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Happy Christmas from Helen Smith



Twitter: @emperorsclothes
Instagram: @emperorsclothes
http://helensmithbooks.com
Helen Smith's books on Amazon

Happy Christmas from @TheAngelaClarke


Twitter: @TheAngelaClarke
Follow MeAngela Clarke is the author of Follow Me.

LIKE. SHARE. FOLLOW . . . DIE

The ‘Hashtag Murderer’ posts chilling cryptic clues online, pointing to their next target. Taunting the police. Enthralling the press. Capturing the public’s imagination.

But this is no virtual threat.

As the number of his followers rises, so does the body count.

Eight years ago two young girls did something unforgivable. Now ambitious police officer Nasreen and investigative journalist Freddie are thrown together again in a desperate struggle to catch this cunning, fame-crazed killer. But can they stay one step ahead of him? And can they escape their own past?

Time's running out. Everyone is following the #Murderer. But what if he is following you?

ONLINE, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM …

**Amazon RISING STAR Debut of the Month in January 2016**


Get Follow Me from Amazon

To see how Angela spends her days, please visit this page

Happy Christmas from @ThatJuliaCrouch and #Keith


Find Julia on Twitter: @ThatJuliaCrouch

Her Husband's Lover
Her Husband's Lover by Julia Crouch

She stole her husband. Now she wants to take her life.

A woman has to stop her rival from ruining her life in HER HUSBAND'S LOVER, the stunning new novel from the acclaimed Julia Crouch.

After the horrors of the past, Louisa Williams is desperate to make a clean start.

Her husband Sam is dead. Her children, too, are gone, victims of the car accident in which he died.
Sam said that she would never get away from him. That he would hound her to death if she tried to leave. Louisa never thought that he would want to harm their children though.

But then she never thought that he would betray her with a woman like Sophie.

And now Sophie is determined to take all that Louisa has left. She wants to destroy her reputation and to take what she thinks is owed her - the life she would have had if Sam had lived.

Her husband's lover wants to take her life. The only question is will Louisa let her?

'Psychological thrillers don't come much better than this' Claire Mackintosh
Pre-Order Her Husband's Lover from Amazon



Happy Christmas from @ThomasMogford



♠ Find Thomas Mogford on Twitter or at his website www.thomasmogford.com

You can get SLEEPING DOGS at your local bookstore or online at Amazon

An old friend persuades Gibraltarian lawyer Spike Sanguinetti to take a well-earned rest on Corfu's beautiful north-east coast. But when the bloodied body of a young Albanian is found and a local man accused of his murder, Spike reluctantly agrees to take the case. Beneath the island's veneer of wealth and privilege Spike uncovers truths so damaging that those involved will go to any lengths to protect them. And when a vulnerable young woman disappears, Spike knows that there are some sleeping dogs he cannot let lie.

'Evocative, engrossing and entertaining' The Times

Happy Christmas from @DPemb



♠ Find Daniel on Twitter, , Facebook, or his website

♠ You can buy THE HARBOUR MASTER from your local bookstore or online from Amazon

Henk van der Pol is a 30-year-term policeman, a few months off retirement. When he finds a woman's body in Amsterdam Harbour, his detective instincts take over, even though it's not his jurisdiction. Warned off investigating the case, Henk soon realises he can trust nobody, as his search for the killer leads him to discover the involvement of senior police officers, government corruption in the highest places, Hungarian people traffickers, and a deadly threat to his own family...

'A debut novelist of rare skill' - Financial Times

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @JaneIsaacAuthor recommends...

Jane Isaac's favourite read of 2016 was I See You by Claire Mackintosh:


I See You by Clare Mackintosh

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation, no website: just a grainy image and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .


"Tense, pacy and evocative. An addictive thriller that played with human emotions and left me breathless."
Recommended by Jane Isaac, author of Beneath the Ashes
www.janeisaac.co.uk
http://twitter.com/janeisaacauthor

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @Sarah_Hilary recommends...

