SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL |
- In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Imran Mahmood
- July Books from Bookouture
- Ellery Kane on Researching for Inspiration
| In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Imran Mahmood Posted: 17 Jul 2022 10:00 PM PDT Name:- Imran Mahmood  Twitter:- @imranmahmood777 Introduction:- Barrister and author Imran Mahmood's first novel You Don't Know Me was published in 2017. It was also selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice and was shortlisted for the Glass Bell Award in 2018. It was also longlisted in 2018 for the CWA Gold Dagger and the Theakstons Old PeculierCrime Novel of the year Award. It was also made into a BBC drama (to great aclaim) in 2021. His second book I Know What I Saw was published in 2021 and was one of The Times best thrillers of 2021. His most recent book is All I said Was True was published iin July 2022. Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing or both) I have just delivered 3rd draft of book 4. It is about grief and regret as well (obviously) as murder! I loved writing this book and it's the one I'm proudest of. I can't wait to see it out next year. Favourite book? This is a always To Kill a Mocking Bird. It deals with everything – race, class, poverty, wealth, slavery, human rights, power, justice, morality, truth, integrity, coming of age – the lot. A few other books try to do all of this but the genius of Harper Lee was that she told stories of horror through the lens of an innocent - child. The effect is devastating. Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why? Staying with To Kill a Mockingbird I would like to have Atticus Finch and Scout round for a home-made curry! How do you relax? I write of course! And cook. Or if I have time I paint (badly) or do a little woodwork. I make things for the kids that they don't have any appreciation for. Which book do you wish you had written and why? I'm going to sidestep Harper Lee this time (because there is no way I could have written that). I'm going to say The First Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman for its modest sales! Also, it displays a great understanding of the market. There's a whole section of society (that read) but who find themselves totally invisible in culture. Osman realised that and boy did he make the most of it! Also it's such a perfectly delivered mystery. Can't fault it. What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer? Writing is very difficult. Reading is much easier. Just read. What made you decide to write standalone novels as opposed to a series and would you write a series? I had only intended to write the one book! I had no idea that when you write one – publishers and agents just expect you to carry on. There was no way to turn book 1 into a series so book 2 was a standalone. And by then I liked the idea of meeting new characters that I knew nothing about. I have since thought about a returnable series. I think it's a lot of work despite the impression you get and it takes a long time (4 plus books I think) to establish a series. I don't think I have the patience to do that With Town and Country: Green Lanes to Mean Streets being the theme at St Hilda's this year, Where is your favourite town and where is your favourite country? Why have you chosen these? London (which is about 100 towns really rather than one place). It's my adoptive home (from Liverpool) and I love 2 things about it. That you can become anonymous in London very easily. And that the tolerance levels are so high (as a rule) that you can be any version of yourself that you want to be without (usually) ever attracting a second-look. I love that I sat on the Tube last week and someone wandered on wearing a tutu, a blonde Elsa wig to their waist, drinking beer from a Pringle can. She was probably in her sixties. Nobody batted an eye. I love that. The price of being left alone when you want to be left alone is often being left alone when you don't. So it's not a perfect city – but where is? Favourite country – UK. Not a natural patriot. But the UK (despite everything) feels free and safe and there aren't many places I could spend the rest of my life in. There's always something to spoil a great country. Geographically/geologically/structurally? the USA has everything. Mountains, lakes, deserts, snow, beaches, big modern cities, slow lazy cities, canyons, waterfalls, huge national parks. But then – you know it has people like Trump in it. And a lot of guns! What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's? Meeting so many new people after so much hiding away for the last 2 years!  All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC) I didn't kill her. Trust me...When Amy Blahn died on a London rooftop, Layla Mahoney was there. Layla was holding her. But all she can say when she's arrested is that 'It was Michael. Find Michael and you'll find out everything you need to know.' The problem is, the police can't find him - they aren't even sure he exists. Layla knows she only has forty-eight hours to convince the police that bringing in the man she knows only as 'Michael' will clear her name and reveal a dangerous game affecting not just Amy and Layla, but her husband Russell and countless others. But as the detectives begin to uncover the whole truth about what happened to Amy, Layla will soon have to decide: how much of that truth can she really risk being exposed? |
