A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

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Book Review – The Locksmith, by Jo Ullah

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A good read in the gothic tradition

Book Review of The Locksmith Suspense Thriller by Jo Ullah a good read and a page turnerThe Locksmith is a good read for the summer holidays – not just because it’s about a mother taking her children to stay on a farm during the long vacation, but because the light evenings are less conducive to book-induced nightmares. While the book is written in a deceptively simple style, it’s a suspense thriller in the gothic tradition. An air of menace pervades the pages, mounting as twists unfold. Like the boobytraps placed around the farm, it’s evident that tragedy will strike, but it’s only at the last minute that we find out how and when.

Scars of the past

Artist Jude has escaped a violent marriage and found contentment with a new lover, Spider. Together, they have a young baby as well as Jude’s two children from her first marriage. Family life in Bristol’s Bohemian Montpelier district seems idyllic, but cracks are beginning to show. Middle child Immy displays unsettling signs of a sixth sense. Adolescent Ben chafes at the restrictions imposed on him and resents his stepfather’s authority. Spider bears the scars of an unhappy childhood, but refuses to talk about it. Jude decides the answer for her is more physical and mental space. When Spider’s mother invites her to bring the children to stay on the family farm for the summer, the offer is too tempting to ignore.

Page turner awash with surprises

Despite deepening unease, the story abounds with gentle humour, especially in the clash of urban and rural mores. The children discover that nature is red in tooth and claw. There is also a priceless trip to a snobby town near the farm. Jo Ullah strikes the perfect balance between entertainment and edge-of-the-seat fear, creating a page turner awash with surprises to keep you guessing.

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Read it and sleep – if you dare…

Do you like sinister stories with a Bristol edge? If so, try “A Dark Imagined Bristol”, a collection of short tales that are just that. Although I’m a crime thriller writer, I turned my hand to a disturbing supernatural story, “First Blood”, especially for a “A Dark Imagined Bristol”. Read it, and sleep – if you dare…

Book Review – Inceptio, by Alison Morton

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Inceptio is a crime thriller like no otherBeautifully written, action-packed and stuffed with heart-stopping cliffhangers, “Inceptio” is a crime thriller like no other. Although writer Alison Morton is British, her twenty-something heroine is an American girl living in New York. At first, Karen’s life seems straightforward – she’s left the Midwest behind, works at an ad agency and volunteers in the local park. Her bubble bursts when she angers a powerful politician by throwing his drug-user son out of the park. Events take a still darker turn. When Karen meets a handsome young foreigner through her work, secret agents warn her to stay away from him.

No ordinary crime story…

It rapidly becomes clear that Alison Morton has written about an alternate history world, where a corner of the Roman empire survived in the technologically advanced European state of Roma Nova. Her family links to Roma Nova put Karen’s life in danger, and there’s only one way out. But Roma Nova itself harbours more perils than Karen can imagine.

The writer was an army captain!

The chatty and charming Alison Morton is often out and about at literary festivals, and it was a shock to realise that she was once a captain in the British Territorial Army. She’s put her knowledge to good use, with fantastic fight scenes and descriptions of guns and other military gadgets. This really is a story that has it all: political and military intrigue, dangerous criminals, romance, hi-tech gadgets and action.

I was completely drawn in – didn’t want the story to end

Having picked up the book because it was free, I was completely drawn into the world of Roma Nova and didn’t want the story to end. Luckily, “Inceptio” is the first in a series – so, although the book came to a very satisfying conclusion, there’s another fix of Roma Nova waiting!

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I also write crime thrillers, although mine are set in the British cities of London and Birmingham. However, like “Inceptio”, I feature a twenty-something heroine in fun, fast crime story “The Bride’s Trail”! Do check it out.

Book Review – the Mind Cops

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A book review looking at 3 great psychological profiling specialists, or mind copsSometimes, the most gripping crime stories are true tales written by the law enforcers charged with bringing criminals to justice. The Netflix show, “Mindhunter”, cast a spotlight on psychological profiling, a relatively recent weapon in the fight against crime.  Qualified psychologists on both sides of the Atlantic have written about their successes in solving cases by getting under the skin and into the brain of an unknown perpetrator.

Their skill produces uncanny results. John Douglas, writer of “Mindhunter”, tells the cops to look for a man with a speech impediment. When they get their man several murders later, he turns out to have a stutter. How spooky is that?

