Catherine Skeet-Yaffe's Blog: What Cat Did Next..

So in a moment of madness, I’ve decided to launch a podcast *😳
(*stand back whilst I jump on that band wagon* 😃 )

I’ve hosted a podcast before and I absolutely loved it. Not because I love the sound of my own voice (I don’t, in fact I hate hearing the Yorkshire accent!) but because I’m nosey and love hearing about other people. My last one was all about digital marketing but this one is all about my first love – CRIME!

I mean, what’s not to love? I’ll be talking to crime writers, former murder squad detectives, forensic experts and behaviour analysts as well as using the platform to raise the profile of independent, self published authors of crime fiction and true crime books.

I thought I’d start off by keeping it simple. A straightforward 1-2-1 interview where I ask questions about their book, their reasons for writing, their inspiration behind the story – and a few curve ball questions just to keep them on their toes! I’d like it to be fun, upbeat and an enjoyable experience for the listener as well as the expert in the spotlight – that’s possible, right?

posted by Catherine Skeet-Yaffe on March, 03

So in a moment of madness, I’ve decided to launch a podcast *😳
(*stand back whilst I jump on that band wagon* 😃 )

I’ve hosted a podcast before and I absolutely loved it. Not because I love the sound of my own voice (I don’t, in fact I hate hearing the Yorkshire accent!) but because I’m nosey and love hearing about other people. My last one was all about digital marketing but this one is all about my first love – CRIME!

I mean, what’s not to love? I’ll be talking to crime writers, former murder squad detectives, forensic experts and behaviour analysts as well as using the platform to raise the profile of independent, self published authors of crime fiction and true crime books.

I thought I’d start off by keeping it simple. A straightforward 1-2-1 interview where I ask questions about their book, their reasons for writing, their inspiration behind the story – and a few curve ball questions just to keep them on their toes! I’d like it to be fun, upbeat and an enjoyable experience for the listener as well as the expert in the spotlight – that’s possible, right?

I’m often asked where my love of crime fiction comes from, and why I’m interested in that genre. I’d reply that I was a fan of The Famous Five, or Nancy Drew Mysteries which is true but it wasn’t until the recent passing of that great British writer John Le Carre that a flood of memories came back to me. I remember mum and dad were always (and still are) avid readers but dad was the one who read spy novels, espionage and crime thrillers. I remember picking up Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and plowing my through it though I must only have been 12 or 13 and can’t have understood many of the words. I also remember vividly reading Catch 22. Even today, if either of us finds a truly compelling book we’ll share it or chat about it. It was dad that started my interest in serial killers too when I borrowed Zodiac by Robert Graysmith. I’m not even sure I knew what a serial killer was or even that they existed before then!

So I was on the road and interest in crime started at an early age. Fast forward to today, and I have the privilege of actually writing crime thrillers! I didn’t choose to write them in all honesty, I guess that my brain is flooded with so many questions about murder, violence and all that that entails it just came ‘naturally’ to me.

I started a course in Criminal Psychology back in 2017, and though I didn’t ‘officially’ complete it I did all the course work and it gave me a good grounding into the causes of crime, what circumstances could trigger someone to enter a life of crime and an understanding of how behaviour escalates. This is invaluable when I’m creating villanous characters. I also watch a lot of true crime programmes, listen to podcasts and read as many books about notorious (and lesser known) killers.

Now I’ve committed to writing full time, reading about criminals is no longer a guilty pleasure – it’s an essential, nay a necessity!

Last year my home library of various books grew exponentially, some for research purposes and others to try and understand those who work closely with criminals and in forensics to really get into their mindset.

Here I have listed a few that have helped me, along with those that I read ‘for fun.’

If you’ve read any of them then please do let me know, I’d be more than happy to discuss them.

Research
Forensics – The Anatomy of Crime
Val McDermid

I mean, if you’re going to learn what happens during a crime scene then there’s no better place to start than with the queen of crime fiction, Val McDermid.

In this book, Val is very open about the people she consults with for her books, and also cites real life cases breaking down the crime scene processes used by everything from the initial police involvement, through to the post mortem, DNA, digital forensics and also touches on the courtroom.