| Posted: 17 Jul 2022 12:07 PM PDT  A Perfect Stranger is by Shalini Boland. Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone's going to die… I hold my breath as my handsome husband walks through the door. I've planned the perfect surprise birthday party for him. Our friends are gathered and the champagne is flowing. But when I catch the look in his deep brown eyes, I realise I've got this horribly wrong. All evening my stomach is churning. And I can't help but notice Danielle Baines speaking with Aiden. With her salon-styled hair, diamonds glittering on her ring finger and married to a rich businessman she has the kind of lifestyle I can only dream of. I've never liked her. And I know the feeling is mutual. So why is she here and what is she saying to my husband? Now it's the end of the party and the man I love is confessing a secret that shocks me to the core. But it's not what I was afraid of. It's much worse. He says we have to take our son and leave the place we call home because our lives are in danger. I thought I knew everything about my husband. But suddenly he feels like a stranger. Should I trust him with my life?  I'll never forget that day. It was blisteringly hot, and I begged our mother for an ice cream. As we left you with Dad, I didn't know it would be the last time I saw your face. Minutes later, we returned to the end of the pier where we had parked your pushchair. Dad was asleep on a bench, and your little pink blanket was empty. You had vanished. Twenty-five years later. The morning of the anniversary of Jess's disappearance starts like every other for her sister Kate – a rushed school run, a cold cup of coffee and a quick scan of the news for updates. But when her phone beeps with a message from an unknown number, everything changes.I know what happened to Jess. Finally, Kate's a step closer to getting answers to the questions that have tormented her for so long. Why was her mother so angry that day? How did her father sleep through his own daughter's abduction? And when the police car came screeching towards the pier, how is it that nobody saw a single thing? As she drives her young family to the seaside town to meet the mystery messenger, she feels uneasy. Who are they and why did they reach out now? But before Kate finds out, history repeats itself and her world is turned upside down once more.Then Kate receives one final, terrifying message… will her pursuit of the truth cost the lives of everyone she has ever loved? Find Me is by Carla Kovach.  Her Payback is by Emma Tallon. Scarlet Drew is sailing dangerously close to the wind with her new police detective boyfriend, John. Not everyone agrees with their illicit relationship, but so far they've managed to keep it a secret from anyone outside the family. If only her nemesis, cousin Ruby, wasn't still hanging around, life would be perfect. Lily Drew is keeping a watchful eye on the building tension between Ruby and Scarlet – the last thing she needs is a war breaking out inside the family. But when people start going missing from a local boxing ring with close connections to the Drews, it puts the family back on the police's radar and her worst nightmare is realised. With the police now watching their every move, it's only a matter of time before the situation takes a dark turn. As Lily tries to regain control, another person disappears from the boxing ring, and this time it's a Drew. Ruby finally has a chance to prove her loyalty to the family, but she'll have to get over her rivalry with Scarlet first. Will the bitterness between the two cousins get in the way of saving one of their own? And just how long can Scarlet keep her relationship a secret before their entire world comes crashing down around them?  She's the friend you trust with your life. But can she trust you with hers? When the police knock on my door to tell me that my best friend Kiara has taken her life, my world shatters. Ever since we met at university along with my husband, Nathan and her ex-husband David, the four of us have been inseparable. I can't believe that, suddenly, she's not here. The police say that Kiara fell from the balcony of her small, pristine apartment. But I refuse to accept that she jumped. I thought I knew Kiara better than anyone. But I soon find out my friend was keeping some big secrets. Talking to her ex-husband, David, I'm shocked. Was she really having an affair, like he claims Searching for evidence, I let myself into her apartment. My heart races as I find her diary and I read the name of her last appointment – Nathan. Why would she be meeting with my husband? And why didn't he tell me? It soon becomes clear that everyone around