Sarah Hilary's favourite reads of 2016 were:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Me-Bad-Ali-Land-ebook/dp/B01HOCLK14?tag=brcrws-21
Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land (debut, out in Jan 2017)

Annie's mother is a serial killer.The only way she can make it stop is to hand her in to the police. But out of sight is not out of mind. As her mother's trial looms, the secrets of her past won't let Annie sleep, even with a new foster family and name - Milly. A fresh start. Now, surely, she can be whoever she wants to be. But Milly's mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water. Good me, bad me. She is, after all, her mother's daughter...

Creepy, edgy and addictively twisted. I loved it -- Sarah Hilary


Spook Street by Mick Herron
Spook Street by Mick Herron (coming in early 2017)

Twenty years retired, David Cartwright can still spot when the stoats are on his trail. Radioactive secrets and unfinished business go with the territory on Spook Street: he's always known there would be an accounting. And he's not as defenceless as they might think.

Jackson Lamb worked with Cartwright back in the day. He knows better than most that this is no vulnerable old man. 'Nasty old spook with blood on his hands' would be a more accurate description.'The old bastard' has raised his grandson with a head full of guts and glory. But far from joining the myths and legends of Spook Street, River Cartwright is consigned to Lamb's team of pen-pushing no-hopers at Slough House.

So it's Lamb they call to identify the body when Cartwright's panic button raises the alarm at Service HQ.And Lamb who will do whatever he thinks necessary, to protect an agent in peril...

Immensely satisfying and utterly brilliant --Sarah Hilary

Fireside Gothic by Andrew Taylor
Fireside Gothic by Andrew Taylor (short stories, out now)
BROKEN VOICES
It’s Christmas before the Great War and two lonely schoolboys have been forced into companionship. Left in the care of an elderly teacher, there is little to do but listen to his eerie tales about the nearby Cathedral. The boys concoct a plan to discover if the stories are true. But the Cathedral is filled with hidden dangers, and curiosity can prove fatal.

THE LEPER HOUSE
One stormy night in Suffolk, a man’s car breaks down following his sister’s funeral. The only source of light comes from a remote cottage by the sea. The mysterious woman who lives there begs him to leave, yet he can’t shake the sense that she somehow needs him. He attempts to return the next day but she is nowhere to be seen. And neither is the cottage.

THE SCRATCH
Clare and Gerald live a perfect life in the Forest of Dean with their cat, Cannop. Then Gerald’s young nephew comes to stay. Jack is from another world – active service in Afghanistan. The experience has left him outwardly untouched, but for a scratch that won’t heal. Jack and Cannop don't like each other. Clare and Jack like each other too much. The scratch begins to fester.

Appointment with Yesterday by Celia Fremlin
Appointment with Yesterday by Celia Fremlin

Celia Fremlin's eighth novel concerns a woman who calls herself Milly Barnes. But this is not her real name - for 'Milly' is on the run, driven by her terrible panic that at any moment the remorseless arm of the law will catch up with her.

'Not less horrible than illicit deaths are the horrors that lurk in female domesticity, and Celia Fremlin has long been the mistress of their fictional presentation. Here, in the best so far of her always good books, she has fused both, in an excellent terror novel.' TLS


Recommended by Sarah Hilary, author of Tastes Like Fear
Twitter.com/Sarah_Hilary


BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @LucyAtkins recommends

Lucy Atkins discovered the brilliant noir novels of Shirley Jackson in 2016

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Always-Castle-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141191457?tag=brcrws-21

Shirley Jackson was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the most iconic American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial,The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. In addition to her dark, brilliant novels, she wrote lightly fictionalized magazine pieces about family life with her four children and her husband, the critic Stanley Edgar Hyman. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep in 1965 at the age of 48.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson
Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.


♠ Recommended by Lucy Atkins, author of The Night Visitor, to be published in 2017
Twitter.com/lucyatkins

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @SJIHolliday recommends...