I learnt so much from reading this book, and it’s a favourite on my shelf with sticky notes poking out from nearly every page where I’ve used it to check something.

Unnatural Causes
Dr Richard Shepherd

I literally devoured this book in two sittings, it was at once fascinating, engaging and quite disturbing. The book is based on the professional life of top forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd. He details how he has helped to put serial killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. It’s all delivered in a very straight forward text, at times heart wrenching but always with such empathy and consideration for the victims.

Judicial System
In Your Defence
Sarah Langford

Bit of a different one for me, but it was recommended and I’m glad it was! Sarah details 11 heart-stopping cases that she has been involved with and details how the law dealt with the case and the perpetrator, from Sarah’s stance as a defence barrister.

What I truly enjoyed about this book, as gut wrenching as it was at times, was that you don’t need to have a law degree to read it. Sarah does such a fantastic job of telling the stories in a straightforward, non jargon way that it can be enjoyed by anyone.

The Prison Doctor
Dr Amanda Brown

This book was a surprise. Of course I read the blurb and some of the reviews beforehand but they didn’t do it justice in my opinion. To say this book was eye opening would be a massive understatement. As a middle class working girl, I’ve never had anything to do with the prison system and although I have a friend that works at an all female prison, for obvious reasons she doesn’t talk about what takes place inside. My only frame of reference was the TV shows (Bad Girls, Orange Is The New Black) which are so far from the true picture. I have watched Crime and Punishment (C4) but again, even though I thought that was hard hitting it was nothing compared to the experiences that Amanda describes in her boo. The care, compassion and understanding is nothing short of super human.

It’s most definitely a job that I could never do, and I’m grateful that we have people such as Dr Brown within a ruthless prison system.

Murderers
My Life with Murderers
David Wilson

David Wilson had spent his career working with the most violent criminals, men in particular as a criminal psychologist. This books tells his story from a young, idealistic prison governor to an expert criminologist and then professor. His experiences are unlike any other. He is frequently seen on TV and that’s where I first came across him. He has several books out along a similar theme but this is the first I’ve read. It’s more of a memoir than an autobiography but I was as intrigued with how David came to be where is today, as much as I was interested in the criminals he’s worked with (he refers to BTK as the almost ‘perfect’ psychopath!)

Ted Bundy – Conversations with a Killer
Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth

After my earlier obsession with the Zodiac killer, I moved onto Ted Bundy – who I still find fascinating. I’ve watched many, many documentaries and TV shows about him, as well as films (‘Exceedingly Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,’ was a masterpiece in my opinion.)

I have also watched the Netflix series of Conversations with a killer and all I will say is, read the book by all means but not in bed, at night! I have no idea why, maybe it was because the book is actual transcripts of real conversations so therefore you have to create the imagery and voices but I could not sleep after reading a couple of chapters. This has never happened to me before, but Ted Bundy was stood in my bedroom, having conversations with me as plain as the nose on my face! The authors do a fantastic job of asking penetrating questions but Ted Bundy also does an equally brilliant job of giving answers that taken at face value appear to be genuine and honest, but when you look at the context you can see he has his own agenda and manipulates the situation to serve his own purpose. Honestly, I am yet to finish the book!

Yorkshire Ripper – The Secret Murders
Chris Clark and Tim Tate

Now, I’m a Yorkshire girl. I’m 50 years old which means that whilst I wasn’t quite old enough for the killings to have an impact on me, I can remember the alarm around it and the newspaper stories. As with Bundy, I’ve watched several documentaries but this one, rightly, feels closer to home.

This particular book is written by a former police officer and a former journalist so the ideal combination to tell the ‘real’ story of the Ripper. For me, there were a few interesting insights into further potential victims that were overlooked or dismissed by the police simply because they didn’t have the resources that we have today. In fact, a lot of the systems that present in todays’ police service are as a result of what happened with the Ripper enquiry.

Anyway, back to the book. i enjoyed it, it was good to read another take on this well publicised case and I’d like to thank Chris for sending me a copy.

US Crime
Hands up, this one is a bit of fun! I am obsessed with Lieutenant Joe Kenda, a US cop of Homicide Hunter fame. Honestly, if there was a Mastermind challenge on the subject I would win hands down! I mean I own cups and t-shirts and everything!

