A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

david wake

Book Review – Death on the Suez, by David Wake

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Agatha Christie meets Terry Pratchettsphinx-like murderers and magic carpets in this agatha christie meets terry pratchett mystery

Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile” is splendidly parodied by David Wake in this locked room murder mystery set aboard the Victorian paddle steamer SS Karnak. Yes, folks, the protagonists appear to travel on the very boat Hercule Poirot chose for his rather too exciting holiday in Egypt. This time, the ship sails down the Suez Canal with an assorted cast of characters including a libidinous Frenchman, an Indian mystic, two archaeologists and a couple of stiff upper lip British army men. They are accompanied by the Derring-Do Club, three plucky young women whose parents have forbidden them to do any adventuring, ever. A murder investigation doesn’t count as an adventure, however, so middle sister Georgina is roped in as investigating officer when one of the archaeologists takes a fatal bullet. With humour worthy of Terry Pratchett, David Wake leads Georgina and her sisters on a merry dance through the desert, in which they nearly (but of course, not quite) die before the case is cracked.

Locked room murder mystery

There are at least nine suspects, all with alibis and no apparent means of shooting a man whose corpse has been found in a room locked from the inside. The method, when Georgina finally deduces it, is a twist worthy of the Queen of the Crime herself.

Magic carpets, romance & adventure

“Death on the Suez” is so much more than a murder mystery, however. It’s a rip-roaring adventure  featuring mummies, guns, magic carpets, a marvellous calculating machine, ancient gods and temples. There’s also dash of romance, running like a thread throughout the narrative and beautifully tied at the end. Throughout, David Wake writes well, his gentle British humour lampooning Victorian mores. He never puts a foot wrong, and the pages just keep turning.

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Like David Wake, I’m a British writer, and my stories are fast-paced page turners. The Trail series of crime thrillers begins with a mystery when fake bride Kat White goes missing. Take a look at The Bride’s Trail here.

A Fair, A Festival and Fabulous Beer – April’s Literary Highlights

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I’ve been hanging out with readers and writers at three very different events this month – the London Book Fair, a live fiction night at a pub in Birmingham, and the Hawkesbury Upton Litfest at a village in the Cotswolds. All were not only fun, but a chance to learn from other thriller writers. Most of all, I get a buzz being around others who love books as much as I do.

I wrote a blog about the London Book Fair in 2015. If you’re not sure why everyone in the book trade (apart from the most important people, readers!) hits town every year, do take a look! Deals are done, free wine flows and there’s frantic networking. For me, the key messages this year were to make my thrillers available as audiobooks and go for a darkly sinister cover for my next crime thriller. Watch this space!

I’ve also blogged about live fiction events and literary festivals before. I can’t recommend them enough to readers. Stories come alive when they’re read aloud by their writers. The pub night, organised by Donna of Twitter’s @TheCultureHour, featured the well-respected New Street Authors. They all proved to be polished live performers as well as writers. Even better, it was hosted by The Gunmaker’s Arms, the showcase and brewery tap for beers from the Two Towers Brewery. The beer was awesome, a bargain at under £3 a pint, and worth a trip to the pub in its own right. I indulged in their Birmingham Mild, a style of ale quite hard to find outside the British Midlands, yet one of the most delicious drinks on the planet.

It’s only natural that the Two Towers, named after nearby landmarks that inspired the great JRR Tolkien, would want to support the local literary scene. So, back to the books, the main event of the evening. Although there were stunning performances by master of suspense Andrew Sparke and the cutting, creative and comical Gareth J Wood, it was New Street Author David Wake who stole the show. His steampunk Derring-Do Club series had the audience in stitches. Check them out, and if you’re organising a litfest, ask him along. With a theatrical background, David knows how to make an audience very happy indeed.

Coincidentally, half of the Hawkesbury Upton Litfest was also hosted by a pub, the ancient Fox Inn. A sweet honey-coloured Cotswold stone village, Hawkesbury Upton is a world away from Birmingham’s gritty Gunmakers’ Quarter. Seemingly, everyone in Hawkesbury Upton loves to read. At any given time, at least two events were taking place for adults at this full-day festival, and there were art exhibitions and children’s workshops too. A charming green chalk line directed punters between the Fox and poetry performances at the Methodist Church Hall. Did I mention cake? It appeared the villagers were brilliant bakers too, with home-made goodies on sale with all those lovely books.

