99c Book Sale + 3 Crime Series To Self-Isolate With

During these mad and worrying times, it's easy to make light of self-isolation, especially if, like me, you feel as though you've been rehearsing for it your whole life.

Even though I have a full house with kids, a hubby and a frisky Blue Heeler, I've always enjoyed my own company and am very good at sneaking away. (Growing up in a large family and then six years in boarding school taught me a few tricks!)

If I'm not hiding out in my sunroom/office to write my latest mystery (Agatha Christie Book Club 4—more on that next newsletter*) I'm usually perched in the sun, on the sofa or under the covers, reading a good book.

And while I've been enjoying the zany way people have been reaching out to each other—from hilarious online memes to singing together on balconies—I must say there is still no better distraction than a book.

But not just any book. It has to be thick with plot, rich with characters and keep the pace and your heart beat galloping.

With that in mind, I've selected three crime series I think tick all the boxes, all by authors other than me. If these don't help you block out the world for a little while, you could always work your way through my seven Ghostwriter Mysteries. The latest, Without a Word, is now on sale online for just 99c. But only for three days so don't dillydally!

And happy (safe!) reading everybody.

xo Christina

*NB: Yes, I have immersed my Agatha Christie Book Club in another mystery, which is why I've gone to ground. I'll try to reach out every month or so but please be patient with me. :-)

3 OF MY FAVE CRIME WRITERS

• ANN CLEEVES & VERA

I love everything British author Ann Cleeves writes, but my favourite is her series starring the best character this side of Hercule Poirot—Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope.

A seemingly innocuous middleaged copper, Vera has a hilarious ability to sting her opponents with just one look, and you underestimate Vera at your own peril. 

Portrayed brilliantly by the beloved Brenda Blethyn in the BBC TV version, I think the books are even better. Start with her first, The Crow Trap and work your way through all seven.

• SUE GRAFTON'S ALPHABET SERIES

What's not to love about kick-ass Kinsey Millhone? She lives in somebody's renovated garage, barely has a social life and, as far as I can tell, only three items of clothing, but when you need someone to do a little snooping, this no-nonsense California PI is your go-to gal.

Starting with A is For Alibi—where else?—you'll have an almost complete alphabet of murders to work with. Sadly Ms Grafton never got to pen the final Z, may she rest in peace, which leaves our imaginations wide open...

• AGATHA CHRISTIE. WHO ELSE?

If you thought I'd leave the Queen of Crime off the list, you're not the most intuitive detective. But don't worry, after a few rounds with Hercule Poirot, you'll get the hang of it, and learn a few French words while you're at it. Miss Marple is just as beguiling.

Once again, start with Christie's first attempt—The Mysterious Affair at Styles—or just select from the 82 detective novels she ended up writing. (Yep, you read that right!)

Okay, that's it from me. I do hope you enjoy my suggestions and stay tuned for updates on my next cozy mystery. If you want to share some riveting book ideas of your own, don't hesitate to get in touch by reply email or leave a comment online. 

xo CA

Survey Results + E-book Winner + Discount Mystery Sale

So, last newsletter I posed the proverbial question: are you a 'glass-half-full' kind of person or, like me, is your glass not even half-empty, it's well on the way to running dry?

As a crime writer, it seems only natural that I look at the dark side of life, but as a human I know I do this to shine a torch in the shadows and restore order to the world (or at least, that's the excuse I'm sticking to!)

How about you?

Well, thanks to your overwhelming input, now I know! What an intriguing bunch you are. I received hundreds of responses from right around the world and so many of you had such thoughtful insight into why you love crime books and what your outlook is like. And — here's the bit that surprised me — so many of you (about 60%) admitted to being empty glassers, like me. And you're fiercely unapologetic about it!

I also got some interesting reasons why you love and devour crime novels, including this from an Irish reader who told me the Irish are naturally both light and dark: "I read crime because I want to know why we are dark and why crime happens."

Another reader said she believes us half-empty types are there to "give some color, dimension, and depth to our glass is half full pollyanna people!"

One half-full respondent told me she reads crime for "the thrill of the chase" and another because she likes the "happily ever after" that comes with the final denouement.

Many of you read both 'cozy' and "hard core blood and guts mysteries", as one reader described it, while another said she can't read anything too dark or she's up all night (and by the sound of it, she's in good company). 

And I particularly liked this comment from a 'glass is three-quarters full person': "I read crime because I enjoy a puzzle, I enjoy the intrigue and it's good to see the bad guy get caught. I do enjoy humour in my reading so some levity is appreciated."

I hearily agree, which is why I always add a few laughs to every mystery I write. 

Now For the Winner! (Drum roll please…)

This is the fun part (and the hard part for me, because there were lots of names to pop in the hat this time!) This fortnight's winning respondent is: Renee*! If you're the winnng Renee, I'll be in touch via email shortly.

