Today I'm delighted to welcome
RACHEL SARGEANT
to share her BEST OF CRIME ...
... AUTHORS
Agatha Christie wrote sixty six crime novels, as well as romances, plays and short stories, over a fifty-three-year career. She gave us two unforgettable and unlikely sleuths; dozens of demonic, funny, romantic, odd characters; and some of the most unexpected plot twists in the business. And it was all without a word-processor or the internet.
Agatha Christie wrote sixty six crime novels, as well as romances, plays and short stories, over a fifty-three-year career. She gave us two unforgettable and unlikely sleuths; dozens of demonic, funny, romantic, odd characters; and some of the most unexpected plot twists in the business. And it was all without a word-processor or the internet.
... FILMS/MOVIES
I’m not a great cinema-goer so I’ll have to choose Death on the Nile, a film that I caught up with on TV. I loved the lavish adaptation with many famous actors playing the suspects. It was before I’d read the book so I loved the unexpected twist.
I’m not a great cinema-goer so I’ll have to choose Death on the Nile, a film that I caught up with on TV. I loved the lavish adaptation with many famous actors playing the suspects. It was before I’d read the book so I loved the unexpected twist.
... TV DRAMAS
I’m fond of many TV detective dramas. My favourites are the early Taggart episodes written by the series creator Glen Chandler. He wrote brilliantly gothic plots. And at the other end of the crime spectrum, I adored the Miss Marple series that stared Joan Hickson.
I’m fond of many TV detective dramas. My favourites are the early Taggart episodes written by the series creator Glen Chandler. He wrote brilliantly gothic plots. And at the other end of the crime spectrum, I adored the Miss Marple series that stared Joan Hickson.
... FICTIONAL KILLERS
I loved the killer in Kate Atkinson’s One Good Turn. I’m smiling now as I type this and thinking: good on you.
I loved the killer in Kate Atkinson’s One Good Turn. I’m smiling now as I type this and thinking: good on you.
... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
Jackson Brodie, Kate Atkinson’s world weary detective who just can’t stop trying to protect people, especially all the lost girls.
Jackson Brodie, Kate Atkinson’s world weary detective who just can’t stop trying to protect people, especially all the lost girls.
... MURDER WEAPONS
Not that interested in weapons, but I think I’ve seen some bizarre devices employed in Midsomer Murders.
Not that interested in weapons, but I think I’ve seen some bizarre devices employed in Midsomer Murders.
... DEATH SCENES
I recently read Friend Request and was very taken with the way Laura Marshall wrote a particular scene towards the end…
I recently read Friend Request and was very taken with the way Laura Marshall wrote a particular scene towards the end…
... BLOGS/WEBSITES
My research changes depending on what I’m writing. I don’t have one favourite website but am grateful to many.
My research changes depending on what I’m writing. I don’t have one favourite website but am grateful to many.
... WRITING TIPS
Write, write, write and read, read, read.
Write, write, write and read, read, read.
Don’t
prevaricate, just get that first draft down. Then you’ve got something you can
work on.
Apart from
being great fun, reading will give you an insight into how other authors
approach character, setting, plot and technique. You won’t end up copying them
but they may spark new ideas in you.
... WRITING SNACKS
Black coffee.
About RACHEL SARGEANT
Rachel Sargeant grew up in Lincolnshire. The Perfect Neighbours is her third
novel. She is a previous winner of Writing Magazine’s Crime Short Story
competition and has been placed or shortlisted in various competitions,
including the Bristol Short Story Prize. Her stories have appeared in My Weekly and the Accent Press Saucy
Shorts series. Rachel has a degree in German and Librarianship from Aberystwyth
University and a Masters in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. She
spent several years living in Germany where she taught English and she now
lives in Gloucestershire with her husband and children.
Find Rachel Sargeant on her website, on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @RachelSargeant3
About THE PERFECT NEIGHBOURS
Publisher's description
The perfect neighbours tell the
perfect lies… When Helen moves to Germany with her loving
husband Gary, she can’t wait to join the ex-pat community of teachers from the
local International School. But her new start is about to become her worst
nightmare.
Behind the shutters lies a devastating
secret… As soon as the charming family across the way welcome
Helen into their home, she begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. Then
Gary starts to behave strangely and a child goes missing, vanished without a trace.
When violence and tragedy strike, cracks appear in the
neighbourhood, and Helen realises her perfect neighbours are capable of almost
anything.
The Perfect Neighbours is being published in paperback by HarperCollins Killer Reads on 25 January 2018.
Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.
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