BEST OF CRIME with Alex Caan

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 

ALEX CAAN

for his First to Die blog tour

to share his BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

Graham Greene and John Le Carre. I was approached to work for the security services after University and since then my fascination with all things espionage has been extreme. But beyond just your average spy thriller, these two writers also give great insights into the human condition. Beautiful writers that really pack a punch each time.

... FILMS/MOVIES

Oliver Stone’s ‘JFK’. That was as thrillers go perfect. Multi-layered, suspenseful and actually scared me in a few places. 

... TV DRAMAS

The X Files. For me the ultimate show. Everything else that came after it borrowed so heavily from it, as a fan I can see the hangover even to this day. The chemistry between the leads, the terrifying storylines, the complex characters and villains, the mindblowing mysteries. I seriously cannot rate this show highly enough, and it changed me in so many ways and I think people can see my own TXF hang-ups in my novels.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

The Jackal from The Day of the Jackal. I love blindingly clever villains like Hanniabl Lecter and Dr Alex Thorne from Angela Marson’s Kim Stone series, and the Jackal is just that. The way he manipulates, plots and ruthlessly kills to keep his identity secret, it’s fascinating. 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

Mulder and Scully of course. I loved how Mulder is the sensitive one in a way, the spiritual one, whereas Scully is clever, logical, tough and still able to be vulnerable. Scully especially is a blueprint I think for every hero I write whether they are male or female.

... MURDER WEAPONS

Jo Nesbo. He comes up with the craziest murder weapons. That ball thing from Phantom? And the teeth in The Thirst? It’s like he’s Googling these warped weapons and then building his novels around them. 

    

... DEATH SCENES

Not really crime but Thelma and Louise. I never felt so uplifted and positive after the death of anyone. It was a very weird feeling.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

University libraries. Academic papers are the best for ideas and research. Really would recommend it to anyone, it’s more bizarre, fun and cutting edge than any google search.

... WRITING TIPS

If you want to write because you want to be the next J K Rowling then you will probably fail. Write because you love to write even if no one is publishing you yet. It’s a calling I think, and you will find your audience. Oh and the first draft is always shit. Don’t worry. 

... WRITING SNACKS

Cake. Any.

About ALEX CAAN

Alex Caan has spent over a decade working in Information Systems Security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in Terrorism Studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English Teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing, and write Cut to the Bone.

Cut to the Bone has been a Kindle Number 1 bestseller, was picked as a WH Smith 'Everyone's Talking About' book of the week, chosen as Sainsbury's best of summer reads and was Angela Marson's pick for crime novel recommendation of the year. Alex Caan was also a rising star on Amazon in 2016.

Find Alex Caan on his website, on his Facebook page and on Twitter - @alexcaanwriter

About FIRST TO DIE

Publisher's description

SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD IS A KILLER 

Bonfire Night and St James's Park is filled with thousands of Anonymous protesters in a stand-off with the police. When a cloaked, Guido Fawkes mask-wearing body is discovered the following morning, Kate Riley and Zain Harris from the Police Crime Commissioner's office are called in.

The corpse has been eaten away by a potentially lethal and highly contagious virus. The autopsy reveals the victim was a senior civil servant, whose work in international development involved saving lives. Why would anyone want him dead? 

THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN 

As the research team looking into the origins of the deadly virus scramble to discover an antidote, first one, then another pharmacist goes missing. Meanwhile, a dark truth starts to emerge about the murder victim: he was an aggressive man, whose bullying behaviour resulted in the suicide attempt of one of his former staff members.

AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT . . .

With thirty lives potentially at stake, Kate and Zain have their work cut out for them. Can they find the two missing pharmacists in time, or will they too end up dead?

Read a snippet of my review

'The plot is complex, steeped in science and politics, with plenty of twists, turns and surprises throughout - and a few 'heart in the mouth' moments too.'

To read the rest of my review, click here.

First to Die was published by Bonnier Zaffre on 14 June 2018.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

Follow the Blog Tour!