 

A serial killer template

In fact, he isn’t the first stammering killer John Douglas has encountered, and he won’t be the last. Douglas’ book and similar chronicles from British psychologists David Canter and Paul Britton, reveal that many serial killers are stamped out of the same mould. They‘re socially inadequate, with a history of bed-wetting, fractured relationships and minor sex offences. As their experience and confidence of delinquency grows, their activities increase in severity. Douglas, Canter and Britton practically provide a template for a serial killer, and I’m sure some fiction writers use it.

All three writers briefly explain how they became involved in this line of work, then get into the real meat: a detailed account of cases they’ve solved. Douglas also built his knowledge by interviewing serial killers who had already been captured. Bored after long years inside the prisons where they would see out the rest of their lives, many agreed to talk to him.

Netflix & Hollywood

Based in the FBI’s special unit at Quantico, Virginia, John Douglas inspired the Silence of the Lambs as well as his own Netflix series. His case studies – based on the maxim familiar to HR managers, that past activities predict the future – are interesting and well-written. The only downside is an occasional hint of arrogance. This is not the case with Paul Britton, who has a more self-effacing, perhaps typically British, approach to his abilities. In his first book, “The Jigsaw Man”, he includes a chapter on a case where he was unsuccessful. When a beautiful young model, Rachel Nickell, was murdered in a London park, Britton’s lengthy and expensive sting operation led to the arrest of the wrong man. It is sad that, twenty years later, Britton is still pilloried by the media for this failure. He’d applied scientific rigour in the case and had made it clear that it wasn’t open and shut. It unfortunately overshadows his numerous successes. For instance, his work was instrumental in bringing murderer Rose West to justice and to identifying Michael Sams, who held estate agent Stephanie Slater as a hostage in a wheelie bin and killed another woman. Britton’s “The Jigsaw Man” is a thrilling read, as is its sequel, “Picking up the Pieces”.

David Canter, another Englishman, was heavily influenced by the FBI’s techniques. His book, “Criminal Shadows”, is more academic than the others, but still a page turner. The chapter on Criminal Maps – plotting the location of crimes to identify the villain – is especially compelling. Thanks to him, police arrested London’s evil Railway Rapist (who also murdered three women) and the young Brummie sex offender who dragged his OAP victims onto the roofs of tower blocks.

All three writers offer fascinating insights into the criminal mind, as well as an entertaining read. Even if fiction is usually your bag, you’ll find Douglas, Britton and Cantor have plenty of true tales to interest you.

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I’m an English crime thriller writer, and invested in these books as research: to understand how a serial killer thinks. Not all fit the socially inadequate sex offender model – some are charming psychopaths, while others fall under the spell of a sadistic lover. One day, this research will find its way into another tense and twisting crime thriller, so do sign up for my monthly newsletter to find out more! You’ll also receive a free e-book of short stories.

Book Review – Murder in the Manger, by Debbie Young

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In a seasonal twist of fate, I was given Murder in the Manger as a Christmas present. It was such a good read, I’d finished it by Boxing Day. Although based around a nativity play – with unexpected drama  when a baby goes missing – the book would be a treat any time. If you believe a crime story should be dark, however (and I admit that most of my favourites are), turn away now. Murder in the Manger is a cozy mystery, sweetly romantic and gently humorous.

Page Turner

Set in the fictional English village of Wendlebury Barrow, this is the third in the Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries. Living in a Cotswolds parish rather similar to Wendlebury Barrow, author Debbie Young is skilled in writing a page turner. Tightly plotted and brimming with believable oddballs, the first two books in the series established a mini-crime wave in the village. Luckily, new resident Sophie was on hand to crack the case.

Sophie is a young woman who has fled a deadbeat boyfriend, Damian, to start afresh in Wendlebury Barrow. By the beginning of Murder in the Manger, she is integrated into village life, with a new job and lover. To her horror, Damian decides not merely to visit her, but to direct the local nativity play which Sophie has written. With a cast of children and animals (Janet the donkey almost steals the show), laughs are guaranteed. Sophie’s unease in Damian’s company, and the charm he exerts over the other females in the village, also provide dramatic tension. There is less crime than in the first two books, but that’s unlikely to upset Sophie’s fans, as Debbie Young keeps the suspense rising. Will Sophie’s new relationship survive Damian’s arrival? Whose is the baby, heard but never seen – and who has stolen it?