Highlight of the litfest for me was meeting cosy crime thriller writer Jackie Kabler, whose TV newsroom murder mystery is storming the charts. I too prefer to keep graphic violence out of my books (thriller author Joanna Penn used the term ‘torture porn’ at the lifest) and it’s encouraging to know that’s what readers like too.

I left Hawkesbury Upton staggering under the weight of new books to enjoy! As an amazing April literary feast draws to an end, these are next on my ‘to-read’ list:

Copper Trance & Motorways, by Andrew Sparke – I’m already chuckling at the office politics in this wryly observed crime thriller.

Screaming Blue-City Murder, by G J Wood – I’ve dipped into this fabulous collection of satirical, sweary short stories already. Although I write about a shinier version of Birmingham than Gareth, I love his focus on seedy, sinister secrets. He’s a genius.

Marry in Haste, by Debbie Young. Romantic short stories with happy endings, great with a cuppa.

Me-Time Tales, by Rosalind Minett. More short stories, the ideal solution for time-poor fiction lovers!

The Derring-Do Club and the Invasion of the Grey, by David Wake. After hearing his stirring steampunk at The Gunmaker’s Arms, there was no way I was leaving that pub without a copy to read!

Who Needs Mr Darcy? by Jean Burnett. There’s nothing quite like a Jane Austen pastiche, and unlike others, this one is zombie-free…

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I’m a British crime thriller writer, following in the footsteps of Ruth Rendell, Kate Atkinson and our transatlantic cousin, John Grisham. Read tasters of my work, including 5 minute crime thriller ‘The Gap’ here.

 

 

12 Books of Christmas

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Christmas is on the way. Even the self-service tills at Tesco’s supermarket jingle their bells and laugh ‘Ho Ho Ho’ as I pay. (What irony! and amazingly annoying for the poor checkout girl standing nearby and hearing the seasonal sounds hundreds of times every day.)

As well as all the fun of seeing family, and giving and receiving presents, most of us have a few days’ holiday at Christmas and a chance to reflect. With that in mind, here are my suggestions for 12 Books of Christmas. There’s sure to be one you’ll enjoy, so grab it for your Kindle. Even better, you could buy it as a gift for your nearest and dearest, and squirrel it away on Christmas Day to read yourself.

#1. Blood Libel by Chuck Loyola. This noirish political thriller (very Blade Runner in feel, although set in 1990s Britain) was my Thriller of the Month in October. Check out my review on Goodreads.

#2. The Bride’s Trail by AA Abbott. It’s my best crime thriller yet! Away with false modesty! Predecessors After The Interview and Up In Smoke are great reads too.

#3. The Cost of Living by David Moody. His publisher, Infected Books, reckons 2016 is the Year of the Zombie. Fans of the undead can’t go wrong with this suspense-filled novella.

#4. Park Life by Katharine D’Souza is a sophisticated, page-turning novel and the book every woman over the age of 40 should read. Two unlikely neighbours find common ground and an answer to their problems.

#5. The Siege of Wrenstock Gardens by Suzanna Stanbury. Wildly over the top South Bristol slapstick comedy. If you know any Bristolians, buy them this! Alreet, my luvverrr.

#6. Shades of Green by Andy Lake. The Green Earth Movement sounds kind, caring and cuddly, doesn’t it? Turns out it has a very sinister agenda indeed in Mr Lake’s compelling political thriller. Andy Lake has worked for the Cabinet Office and understands political machinations perfectly.

#7. Clovenhoof by Heide Goody and Iain Grant. The first in a series of books about saints and devils marauding across the modern world. Terry Pratchett fans should love them. Simon Fairbanks reviews the latest, Hellzapoppin, here.

#8. A Letter From Oggi edited by Richard Jaffa. Olga Franklin was a woman in a man’s world, working as a journalist in the mid-20th century. Her letters to her sister are witty, warm, dark, sweet and the most entertaining slice of history you could possibly read.

#9. No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary. I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with this talented British writer at an event at Foyles this year. Her latest crime thriller is tense and addictive.

#10. The Adulterer’s Daughter by Deenagh Miller. The true story of an appalling childhood. Painter Deenagh Miller clearly survived the agony. Her art, dark and emotional, may draw on the shadows of the past, though.

AND NOW FOR THE LITTLE ONES…

#11. The Wolf from the Ridge by Suzanna Stanbury. The tinies in my family can’t get enough of Suzanna’s children’s books.

#12. The Other Christmas Carol by David Wake. When they’re at that awkward age of just realising Santa doesn’t exist.

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I write full-length crime thrillers for adults and the occasional commissioned children’s story. Check out my crime thrillers tasters, short stories and more here.