SJI Holliday recommends:

Jonathan Dark or the evidence of ghosts
Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts by A.K. Benedict

Maria King knows a secret London. Born blind, she knows the city by sound and touch and smell. But surgery has restored her sight - only for her to find she doesn't want it.

Jonathan Dark sees the shadowy side of the city. A DI with the Metropolitan Police, he is haunted by his failure to save a woman from the hands of a stalker. Now it seems the killer has set his sights on Maria, and is leaving her messages in the most gruesome of ways.

Tracing the source of these messages leads Maria and Jonathan to a London they never knew. Finding the truth will mean seeing a side to the city where life and death is a game played by the powerful, where everyone is lost but nothing is missing, and where all the answers are hiding, if only they listen to the whispers on the streets.

Shot through with love and loss, ghosts and grief, A K Benedict weaves a compelling mystery that will leave you looking over your shoulder and asking what lurks in the dark.

The Birdwatcher by William Shaw

The Birdwatcher by William Shaw

Sergeant William South has always avoided investigating murder. A passionate birdwatcher and quiet man, he has few relationships and prefers it that way.

But when his only friend is found brutally beaten, South's detachment is tested. Not only is he bereft - it seems that there's a connection between the suspect and himself.

For South has a secret. He knows the kind of rage that killed his friend. He knows the kind of man who could do it. He knows, because Sergeant William South himself is a murderer.

Moving from the storm-lashed, bird-wheeling skies of the Kent Coast to the wordless war of the Troubles, The Birdwatcher is a crime novel of suspense, intelligence and powerful humanity about fathers and sons, grief and guilt and facing the darkness within.

'Grips the reader by the throat and never lets go'

Recommended by SJI Holliday, author of The Damselfly
https://www.facebook.com/SJIHolliday/
https://twitter.com/SJIHolliday

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @PaulFinchAuthor recommends...

Paul Finch's favourite book of 2016 is The Cartel by Don Winslow

The Cartel by Don Winslow
It’s 2004. DEA agent Art Keller has been fighting the war on drugs for thirty years in a blood feud against Adan Barrera, the head of El Federación, the world’s most powerful cartel, and the man who brutally murdered Keller’s partner. Putting Barrera away costs Keller dearly – the woman he loves, the beliefs he cherishes, the life he wants to lead.

Then Barrera gets out, determined to rebuild the empire that Keller shattered. Unwilling to live in a world with Barrera in it, Keller goes on a ten-year odyssey to take him down.

The Cartel is a true-to-life story of power, corruption, revenge, honour and sacrifice, as one man tries to face down the devil without losing his soul.

"Don Winslow delivers his longest and finest novel yet in The Cartel. This is the War and Peace of dope-war books. Tense, brutal, wildly atmospheric, stunningly plotted, deeply etched. It’s got the jazz-dog feel of a shot of pure meth." --James Ellroy

Recommended by Paul Finch, author of Strangers
http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk/
twitter.com/paulfinchauthor

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @ThomasMogford recommends...

Thomas Mogford’s favourite crime novel of 2016 was A DEADLY THAW by Sarah Ward

A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward


Every secret has consequences.

Autumn 2004
In Bampton, Derbyshire, Lena Fisher is arrested for suffocating her husband, Andrew.

Spring 2016
A year after Lena's release from prison, Andrew is found dead in a disused mortuary.

Who was the man Lena killed twelve years ago, and who committed the second murder? When Lena disappears, her sister, Kat, sets out to follow a trail of clues delivered by a mysterious teenage boy. Kat must uncover the truth - before there's another death . . .


Brilliant! Great writing, excellent characters, what a plot! --Marian Keyes

♠ Recommended by Thomas Mogford

http://twitter.com/thomasmogford
www.thomasmogford.com




Giveaway! For @William1Shaw's readers: You could win a weekend in Kent

http://williamshaw.com/win-two-nights-dungeness/

William Shaw is offering one of his readers the chance to win two nights in Dungeness on the Kent coast, which is the setting for his acclaimed book, The Birdwatcher.

