Ava McCarthy

Genevieve is currently working with the Crime and Thriller department for two weeks in order to gain work experience. Look out for another article from her on her experience in our department.     "Crime novels are about life, death, love, loss and broken minds" Alex Barclay   I read a fascinating article in the Irish Examiner about female crime fiction writers and it got me thinking…why are women so attracted to this particular genre?   The presumption is that men, seen as naturally more aggressive, are more inclined to read novels of crime, violence, blood, guts and gore. But it seems as if the opposite is true.   The article, Murder, She Wrote by author and journalist Declan Burke, explores the opinions of four of the leading lights of the current wave of Irish crime writing - Alex Barclay, Arlene Hunt, Niamh O’Connor and Ava McCarthy. All women who prove that the female author is very often deadlier than the male.   One of the explanations given for this gravitation towards the more sinister side of fiction is due to what Barclay sees as “a compulsion to understand” a broken mind; a need to know how the darker side of humanity works. Perhaps the reason for this attraction is that crime fiction gives women an opportunity to explore the psychological motivations of a killer in the safe confines of the pages of a book. Read More

To whet your appetite HC editors Rachel Rayner and Sammia Rafique have put together a list of top titles you can expect from HarperCollins in 2010 whilst Mike Gerrard has put together a round-up of everything else you can expect and this will be going live in the new year... January Snow Hill by Mark Sanderson (HarperCollins) Mark Sanderson does for the 30s what Jake Arnott did for 60s London - vividly revealing its hidden underworld in an unforgettably gripping crime novel. Inspired by a true scandal that centred around Snow Hill police station in 1936. Read an extract here February Pretty Little Things by Jilliane Hoffman (HarperCollins) We've been excited about the latest offering from Jilliane Hoffman for a while now and there isn't long until publication. For an exclusive extract click here. City of Lies by Alafair Burke (Avon) The new fast-paced thriller from rising star Alafair Burke, where no-one in Manhattan is safe. And no-one is innocent. When New York University student Megan Gunther is murdered in a vicious attack after receiving threats posted on a campus website, NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher is convinced there is a link. March Heresy by SJ Parris (HarperCollins) Introducing the monk Giodarno Bruno, magician, scientist, and heretic in a new series of historical thrillers for fans of C.J.Sansom and 'The Name of the Rose' For more information take a look at the book page. Read More