me has been hiding the truth, and when the police call again and ask me to look at security camera footage from the night Kiara died, fear floods through me as I recognise her final visitor. Can I trust anyone in my life? And if someone did push Kiara that night, could I be next? Do I really Know You is by Sheryl Browne  Liar Liar is by L G Davis. He promised to keep my secrets. He never told me his… My husband and I are the dream couple: deeply in love, the envy of all our friends. He surprises me with roses and a beautiful diamond ring, and I prepare picnics for us to enjoy in the sunshine with our adorable son. It's gestures like this that keep our romance alive. But nobody knows how frightened I am at night. Oliver promised he'd keep me safe, but strange things have started to happen in my home. My son is convinced that someone was in his room, watching him while he slept. And the white lantern on our porch has been smashed. One evening I could swear there's a shadowy figure watching me through the window, lurking across the street. As I triple check that the doors are locked and kiss my son goodnight, I'm terrified that someone knows what happened before we moved here, and that soon everything I love will be taken away… Then Oliver comes home with blood on his hands on the same night our neighbour, one of my closest friends, goes missing. And I realise I am not the only one hiding a terrible secret. We are both lying. But when the truth finally comes to light, who will survive? And can I keep my son safe?  Your ex-wife didn't leave you because of me. She didn't abandon her little girl because of a couple of love notes in your jeans pocket. She left because she's twisted, and she wanted to punish you. And she's not finished yet. You have to believe me. If you don't, there's no knowing what she'll do next… Becoming a stepmother is the best thing that ever happened to me. My favorite part of every day is picking Charlie up from school, watching her little rucksack bounce behind her as she skips over for a hug. I love the feel of those thin freckled arms around my waist. After a few rocky months of panic attacks when her mother deserted her, Charlie is flourishing. But the day Charlie's mother Bronwyn returns without warning—showering Charlie with gifts and making promises she can't keep—fear ripples through me. When I raise my concerns, no one wants to listen. I know I sound like the jealous new wife, but nothing is more important to me than Charlie's safety. Me and Bronwyn have history. We both have dark secrets in our past, and I know the dangerous lengths she will go to get what she wants. But Bronwyn doesn't know me as well as I know her. She doesn't know just how far I will go to protect that little girl…Unforgiveable is by Natalie Barelli.  The Mother In Law is by Karen King. He loves you now. He loved her first. I've fallen in love with a man called Sam. And he's perfect, just perfect. It's a whirlwind romance. And when our dream home falls through just before our wedding, we decide to move in with his parents. He says his mother, Evelyn, is the sweetest person. But I'm not so sure. She's obsessively protective over Sam. She wants to know where he is all the time. She wakes us up in the morning, bustling into our room like he's a small child, not a grown man. She doesn't want me to be alone with him. And with every day that passes – as I keep having accidents I can't believe are coincidental – I start to fear more that she doesn't want me to marry her son. That she wants to be the only person he will ever love. Then I overhear an argument between her and Sam's dad. Evelyn has a secret. And it changes everything I thought I knew about the family I'm marrying into. From that moment, I know that if I want to make it to my wedding day alive, I will need to be very, very careful… |
| Ellery Kane on Researching for Inspiration Posted: 17 Jul 2022 11:24 AM PDT  Research is a critical component of my day job, working as a forensic psychologist. Before I ever sit face to face with an inmate to evaluate his violence risk, rest assured I've done my homework. I've poured over his prison files like the map to a buried treasure, wandering down rabbit holes, following dead-ends, and collecting clues to help guide me into uncharted territory. Through my research, I develop hypotheses that I can test in my interview. Did the inmate's head injury contribute to his impulsivity? Did her history of trauma play a role in her violence against others? Through research, a patient's history comes alive and sheds light on the man or woman before me as a complex and multi-faceted individual. Crafting suspenseful fiction is no different. With every new book comes research, whether it be cracking open my Practical Homicide textbook, consulting with a firefighter or policeman, watching an episode of Forensic Files, or simply asking the almighty Internet. And any thriller writer worth their salt will tell you they'd rather you not look at their Google search history…especially if you're an officer of the law. Because it might