You could win two bed-and-breakfast nights for one at a wonderful traditional hand-built wooden chalet, situated on the shingle beach. Hosted by Bridget and the house’s owner, local artist Paddy, you’ll have a cosy bedroom in this home, which was built around a First-Class Pullman railway carriage, right on the seaward point of this amazing promontory.

You’ll also win a signed hardback of The Birdwatcher.

For details of how to enter, visit this link: http://williamshaw.com/win-two-nights-dungeness/

Exclusive BritCrime newsletter giveaway

We have two new releases from Caroline Mitchell for this month's BritCrime newletter giveaway. One subscriber will be chosen at random to win a print copy of each book. You can sign up here: http://britcrime.com/newsletter
Love You to Death by Caroline Mitchell
Twenty years ago you were forced to give your daughter up. Now she’s back. Or is she?
Women who’ve had to give up children for adoption are being killed. A knock at their front door begins a nightmare from which they will never wake up.
East London Detective Ruby Preston and her team must hunt down a disturbed individual before someone else is taken. But when bodies start turning up, staged in perfect, domestic scenes, it carries the echo of a memory in Ruby's mind. The tinkling of a music box. A mother and child reunion...
Then just as Ruby thinks they've made a breakthrough, she receives a sinister email, and the case takes a terrifying personal twist.
Can Ruby catch the killer before they strike again? Or will her troubled past catch up with her first?
Witness by Caroline Mitchell
It’s been ten years since Rebecca’s testimony saw Solomon locked away for domestic abuse. One day she receives a message from him: for each of the ten years he has spent in jail, Rebecca must witness a crime. And, to make matters worse, she has to choose the victims.
Fail to respond and you get hurt. Talk to police and you die. Ready to play? You have sixty seconds to decide…
As the crimes grow more severe, the victims closer to home, Rebecca is forced to confront a past she had hoped was gone forever.
We will pick a name at random from among our newsletter subscribers. Like all our giveaways, this one is open internationally. We will email you if your name is drawn. Please just make sure that you're on our list! http://britcrime.com/newsletter
Congratulations to Stacia who won a copy of Rachel Amphlett's new release, Scared to Death, last month.

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @WriterMels recommends...

Mel Sherratt's favourite book of 2016 is While My Eyes Were Closed by Linda Green.

While My Eyes Were Closed
One, two, three . . . Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to one hundred during a game of hide-and-seek. 

When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter Ella is gone. Disappeared without a trace. 

The police, the media and Lisa's family all think they know who snatched Ella. 

But what if the person who took her isn't a stranger? 

What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? 

And what if Lisa's little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?

'A beautifully crafted novel of knife-edge suspense'

♠ Recommended by Mel Sherratt, author of The Girls Next Door
http://twitter.com/writermels
www.melsherratt.co.uk

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author Helen Smith recommends...

Helen Smith's book of the year is Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant.

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant
It starts with a lie. The kind we've all told - to a former acquaintance we can't quite place but still, for some reason, feel the need to impress. The story of our life, embellished for the benefit of the happily married lawyer with the kids and the lovely home.

And the next thing you know, you're having dinner at their house, and accepting an invitation to join them on holiday - swept up in their perfect life, the kind you always dreamed of...

Which turns out to be less than perfect. But by the time you're trapped and sweating in the relentless Greek sun, burning to escape the tension all around you - by the time you start to realise that, however painful the truth might be, it's the lies that cause the real damage...

... well, by then, it could just be too late.


An unsettling, disturbing but utterly brilliant, gripping read with a terrific twist

♠ Recommended by Helen Smith, author of The Emily Castles mysteries
Helen Smith's books on Amazon
twitter.com/emperorsclothes
instagram.com/emperorsclothes
helensmithbooks.com

New Writer in Residence: Author @Marnie_Riches

Marnie Riches
You can find Marnie on BritCrime's Twitter and Facebook accounts this week.

Marnie Riches grew up on a rough estate in Manchester, aptly within sight of the dreaming spires of Strangeways prison. She swapped those for the spires of Cambridge University, gaining a Masters degree in Modern & Medieval Dutch and German.

