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Faye Kellerman on her stunning new novel, Hangman
Once again, Hangman is in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, the 19th novel with them I believe. In it, Decker is dealing with some very grisly murders that culminate into some very shocking discoveries…The call comes in - a ghastly murder centered around a young woman hanging from the rafters of an unfinished house. He assigns his able detectives Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver to a murder scene - a homicide concocted from a depraved and warped mind. The woman, Adrianna Blanc was a nurse and although she was a caring and competent woman, she had her wild side which unfortunately put her into contact with some dangerous party hearty individuals. It is a story of the complexity of human nature as well as the dark side that lurks within us all.
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Killer Reads 2010 Summer Reads
After a typical British summer of meteorological highs and lows, the Killer Reads team have got together to bring you the top ten from our summer fiction. Whether you’re stay-cating or heading further afield, be sure to pack these in your suitcase or leave on your bedside table or use as a makeshift hat against the vengeful rain…
The Chosen One
By Sam Bourne
Out now in paperback
After fantastic reviews, this summer’s biggest thriller has not disappointed. This is one not to be missed under any circumstances!The multi-talented Sam Bourne, author of the bestselling The Righteous Men, The Last Testament and The Final Reckoning returns with another gripping high-concept thriller.
Bruised by years of disappointments, political advisor Maggie Costello is finally working for a leader she can believe in. She, along with the rest of America, has put her trust in President Stephen Baker.
But suddenly an enemy surfaces: a man called Vic Forbes reveals one scandal about the new president, and quickly another. He threatens a third revelation - one that will completely ruin Baker.
When Forbes is found dead, Maggie is thrown into turmoil. Could the leader she idolizes have been behind Forbes’s murder? Has she been duped by his message of change and hope? Who is the real Stephen Baker?
On the trail of the truth, Maggie is led into the roots of a massive conspiracy that reaches back into history - and goes right to the heart of the US establishment…
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Len Deighton
The BBC have just put their 1977 Lively Arts documentary about Len Deighton online for the first time.If you’ve yet to discover the genius of Len, here is a little bit of background on the man behind The Ipcress File.
Len Deighton was born in London in 1929. At the age of seventeen he became a photographer attached to the RAF Special Investigations Branch. Following his discharge in 1949 he did a variety of jobs and in 1952 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art. His writing career began with The Ipcress File which was a spectacular success and was made into a classic film starring Michael Caine.
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Alibi Search for a New Crime Writer Winner
At last month’s Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, the winner of Alibi’s search for a new crime writer was announced. The culmination of the search, which was launched at the beginning of the year, ended with a short yet perfectly formed ceremony attended by the likes of Stuart MacBride and R.J. Ellory.
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Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards Nominations Announced
This week saw the announcement of the nominees in three categories for this year’s Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards.
CWA GOLD DAGGER 2010
Blacklands by Belinda Bauer (Corgi/Transworld)
Blood Harvest by S J Bolton (Bantam Press/Transworld)
Shadowplay by Karen Campbell (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Way Home by George Pelecanos (Orion)CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER 2010, SPONSORED BY IAN FLEMING PUBLICATIONS LTD
A Loyal Spy by Simon Conway (Hodder & Stoughton)
Innocent by Scott Turow (Mantle)
The Dying Light by Henry Porter (Orion)
The Gentlemen’s Hour by Don Winslow (Heinemann/Random House)CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER 2010
Acts of Violence by Ryan David Jahn (Macmillan New Writing)
Rupture by Simon Lelic (Picador)
The Holy Thief by William Ryan (Mantle)
The Pull of the Moon by Diane Janes (Constable & Robinson)A great mix of authors on the list, with some strong titles. We’re still mulling over who we’ll be lending our support to…
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The Devil’s Book Club
At 11.30 on Monday morning the kettle went on in the HarperFiction kitchen and the biscuits were cracked open early. Five editors, three publicists and a designer tried to work out how to turn on the TV and seven minutes later we had lift off. We tuned in to The TV Book Club just in time to pretend we had all read everything Kafka had ever written and to watch the ads. But then, the moment we had all been waiting for - THE DEVIL’S ACRE and Matthew Plampin were on the telly!THE DEVIL’S ACRE, Matthew’s second novel tells the story of the short life of Colonel Samuel Colt’s Westminster gun factory, and his newly appointed London secretary, Edward Lowry. A desperate time for London’s poor, Lowry shows us the underbelly of society when he begins an affair with a girl from the factory floor and discovers corruption is rife.