be hard to explain that search for best ways to dispose of a body. Just as research helps me better understand an inmate-patient, delving into the details of my story gives life to my characters and often spurs new ideas. Many of my books are set in the San Francisco Bay Area, which I have been lucky to call home for the last twenty years. San Francisco and its neighboring cities, Oakland and Berkeley, offer a multitude of magical, creepy, and unusual places to form the backdrop of a story. Research here doesn't feel like work at all but more like a staycation. When I started writing The House Sitter, I pictured the main character, seventy-year-old Iris, living in a majestic Victorian that towered above the others on her block. Lonely Iris often spent her time at the attic window, spying on her neighbors with the binoculars her dead husband left behind. After scouting several spots in San Francisco, it became evident that Iris's residence would be located in posh Pacific Heights, which is known as much for its opulence as its panoramic views of the Bay. As the story unfolds, the home, itself, becomes a character, holding the dark and precious secrets of its occupants. I visited Pacific Heights on a windy fall day, snapping photos of the nearby Presidio, trudging up the Lyon Street Steps, and wandering through Lafayette Park, all of which make an appearance in the book. Pacific Heights was also the setting for the 1990s cinematic thriller by the same name, starring Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, and Michael Modine. A movie that, similar to The House Sitter, takes the tenant from hell to a whole new level. The other two main characters in The House Sitter, Seth and Lydia, had their own story to tell me, a story that would unfold across the Bay in Oakland and Berkeley. I quickly realized that Seth had a problem. He just couldn't stop betting on the horses at Golden Gate Fields. As I researched the racetrack on Google Maps, I found myself drawn to a small outcropping of tree-covered land that extended into the bay: the Albany Bulb. I donned my researcher's hat again and began my search. Though I've visited the racetrack several times, I'd never heard of the Bulb. But it quickly captured my imagination. Once the sight of a massive homeless encampment, the Bulb has long been known for its unusual artwork made from the reclaimed refuse left behind, including the most famous of the Bulb statues, The Beseeching Woman, by artist-attorney, Osha Neumann. The fifteen-foot woman, made of metal and wood, stands on the shoreline, reaching her arms out, her intentions unclear. To envelope, to greet, to implore, to smother. Streaking behind her, her driftwood hair caught by the wind. The Bulb saw its first artwork in the 1990s, when a collective known as Sniff began to paint old concrete blocks and pieces of plywood. An amphitheater was erected, and larger works like the Beseeching Woman soon followed. The Bulb also has a connection to a real-life murder, that of Laci Peterson. In 2003, Peterson's body was discovered washed ashore at Point Isabel, near the Bulb. In order to deflect suspicion from his client, Scott Peterson's attorney, Mark Geragos, suggested that a Satanic cult at the Bulb had been responsible for Laci's murder. Ah yes, the Bulb has certainly proved itself thriller-worthy. I decided I needed to visit this eclectic place to see it for myself, and once I had, I knew it would play a prominent role in my story. With the wind whipping through my own hair, I stumbled across concrete and rebar, past strange creations and curlicue mazes. I got lost more than a few times and took a rest near a rock, painted with a message: Aliens Exist. Finally, standing next to the iconic Beseeching Woman, I found what I had come for. Inspiration.  'You're just the girl I've been looking for,' Iris told me, her blue eyes sparkling, when she offered me the job as her live-in helper. Little did she know, I thought the exact same about her. And she was wrong to trust me... As I clean Iris's large, old house in Pacific Heights, my boyfriend Seth works outside, tending to the lawn and fixing the broken gate. I can't help but notice Iris's steely eyes watching our every move. Does she know why we're really here? Most days we live in perfect harmony, but today Iris is confused. She thinks we moved in uninvited. I pass her a tablet from the medicine cabinet, knowing she'll soon calm down and remember how lucky she is to have found us. Later that night, the police arrive to find Iris's perfect house turned upside down, the telephone lying on the floor, its cord severed. They walk through each room, calling out, but the house remains totally silent. You will think you know what happened that night, but when the police discover something unexpected hidden amongst the wreckage in Iris's bedroom, you'll find you don't know a thing. More information about Ellery Kane can be found on her website. You can also follow her on Twitter @ElleryKane and also on Facebook. |
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