Time to Die – Grab This Book

Guest Post – Caroline Mitchell: Serial Heroes

In a feature I have named Serial Heroes have been asking authors to join me to talk about the books they love to read. I have been looking to learn which books my favourite authors turn to, the characters they love to follow or the series of books that they revisit time and time again.

Yesterday Steven Dunne kicked off this week of guest features and discussed serial killers (one of my favourite topics) and gave special mention to Thomas Harris and Hannibal.

Today I am joined by Caroline Mitchell who has picked out books by the undisputed King of fiction writing:

It may sound like an unusual thing for a crime writer to say, but crime thrillers aren’t my favourite books in the world. Why? Because as a serving police officer, working, writing and reading crime is a bit of a busman’s holiday – so I turn to an author who takes me far away from my everyday life into a world of escapism. I adore Stephen King. He is the master of his craft, and when I reach the end of his novels, I’m quite dazed for a day or two, feeling as if a very good friend has walked out of my life.

I was thrilled to discover one of my favourite books, ‘Mr Mercedes’ is proposed to be a trilogy, and after finishing the second in the series, ‘Finders Keepers,’ I cannot wait for the third.

I was immediately captivated by this series, which is as near as you can come to a crime thriller, without any of the usual supernatural / horror I’ve come to expect from King. But it’s so much more than your normal crime thriller. From his idiosyncrasies to convincing dialogue, King’s characterisations are the best I’ve ever read.

In Mr Mercedes, retired cop Bill Hodges has lost all purpose in life, and contemplates ending his life, until he receives a letter from someone purporting to be the driver of a Mercedes, which has taken the lives of eight people as it ploughed through them as they queued at a job fair. It is a crime that was never solved, and Hodges takes it upon himself (with a little help from his friends) to catch the killer, who taunts him in a cat and mouse game.

We are introduced to villain Brady Hartsfield from the start; a psychotic young man with a very troubled past. King offers us glimpses into his life, and the strange relationship he has with his alcoholic mother. Hodges must race to catch Hartsfield, but in true King style, it is an adrenalin fuelled race to stop the killer determined to take more innocent lives before he is finished.

The next book in the series features Bill Hodges investigating another case, with Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson, characters we became invested in while reading book one. It was great spending time with them again, although we are focused on an entirely different crime, it is every bit as dangerous, featuring Morris Bellamy, a man fresh from prison, with nothing to lose. It’s a great novel, which I couldn’t put down.

As a writer myself, I sometimes shake my head in awe at King’s work, as he draws me into his stories. He captures humanity like an art form, leaving me completely engrossed. Stephen King has something for everyone, and there’s no better place to start than hopping on board with Mr Mercedes.

Caroline Mitchell’s Amazon page is here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caroline-Mitchell/e/B00GUUATPU/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1462226394&sr=8-2-ent where you can order copies of all her books.

Caroline’s latest book is The Silent Twin (which I scored 5/5 in my recent review), you can order a copy here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Twin-gripping-detective-Detective-ebook/dp/B01BLU0U6G/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

You can find Caroline on Twitter @Caroline_writes or at her own website: caroline-writes.com

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October 6

Time To Die – Caroline Mitchell

He will predict your life… and your death.

Don’t ever cross his palm with silver. He will reveal your most shameful secrets. He will predict your death. He is hiding a secret. He is hiding a monster. And all his predictions come true.

Investigating a series of chilling murders, Detective Jennifer Knight finds herself tracking a mysterious tarot card reader known only as The Raven.

As the death toll rises, Jennifer and her team build a picture of a serial killer on the edge of sanity, driven by dark forces. But these are not random killings. And the method behind the madness could be the most terrifying thing of all …

Especially when it seems the death of one of their own is on the cards.

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy.

After enjoying the debut appearance of Jennifer Knight in Don’t Turn Around I was keen to find what lay in store for Jennifer in Caroline Mitchell’s new thriller Time To Die. Fortunately for returning fans there is another cracking thriller to enjoy.

What I find particularly appealing about these books is the fact that Knight and her colleagues are police officers but are also tasked with investigating issues which have a supernatural element. This opens up so much more potential for Caroline Mitchell to take her stories to the darker side of human (and inhuman) nature and she uses this freedom to great effect.

In Time To Die we encounter Raven, he has the ability to read your life in his tarot cards. He can see your darkest secrets and can also see your death. But sometimes Raven may need to give these premonitions of death a little helping hand…just to make sure the cards are correct.

Tarot has always held a dark fascination and the startling accuracy of the readings that Raven offers to his victims causes them (and the reader) a deeply unsettling feeling. I find that a chiller which is closely grounded in a believable situation is more unsettling than a ‘zombie apocalypse’ horror tale. Caroline Mitchell has delivered the chill factor I love – Raven is a disturbing character, his motives are unsettling and his need to satisfy the tarot cards and ensure his predictions remain true made for compelling reading.

The investigation into Raven’s suspicious behaviour ensures there is a strong police procedural element to Time To Die which appealed to my love of crime fiction. There is a real feel of a criminal investigation being conducted into the violent deaths depicted in the book. We follow the investigation and (as we know the Raven is a murderer) we get to see the police closing in on their suspect. However, the Raven knows they are coming and is taking his own steps to avoid capture.

On a final thought, I also enjoyed the further development of Jennifer Knight’s character: her obsession with cleanliness, the fractious relationship she has with her family and we learn more about her colleagues. All these elements help build a more complete story and give the depth to the book that not all authors accomplish. I look forward to another return to Haven and to see more investigations for Knight and her colleagues. My kind of book – thoroughly recommended.

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