Don't Make A Sound by David Jackson

Don't Make A Sound
By David Jackson
Published by Zaffre (November 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

You can't choose your family. Or can you? 

Meet the Bensons. They're an ordinary couple. They wash their car, mow their lawn and pass the time of day with their neighbours. And they have a beautiful little girl called Daisy.

There's just one problem. 

SHE'S NOT THEIRS.

D. S. Nathan Cody is about to face his darkest and most terrifying case yet . . .

My verdict
Don't Make A Sound hooked me in immediately.

It's my first Nathan Cody book - and certainly won't be my last - and I read it very easily as a standalone. From its chilling first chapter right through to the final page, this was pretty much a one-sitting read for me - a 'just one more chapter' book.

Don't Make A Sound is very much a character-led novel - a mixture of psychological thriller and police procedural. It's fast paced and twisty, and felt very believable - what's going on behind closed doors? It's cleverly plotted, with a dark and disturbing storyline, as well as well written - several scenes had me holding my breath.

For months, I've seen people on social media raving about the brilliance of this book - and now I can understand why!

After She's Gone by Camilla Grebe

After She's Gone
By Camilla Grebe
Published by Zaffre (March 2019)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

A case as cold as the season. A profiler who can't remember. A killer ready to strike again.

Psychological profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön and her partner, investigator Peter Lindgren are invited to the small, sleepy industrial town of Ormberg to investigate a cold case: ten years earlier a five-year-old girl's remains were found in a cairn near the town.

But when a recurring memory problem resurfaces, Hanne struggles to keep track of the case. She begins keeping a diary, noting down everything she is likely to forget to keep up appearances so she doesn't lose her job. 

When the body of a woman is found at the cairn and one of Hanne's shoes is found nearby covered in the victim's blood, can Hanne's diary hold the key to what happened? How does this new murder connect to their old one? 

How can you put together what happened when the pieces keep fading away?

My verdict
I really enjoy Nordic Noir and always welcome the opportunity to find a new author to add to my list.

After She's Gone is highly chilling, not just in plot but also in setting. Set in a small Swedish town and depopulated highly forested area, the story focuses on a cold case, in which a young girl's remains were found but never identified. This discovery in the past is soon linked to crimes in the present.

The plot is complex, though certainly not too complex to follow, and focuses on various contemporary issues (which I can't reveal as I don't want to give away any spoilers). As with all good Nordic Noir, the atmospheric setting and inclement weather are as essential to the plot as the characters themselves. I tried to read between the lines and solve the case myself.

After She's Gone offers everything I look for in good crime fiction - an intelligent multi-layered plot, intriguing mystery, well-developed characters, realistic dialogue and good writing. I haven't read the first book in the series and, while I did have a few questions about the main character, this can easily be read as a standalone.

BEST OF CRIME (ACTION THRILLERS) with James Swallow

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 

JAMES SWALLOW

to share his BEST OF CRIME (ACTION THRILLERS) ...

... AUTHORS

The big three are the ones who had the greatest influence on my own writing in the genre, the authors who set the benchmark. First and foremost, Robert Ludlum – best known these days for the Bourne franchise, but also the man behind great novels like The Osterman Weekend and The Holcroft Covenant; Tom Clancy, the father of the modern technothriller; and of course Ian Fleming, who crystalized the idea of the popular action-espionage thriller. 

... FILMS/MOVIES

I’m a lover of movies on a big scale – the bigger the blockbuster, the better! – but I also love lo-fi cult films and stuff at what some would sniffily call the trashier end of cinema. My list of all-time favourites changes and grows, but in terms of the films that have had the strongest influence on me, Blade Runners sits at the top of the list. I love the future noir world it creates, the darkness and rain-slick reality of it all. It’s a film I’ll never get tired of watching.

... TV DRAMAS

There’s been such a surge in good telly over the last decade that now I’m finding I can’t keep up with it all, but I try to at least get a sense of the big hits just so I can stay in pace! Recently, I’ve really enjoyed WestWorld, Mr Robot and Strike Back – three very different shows that together scratch my itch for drama, intrigue and action. 

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

I’ve always liked the female assassin trope in fiction, and one of my favourite examples is the titular Nikita from the Luc Besson movie of the same name. A broken, human killer, she’s forced into the life of a gun-for-hire and her odyssey is a compelling one. And I love that the character has been reimagined so many times, in American and Chinese remakes and two different TV series. 