I will find you
Detective Lt. Joe Kenda

Kenda has such a dry, wry sense of humour and it comes across in spades in this book. He talks about some of the cases he’s been involved in, from the gut wrenching to the hilarious. In truth, it’s just the written version of the show Homicide Hunters but for an obsessive like myself, it’s a must have!

So that’s all for now. I have read many more books than this, you can see my earlier blog post here

posted by Catherine Skeet-Yaffe on January, 15

I’m often asked where my love of crime fiction comes from, and why I’m interested in that genre. I’d reply that I was a fan of The Famous Five, or Nancy Drew Mysteries which is true but it wasn’t until the recent passing of that great British writer John Le Carre that a flood of memories came back to me. I remember mum and dad were always (and still are) avid readers but dad was the one who read spy novels, espionage and crime thrillers. I remember picking up Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and plowing my through it though I must only have been 12 or 13 and can’t have understood many of the words. I also remember vividly reading Catch 22. Even today, if either of us finds a truly compelling book we’ll share it or chat about it. It was dad that started my interest in serial killers too when I borrowed Zodiac by Robert Graysmith. I’m not even sure I knew what a serial killer was or even that they existed before then!

So I was on the road and interest in crime started at an early age. Fast forward to today, and I have the privilege of actually writing crime thrillers! I didn’t choose to write them in all honesty, I guess that my brain is flooded with so many questions about murder, violence and all that that entails it just came ‘naturally’ to me.

I started a course in Criminal Psychology back in 2017, and though I didn’t ‘officially’ complete it I did all the course work and it gave me a good grounding into the causes of crime, what circumstances could trigger someone to enter a life of crime and an understanding of how behaviour escalates. This is invaluable when I’m creating villanous characters. I also watch a lot of true crime programmes, listen to podcasts and read as many books about notorious (and lesser known) killers.

Now I’ve committed to writing full time, reading about criminals is no longer a guilty pleasure – it’s an essential, nay a necessity!

Last year my home library of various books grew exponentially, some for research purposes and others to try and understand those who work closely with criminals and in forensics to really get into their mindset.

Here I have listed a few that have helped me, along with those that I read ‘for fun.’

If you’ve read any of them then please do let me know, I’d be more than happy to discuss them.

Research
Forensics – The Anatomy of Crime
Val McDermid

I mean, if you’re going to learn what happens during a crime scene then there’s no better place to start than with the queen of crime fiction, Val McDermid.

In this book, Val is very open about the people she consults with for her books, and also cites real life cases breaking down the crime scene processes used by everything from the initial police involvement, through to the post mortem, DNA, digital forensics and also touches on the courtroom.

I learnt so much from reading this book, and it’s a favourite on my shelf with sticky notes poking out from nearly every page where I’ve used it to check something.

Unnatural Causes
Dr Richard Shepherd

I literally devoured this book in two sittings, it was at once fascinating, engaging and quite disturbing. The book is based on the professional life of top forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd. He details how he has helped to put serial killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. It’s all delivered in a very straight forward text, at times heart wrenching but always with such empathy and consideration for the victims.

Judicial System
In Your Defence
Sarah Langford

Bit of a different one for me, but it was recommended and I’m glad it was! Sarah details 11 heart-stopping cases that she has been involved with and details how the law dealt with the case and the perpetrator, from Sarah’s stance as a defence barrister.

What I truly enjoyed about this book, as gut wrenching as it was at times, was that you don’t need to have a law degree to read it. Sarah does such a fantastic job of telling the stories in a straightforward, non jargon way that it can be enjoyed by anyone.

The Prison Doctor
Dr Amanda Brown

This book was a surprise. Of course I read the blurb and some of the reviews beforehand but they didn’t do it justice in my opinion. To say this book was eye opening would be a massive understatement. As a middle class working girl, I’ve never had anything to do with the prison system and although I have a friend that works at an all female prison, for obvious reasons she doesn’t talk about what takes place inside. My only frame of reference was the TV shows (Bad Girls, Orange Is The New Black) which are so far from the true picture. I have watched Crime and Punishment (C4) but again, even though I thought that was hard hitting it was nothing compared to the experiences that Amanda describes in her boo. The care, compassion and understanding is nothing short of super human.