First to Die by Alex Caan

First to Die
By Alex Caan
Published by Bonnier (14 June 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD IS A KILLER 
Bonfire Night and St James's Park is filled with thousands of Anonymous protesters in a stand-off with the police. When a cloaked, Guido Fawkes mask-wearing body is discovered the following morning, Kate Riley and Zain Harris from the Police Crime Commissioner's office are called in.
The corpse has been eaten away by a potentially lethal and highly contagious virus. The autopsy reveals the victim was a senior civil servant, whose work in international development involved saving lives. Why would anyone want him dead? 
THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN 
As the research team looking into the origins of the deadly virus scramble to discover an antidote, first one, then another pharmacist goes missing. Meanwhile, a dark truth starts to emerge about the murder victim: he was an aggressive man, whose bullying behaviour resulted in the suicide attempt of one of his former staff members.
AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT . . .
With thirty lives potentially at stake, Kate and Zain have their work cut out for them. Can they find the two missing pharmacists in time, or will they too end up dead?

My verdict

First to Die is the sequel to Alex Caan's Cut to the Bone, and you can't get more 'bang up to date' than this. Here you have a police team (and potentially the capital city) in crisis, with fears of a deadly virus on the loose. It's a race against the clock in case the killer strikes again.

Alex Caan has written a gripping, fast-paced crime thriller. He kept me guessing all the way through, as key characters (Kate and Zain) struggled to unravel the truth about who killed this senior civil servant, and why. The plot is complex, steeped in science and politics, with plenty of twists, turns and surprises throughout - and a few 'heart in the mouth' moments too.

Both Kate and Zain have complicated pasts and secrets to hide, with regular 'reveals' about their backgrounds fleshing out their characters and triggering intense emotions in both of them. While they're battling their demons, they're put their own lives in danger, which really ramps up the pace. There are plenty of other larger-than-life characters too, turning this into a fun read despite it's dark undertones.

While First to Die could be read as a standalone, I recommend reading Cut to the Bone first. I'm looking forward to seeing what Alex Caan comes up with next!

Cut to the Bone by Alex Caan

Cut to the Bone
By Alex Caan
Published by Twenty7 (E-book - out now; Paperback - 3 November 2016)
ISBN: 978-1785770500

Publisher's description

Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls. And she's missing. She's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely? Until the video's uploaded. Ruby, in the dirt and pleading for her life.

Who better to head up the investigation than the Met's rising star, Detective Inspector Kate Riley? She's leading a shiny new team, high-powered, mostly female and with the best resources money can buy. It's time for them to prove what they can do. Alongside her, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris - poster boy for multiracial policing and the team's newest member - has his own unique contribution to make. But can Kate wholly trust him and when he's around, can she trust herself?

Ruby's millions of fans are hysterical about what may have happened to her. The press is having a field day and as the investigation hurtles out of control in the glare of publicity, it becomes clear that the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much, much darker than anyone could have imagined in their worst nightmares.

And the videos keep coming . . .

My verdict
Alex Caan is certainly an author in keeping up with modern times, creating a dark crime thriller about the vlogging community. When YouTube star Ruby Day goes missing, no one is that worried - until a video shows what seem to be her final moments. Cut to the Bone is a dark and intriguing read.

Vlogging is a subject I know little about, even though I have two teenage boys, so Cut to the Bone was a fascinating read. There's a lot of technical information to digest - but the chapters are concise to take this into account - and I certainly learnt a lot. I particularly love the London setting with familiar places and landmarks.

Both of the main police characters - DI Kate Riley and DS Zain Harris - have their own dark pasts to contend with. Can they be trusted? Can they trust each other? Should they trust each other? Cut to the Bone had various threads that tied up at the end, but also left the story geared up for a sequel - does this mean we will discover more about Kate and Zain's pasts in the next book? I look forward to finding out.

I received an Advance Reader Copy.