... FICTIONAL HEROES 

While I’m a big fan of the three JB’s - James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer - each of them exemplifies a classic trope of the action hero/secret agent archetype, and as much fun as they are to watch, I prefer my heroes to be a little more vulnerable, a little more everyman. Richard Hannay from The 39 Steps, Jack Ryan from The Hunt for Red October, John McLane from Die Hard – these are all guys who have to work hard for their victories, coming through bloody but unbowed at the end. 

... MURDER WEAPONS

With this one, I’m immediately thinking of that scene from John Wick, where the mob boss talks about seeing Wick killing three men...with a pencil. Then in the sequel, we get to see him actually do it! 

... DEATH SCENE

A particularly grisly death in my friend Ben Aaronovitch’s Broken Homes involves the murder of a book thief whose is burned to death...from the inside out.

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

I scour technology, science and military sites for source material for my thrillers – among my most often-opened tabs are Havocscope, New Scientist, War Is Boring and Wired. If MI5 are monitoring my computer, they must have a very interesting file on me by now.

... WRITING TIPS

There’s lots of advice to be given, but I found the most important piece boils down to two words: Finish It. I often hear inexperienced writers talk about starting projects only to drop them half-done and move on to something else, but I believe if you can’t “land” a story, you’ll never be anything more than a dabbler. No-one wants a half-cooked meal or a taxi that doesn’t take you all the way home – and an unfinished story is no different. I firmly believe finishing what you start is how you grow and improve as a writer.

... WRITING SNACKS

If it’s got caffeine in it, I’m interested.

About JAMES SWALLOW

James Swallow is the BAFTA-nominated New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of over fifty books, including the Marc Dane thrillers NOMAD, EXILE, GHOST and SHADOW. He has also written for franchises such as 24, Star Trek, Doctor Who and several high-profile videogames.

Find James Swallow on his website and on Twitter - @jmswallow

About SHADOW

Publisher's description

SHADOW is the fourth in the fast-paced action thriller series that began with the bestselling NOMAD; in this novel, ex-MI6 field technician turned intelligence agent Marc Dane and his partner – former US Delta Force sniper Lucy Keyes – are pitted against their most dangerous challenge yet, when a genius researcher with the ability to create a deadly biological weapon is kidnapped by a ruthless terrorist. 

Their desperate search for the missing scientist takes them across the world, from the streets of Singapore to the desolate wilderness of Iceland and the dark underbelly of a fracturing Europe, where they discover a shocking atrocity in the making. 

Backed by sinister interests operating above the laws of nations, a cadre of hard-line ultra-right-wing extremists plan to unleash a lethal virus among the population of a major European city – and unless Marc and Lucy can stop the attack before it happens, it will set off a chain reaction of events where thousands of people will perish, and the continent will be plunged into chaos... 

Shadow is published by Zaffre on 30 May 2019.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

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Anything for Her by G.J. Minett

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for Anything for Her by G.J. Minett. Anything for Her was published by Zaffre on 30 November 2017.

Anything for Her
By GJ Minett
Published by Zaffre (30 November 2017)

Publisher's description

You'd do anything for the one that got away . . . wouldn't you?

When Billy Orr returns home to spend time with his dying sister, he bumps into his ex-girlfriend Aimi, the love of his life. He might not have seen her in eleven years, but Billy's never forgotten her. He'd do anything for her then, and he'd do anything for her now.

When Aimi tells him that she wants to escape her abusive husband, Billy agrees to help her fake her own death. But is she still the Aimi that Billy remembers from all those years ago? 

Once Aimi disappears, Billy has to face the possibility that perhaps she had different reasons for disappearing - reasons that might be more dangerous than she's led him to believe . . .

Sometimes trusting the one you love is the wrong thing to do.

My verdict
Anything for Her is the author's third psychological thriller. I've read the first book, The Hidden Legacy, but not the second. The books are all standalones with new characters, so it doesn't matter if you haven't read either of the previous two.

Billy Orr is a nice guy with a troubled past who has returned home to help his dying sister. He finds himself caught in a web of lies when he meets his ex-girlfriend Aimi and she asks him for a favour. I wanted to shout at him for being so naive as I wasn't convinced Aimi could be trusted. I figured it would end in disaster - and it certainly didn't go as Billy had expected.

The narrative switches easily between past and present and also between the multiple voices. The writing is great, with lots of vivid descriptions of people and places. The plot is a twisty one, cleverly constructed, and the tension builds up gradually as the book progresses.

Anything for Her certainly kept me guessing - I wasn't sure exactly where the plot was heading - or why - until the final pages. A great ending to a book of family secrets, past relationships and manipulative people.


