Blog Tour: Whiteout by Ragnar Jonasson

Today, I’m pleased to be hosting the next stop on the blog tour for Whiteout, written by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Quentin Bates and published by Orenda Books.

The Blurb:

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kalfshamarvik. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop?

With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thor Arason discovers that the victim’s mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier…

This is the last instalment in the Dark Icelandic series which for me is bitter-sweet as I’ve adored each and every one of this books.

This novel again features the lovable hero Ari Thor, who is pulled into investigate with his old-partner Tomas in the very north of the Island. But with Christmas merely days away and the imminent birth of his first child, can Ari discover the truth behind the ‘supposed’ suicides in time?

What I say:

 I loved this novel and thought this final instalment was the author’s best story yet. The novel is broken up into three parts: A Prelude to a Death, Lies and Innocence which I thought was a clever device. I don’t want to give the story away but I really enjoyed the passages with Asta, in A Prelude to a Death, who is later found at the bottom of the cliffs as it really set up a brilliant mystery and immediately captured my attention.

Ari Thor is back in this story (yey!) and this time he brings along his pregnant girlfriend, Kristen with him on a journey to the north as he tries to uncover a killer. It was really good to see more of this relationship, especially since Kirsten is pregnant and their relationship is at the heart of Ari’s life and the series as a whole.

This story is a slow burner, very much your classic golden crime novel which slowly builds in tension and slowly draws you deeper into the story which I thought was reminiscent of classic crime story telling.

Again, the author’s ability to bring such an atmospheric and harsh climate really came to life in this book along with a brilliant mystery. The Icelandic landscape, the author’s beautiful descriptions and brilliant way he draws you into a captivating tale really sets this series apart. If you haven’t read the others yet, I would encourage you to do so – as soon as you can!

About the Author:

Ragnar Jonasson is author of the international bestselling Dark Iceland series. Ragnar was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he continues to work as a lawyer. He also teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University and has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV-news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Ragnar is a member of the UK Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) and set up its first overseas chapter in Reykjavik. He is also the co-founder of the international crime-writing festival Iceland Noir. From the age of 17, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic. He has appeared on festival panels worldwide, and lives in Reykjavik with his wife and young daughters.

Big thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books, and Anne Cater for my ARC.

You can purchase Whiteout from Amazon here or Waterstones here. 

To find out more about Ragnar Jonasson follow him on Twitter at @ragnarjo.

Don’t forget to check out all the other fab stops on this blog tour!

Blog Tour: Know Me Now by CJ Carver

Today, I’m thrilled to be hosting the next stop on the Blog Tour for Know Me Now written by CJ Carver and published by Bonnier Zaffre. As part of the tour, I have some exclusive extract from the author herself sharing her experience on writing fiction and how her research influences this.

First up the Blurb:

A SUICIDE. A MURDER. A CONSPIRACY. 
DIGGING UP THE PAST CAN BE DEADLY . . .

A thirteen-year-old boy commits suicide.

A sixty-five-year old man dies of a heart attack.

Dan Forrester, ex-MI5 officer, is connected to them both. 

And when he discovers that his godson and his father have been murdered, he teams up with his old friend, DC Lucy Davies, to find answers.

But as the pair investigate, they unravel a dark and violent mystery stretching decades into the past and uncover a terrible secret.

A secret someone will do anything to keep buried . . . 

Stranger than Fiction by CJ Carver

I always immerse myself in research, learning as much as I can so I can write with authority.  At least, that’s my excuse when I find myself at the airport headed somewhere I’ve never been before. Like Macedonia. Or Kosovo. Queensland. Alaska.

If I hadn’t actually travelled to Alaska, I would never have created the character Malone, who dresses head to toe in animal skins and has what appears to be a dead rabbit sitting on his head.  Also, I wouldn’t have met the Alaskan trooper who, when I was talking with her, took a call from a householder who needed help getting a moose out of her house.  Apparently it had walked through her open sliding doors and when it tried to turn around, its antlers got stuck, panicking the creature into trashing the entire ground floor.  The Trooper drove over there quick smart, and shot the beast.  Everyone on the street had fresh moose to eat for the week.