Tips for the Aspiring Writer by Alex Caan - Cut to the Bone Blog Tour

Today, I'm the first stop on the blog tour for Cut to the Bone by Alex Caan. I'm delighted to welcome Alex to my blog with  some Tips for the Aspiring Writer. Cut to the Bone is published by twenty7 on 14 July 2016.

Tips for the Aspiring Writer
by Alex Caan

Don’t do it! Seriously. If you think writing is an easy way out of your personal/social/financial problems, it’s not. It takes years of sheer hard graft for very little reward (for most). Sure, we all dream of being the next J K Rowling or Lee Child, or writing the next ‘Girl’ phenomenon, and someone reading this might be that person. But those authors, if pushed to tell you how they made it, will give you a different answer. The path of every writer is unique, so don’t read a list or watch a video and beat yourself up for not following those rules.

While the advice of published writers is not going to give you a blueprint to follow, I found inspiration in lots of things different writers said. So I will share the tips that I found most useful and that kept me focused. But here’s a disclaimer – they won’t make you a millionaire (probably), but might unclog a drain somewhere. I always thought I’d make a good plumber...

• Work out why you write. If it’s because you can’t NOT write, if you start feeling ill when you DON’T, then that’s the correct answer. Anything else (especially because you want to buy a yacht) is the wrong reason.
• READ. Very obvious, but virtually every writer whose advice I’ve read has said this. Read widely and across genres – I often find a lot of ideas come to me through non-fiction!
• Writers would make great spies (and psychopaths). You have to believe you can write/are writing something phenomenal, you need that absolute confidence somewhere or you wouldn’t even start. Coupled with that is your natural inner critic reflecting back every negative word anyone has ever said to you, which if it gets too loud will stop you ever writing again. Fighting that voice and channelling your inner confidence is a tough job. It has to be done, so polish your armour. (Thank you to my English teacher extraordinaire for providing mine!)
• Try your hand at different genres/voices/styles, until you find the one that fits.
•  Get some Teflon skin. You will be told No more than you will Yes. If you can’t take rejection or criticism, stop now. (Although a darkened room full of chocolate intravenous drips is useful when the rejection happens…)
• The rule I HATE is the one that says write what you know. I find it so limiting. Write what you want to know. Google is your friend, and nowadays you can pretty much get virtual experience via YouTube for anything.
• Surround yourself with the right people. You don’t want Yes people or No people. Just balanced ones. Good luck finding them. (And no, your mum isn’t one of them!)
• Stop focusing on other people who get deals/published or how well they do or don’t do. Their success/failure/breakthrough has no relevance to you, and is just a distraction.
• Be nice. It won’t kill you. And people are willing to stick with you and help you in return.
• The most important one – write your own rules. If writing ten words a day works for you, do it. If listening to music will keep the words flowing, do it.

So there you go. And if anyone does make millions following these tips, feel free to share. Thank you.

About Alex Caan

Alex Caan was born in Manchester, and has spent over a decade working in Information Systems Security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in Terrorism Studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English Teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing, and write Cut to the Bone.

Readers can find out more about Alex on Facebook here and follow Alex on Twitter - @alexcaanwriter

Cut to the Bone

By Alex Caan

Published by twenty7 (E-book - 14 July 2016; Paperback - 3 November 2016)

ISBN: 978-1785770494

Publisher's description
Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls. And she's missing. She's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely? Until the video's uploaded. Ruby, in the dirt and pleading for her life. Who better to head up the investigation than the Met's rising star, Detective Inspector Kate Riley? She's leading a shiny new team, high-powered, mostly female and with the best resources money can buy. It's time for them to prove what they can do. Alongside her, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris - poster boy for multiracial policing and the team's newest member - has his own unique contribution to make. But can Kate wholly trust him and when he's around, can she trust herself? Ruby's millions of fans are hysterical about what may have happened to her. The press is having a field day and as the investigation hurtles out of control in the glare of publicity, it becomes clear that the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much, much darker than anyone could have imagined in their worst nightmares. And the videos keep coming ...

Follow the Blog Tour