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BEST OF CRIME with CJ Carver

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 

CJ CARVER

for her Know Me Now blog tour

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS
Tana French.  I love the way she combines police procedural with psychological thriller.  Her characters are empathetic and wonderfully flawed, her writing atmospheric and lyrical.  I wouldn’t say she creates rip-roaring page turners but there’s no way I can put one of her books down.

... FILMS/MOVIES
Memento.  Billed as a neo-noir psychological thriller, the story follows a man with anterograde amnesia who is trying to find who killed his wife.  What impressed me most was the way part of the film is shown in reverse order so the audience can get a sense of the mental state of the protagonist.  Immensely clever and devastating.

... TV DRAMAS
True Detective.  But only the first season, which was fantastic.  The second season was such a disappointment I can’t tell you!

... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Bluebeard.  I read this folktale when I was a child and the horror has never quite left me… 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 
DC Cat Kinsella is a new kid on the block in Caz Frear’s debut Sweet Little Lies, and I loved her vulnerability and kick-ass attitude.

... MURDER WEAPONS
A private jet in Noah Hawley’s Before the Fall.  Talk about an ambitious murderer!  I thought the opening scenes were terrific as well as absolutely terrifying.

    

... DEATH SCENES
I found Sharon Bolton’s A Dark and Twisted Tide particularly nasty – shackling women in a sewage tunnel connected to the River Thames, where they were left to watch the tide slowly inching its way in and eventually creep up their legs, their waists, their throats, until they drowned.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES
namegenerator.biz for truly random names.  I also use www.mithrilandmages.com for creating city and town names, not just in the UK but around the globe.

... WRITING TIPS
Even if you’re not in the mood and you think you’re writing rubbish, keep pressing on because the next day you’ll find it’s not as bad as you think.

... WRITING SNACKS
Maltesers!  Oh, and endless cups of tea help because they help give me a bit of creative breathing time.

About CJ CARVER

CJ Carver is a half-English, half-kiwi, author living just outside Bath. She lived in Australia for ten years before taking up long-distance rally driving – she has driven London to Saigon, London to Cape Town, and completed 14,500 miles on the Inca Trail.

Since then she has written nine critically acclaimed novels that have been published in the UK, USA and translated into several languages.  CJ’s first novel Blood Junction won the CWA Debut Dagger and was short listed for the USA Barry Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel of the Year.  Spare Me the Truth, the first in the Forrester and Davies series, was shortlisted for the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Best Crime Novel Award.

CJ is a co-founder and one of the first judges for the Women’s World Car of The Year Award. 

Find CJ Carver on her website, on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @C_J_Carver

About KNOW ME NOW

Publisher's description

A SUICIDE. A MURDER. A CONSPIRACY.
DIGGING UP THE PAST CAN BE DEADLY . . .
A thirteen-year-old boy commits suicide.
A sixty-five-year old man dies of a heart attack.
Dan Forrester, ex-MI5 officer, is connected to them both. 
And when he discovers that his godson and his father have been murdered, he teams up with his old friend, DC Lucy Davies, to find answers.
But as the pair investigate, they unravel a dark and violent mystery stretching decades into the past and uncover a terrible secret.
A secret someone will do anything to keep buried . . . 

Know Me Know is being published by Zaffre on 14 December 2017.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

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Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear

Sweet Little Lies
By Caz Frear
Published by Zaffre (29 June 2017)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW

In 1998, Maryanne Doyle disappeared and Dad knew something about it?
Maryanne Doyle was never seen again.

WHAT I ACTUALLY KNOW

In 1998, Dad lied about knowing Maryanne Doyle.
Alice Lapaine has been found strangled near Dad's pub. 
Dad was in the local area for both Maryanne Doyle's disappearance and Alice Lapaine's murder - FACT
Connection?

Trust cuts both ways . . . what do you do when it's gone? 

My verdict
Sweet Little Lies was one of those books that made me think as I read. I had no idea who could be trusted or even if anyone could be trusted (whoever they were). I found myself questioning everything - trying to guess what was going on, with little success I should add.

Caz Frear not only writes with confidence, but has also managed to plot a very twisty tale. Sweet Little Lies is more than just a police procedural as it focuses heavily on the main protagonist, police officer Cat Kinsella. Cat's family background is carefully woven into the story when she realises her father has links with the murder victim. So the book is part-psychological thriller too.

Cat is very real with sharp cynical observations and believable flaws. I found myself getting right inside her head, listening to (and feeling) her daily struggle between loyalty to her family and loyalty to her job. Much of the story is set in places I know very well, which really brought the book to life for me - it's not often that I find Radlett, Hertfordshire, mentioned in a book.

With just the right mix of humour, darkness and well-written narrative, Sweet Little Lies is an impressive crime novel filled with unreliable characters and plenty of intrigue.

