Three women have been found brutally murdered in south London, the victims only feet away from help during each sadistic attack. And the killer is getting braver . . .
Sarah Grainger is rapidly becoming too afraid to leave her house. Once an outgoing photographer, she knows that someone is watching her. A cryptic note brings everything into terrifying focus, but it's the chilling phone calls that take the case to another level.
DI Mike Lockyer heads up the regional murder squad. With three bodies on his watch, and a killer growing in confidence, he frantically tries to find the link between these seemingly isolated incidents. What he discovers will not only test him professionally but will throw his personal life into turmoil too.
Under the debut spotlight today is crime writer Clare Donoghue and her debut novel Never Look Back which is published this Thursday.
After ten years in London, working for a City law firm, Clare Donoghue moved back to her home town in Somerset to undertake an MA in creative writing at Bath Spa University. Never Look Back is her first novel and in 2011, whilst still an unpublished manuscript, was long-listed for the CWA Debut Dagger.
Three women have been found brutally murdered in south London, the victims only feet away from help during each sadistic attack. And the killer is getting braver . . .
Sarah Grainger is rapidly becoming too afraid to leave her house. Once an outgoing photographer, she knows that someone is watching her. A cryptic note brings everything into terrifying focus, but it's the chilling phone calls that take the case to another level.
DI Mike Lockyer heads up the regional murder squad. With three bodies on his watch, and a killer growing in confidence, he frantically tries to find the link between these seemingly isolated incidents. What he discovers will not only test him professionally but will throw his personal life into turmoil too.
Can you tell us a little bit about your debut book Never Look Back?
I find it quite difficult describing the book without rewriting it but I’ll give it a go. Never Look Back follows Detective Inspector Mike Lockyer and his ‘murder squad’ team as they try to catch Lewisham’s first ever serial killer. We also meet Sarah Grainger, a freeland photographer whose life is being dismantled by a stalker. When she finally goes to the police, Detective Sergeant Jane Bennett is assigned to her case. Jane is DI Lockyer’s right hand and she soon realises that there is a crossover in the two investigations. Mired down with his own personal demons Lockyer has to find the link and discover why these girls are being targeted and stop the body count rising.
This week I've been very fortunate to have received advance copies of a couple of 2014 books by debut authors which has sparked the idea for this blog post to look ahead at some of the exciting new authors to look out for in the Spring...
How to Get a (Love) Life by Rosie Blake, which is due to be published by Novelicious Books in January, is the tale of Nicola Brown, an uptight and introverted young woman who has never had a date on Valentine’s Day. Following a bet with a work colleague, Nicola has to put aside her hang ups to go on as many dates as she possibly can in order to find the perfect man in time for February 14th.
Long Way Home by Eva Dolan (2nd Jan)
A man is burnt alive in a suburban garden shed.
DI Zigic and DS Ferreira are called in from the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit to investigate the murder. Their victim is quickly identified as a migrant worker and a man several people might have had good reason to see dead. A convicted arsonist and member of a far-right movement has just been released from prison, while witnesses claim to have seen the dead man fighting with one of the town's most prominent slum landlords.
Zigic and Ferreira know all too well the problems that come with dealing with a community that has more reason than most not to trust the police, but when another migrant worker is attacked, tensions rapidly begin to rise as they search for their killer.