She has been a punk, a trainee rock star, a pretend artist, a property developer and professional fundraiser. In her spare time, she likes to run, renovate houses and paint. Oh, and drinking. She likes a drink. And eating. She likes that too. Especially in exotic destinations.

The Girl Who Had No FearHer George McKenzie crime thrillers for adults were inspired, in part, by her own youth and time spent in The Netherlands as a student. The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die launched to great acclaim in early 2015, won The Patricia Highsmith Award for most exotic location in a novel at the Dead Good Reader Awards 2015 and went on to be an Amazon top 100 bestseller. The follow-up, The Girl Who Broke the Rules was in the Suspense top 50 for months and months, being heralded as "one of the best sequels ever" by readers and being voted by many book-bloggers as one of their top 10 reads of the year.

The Girl Who Had No Fear has just been released. Buy it today for only £2.99

Website: www.marnieriches.com
Twitter: @Marnie_Riches
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marnie-Riches-author-196117983745658/

♠ Marnie's Top Five Baddies She Loves to Hate
♠ Marnie talks about winning a Dead Good Reader Award

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @NickQuantrill recommends...

Nick Quantrill's book of the year is Fever City by Tim Baker.

Fever City by Tim Baker

Nick Alston, a Los Angeles private investigator, is hired to find the kidnapped son of America's richest and most hated man.

Hastings, a mob hitman in search of redemption, is also on the trail. But both men soon become ensnared by a sinister cabal that spreads from the White House all the way to Dealey Plaza.

Decades later in Dallas, Alston's son stumbles across evidence from JFK conspiracy buffs that just might link his father to the shot heard round the world.

Violent, vivid, visceral: FEVER CITY is a high-octane, nightmare journey through a Mad Men-era America of dark powers, corruption and conspiracy.

Shortlisted for the John Creasey New Blood Dagger.

♠ Recommended by Nick Quantrill, author of The Dead Can't Talk.
Nick Quantrill's books on Amazon
twitter.com/nickquantrill
www.nickquantrill.co.uk

BritCrime's Best Books of 2016: Author @CallyTaylor recommends...

Cally Taylor's book of the year is The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Dead-Belinda-Bauer/dp/059307551X?tag=brcrws-21
There’s no safety in numbers . . .

Eve Singer needs death. With her career as a TV crime reporter flagging, she’ll do anything to satisfy her ghoulish audience.

The killer needs death too. He even advertises his macabre public performances, where he hopes to show the whole world the beauty of dying.

When he contacts Eve, she welcomes the chance to be first with the news from every gory scene. Until she realizes that the killer has two obsessions.

One is public murder.

And the other one is her . . .

'A masterclass in storytelling. Crime novels don't get much better than this. I loved it.'


♠ Recommended by C.L. Taylor, author of The Missing.
C. L. Taylor's books on Amazon
Facebook.com/CallyTaylorAuthor
Twitter.com/callytaylor
Instagram.com/CLTaylorAuthor

#Giveaway for BritCrime newsletter subscribers

This month we're giving away a print copy of Rachel Amphlett's new release, Scared to Death, to one BritCrime newsletter subscriber.

When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong. But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession. When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised. With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life. For the killer, the game has only just begun... 

Scared to Death is the first book in a new crime thriller series featuring Kay Hunter – a detective with a hidden past and an uncertain future…

We will pick a name at random from among our newsletter subscribers to win this book. We will email you if your name is drawn.

Congratulations to John who won a copy of Michael J Malone's new thriller, A Suitable Lie, in last month's giveaway.

New BritCrime Writer in Residence: Rebecca Bradley


BritCrime's New Writer in Residence is Rebecca Bradley.

Rebecca Bradley is a retired police detective who lives in Nottinghamshire with her family and two cockapoo's Alfie and Lola, who keep her company while she writes. Rebecca needs to drink copious amounts of tea to function throughout the day and if she could, she would survive on a diet of tea and cake while committing murder on a regular basis.