In Macedonia, I was researching human trafficking.  It wasn’t exactly a tourist destination back then and the international community were convinced I was some kind of spy and wouldn’t let me go anywhere on my own.  Which was probably a good thing as I was eternally grateful for my government escort in the Tetevo region, part of which was run by a particularly brutal gang back then.  They’d ‘break’ young girls into prostitution, and when one particular girl tried to run away, the gang leader hacked off her head and roped it to the front of his car as a lesson to the other girls.

I’ve met SOCO’s, DCI’s, SAS, SIS, RMP’s and fighter pilots.  You would be amazed what people tell a stranger.  Perhaps I have the kind of face that elicits confessions, but I am constantly amazed at what stories I hear.

Like the fisherman in Queensland who took me out in his little tin boat to show me where the biggest salt-water crocodile lived.  He told me about the giant cod caught out at sea the previous week, nearly six-foot long, and how when it was gutted a man’s head rolled out.  Morgan cod hoover up their food off the ocean bed, and the head was apparently wholly intact when it rolled onto a filleting table at the A Fine Kettle o’Fish filleting factory in Cairns.

When I wanted to use this as a plot device, my editor wouldn’t have it.  She insisted that it was too unbelievable even if it was true.

What about a drug that erases memories?  Another snort from my editor, but this is actual science, and became the basis for my first Dan Forrester thriller, Spare Me The Truth.  If scientists can remove a specific memory from the brains of rats while leaving the rest of the animals’ memories intact, why not humans?

I love true-life stories.  They are oxygen to my creative mind and if I didn’t listen half as well, I have no doubt I wouldn’t hear quite as much.

©CJ Carver 2017

About the Author:

CJ Carver is a half-English, half-kiwi, author living just outside Bath. She lived in Australia for ten years before taking up long-distance rally driving – she has driven London to Saigon, London to Cape Town, and completed 14,500 miles on the Inca Trail.

Since then she has written nine critically acclaimed novels that have been published in the UK, USA and translated into several languages.  CJ’s first novel Blood Junction won the CWA Debut Dagger and was short listed for the USA Barry Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel of the Year.  Spare Me the Truth, the first in the Forrester and Davies series, was shortlisted for the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Best Crime Novel Award.

Know Me Now isn’t quite out yet, but the good news is you can preorder the ebook which is out on the 14th December, or the Paperback which is out on 11th January 2018 from Amazon here or Waterstones here.

To find out more about CJ Carver follow her on Twitter at @C_J_Carver.

Don’t forget to check out all the other fab stops on this blog tour!

Blog Tour: CWA Anthology Mystery Tour

Today I’m thrilled to be hosting a stop on the Blog Tour for the CWA Anthology of Short Stores, Mystery Tour, which has been edited by Martin Edwards and published by the fabulous Orenda Books. As part of the tour I have reviewed a selection of the stories and also have a fab giveaway to offer one lucky winner, but more more of that to come….

The Blurb:

Crime spreads across the globe in this new collection of short stories from the Crime Writer’s Association, as a conspiracy of prominent crime authors take you on a world mystery tour.

Highlights of the trip include a treacherous cruise to French Polynesia, a horrifying trek in South Africa, a murderous train-ride across Ukraine and a vengeful killing in Mumbai. But back home in the UK, life isn’t so easy either. Dead bodies turn up on the backstreets of Glasgow, crime writers turn words into deeds at literary events, and Lady Luck seems to guide the fate of a Twickenham hood. Showcasing the range, breadth and vitality of the contemporary crime-fiction genre, these twenty-eight chilling and unputdownable stories will take you on a trip you’ll never forget.