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HARROGATE ROUND-UP
So… the dust has settled and the ale has run dry on the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing
Festival 2010. The Killer Reads team made the arduous journey up the east-coast mainline and into the waiting arms of the beautiful spa-town of Harrogate. Whether the festival is on or not, I’d recommend you go visit this pretty and relaxing town any time of the year.We went up to ‘God’s own county’ this last weekend from the 22nd - 25th July. Unfortunately, He didn’t attend as He generally prefers non-fiction and celebrity cook-books, but He does like a good ‘whodunit’. He also correctly guesses who the killer is every time, often before He’s even bought or read the book.
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CONGRATULATIONS REGINALD HILL!
Last Thursday evening at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival we were proud to see BBC Radio 4’s Mark Lawson present our very own Reginald Hill with the Theakstons Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award. His speech was warm and witty and full of praise for his editor Julia Wisdom. Although he was a little put out that she had been put up in a luxurious Hotel du Vin suite while he - the prize winner - only had a standard double…Hill has had forty books published in forty years. His first book, A Clubbable Woman, was published in 1970 and was the first in his hugely successful Dalziel and Pascoe series which went on to become a huge TV hit. His most recent novel, the standalone thr
iller The Woodcutter, was published last week.And … as an added bonus, enter our competition to be one of the lucky seven to win the following:
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In conversation with Lee Weeks
Avon author Lee Weeks publishes her 4th novel Kiss & Die this month. Once again featuring Hong Kong detective Johnny Mann, Kiss & Die follows a serial killer who appears to be a woman – her target, adulterous businessmen. Yet again, another nerve-shredding thriller from the bestseller Weeks and is perfect for fans of Karen Rose and James Patterson.Killer Reads caught up with Lee for a quick chat.
Killer Reads: Who is Lee Weeks?
Lee Weeks: I was the youngest of three daughters. My father was a policeman and my mother was a nurse. It was a difficult childhood spent continually moving. I went to eight schools, lastly a convent, before coming to a mutual agreement with the nuns that it was time I left. I came out with one GCSE in Art and was accepted to Art college to do a foundation course. I dropped out and went to Sweden to work as an au pair for a year. After returning briefly, I headed towards a kibbutz in Israel, without a map, and didn’t get further than France. After France I stayed for six months in England taking a job as a hotel receptionist in Widecombe-in-the moor. I was given the sack after being accused (falsely) of Witchcraft - I went to live in a small Bavarian village in Germany and worked there as a barmaid before also being given the sack for being a witch! I moved to Munich, worked as a cocktail waitress before moving on to an American army base to live. I worked in a nearby town as a Disc Jockey. I returned home to take my missing GCSEs in a year and three A levels. Then, I headed off to Hong Kong where I lived for over a year and worked as a model and nightclub hostess. It was there that my, already evident, drug problem escalated when I was sold the local equivalent of amphetamine which turned out to be heroin. My supplier, Teresa, owed the triads money and I became part of the debt. After nine months of addiction, and reaching a near death situation, my life turned a corner and I decided to stop all drugs and to put my past behind me. I went into hiding, moving from hotel to hotel to escape Teresa. After three months, when I was at the end of my methadone program, I was rescued from the triads’ debt by a prominent member of Hong Kong society, with whom I had an affair. I was allowed to leave Hong Kong. Returning to live in London, I moved in with an old college friend, fell pregnant and married. I had a second c Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Killer Reads – the one-stop shop for all the latest Crime and Thriller books published by HarperCollins. If you want to discover the best books from the most talked-about writers then this is the place for you. We will be giving you exclusive extracts and interviews from our top authors as well as keeping you up to date with our latest book news.