Please make sure you're following @BritCrime on Twitter and Facebook so you don't miss out on news and updates.

 Made to be Broken by Rebecca Bradley

Made to Be Broken by Rebecca Bradley
A rising death toll. A city in panic.

A young mother is found dead in her home with no obvious cause of death. As DI Hannah Robbins and her team investigate, it soon becomes clear that the woman is the first in a long line of murders by poison.

With the body count climbing, and the city of Nottingham in social meltdown, the team finds themselves in a deadly race against a serial killer determined to prove a point.

And Hannah finds herself targeting an individual with whom she has more in common than she could possibly know.

Get Made to Be Broken from Amazon

Rebeccabradleycrime.com
@RebeccaJBradley
Facebook.com/RebeccaBradleyCrime



Cover Reveal: Quieter Than Killing by Sarah Hilary

Quieter Than Killing by Sarah Hilary
We're delighted to reveal the cover for the new DI Marnie Rome novel by Sarah Hilary

'You only ever ask that. Why did I do it? You never ask what they did.'

The winter cold is biting, and a series of assaults is pulling DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake out into the frosty, mean streets of London far more than they'd like. The attacks seem random, but when Marnie's family home is ransacked, there are signs that the burglary can have only been committed by a child - and someone who knows all about her. It will take a prison visit to her foster brother, Stephen, to help Marnie see the connections - and to force both her and Noah to face the truth about the creeping, chilling reaches of a troubled upbringing. For how can a damaged child really leave their past behind them?

Hugely compelling, intelligent and full of emotional impact, QUIETER THAN KILLING has all the twists and turns that have marked Sarah Hilary out as an award-winning crime writer to be savoured.

Hardback: 9781472241108 £16.99 9th March 2017

Ebook: 9781472226457 9th March 2017

Export / Airside / Ireland Trade paperback: 9781472226440 £14.99 9th March 2017

Audio Download: 9781472226464 £19.99 9th March 2017

Pre-Order Quieter Than Killing from Amazon 
More about the DI Marnie Rome series on Amazon

New BritCrime Writer in Residence: Helen Cadbury



Helen Cadbury is a British crime writer whose debut, To Catch a Rabbit, was joint winner of the Northern Crime Competition 2012. First published by Moth Publishing, it was re-released in a new edition by Allison & Busby in January 2015.

http://amzn.to/1J7YseVWHSmith readers voted To Catch a Rabbit as no. 12 in top crime books they would like to see on screen and in October 2015, it was selected in the Yorkshire Post’s top 12 books since the millennium, that best define Yorkshire.

http://amzn.to/20eaxZUHelen's second novel, Bones in the Nest, was published by Allison and Busby in July 2015 and is also available as an audio book from Audible.

Both books were recently optioned for TV by Red Planet Pictures.

Before turning to writing fiction, Helen was a professional actor and a teacher, including several years teaching in the prison service. She also writes poetry and plays.

Website: www.helencadbury.com
Twitter: @helencadbury
Facebook: Facebook.com/helencadburyauthor
Helen Cadbury's books on Amazon.

Five Ghost and Horror Stories to make your Spine Tingle

by Daniel Pembrey

With Halloween just round the corner, we wanted to give you a curated list of ghost and horror stories to really make your spine tingle. These picks come from five BritCrime members who will be appearing on a Halloween Crime and Horror panel at Waterstones King’s Road in London on Tuesday 1st November

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
SJI Holliday’s pick: The Woman In Black (1983) by Susan Hill

“Arthur Kipps, still traumatised after the horrific and tragic events that he witnessed many years before, reluctantly recounts the tale of his time spent at Eel Marsh House and the mysterious "Woman in Black" who haunted him then and still haunts him now. A dark gothic mansion on marshland cut off at high tide, banging doors, creaky rocking chairs and things that go bump in the night - this for me is the ultimate, classic ghost story. I read this book with a feeling of utter dread in my chest throughout, so tense it often made me forget to breathe. As Kipps says at the end ... They have asked for my story. I have told it. Enough.”