Contributions from:

Ann Cleeves, C.L. Taylor, Susi Holliday 

Martin Edwards, Anna Mazzola, Carol Anne Davis 

Cath Staincliffe, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson 

Ed James, Gordon Brown, J.M. Hewitt, Judith Cutler 

Julia Crouch, Kate Ellis, Kate Rhodes, Martine Bailey 

Michael Stanley, Maxim Jakubowski, Paul Charles 

Paul Gitsham, Peter Lovesey, Ragnar Jónasson 

Sarah Rayne, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Vaseem Khan 

William Ryan and William Burton McCormick

And edited by Martin Edwards

I loved reading this fabulous collection of short stories! There were crimes ranging from blackmail, guilt and just plain old revenge!

I don’t usually read short stories but this collection is just so diverse and riveting it made such a refreshing change. The stories themselves are cleverly written and each story is self-contained. I have only read a selection of these stories but I will be dipping into these stories over the coming cold winter evenings, snuggling up with a nice cuppa while these fantastic writers scare me.

My top stories so far include:

The Queen of Mystery by Anne Cleeves – This is about a woman writer at the top of her game and the lengths some people will go to stay on top…this literally packed a punch.

Return to the Lake by Anna Mazzola – features a young woman who returns to the scene of a mystery from her childhood, trying to deal with what happened. This was very atmospheric and emotive.

Accounting for Murder by Christine Poulson – this story was cleverly told through receipts which draws you in to slowly reveal a twisted tale of betrayal. I don’t want to say anymore because this was a refreshing and fantastic way to tell a story.

Wife on Tour by Julia Crouch – this story is about a wife fed up with the way her husband treats her and decides to take the ultimate revenge. I can’t say anything more than just brilliant.

Snowbird by Kate Rhodes – A story about a man who moves to a beautiful new town  after retiring from his career. But is there something dangerous lurking in the shadows? Oh this tale was so descriptive drawing you into a sinister tale of revenge….

Writer’s Block by Paul Gitsham – A story about a failing writer who gets caught up in a crime he hadn’t intended. Very cleverly plotted and just devious.

A Postcard from Iceland by Ragnar Jonasson – This is one of the shortest tales in the anthology but still manages to get you. Brilliantly atmospheric and draws you in to a fantastic climax, it’s still very mysterious.

A Slight Change of Plan by Susi Holliday – this is a tale of twisted love and a man out for revenge. I can’t even describe what this is about without giving it away but it showcases the superbly evil mind of Susi Holliday.

If there is one book you should read this winter than it is this anthology. It is one of those books you can just dip in and out off, picking a story at random which will take you on a short adventure for the evening and I can tell you some of those stories I’ve read are just so twisted and dark, it will keep you thinking…

Big thanks to Orenda Books and the fantastic Anne Cater for allowing me to be a part of this tour and for my ARC.

This publication isn’t out until 15th November 2017 but the good news is you can preorder your copy from Amazon here.

Now for the Giveaway Alert!!

So now I have a fantastic giveaway, arranged by Anne Cater and the publisher, for lucky winner to win a copy of Julia Crouch’s latest novel, Her Husband’s Lover, who is one of the author’s from this fab anthology.

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ONE COPY of HER HUSBAND’S LOVER BY JULIA CROUCH

•  Retweet one of my tweets about the giveaway (@emms_rachel) 
• OR comment on the post below with your favourite crime motive. I think you can’t beat some good old fashioned revenge. (You’ll need to follow me on Twitter, so that I can send you a direct message if you win.)
• Rules: 
Only one entry per reader.
• Open to UK residents only.
• I will draw the winners at random. There will be no cash alternative
• The competition closes for entries at 13.00pm GMT on Monday 13th November 2017
• My decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

 

Don’t forget to check out the other fab stops on this blog tour!

Blog Tour: In The Dark by Andreas Pfluger

Today I’m on the blog tour for In The Dark by Andreas Pfluger, published by Head of Zeus. For the tour I have a Q&A with the author himself to talk about his new novel and all things writing. As always please check out all the other stops on this tour.

