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WORKING GIRLS AND DEAD OLD - HOW THE SERIES BEGAN
The second city's sassiest detective sergeant hit the crime fiction scene in 2004 in WORKING GIRLS. Published by Crème de la Crime, the novel opens with the discovery of a schoolgirl’s body. The sight breaks Bev's heart.
Bev walked away from the body, noticed again the scuffed shoe. She thought of glass slippers and fairy stories, and sighed. Michelle Lucas was no Cinderella and any prospect of living happily after ever had been written off in the first chapter.
Bev frowned, went down on one knee, something had caught her eye. She glanced round for a twig, used it to prop up the shoe then peered closer. Lining the sole of the shoe was a stash of cash. Ten-pound notes. Dirty money. Bev shook her head. Finding this particular piece of evidence gave her no pleasure. Out with the vice, kerb trawling, it was the first place they looked. It was the oldest trick in the book of the oldest profession. And it cleared up any remaining doubt that young Michelle Lucas was a fully paid up member.
REVIEWS OF WORKING GIRLS...
The plotting is excellent, and the dialogue is sharp. But what sets it apart is the fact that Maureen Carter’s work has a certain style, something that suggests she isn’t just passing through. Definitely an author worth watching.
Julia Wallis Martin, Author of Dancing with the Uninvited Guest.
Carter can do dialogue… the writing has bounce and energy, as befits a journalist.
Sharon Wheeler, Reviewing the Evidence.
This is an assured debut from a new crime writer who deserves to be marked down as ‘one to watch out for’ in the future.
Chris Senior, Sherlock magazine
Imagine Bridget Jones meets Cracker… gritty, pacy, realistic and, as befits a former Newsnight presenter, televisual. When’s the TV adaptation going to hit our screens?
Gary Hudson, Amazon
WATCH A TV INTERVIEW WITH MAUREEN CARTER TALKING ABOUT THE BOOK AND HER WORK
http://www.legaltv.co.uk/watchonline/shows/index.php
DEAD OLD
DEAD OLD IS THE SECOND IN THE BEV MORRISS CRIME SERIES.
J Wallis Martin, author of Dancing with the Univited Guest wrote this about the book...
Complex, chilling and absorbing – DEAD OLD confirms Maureen Carter’s place among the new generation of British crime writers.
In Bev's second case, teenage yobs are beating up old women in Birmingham.
When a victim dies with blood spattered daffodils stuffed in her mouth, detectives believe she's the gang's latest target. Bev doesn't buy the police line. No one desecrates a body like that unless it's personal.
An old woman sprawled on a damp, foul-smelling
mattress in a cruel parody of peaceful sleep.
Bev put out a steadying hand. It was so still,
so quiet she could hear the pulse whoosh in her ears.
She concentrated again on the macabre tableau.
The victim was filthy and scruffy and stank of human
waste and booze.
But this was no death by natural causes.
What sort of sick bastard rammed flowers down a dead
woman’s throat? It was an indignity too far. The daffodils
were some sort of sick message; the killer hadn’t used
them to choke his victim. The old woman hadn’t died
from asphyxiation. There was too much blood for that,
far too much.
And anyway, the murder weapons were still in place.
REVIEWS OF DEAD OLD
Many writers would sell their first born to have the ability to create such a distinctive ‘voice’ in a main character.
Sharon Wheeler, Reviewing the Evidence.
…a cracking story that zips along, and takes the reader into the world of a police investigation into the deaths of elderly ladies. But the deaths may not be all they seem, and Carter’s feisty, wonderfully-human Bev Morriss is lead into all kinds of unexpected twists and turns as she tries to untangle the crimes, and to sort out her own life along the way. A really strong, really involving story-line, with several enjoyable little sub-plots skilfully woven in. I'm greatly looking forward to Ms Carter's next book.
Sarah Rayne, author Roots of Evil.
Maureen Carter reinforces the strong characters established in Working Girls.
Bev's foibles and fallibilities are subtly portrayed… Bev's dry, sometimes caustic sense of humour remains firmly in place. Her passion for what she does shines throughout the novel and while it may sometimes lead her away from the rules, it keeps her from the path of cynical, stereotyped maverick. Bev has a lot to offer and it should be interesting to see how her character will grow.
Mary Andrea Clarke, SHOTSMAG REVIEWS
This is a gripping book by a brilliant writer. To say I couldn't put this book down is a cliche, but I have never found it so difficult to persuade myself to break for nourishment.
Jean Currie, Round the Camp Fire
A worthy successor to Carter’s debut…
mysterylovers.com
WORKING GIRLS August 2004
DEAD OLD August 2005
All titles in the Bev Morriss crime series are published by Crème de la Crime.
http://www.cremedelacrime.com
Maureen Carter is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association
http://www.thecwa.com
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