and learning within the Jewish community and beyond.

For more information, visit the Jewish Book Week website here.

Follow the #JBW20 hashtag on social media and the Jewish Book Week Twitter account - @JewishBookWeek

BEST OF CRIME with Helen Sedgwick

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 

HELEN SEDGWICK

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

Kate Atkinson is one of my favourites, as is Sophie Hannah – I like my crime with a strong dose of feminism, intersecting narratives and multiple points of view.

... FILMS/MOVIES

I love crime films that are offbeat and genre bending – the deep black quirkiness of Fargo, the folk horror genius of Wicker Man. 

... TV DRAMAS

It’s got to be Twin Peaks for me. The subversion of the supernatural colliding with the police procedural, the stunning visual style and soundtrack, the innovative and unsettling use of pace… Twin Peaks all the way!

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

I’m going to choose a killer who’s drawn with such humanity you can’t help but understand why: Roy Batty from Blade Runner.

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

My childhood favourite was always Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps it was for his mix of intense logic and bohemian eccentricity or – more likely – his absolute refusal to tone himself down in order to make anyone else comfortable.

... MURDER WEAPONS

I like poisoning with weirdly beautiful and highly toxic plants, stabbing with glistening icicles, and the idea of leaving people to float alone in space. 

    

... DEATH SCENES

You never see an actual death, but Janice Galloway’s short story The Meat is horrific and chilling and, once read, will never be forgotten.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

I love wild, frozen places, so I’d recommend the British Antarctic Survey blogs to give a real sense of what it must be like living on the remotest place on earth.

... WRITING TIPS

Go with your instincts, read and write and keep writing – and don’t waste too much time on social media.

... WRITING SNACKS

At the very least there’ll be a large mug of tea and a small mug of very strong coffee on the desk at any one time. I grow vegetables and love to munch on fresh pea shoots, alongside salted caramel chocolate.

About HELEN SEDGWICK

Helen Sedgwick is the author of The Comet Seekers, selected as a best book of 2016 by the Herald, and The Growing Season, shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year in 2018. She has an MLitt in Creative Writing from Glasgow University and won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Before she became an author, she was a research physicist with a PhD in Physics from Edinburgh University.

Find Helen Sedgwick on her website and on Twitter - @helensedgwick

About WHEN THE DEAD COME CALLING

Publisher's description

A murder investigation unearths the brutal history of a village where long buried secrets threaten a small community 

When psychotherapist Alexis Cosse is found murdered in the playground of the sleepy northern village of Burrowhead, the local police force set out to investigate. It’s not long before they uncover a maelstrom of racism, misogyny and homophobia. 

But there’s worse to come. Shaken by the revelations and beginning to doubt her relationship with her husband Fergus, DI Georgie Strachan soon realizes that something very bad is lurking just below the surface. Meanwhile someone - or something - is hiding in the strange, haunted cave beneath the cliffs.

When the Dead Come Calling was published by Point Blank Books on 9 January 2020.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.