The Blurb:

She lost her sight, but she can still see the truth… Jenny Aaron was once part of an elite police unit tracking Germany’s most dangerous criminals. She was the best. Until it all went wrong. A disastrous mission saw her abandon a wounded colleague and then lose her sight forever. Now, five years later, she has learnt to navigate a darkened world. But she’s still haunted by her betrayal. Why did she run? Then she receives a call from the unit. They need her back. A prison psychologist has been brutally murdered. And the killer will only speak to one person…

Welcome to the CKT blog, Andreas

To start off with, could you tell us about your new novel In The Dark?

It’s about Jenny Aaron. She is a very skilled lady – physical and intellectual – and belongs to a German special police unit called “the Department”, where she is the only woman under forty men. The story starts in Barcelona, where Aaron loses her eyesight in a shooting. She fight  back to life and five years later she comes to Berlin for the first time after going  blind. A prisoner is accused of having killed a woman in jail. And he only wants to talk to one person: Jenny Aaron.

Your main protagonist has lost her sight but still needs to track down a serial killer. Did you find it easy to write from her point of view or did you find this a challenge?

The main story isn’t about the hunt for a serial killer. This man is only the reason why she is returning to Berlin. IN THE DARK is about another duel: between Aaron and the men who shot that bullet into her head – her nemeses.

No, it was not easy to create a book like this. It was the biggest challenge of my artistic life. To write a novel from the point of view of a blind person means the same as if asking somebody who is blind by birth to write a book from the point of view of a seeing person. I didn’t know that when I started but I had to learn it.

Your novel has such an interesting concept, especially with your main character. How did you come up with the idea for your new novel?

I was reading a biography of Jacques Lusseyran, a French philosopher who went blind by the age of nine in 1930. When the Nazis occupied France he became the head of a resistance cell in Paris. He talked to every new candidate for the cell in confidence. It was risky because they never knew if some Nazi agent was among them. But Lusseyran’s people had great trust in him and said: “Let’s wait till the blind man has seen him.” This was the big bang of my novel: A blind police woman who was able to distinguish the truth from the lie in a way only a blind person could.

How did you get into writing, both as a scriptwriter and as a published author? Have you always wanted to write?

I wanted to become a writer as long as I can remember. When I was eight I wrote little stories and sold them to my family for half a Deutschmark. You see I always had a strong feeling for the economic side of the business. And I never saw myself a screenwriter. I am a storyteller, it doesn’t matter if it’s a film or a novel.

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process, do you plot your story out first or dive right in and see where it takes you? Do you have a different writing process for your novel writing compared to your scriptwriting?

When I write for film I always develop a plan, a kind of a roadmap, a treatment with a beginning, a middle and an end. A screenplay has a lot to do with mathematics. You have to follow rules. Nobody has invented it anew in the last eighty years. While writing a novel you are much more free in your storytelling. Not even because you don’t have to think about a budget, but mainly because you make up your rules yourselves. I start with a very vague idea and let my figures tell their stories. More or less I’m only their chronographer. All the time I get surprised by them. Sometimes they do things that I don’t understand or do not approve. But it’s their lives not mine.

Are you working on anything at the moment, if so could you tell us a little bit about it without giving too much away?

The books about Jenny Aaron are a trilogy. The second part came out in Germany in the beginning of October. It takes place in Sweden, Berlin, Rome, Marrakesh and Avignon and, like IN THE DARK, is a story about revenge. At the end of the year I’ll start to write the third book with my blind heroine. To be true – I still don’t know what will happen. But as I said: That’s the way I write novels. It’s always an adventure and a journey in an unknown land.

And finally, just for fun, if you could have a dinner party for three select guests, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Raymond Chandler, my favourite crime writer.

Sengo Muramasa, the best Japanese swordsmith (because Jenny Aaron follows the Bushido, the codex of the samurai.)

Winston Churchill, the politician I most admire.

Thank you so much, Andreas for taking the time to answer my questions for my blog.

About the Author: Andreas Pflüger is a German screenwriter and author. He has written a number of episodes of the hugely popular German police procedural Tatort. In the Dark is published in eight languages.