BEST OF CRIME with Lynda La Plante

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 

LYNDA LA PLANTE

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

 

... AUTHORS

I am an avid fan of Michael Connolly. His knowledge of police procedure and intricate plots keeps the reader enthralled, but he also brings to life very strong characters that drive the narrative. It is no wonder that many of his novels have been adapted for film and television series. 

... FILMS/MOVIES
I was a student at RADA and used to go to a small cinema showing foreign films with sub titles in Hampstead. I have never forgotten watching Anthony Quinn and Giulietta Masino in the stunning film La Strada directed by Frederico Fellini. The characters are emotionally compelling and the simplicity of the storyline is made powerful by the brilliant performances of the stars. I now have it on DVD and still watch it every year and it never ceases to touch me; it is a very haunting film.

... TV DRAMAS
I loved the CROWN as I think it is the best drama we have made in the UK for many years. It is exquisite to watch. I love everything about it.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS
I think Hannibal Lecter has to be one of the best fictional killers ever written. Sir Anthony Hopkins portrayal of the character in the movie made him even more of a terrifying character. I was in the same year as Anthony at RADA and he is a brilliant actor. Nobody else could play Lecter like him. 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 
I love anything written by Raymond Chandler. His Philip Marlow was a fore runner for all the detectives and his creation was yet another fictional detective that made it to the big screen. Chandler's writing has great humour and his ability in a few strokes to describe characters that leap off the page and drive his plots is for me the biggest incentive to encourage writers to read his works. 

... MURDER WEAPONS
Knives and guns are obvious murder weapons but they leave behind a trail of evidence for the police to track down and make an arrest. Poison has become a very frightening silent weapon of death. Numerous victims have died from being given doses of anti-freeze to such an extent the manufacturers were forced to add a distinct smell and colour. Strychnine also retains a strong odour of almonds. Rat poison likewise, but someone intent on killing can gain from the internet a frightening array of toxic poisons that are difficult to trace.

    

... DEATH SCENES

I recently read the brilliant Patricia Cornwell’s book tracing the Jack the Ripper crimes. Her research and narrative is very compelling as she uncovers the identity of the infamous killer. We also had the repellent Yorkshire Ripper, who in many ways mirrored the Victorian murderer and attempted to replicate his gruesome disemboweling of his victims, making his capture a relief. However, the original mad man was never caught and Miss Cornwall creates such compassion and empathy for the tragic victims that their death scenes are still able to instill great sadness at the brutal way their lives were taken. There is never any pleasure in a death scene, nor is there any humour in dying. However I was very amused when I read about the 1920’s high society Emerald Cunard asking her maid for a glass of champagne on her death bed. When the maid brought her the chilled champagne in an elegant fluted glass she said ‘It is for you’. 

About LYNDA LA PLANTE

Lynda La Plante was born in Liverpool. She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National Theatre and RDC before becoming a television actress. She then turned to writing - and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series WIDOWS.
Her novels have all been international bestsellers. Her original script for the much-acclaimed PRIME SUSPECT won awards from BAFTA, Emmys, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Writer's Award. 
Since 1993 Lynda has spearheaded La Plante Productions. In that time the company has produced a stunning slate of innovative dramas with proven success and enduring international appeal. 
Based on Lynda's best selling series of Anna Travis novels, Above Suspicion, Silent Scream, Deadly Intent and Silent Scream have all adapted into TV scripts and received impressive viewing figures. 

Find Lynda La Plante on her website, FB page and on Twitter - @LaPlanteLynda

About GOOD FRIDAY

Publisher's description

Every legend has a beginning . . . 
During 1974 and 1975 the IRA subjected London to a terrifying bombing campaign. In one day alone, they planted seven bombs at locations across central London. Some were defused - some were not. 

Jane Tennison is now a fully-fledged detective. On the way to court one morning, Jane passes through Covent Garden Underground station and is caught up in a bomb blast that leaves several people dead, and many horribly injured. Jane is a key witness, but is adamant that she can't identify the bomber. When a photograph appears in the newspapers, showing Jane assisting the injured at the scene, it puts her and her family at risk from IRA retaliation. 

'Good Friday' is the eagerly awaited date of the annual formal CID dinner, due to take place at St Ermin's Hotel. Hundreds of detectives and their wives will be there. It's the perfect target. As Jane arrives for the evening, she realises that she recognises the parking attendant as the bomber from Covent Garden. Can she convince her senior officers in time, or will another bomb destroy London's entire detective force? 

Good Friday was published by Zaffre on 24 August 2017.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

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