The Crime Warp

It never ceases to amaze me  that when I ask crime writers about themselves, they have such a diverse range of tastes and tales to tell. Today, I'm pleased to welcome Bernie Steadman to The Crime Warp, and believe me she is no exception. 

Thanks so much for coming along, Bernie!

Bernie taught English for many years but only dabbled in short fiction and poetry until a few years ago when she took to writing full-time.She completed her debut novel, Death in the Woods when she escaped the classroom and could finally stop marking essays. This was the first in the West Country Mysteries series featuring DI Dan Hellier and his Exeter-based team. There are now three in the series, Death on Dartmoor and Death on the Coast completing the series.
Bernie lives in a small town in East Devon and her novels are set in and around the ancient Roman city of Exeter, which has seen its fair share of murder and mayhem over the centuries. The books explore the beauty of the area, but demonstrate that even…

Blurb
Recovering from injuries sustained in a road collision, DI Bliss is taken directly from hospital to a fresh crime scene and ordered to investigate the vicious stabbing and murder of Jade Coleman.
When Bliss realises the victim had reported being stalked, and that two of his own team members had been drafted in to take her statement, he is then given the unenviable task of interviewing both of his detectives.
Increasingly it appears that the stalker may be their killer. However, several other people soon become part of the team’s suspect list.
Bliss also finds himself being questioned about his own past, and has to battle to defend himself whilst continuing to investigate the vicious murder.
Soon more questions arise.
Why would anybody target the victim, Jade Coleman?
Why are the team unable to identify her close female friend?
And why did Jade recently leave her job without any explanation?
With his work cut out, and his team under tremendous pressure, can Bliss solve the case before …

What excites me about My Life of Crime series , is that we delve beneath the surface of the writer. Crime authors are so generous in letting their readers get to know them better and I'm sure you'll agree this blog post by Carmen Radtke does just that. 
Carmen has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist. When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.

Carmen was born in Hamburg, Germany, but now lives in York, UK. To make life more interesting, she also writes historical woman’s fiction under pen name Caron Albright. A Matter of Love and Death is her first romantic suspense novel published under her alter ego’s name.Thanks so much for sharing some of yourself with your readers. 

So, over to you now Carmen ...






Two books that influenced me:

The first one was Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fi…

I love reading Young Adult books and not only because I'm doing doctoral research on the 'teen voice'. I love them because I find them though provoking and informative. They never fail to take me into the teen psyche and when I'm in there I never cease to be astounded by the variety and range of issues affecting teens. The messages from the three I have chosen to review  today will stay with me for a long time to come. 

Blurb Keep your friends close and your enemies closer… An addictive and shocking psychological thriller. A friend who won’t let you escape.
When Karin is taken on a romantic break by her loving partner Aaron, she can’t wait for him to propose. But her surprise weekend quickly becomes a nightmare from which she may never escape. Who wants everything you have.
They are staying by the beach at the Midland – a grand hotel where Karin used to work. And where Karin’s dangerous and obsessive ex, whom she has been trying to leave behind for years, is waiting patiently for her to return. Who won’t stop until your life is in ruins.
Now all of Karin’s darkest secrets are being dragged into the light and her friends are turning against her. When one of them is murdered, Karin begins to realise just how treacherous relationships can be…
Author Bio June Taylor is a UK psychological thriller writer. Keep Your Friends Close is her second book for HarperCollins Killer Reads. For many years she was a TV prom…