Love Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple? This is for You

Anyone who loves Miss Marple, and Agatha Christie’s tight, spare style of writing, would adore Murder in the Manger and its predecessors, Best Murder in Show and Trick or Murder.

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Another Good Read

I write crime stories with an English flavour too, but mine are set in the British cities of London and Birmingham. Looking for another good read? You can read my Trail series free on Kindle Unlimited, or download free samples from Amazon. They’re also available as traditional paperbacks, or in a large print, dyslexia-friendly format.

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Book Review – To Die For, by Colin Ward

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Angela Marsons’ tough but tortured Detective Inspector Kim Stone featured in my blog in April. Ironically, only 6 miles from Kim’s base in the Black Country, Colin Ward’s DI Mike Stone is operating out of Aston CID. Are they perhaps related?

Another detective with a troubled past

I sometimes think Ruth Rendell cornered the market in crime stories about happily married detectives with her Wexford series, set in rural Sussex. Kim and Mike Stone, in the dynamic and densely populated West Midlands, face completely different personal and professional challenges. Just like Kim, Mike lives a single life, has a troubled past and is tasked with tracking down a serial killer. That’s where the similarities end. Mike is by no means a loner. He enjoys the buzz of managing his team of sleuths. The pages of the book crackle with the excitement of the incident room as ideas are captured on the whiteboard and underlings despatched to follow leads. A depraved murderer is slaughtering young mothers, and Mike must find him before more families are smashed apart. There is a heavy focus on police procedure. This is fascinating, yet doesn’t detract from the rising tension when more bodies are found and the killer begins taunting Mike with texts.

Twists in the tale

Birmingham provides a kaleidoscopic background to this thriller, from smart bars to parks to the sprawling estates that ring the city’s outer perimeter. I suspect anyone who knows Brum will work out how the killer is transporting his victims well before the nerve-racking showdown. However, other readers are unlikely to guess. There are still plenty of twists in the tale. For example, although Colin Ward sprinkles clues throughout the book, it was an agreeable shock to me when the killer was finally unmasked. I didn’t see it coming.

A Book Review of Colin Ward's Birmingham crime thriller To Die For

Carries the reader with it until the very last word

The book isn’t perfect – as a writer myself, I tend to spot typos and repetition, and I found a couple of dozen. However, the story is well-written and so compelling that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Mike Stone’s life, sanity and love hang in the balance unless he can stop the killer. To Die For carries the reader with it until the very last word.

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Birmingham is a fascinating backdrop to Colin Ward’s book, and it also features in three of the tales in my short story collection, Something In The City – get it free here

Book Review – The Fatal Coin, by Lucienne Boyce

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The Fatal Coin is a novella, commissioned by Lucienne Boyce’s publisher as an e-book-only taster for her Dan Foster historical mysteries. Although short, there’s plenty of drama and danger for Bow Street Runner Dan Foster as he heads to Staffordshire to solve his latest case.

Historian Lucienne Boyce hails from Wolverhampton, and brings the roots of the present day Midlands landscape to life as she describes canals being built and the bullion coach leaving Matthew Boulton’s Soho Works in Birmingham. The story revolves around a stash of gold coins turning up in a Staffordshire field and then promptly disappearing. This is not, incidentally, the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard on display in Birmingham today, but Roman Empire gold and artefacts. Naturally, the find draws unsavoury characters as well as serious archaeologists to the area. The two groups do not combine well, with fatal consequences.

Dan Foster has crossed swords with the villainous Colonel Pepper before, and is determined to bring him to justice. A killer, thief and forger, Colonel Pepper is also cautious and clever. Dan does not survive unscathed in his task, almost losing his life in his quest to outwit the Colonel.

As well as exciting action and an interesting historical setting, emotions are played out in the tale. Dan, who is beginning to regret his own shaky marriage, is sympathetic to the misfortunes of others. He spots a young woman’s unrequited love and a squire’s alcoholic loneliness, even noticing that Colonel Pepper may not be quite the blackguard that he seems. Yet he is a lawman, not a social worker. Ultimately, he cracks the case and moves on. It will be interesting to see what writer Lucienne Boyce has in store for him next.

The Fatal Coin is a gripping historical mystery by Lucienne Boyce, Read my book review.

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I also write crime stories. If you like a good read on your Kindle, check out my Trail series of crime thrillers set in the British cities of London and Birmingham. You can download free samples from Amazon, or even read all three books completely free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.