The Shining by Stephen King
Amanda Jennings' pick: The Shining (1977) by Stephen King

“Jack Torrance becomes caretaker of the remote, unoccupied Overlook Hotel with his wife and son, Danny. Soon Danny, who possesses 'the shining', begins to witness the hotel's gruesome past in horrifying visions. When the snow comes, the hotel is cut off from the rest of the world and supernatural forces push Jack's sanity to the edge and threaten his family. Claustrophobic, atmospheric and downright terrifying, The Shining bewitched me as a teen. Unable to read fast enough it scared me so much I had to leave it outside my bedroom so the words couldn't get me in my sleep.”
Therese Raquin by Emile Zola

Thomas Mogford’s pick: Thérèse Raquin (1867) by Emile Zola

“This classic French novel tells of how Thérèse and her lover, Laurent, bump off Thérèse’s husband, Camille, in a fake boating accident, and are fatally haunted by the consequences. It’s meant to be an example of ‘naturalism’ – cold scientific observation transposed to literature – but the supernatural and macabre bubble irresistibly to the surface. I’d love to write an updated version, but Michael Dibdin’s already done that in the brilliant Dirty Tricks (1991)."

The Vanishing by Tim Krabbe
Daniel Pembrey’s pick: The Vanishing (1984) by Tim Krabbe

"The Vanishing is about a young Dutch woman who disappears at a busy petrol station while going on holiday with her boyfriend. It has been adapted to the big screen twice (the Dutch version being the film to watch), and explores chance, the dark margins of consciousness and the agony of not knowing a beloved one’s fate. Just 115 pages long, it contains perhaps the most unsettling ending I’ve ever read in fiction."

Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins
Sarah Ward's pick: The Haunted Hotel (1879) by Wilkie Collins

“A glamorous Countess asks a doctor for his professional opinion as to whether she is evil or insane. About to be married to Lord Montbarry who has broken off his engagement to another woman, the Countess is convinced the jilted bride will be her downfall. In a Venetian hotel, a haunted room begins to bring the prophecy to pass. A classic ghost story in the Victorian Gothic tradition.”

Over to you: which stories you scared you most?

Waterstones Crime and Horror Event, 1st November, King's Road, London

Chelsea has served as home to many stars of the horror genre, including Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, writer Dennis Wheatley and of course Dracula-creator Bram Stoker. Join contemporary crime and horror writers SJI Holliday, Amanda Jennings, Thomas Mogford, Daniel Pembrey and Sarah Ward for this ghoulish celebration of dark delights.

The authors, who have set their novels across Europe, will also discuss the impact of location on their writing. SJI Holliday is the author of the Banktoun trilogy, set in East Lothian; Amanda Jennings based her novel In Her Wake in Cornwall; Thomas Mogford uses Gibraltar as the setting for his Spike Sanguinetti series; Daniel Pembrey's new Henk van der Pol detective series is set in Amsterdam; and Sarah Ward has the Peak District as the location for her Bampton series.





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Estate Series by Mel Sherratt
The Estate Series by Mel Sherratt is 99p
The Estate Series – fiction with an emotional punch from the number one bestselling author. Over half a million copies of her books sold worldwide. With over 1000 5* and 4* reviews across the series, you can now get a box-set of the first 3 full-length novels.


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New Release: Strangers by Paul Finch

Strangers by Paul Finch
A stranger is just a killer you haven’t met yet… 

The SUNDAY TIMES bestseller returns with the next big thing to hit the shelves. If you haven’t discovered Paul Finch yet, this book will have you hooked.
Unknown, alone, and fearing for your life: as PC Lucy Clayburn is about to find out, going undercover is the most dangerous work there is.
But, on the trail of a prolific female serial killer, there's no other option – and these murders are as brutal as they come. Lucy must step into the line of fire – a stranger in a criminal underworld that butchers anyone who crosses the line.
And, unknown to Lucy, she's already treading it…

Giveaway: A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone

A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone
We have another print book giveaway exclusively for newsletter subscribers this month. One winner will be drawn at random to receive Michael J Malone's new thriller, A Suitable Lie.
Some secrets should never be kept… Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match … and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it. A dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. A brave, deeply moving psychological thriller which marks a stunning departure for one of Scotland's top crime writers.
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Pre-Order THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR for 99p

Girls Next Door
THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR by bestselling British author Mel Sherratt is out on 27 October and you can preorder the ebook for only 99p.

