Meet Angela Marsons!

Angela Marsons is the brand new name in the Thriller section. She recently published her first book "SILENT SCREAM", under the wing of Bookouture, and it is currently N.1 Best Seller in Police Procedurals on Amazon.co.uk. You can read the review for SILENT SCREAM here. 

Today, I have the pleasure to welcome Angela on the blog.

1. Silent Scream is your first novel and it is amazing! What triggered you to start writing? And why thrillers? Do you have a special addiction for mystery and crime?

Thank you so much. I started writing very young but like most writers my ramblings were placed in a dark drawer. When I was in my early teens my English teacher told me she thought I had a gift. The very notion stunned me. Girls in my street didn’t have gifts, we learned to type and got a nice office job. Which I did. But I carried on writing anyway. I started writing relationship based novels but my reading passion is crime and psychological books. I had been scared of trying because I didn’t think I could do it but I just had to give it a try.

2. Writing about murders and police procedures takes a lot of effort and knowledge. Where did you learn about police procedures?

Reading, reading and a bit more reading. I love research because I love to learn. The only problem is not putting everything I’ve learned into the books!

3. The main character, Kim, is so intriguing as a character. She is so tough, but also very soft from inside. But she also has a wild side. Is she little bit you?

I think there are elements of me in there but I do know how to say please and thank you. I worked as a Security Manager for a number of years and when you’re working with a diverse group of people you have to develop certain skills. I did ride a moped for 18 years but I decided to give Kim a ‘real’ bike.

4. If Silent Scream goes on screen, who do you want to see in the main role as Kim?

My dream actress for Kim would be Kate Beckinsale. Also, just to mention, I would choose Bradley Walsh for Bryant.

5. Lucy's disease brings a very emotional touch to the whole story. Did you do a lot of research about her condition?

Yes I spent a great deal of time researching Muscular Dystrophy as I wanted to treat the subject with respect and sensitivity. I find it frustrating when people with challenges are dismissed and so purposely had Kim do that so she would learn from it. Also, I wanted to highlight Lucy’s spirit, that she is a fighter not a victim.

6. Silent Scream is the book that everyone is talking about lately. Is there going to be a sequel or book two in the series?

Oh yes. Evil Games is being released at the end of May and follows Kim as she plays cat and mouse with a female Sociopath.

7. Murder scenes are very vividly described in your book. Where do you find the inspiration?

I just close my eyes and try to imagine what I would like to read in this situation. I like to add a personal touch if I can. I like the reader to know just a little something about the victim before they die. To actually write them I ask myself what is now a common question “What would Kim do?”

8. What are the best (and the worst) comments about your book?

I’ve had so many wonderful comments and messages but there is one that will stay with me for a long time. I received a message from a man in his sixties who grew up in the care system. It was a beautiful heartfelt message stating that he’d been inspired by the character I’d created and the way she’d been portrayed. There were goosebumps and tears, I can tell you. The worst, for me, is a review on Amazon because the person can’t exit the screen.

9. Who is your favourite author? Do you compare yourself with your idol?

My favourite author is Karin Slaughter. No, I don’t compare myself with my idol but I do aspire to grip readers the way her books grip me. But ultimately I just want to write books that people enjoy.

10. Beside writing, recently, what do you do for living? Do you have a daily job? Is there one Angie who goes to work every day and another Angie who writes when coming home?

Yes, I currently have a day job, or in my case it’s a night job. I work 12 hour night shifts as a control room supervisor so I can normally be found checking Twitter and Facebook in my 2am lunch break.

11. What do you do when not writing? Tell us something about Angie herself.

You know I’m going to say reading! Other than that I love nothing more than to gather up my long-suffering partner and just drive. We love to discover new landscapes and breath-taking scenery which isn’t as plentiful in the Black Country as I would like. It’s like hitting the refresh button on my inner keyboard.

12. What can we expect from you next?

Oh, definitely lots more Kim Stone. If people want to read about her then I’ll keep offering her my pencil as a voice. And, my goodness, does she have a lot to say.

Thank you so much for inviting me to answer these questions. I’ve really enjoyed doing it.

Book Review : No Place to Die by Clare Donoghue

*Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Last year, I won on a giveaway the debut book of Clare Donoghue, Never Look Back. And I was hooked. Now, when the second books is published, I couldn't wait until I put my hands on it. This time, the author has written even more gripping and dark story that made my worse nightmares come true.

What are you afraid of? Is it the dark? Or the tight space? Or the lack of air?

What if you wake up in a tight space under the ground with air enough for couple of hours?

Can you scream? Who can hear you?

Can you panic? Who will notice?

Can you escape? The lack of air makes you drowsy and sleepy.

Can you be saved? No one knows.

Creepy enough, exactly this happens to Maggie, college student. One day she goes on a date, and next thing she remembers is that is in a tight space, it is hard to move, no light, no fresh air. What the hell happened?

D.S. Jane Bennett receives a phone call from a family friend telling her that her husband is missing. Mark is a former policeman, now retired, and his wife has found blood stains in the kitchen. Jane finds out that Mark hasn't recovered after his last case when a young woman went missing. When another body shows up, buried alive in an underground shallow case and left to die with no air, Jane and her partner Mike find similarities between this creepy murder and the last case of missing Mark. Are there any connections? Is Mark another victim of the same killer? Who kills so cruelly?

Clare Donoghue writes so gripping stories that will make your hair stand on end. It happened to me. First, she did it with Never Look Back, now with No Place To Die. Her writing gets better and better with every next book. This one is far more better than the previous one. She tells the story also from Maggie's point of view, she made me feel the fear to be trapped inside the case and not being able to escape. To balance the creepiness of the story, she shows the softer side of the detectives. Jane has an autistic son, and Mike has an autistic brother. The author also shows the everyday problems that families with autistis members are coping with. Back to the mystery part, the end literally blew me away. I never expected that. So many turn-overs, so many gripping edges, and BAM! Totally blown away!

Must-read for 2015!

My opinion: 5 / 5.

You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com and buy on Amazon.co.uk.

Book Review : Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

*Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity to read this debut crime novel and I must say that I was so impressed. I never expected a whirlpool of events that would turn my mind up-side down as a reader. This book did exactly that. Angela Marsons writes even better than many of the mystery crime writers I've read. So, let me tell you something about the book.

Teresa lives her last years in fear. She has divided her life to years B.C. (before Crestwood) and years after Crestwood. She did something bad and she knows that she'll be punished one day. And that day has come.

D.I. Kim Stone finds the body of Teresa drowned in the bath tub. The body shows obvious marks of pushing down. Someone drowned Teresa in her own bath tub.

When another employee in Crestwood is found dead, Kim suspects that something more is going on. Two people that worked in a children's foster home are found dead within couple of days. Why? Why would someone want to kill them? Is it some kind of revenge? For what? What have they done?

Near what used to be children's home, police finds another body, buried long time ago. Body of a child. Kim starts to gather the pieces of the puzzle.

D.I.Kim Stone is well described as a main character. She is tough, but also has a wild and also a soft side. She lives alone with no family, but has a passion for motorbikes, which is unusual for a woman. Life was hard for her, and she built a wall around her feelings, but those same feelings sometimes find their way to rise on the surface.

Ms. Marsons built a real puzzle when it comes to murders and killers. She created a story that goes back ten years in past when it all started, then goes back in present day where the consequences are. The story has turn-overs on every corner and makes you wonder till the very last page. Adding Lucy as a character really made the story more sensible and very emotional, not just filled with cold blooded murders. Who is Lucy? Well, you must read the book. Because it is a must-read.

My opinion : 5 / 5.

You can buy the book on  Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.