Before I Go To Sleep

Doubleday 2011, Hardcover, 368 pages, £12.99

‘As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me …’

Welcome to Christine’s life.

A question from Katy Noyes on the TV Book Club Facebook Group: Where does the writing process begin? ‘The big idea’? Chapter one? A character?

I think maybe it’s a combination of things. Ideas come and go, but sometimes one will stick and will keep calling the writer back. With Before I Go to Sleep Christine’s character came to me when I imagined her looking in a mirror, and I suppose the ‘big idea’ was to write her story in the first person, but I suspect every book is different.

A question from Samantha on channel4.com/tvbookclub: Where and how do you engage in the writing of your work?

I wrote Before I Go to Sleep while working part-time in the NHS, so as well as writing pretty solidly on my ‘writing days’ I used to grab the odd hour whenever I could at weekends and in the evenings. I’m not a great believer in the rituals around writing – I think it’s important to remember that really one can write anywhere and with any instrument – so while a lot of the book was written either at my dining room table or at the library in The Barbican, a huge amount was written on trains, in various hotel rooms and in a not insignificant number of cafes and bars!

A question from Mez on channel4.com/tvbookclub: Who or what has influenced your style of writing?

That’s such a difficult question to answer! Other writers have the biggest influence of course, and it feels that almost every book I read can have an influence in some small way. For me writing is a learning process; it isn’t something that one day I learned how to do. Every book I read can teach me something.

A question from Jo Baines on the TV Book Club Facebook Group: Do you feel it’s inevitable that an author’s life experiences will influence their writing or is it possible to write a book that is pure imagination and creative process?

That’s an interesting question! When I wrote Before I Go to Sleep I thought it was pure invention and as far away from my life as it was possible to be. Of course now I have a little distance from the writing of the book I can see that the book is totally entwined with my life and there are elements of autobiography everywhere. So I’m not sure! I think the writers’ own life will always colour the work, even if it’s only inasmuch as it influences what he or she chooses to write about.

A question from Ali on channel4.com/tvbookclub: My GCSE English teacher told me (a few years ago now), that when authors write a book they know exactly what the plot is, and wouldn’t start without knowing what the end will be. I’ve always found this difficult to believe; is it true!?

No. There are as many different ways of writing a book as there are books to be written, and everyone is different. I had no idea how Before I Go to Sleep would end when I began to write it, and I know I’m not alone in that. Some authors plan everything meticulously before they begin, and some don’t. There isn’t a right and wrong way to write.

How old were you when you had your first book published, and what were you doing before you were a writer?

Before I Go to Sleep is my first book, and I’d just turned 40 when it came out. Before I became a full-time writer I worked in the NHS – with children who have a hearing loss.

A question from the TV Book Club Facebook Group: In a crowded market many authors don’t get published; what’s the secret of your success?

I think there was an element of luck, in that I’d made some changes to my life in order to be able to devote more time to writing and at the same time a subject matter came to me that I found interesting and felt would make a good novel, but ultimately I think my ‘secret’ is that I worked really hard! There aren’t any shortcuts. A novel is written a word at a time, and it’s not always fun. I just had persistence!

A question inspired by Yaisa’s suggestion on channel4.com/tvbookclub: How much research do you have to do, which are the most difficult types of scenes to research, and have you ever had to go to extreme or unusual lengths to research a scene?

I did a fair bit of research for Before I Go to Sleep as I wanted it to be as medically and scientifically accurate as it could be, and I also wanted to try to understand what it must be like living with a memory problem. So most of my research was around that. But also there’s a lot of observation involved, and I’m always looking for details. Everywhere I go I’m thinking ‘What makes this café different?’ or ‘How could I bring that person to life on the page? What is unique about them?’ I’ve never really gone to extreme lengths to research a scene, though for my new book I might have to!

What’s the most outlandish idea you’ve ever had for a storyline, and has it made it into one of your books?

I couldn’t possibly say! I might want to use it one day…. Sorry!

And another question from the TV Book Club Facebook Group: What do you think of e-readers and would you ever consider providing additional content for readers who use them (e.g. pictures, video clips, web links)?

I like my e-reader, though it will never replace physical books for me. I love collecting them, and I love the way they change as you read them. The paper creases, the spine bends. A well thumbed book becomes like an old friend. But throughout history writers have had to adapt to different formats, and the potential for e-readers is exciting. I’d never rule out making more material available for those that enjoy consuming their books on screen.

The Lewis Man

Quercus Publishing Plc 2012, Hardcover, 443 pages, £12.99

A MAN WITH NO NAME
An unidentified corpse is recovered from a Lewis peat bog; the only clue to its identity being a DNA sibling match to a local farmer.

