I missed sending out my Substack last week. I’d like to blame it on the hour change, but there’s only an hour’s difference between the UK and Switzerland, so I guess that’s not going to work. I could blame it on the craziness of doing up an ancient listed house and the gazillion decisions that have to be made. Or perhaps it’s because I’m too embroiled in plotting my next book. Truth is… I ran out of energy.
I’m not good at conserving energy. I’m one of those hectic introverts, always busy, busy, busy - and oh boy, does it take it out of you. I’ve tried meditation and calming apps and yes, I know that those who find them the hardest and the most annoying and those people that need them the most. Big arrows all pointing at me. So rather than making excuses or moaning, here’s my early October news.
(And what a coincidence that my mountain sunset photo matches SO well with the Fatal Series Box Set!)
Back in 2019, I wrote three mystery thriller books featuring psychologist Dr Pippa Durrant - Fatal Fortune, Fatal Flowers and Fatal Finale. Having studied micro expressions, body language and linguistics, she’s basically a human lie detector. Micro expressions are those tiny little movements that we make involuntarily that give away our true thoughts. Back in the day, I studied graphology (handwriting analysis - I actually wrote a book about it called How Compatible Are You Really?), became qualified to administer psychometric testing and I read a lot about micro expressions. That all fed into Pippa Durrant’s character. Anyway, five years on, and my publishers are packaging the three books into a Box Set and it’s being released on 27 October. If you’re an advance reader, check it out on Netgalley.
If you haven’t already, download the prequel Fatal Fury, for FREE on my website.
I might not have been writing but I have been reading. Here are some mini reviews:
📚 The Woman in Coach D by Sarah A. Denzil
Sarah Denzil writes clever and original plots, and The Woman in Coach D is one of her finest yet. It’s a gripping, twisty book that expertly weaves Jenny’s past with her present. To my mind, it’s the epitome of a great psychological thriller, balancing action with a deep dive into the motivations and psyches of the key characters. Jenny has never gotten over the disappearance, and presumed death of her best friend, Susie, after a dare they did when they were sixteen went horribly wrong. So years later, when she catches a glimpse of Susie on the train, she’s determined to find her friend. Then Jenny starts receiving pages from her childhood diary and she realises that Susie is playing with her. This book is action-packed and in places, it gets very dark, touching upon themes such as cults, cancer, and physical abuse. It’s a riveting novel which I raced through and despite being a seasoned psychological thriller reader, I gasped out aloud at the ending. A five-star book that you need to read!
📚 The Wives by Valerie Keogh
The Wives is a fun book about four couples who go on a luxury cruise, funded by Natasha’s new husband, Daniel. Daniel is a horrible, manipulative individual and each of the characters have issues with him, most of them wishing him dead. Told from different points of view, this is a quick, easy read, and the setting of an upmarket cruise ship adds to the increasing tension. Although I’m not a huge fan of unresolved endings, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was surprised by the final reveals. This is a light-hearted, twisty, rollicking read that I highly recommend.
📚 The Married Man by KL Slater
Liv and Rich have a crazy plan for him to disappear for years to evade the terrible mess he unwittingly got himself into. Except when the time is up for him to return, Liv realises that either she and their son Maddox were horribly deceived or something has gone very wrong. This is a complex book with multiple narrators yet somehow K.L Slater makes these characters realistic and relatable without confusing the reader. This really is a rollercoaster of a book, full of interweaving plot lines and gasp-worthy twists. Slater is a queen of this genre and this book is up there with her best. Thoroughly recommend.
📚 The Nanny’s Secret by E.V. Seymour
The Nanny’s Secret is a fast paced drama about a wealthy, entitled family and their nannies who seem to disappear. The novel is full of secrets, with plenty of twists and a shocker of an ending. Rose, the protagonist is probably the only appealing individual in a cast of horrible characters in this atmospheric, gripping book. A quick, engaging novel which I finished in a couple of days. Highly recommend.
Finally, I’ve written the first page of a synopsis for my next book. I ran a poll over on my Facebook Group to ask whether readers like a bit of spice in their thrillers. There was quite a disparity of opinion but largely the answer is yes. Do you agree?
Will be back here again soon!
Miranda x