A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

ruth rendell

Thriller of the Month – Flowers for the Dead, by Barbara Copperthwaite

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After taking time out to finish my latest crime thriller, The Vodka Trail, I’m reading lots of fabulous fiction again, and Thriller of the Month is back! Barbara Copperthwaite’s Flowers for the Dead is a psychological thriller on a par with Ruth Rendell’s darker works – an all too believable story of the harvest reaped from a dysfunctional childhood.

Anti-hero Adam is rich, young, athletic and alone in the world. He’s also painfully shy and can’t communicate easily with women. Although he knows the meaning of different flowers, having taught himself from an old book, even his hand-tied bouquets are misunderstood by the girls he fancies.

Orphaned in his late teens (and we learn more about that as the tale unfolds), Adam lives in a Victorian mansion in a swanky area of Birmingham. He travels far and wide in pursuit of young women – London, Colchester, Reading and inverness. It takes years for the police to realise they’re looking for a serial killer. Segueing between past and present to show us how a killer was made rather than born, Barbara Copperthwaite draws us skilfully into the minds of Adam, his victims and the policeman who’s racing against time to rescue the latest object of the killer’s fixation.

There’s just enough police procedural detail in the book to satisfy crime fiction fans, but this novel is all about the serial killer’s psychology, the warped logic that allows Adam to justify his acts to himself. Emotionally, nothing is black and white. It is possible to pity Adam, while still being repulsed by his crimes and rooting for DS Mike Bishop to save the day. The final suspense-filled finish is a real nail-biter.

This is journalist Barbara Copperthwaite’s second book and a third is expected soon – definitely one to watch!

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I’m a British thriller writer who’s just released The Vodka Trail – a suspense thriller. Just like Flowers for the Dead, the conflicts in the story have their roots in the past…

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.

 

 

Short Stories for your Coffee Break

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In today’s frenetic world, stopping for a coffee is one of life’s pleasures – a precious pause to relax and reflect. It’s a great time to read a short story too. E-books can even be carried on a Kindle or smartphone, ready to slip a few minutes of sheer entertainment into that busy lifestyle.

I suggested a few superb short stories for you in a blog last summer. Do take a look at those recommendations – and some new ones below!

You don’t have to know Britain’s second city to enjoy The Sea in Birmingham from the respected Tindal Street Fiction Group. Writers include wonderful Kit de Waal and rocker Ryan Davis (seriously! Google him). The stories are beautifully written urban tales, each one thoroughly enjoyable. For me, they’re still more…Kit’s story sent a wave of nostalgia to carry me back to summer days lounging in my landlady’s garden. The Kindle book costs less than a latte – great vfm.

Ruth Rendell (whose The Tree of Hands was my Thriller of the Month in November) was arguably the greatest British crime thriller writer of her generation. Her Collected Short Stories are also a joy to read.

Breadcrumbs by Simon Fairbanks is next on my reading list! His full-length sci-fi fantasy novels The Sheriff and The Curse of Besti Bori overflow with chills, thrills and spills – so a good read’s guaranteed.

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I’ve written some sparkling short stories too, including five minute crime thriller The Gap free on this website. To receive my free e-book, Something In The City, just sign up for my newsletter here!

Living in a Box – Why Crime Thrillers are my Genre

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I describe myself as a British crime thriller writer. While strictly truthful – I’m British, and I write books containing lots of thrills and crime – it’s not the whole story. My full-length thrillers also sizzle with suspense, sex and romance. There’s often a dose of office politics, as corporate emperors play games with each other.

Why, then, be pigeonholed in a box labelled “crime thriller”? There are four reasons why I believe choosing a genre is important:

#1. Readers know what to expect. It’s true of any genre, whether it’s sci-fi, horror or even divisions of non-fiction like biographies. An avid crime thriller fan can accept a little romance creeping into the plot. It may even be the motive for the crime (in After The Interview, a single adulterous incident has far-reaching consequences). On the other hand, a reader of romantic fiction might balk at a murder or two.

#2. It’s hard for readers who love blockbuster-style thrillers (or any other niche for that matter) to find them at random in the packed General Fiction shelves of bookstores.

#3. It makes comparisons easy. I’m not Kate Atkinson, Ruth Rendell or John Grisham, but my books are a little like each of them – and If you love any of them, you’re likely to enjoy my fiction too.

#4. The book trade – the mighty Amazon, bookstores and wholesalers – prefer it.

I give myself more latitude when I write short stories. Some, like 5 minute crime thriller The Gap, available free here, slot naturally into the crime fiction genre. Others delve into the realms of horror, romance and the supernatural. If you haven’t read my free e-book, Something In The City, yet, click here to receive a copy, and see for yourself.

Thriller of the Month – The Tree of Hands, by Ruth Rendell

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When I first began to write grown-up fiction, I went to evening classes in creative writing. My teacher was a glowing fan of Ruth Rendell’s crime stories. Soon, I was addicted to them too, especially the darker thrillers that Ms Rendell wrote using the name Barbara Vine.

Although The Tree of Hands was published under Ms Rendell’s own name, it sits firmly within the genre of dark psychological thrillers. Cosy Inspector Wexford is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we are introduced to Benet, who has written a blockbuster and lives comfortably in Hampstead as the single mother of a toddler. Adulthood has brought about an uneasy truce with Benet’s mother Mopsa, victim to a mental illness that produces sudden episodes of psychosis. Visiting from Spain, Mopsa at last appears to be cured – until, driving through a rather less salubrious area of London, she steals an abandoned child.

I hesitate to say much more because I want you to enjoy all the surprises on offer in The Tree of Hands for yourself! Suffice to say, the aftermath of the crime throws a spotlight on love, loss and nastier aspects of human relationships. Ms Rendell understood too well how rumour and paranoia could turn a whole community against an individual. The tale is also told through an excellent cast of supporting characters: a young carpenter impossibly starry-eyed about his feckless lover, a neurotic conman, a gangster, a kindly doctor.

As always with Ruth Rendell’s work, although the characters may be hard to love, they’re written sympathetically. The reader has access to Benet’s innermost thoughts, as well as gaining insight into other individuals we might not want as neighbours…

Following her sad death a few months ago, Ms Rendell will be sorely missed. If you haven’t read The Tree of Hands, do track it down!

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I also write psychological crime thrillers laced with twists and suspense. If you like Ruth Rendell’s style, I bet you’ll love my latest crime thriller, The Bride’s Trail, too! Take a look at the reviews and peek inside the book on Amazon.