A MAN WITH NO MEMORY
But this islander, Tormod Macdonald – now an elderly man suffering from dementia – has always claimed to be an only child.

A MAN WITH NO CHOICE
When Tormod’s family approach Fin Macleod for help, Fin feels duty-bound to solve the mystery.

The Lewis Man sees the return of Finn Macleod who is investigating an unidentified corpse, covered in stab wounds and recovered from a peat bog on the isle of Lewis; the only clue to its identity being a DNA sibling match to a local farmer. But this islander, Tormod Macdonald – now an elderly man suffering from dementia – has always claimed to be an only child. A lie, Fin will soon discover, Tormod has had very good reason to hide behind.

The video is directed by The Forest of Black (Belle & Sebastian, Sons & Daughters, Franz Ferdinand).

• Visit the author’s website and read an extract from The Lewis Man

Buried Secrets (Nick Heller 2)

Headline 2012, Paperback, 480 pages, £6.99

Nick Heller returns in an explosive new thriller.

When PI Nick Heller moves back to Boston to set up his own agency, he soon gets an urgent case even closer to home than expected. Alexandra Marcus – teenage daughter of hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus – has been kidnapped. But it’s no ordinary kidnapping – and it’s not even clear what they want. She’s been abducted by professionals and buried alive in an underground casket. A video camera is streaming her desperate pleas live over the internet. With only a limited supply of food and water, her time is quickly running out.

A close friend of the family, Nick is more determined than ever to catch the perpetrators. But when Marshall is arrested for fraud, Nick uncovers some powerful enemies and a conspiracy that reaches up to the very highest levels of government. Faced with opponents well-protected by wealth and position, Nick must play a dangerous game if he hopes to flush out those responsible before Alexa is buried for good…

• Read the extract
• Watch the trailer
• Read Lee Child’s exclusive short story

The Questions:

To win, answer the following questions… (some of the answers are on the website, or why not try a quick Google…)

• Question 1: What car does Heller drive?
  
• Question 2: What is the title of Nick Heller’s first adventure?
  
• Question 3: In the extract, what car does Lorenzo drive?

Terms and conditions

1. Closing date for entries:  25th January 2012.
2. Open to residents of the United Kingdom only.
3. Entry to the competition is by completion of the above form only. Anyone submitting multiple entries will be disqualified.
4. The winners will be selected at random from those correct entries received before the closing date.
5. Only the winning entrants will be contacted by Bookdagger. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. The winner’s name(s) may be published on the Bookdagger website after the closing date of the competition.
7. The competition is not open to Bookdagger employees and their families, or to employees of Bookdagger publishers and their families.

Buried Secrets (Nick Heller 2)

Headline 2012, Paperback, 480 pages, £6.99

Nick Heller returns in an explosive new thriller.

When PI Nick Heller moves back to Boston to set up his own agency, he soon gets an urgent case even closer to home than expected. Alexandra Marcus – teenage daughter of hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus – has been kidnapped. But it’s no ordinary kidnapping – and it’s not even clear what they want. She’s been abducted by professionals and buried alive in an underground casket. A video camera is streaming her desperate pleas live over the internet. With only a limited supply of food and water, her time is quickly running out.

A close friend of the family, Nick is more determined than ever to catch the perpetrators. But when Marshall is arrested for fraud, Nick uncovers some powerful enemies and a conspiracy that reaches up to the very highest levels of government. Faced with opponents well-protected by wealth and position, Nick must play a dangerous game if he hopes to flush out those responsible before Alexa is buried for good…

• Read the extract

Death Comes to Pemberley

Faber and Faber 2011, Hardcover, 320 pages, £18.99

The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the Pemberley nursery, Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live within seventeen miles, the ordered and secure life of Pemberley seems unassailable, and Elizabeth’s happiness in her marriage is complete.

But their peace is threatened and old sins and misunderstandings are rekindled on the eve of the annual autumn ball. The Darcys and their guests are preparing to retire for the night when a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley’s wild woodland, and as it pulls up, Lydia Wickham, an uninvited guest, tumbles out, screaming that her husband has been murdered.

In a pitch-perfect recreation of the world of Pride and Prejudice, P. D. James elegantly fuses her lifelong passion for the work of Jane Austen with her talent for writing detective fiction. She weaves a compelling story, combining a sensitive insight into the happy but threatened marriage of the Darcys and the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted detective story.

Death Comes to Pemberley enshrines the qualities her readers have come to expect: psychological and emotional richness of characterisation, vivid evocation of place, and a credible and superbly structured plot, in a powerful and distinguished work of fiction.