As for the rest of you? A giant THANK YOU for taking the time to share your thoughts, however dark or light. I do read each email that comes in, and I value each and every comment. They inform me as a person and they most definitely inform my writing!

Thanks again, everyone, for taking part and happy (dark or light) reading.

xo Christina

* Full name has been reserved for privacy reasons

Discount E-Book Deal (99c Now!)

This week I'm putting my latest e-book, Do Not Go Gentle, on sale for just 99c, starting from today. It'll be discounted at all good e-stores for two weeks, or just click on the links, below.

DO NOT GO GENTLE is a fun, fast-paced DIY mystery that implores the reader to help solve the crime before the victim is dragged, kicking and screaming, to the light. (She has a dreadful, sinking feeling her beloved 13-year-old son is the culprit and wants to know for sure before she heads off to eternity thinking she spawned a killer!)

This lightly written yet deeply moving whodunnit/coming of age story will be on sale for just two weeks, with the follow-up—Do Not Go Alone— on the stands in August.

COST: 99c  FROM: June 16—June 30

LINKS: @Amazon

@iBooks

@kobo

@nook

@smashwords etc

Celebrate the Hollywood Film with a 99c Mystery

A Hollywood Flick, A Floppy Moustache, a Discount Mystery…

By now most of you will have had the chance to watch Kenneth Branagh's version of the great Agatha Christie classic Murder on the Orient Express. Released at the end of last year, it stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Branagh himself in the lead role.

That was his first mistake.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the flick (hell, I'll take Brad Pitt in the lead role if it means more Agatha Christie stories brought to life on the big screen) but I kept thinking Kenneth had forgotten who he was playing and morphed into Sherlock Holmes. 

It all came down to that moustache. What was that about?! Perhaps Branagh's hair and make-up people hadn't read any of the books, or perhaps he was bringing his own interpretation to the part, but that was no Poirot mo!

Everybody knows Poirot's mo is… well… slick and neat! As Captain Hastings says, himself, in his very first description of his friend: "His moustache was very stiff and military." 

As Agatha Christie writes in the original Murder on the Orient Express: "…a small man muffled up to the ears of whom nothing was visible but a pink-tipped nose and the two points of an upward-curled moustache."

In contrast, Branagh's was wild and bushy and left him looking more like an Austrian beer maker than everybody's favourite, finicky Belgian detective.

But I forgive him. Really I do. While the mo is a pivotal part of the original character (and David Suchet pulls it off best, IMHO), I honestly don't mind that someone is bringing a fresh interpretation to an old character because, er, that's kinda what I do, isn't it?

My own special twist…

My Agatha Christie Book Club series is all about adding a fresh and modern perspective to an old classic. While I'm not actually rewriting any of Dame Agatha's stories (blimey, I wouldn't dare!), I do look at them afresh and celebrate the (sleuthing) wisdom within. And in my second Agatha Christie Book Club, Murder on the Orient (SS), I do just that, adding whispers of the original mystery in this very modern account of a series of murders that take place on a replica steamship called the SS Orient (a real-life ship, by the way).

With that in mind, I want to stop my griping and celebrate the movie by offering you a discount ebook! Yep, that's right, I'm dropping the price of my second Agatha Christie Book Club cozy mystery to just 99c! You can grab your copy here:
* Amazon kindle
* Apple iBooks
* Barnes & Noble nook
* kobo
* Smashwords and elsewhere

And if you haven't seen the movie, please don't let me put you off. Suspect styling aside, it really is a cinematic delight. How can it not be? It's based on an Agatha Christie plot.

Happy (discount) reading everyone.
xo Christina

A Macabre Murder, Cocktail-Sipping Suspects, 99c Mystery

The time is nigh! For those of you who scooped up a free copy of the first Ghostwriter Mystery KILLER TWIST, now you can grab the second in the series for just 99c.

A PLOT TO DIE FOR follows gutsy Ghostwriter Roxy Parker as she heads to an exotic resort to write the life story of an eccentric hotelier. Instead, she finds her client dead, buried in the sand, her head protruding ghoulishly for the crabs to devour, and an ensemble cast of cocktail-sipping characters who are all hiding something behind their Gucci sunglasses.

Thanks to BookBub in the UK, Canada, India and Australia, I'm discounting the book for one week only: 99c.

My US readers can also clinch copy for 99c at Amazon USA now.*

Happy reading and don't hesitate to let me know what you think of my fast-talking, fabulously fashionable, butt-kicking  'Ghostie'.

 xo Christina

*APOLOGIES: Amazon US is no longer offering the ebook for free. But, hey, 99c… you can barely get a decent bag of lollies for that :-) Enjoy!