This is a new series with a new lead character, Detective Sergeant Eden Berrisford, but for anyone who has read THE ESTATE SERIES, it is set in the same fictional city, Stockleigh, so some of the old characters pop up here and there.

One warm spring evening, five teenagers meet in a local park. Only four will come out alive.

Six months after the stabbing of sixteen-year-old Deanna Barker, someone is coming after the teenagers of Stockleigh, as a spate of vicious assaults rocks this small community. Revenge for Deanna? Or something more?

Detective Eden Berrisford is locked into a race against time to catch the twisted individual behind the attacks – but when her own niece, Jess Mountford, goes missing, the case gets personal.

With the kidnapper threatening Jess’s life, can Eden bring back her niece to safety? Or will the people of Stockleigh be forced to mourn another daughter…?


A terrifying, compelling, police procedural which will thrill fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Rachel Abbott.

Praise for Mel Sherratt

‘Sherratt is a unique voice in detective fiction.’ Mail on Sunday

‘A writer to watch out for.’ Mandasue Heller

‘Mel’s vivid imagination really brings her characters to life.’ Kerry Wilkinson

You can preorder THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR from Amazon here.

New Release Mysteries and Thrillers by British Authors

Before I Let You In by Jenny Blackhurst
Karen is meant to be the one who fixes problems. It's her job, as a psychiatrist - and it's always been her role as a friend. But Jessica is different. She should be the patient, the one that Karen helps. But she knows things about Karen. Her friends, her personal life. Things no patient should know.
And Karen is starting to wonder if she should have let her in . . .
More about Before I Let You In at Amazon

A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone
Some secrets should never be kept… Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match … and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it. A dangerous mistake that could cost him everything.
More about A Suitable Lie at Amazon


A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward
Autumn 2004: In Bampton, Derbyshire, Lena Fisher is arrested for suffocating her husband, Andrew.
Spring 2016: A year after Lena's release from prison, Andrew is found dead in a disused mortuary.
Who was the man Lena killed twelve years ago, and who committed the second murder? When Lena disappears, her sister, Kat, sets out to follow a trail of clues delivered by a mysterious teenage boy. Kat must uncover the truth - before there's another death . . .
More about A Deadly Thaw at Amazon

The Dead Don't Boogie by Douglas Skelton
A missing teenage girl should be an easy job for Dominic Queste - after all, finding lost souls is what he does best. But sometimes it's better if those souls stay lost. Jenny Deavers is trouble, especially for an ex-cokehead like Queste. Some truly nasty characters are very keen indeed to get to Jenny, and will stop at nothing...including murder. As the bodies pile up, Queste has to use all his street smarts both to protect Jenny and to find out just who wants her dead. The trail leads him to a vicious world of brutal gangsters, merciless hitmen, dark family secrets and an insatiable lust for power in the highest echelons of politics.
More about The Dead Don't Boogie at Amazon

Killer Women Crime Club Anthology
Blade-sharp and pared to the bone, these original stories by bestselling, award-winning female crime writers will lure you to the dark side. Fifteen perfectly twisted tales with a measure of evil, a dash of horror, and a dose of humour. Expect the unexpected…
Fifteen original stories by Jane Casey, Tammy Cohen, Sarah Hilary, Alison Joseph, Erin Kelly, Alex Marwood, Kate Medina, Colette McBeth, Melanie McGrath, D. E. Meredith, Louise Millar, Kate Rhodes, Helen Smith, Louise Voss and Laura Wilson, with a foreword by Val McDermid.
More about Killer Women Crime Club Anthology at Amazon