P.D. James discusses Death Comes to Pemberley

• Read the extract
• Win a copy of Death Comes to Pemberley in Bookdagger’s November competition!

Catch Me

Headline 2012, Hardcover, 384 pages, £12.99

The latest brilliant novel in the D.D. Warren series from Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner.

IN FOUR DAYS, SOMEONE IS GOING TO KILL ME…

At 8pm on 21st January, twenty-eight year old Charlie Grant believes she is going to be murdered and she wants Boston’s top homicide detective, D.D. Warren, to handle her death investigation.

Confronting D.D. at her latest crime scene, Charlie lays her cards on the table. For each of the last two years, one of her childhood friends has been murdered leaving Charlie as the only one of the three friends to remain alive.

But as D.D. delves deeper in to the details of Charlie’s case, she begins to question the young woman’s story. Because Charlie can now outfight and outrun anyone she meets and D.D.’s instinct is that she’s hiding a secret. A secret so explosive that Charlie herself may turn out to be the biggest danger of all…

…BUT THE SON OF A BITCH HAS GOT TO CATCH ME FIRST.

No Rest for the Dead

Simon & Schuster Ltd 2011, Paperback, 384 pages, £12.99

When Christopher Thomas, a curator at San Francisco’s Museum of Fine Arts, is murdered and his decaying body is found in an iron maiden in Berlin, his wife Rosemary Thomas is the prime suspect. Long suffering under Christopher’s unfaithful ways, Rosemary is tried, convicted and executed.

Ten years later, Jon Nunn, the detective who cracked the case, becomes convinced that the wrong person was put to death. Along with financier Tony Olsen, he plans to gather everyone who was there the night Christopher died and finally uncover the truth about what happened that fateful evening.

Could it have been the ne’er do well brother Peter Hausen, interested in his sister’s trust fund having got through his own; the curatorial assistant Justine Olengard, used and betrayed by Christopher; the artist Belle who turned down his advances only to see her career suffer a setback; or someone else all together? No Rest for the Dead is a thrilling, page-turning accomplishment that only the very best thriller writers could achieve.

The Stranger You Seek

Headline 2011, Hardcover, 336 pages, £19.99

In Atlanta, Georgia, a vicious serial killer is at loose, luring victims with ease, killing them with a combination of precision and twisted brutality.

Keye Street is not happy. Formally a rising FBI star, with two university degrees and a brilliant track record in criminal profiling, she’s now working for herself as a bail recovery agent. It’s not exciting work, but it keeps her agency afloat.

So when her friend and mentor, Lieutenant Aaron Rauser, wants her on his case, Keye is reluctant to help him out. That way, obsession lies, and she knows her demons. But when he shows her a letter he’s received from the killer, Keye feels a familiar excitement. They’re being played with, the snare is set, and Keye just can’t resist picking up the bait…

LUTHER

Simon & Schuster Ltd 2011, Hardcover, 368 pages, £14.99

Meet Detective Chief Inspector John Luther.

He’s a murder detective. A near-genius. He’s brilliant; he’s intense; he’s instinctive. He’s obsessional.

He’s dangerous.

DCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumours that DCI Luther is bad – not corrupt, not on the take, but tormented. Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn’t; things way beyond the limits of the law.

Luther: The Calling, the first in a new series of novels featuring DCI John Luther, takes us into Luther’s past and into his mind. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. Beyond fury, beyond vengeance. All the way to murder…

The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still (Louie Knight Mystery 6)

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 2011, Paperback, 256 pages, £11.99

It is May in Aberystwyth, and the mayoral election campaign – culminating in the traditional boxing match between candidates – is underway. Sospan the ice-cream seller waits in his hut for souls brave enough to try his latest mind-expanding new flavour, and Louie Knight, Aberystwyth’s only Private Detective, receives a visit from a mysterious stranger called Raspiwtin asking him to track down a dead man. Twenty-five years ago Iestyn Probert was hanged for his part in the notorious raid on the Coliseum cinema, but shortly afterwards he was seen, apparently alive and well, boarding a bus to Aberaeron. Did he miraculously evade the hangman’s noose? Or could there really be substance to the rumours that he was resuscitated by aliens? Now, as strange lights are spotted in the sky above Aberystwyth and a farmer claims to have had a close encounter with a lustful extraterrestrial, Iestyn Probert has been sighted once again. But what does Raspiwtin want with him? And why does Louie’s investigation arouse unwelcome interest from a shadowy government body and a dark-suited man in a black 1947 Buick?

Read the Bookgeeks review of The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still