It’s most definitely a job that I could never do, and I’m grateful that we have people such as Dr Brown within a ruthless prison system.

Murderers
My Life with Murderers
David Wilson

David Wilson had spent his career working with the most violent criminals, men in particular as a criminal psychologist. This books tells his story from a young, idealistic prison governor to an expert criminologist and then professor. His experiences are unlike any other. He is frequently seen on TV and that’s where I first came across him. He has several books out along a similar theme but this is the first I’ve read. It’s more of a memoir than an autobiography but I was as intrigued with how David came to be where is today, as much as I was interested in the criminals he’s worked with (he refers to BTK as the almost ‘perfect’ psychopath!)

Ted Bundy – Conversations with a Killer
Stephen G. Michaud & Hugh Aynesworth

After my earlier obsession with the Zodiac killer, I moved onto Ted Bundy – who I still find fascinating. I’ve watched many, many documentaries and TV shows about him, as well as films (‘Exceedingly Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,’ was a masterpiece in my opinion.)

I have also watched the Netflix series of Conversations with a killer and all I will say is, read the book by all means but not in bed, at night! I have no idea why, maybe it was because the book is actual transcripts of real conversations so therefore you have to create the imagery and voices but I could not sleep after reading a couple of chapters. This has never happened to me before, but Ted Bundy was stood in my bedroom, having conversations with me as plain as the nose on my face! The authors do a fantastic job of asking penetrating questions but Ted Bundy also does an equally brilliant job of giving answers that taken at face value appear to be genuine and honest, but when you look at the context you can see he has his own agenda and manipulates the situation to serve his own purpose. Honestly, I am yet to finish the book!

Yorkshire Ripper – The Secret Murders
Chris Clark and Tim Tate

Now, I’m a Yorkshire girl. I’m 50 years old which means that whilst I wasn’t quite old enough for the killings to have an impact on me, I can remember the alarm around it and the newspaper stories. As with Bundy, I’ve watched several documentaries but this one, rightly, feels closer to home.

This particular book is written by a former police officer and a former journalist so the ideal combination to tell the ‘real’ story of the Ripper. For me, there were a few interesting insights into further potential victims that were overlooked or dismissed by the police simply because they didn’t have the resources that we have today. In fact, a lot of the systems that present in todays’ police service are as a result of what happened with the Ripper enquiry.

Anyway, back to the book. i enjoyed it, it was good to read another take on this well publicised case and I’d like to thank Chris for sending me a copy.

US Crime
Hands up, this one is a bit of fun! I am obsessed with Lieutenant Joe Kenda, a US cop of Homicide Hunter fame. Honestly, if there was a Mastermind challenge on the subject I would win hands down! I mean I own cups and t-shirts and everything!

I will find you
Detective Lt. Joe Kenda

Kenda has such a dry, wry sense of humour and it comes across in spades in this book. He talks about some of the cases he’s been involved in, from the gut wrenching to the hilarious. In truth, it’s just the written version of the show Homicide Hunters but for an obsessive like myself, it’s a must have!

So that’s all for now. I have read many more books than this, you can see my earlier blog post here

My top reads of 2020
A bit late in the day (well, 14 days after the new year but whose counting) but i’ve had my head stuck in finishing Book 2 The Web They Wove.

I wrote those much longed for words ‘The End’ yesterday which is a bit of a misnomer as it’s far from being the end of anything, it is only the start!

I’ve put it away for now, to give myself head space and to let it ruminate (and hopefully sort itself out so that all the errors, plot holes and characters are perfectly in place when I do the first read through some time next week). At the moment it all feels a bit messy so it’s super important I take this break, regroup and then read it objectively (as a reader) when my head has cleared.

So that means I can finally get round to clearing away much neglected admin tasks and sort my finances out, which I’ve been blithely ignoring for far too long (ugh, self assessment anyone?).

Most of these books I’ve reviewed over on Goodreads but here’s a more detailed look at some of my favourites.

Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
I was a bit late to the party on this one. It isn’t my usual genre, and I read it as part of Clare Mackintosh’s book group – I am so glad I did.
Set on the North Carolina coast in 1969, the story revolves around a young girl called Kya (or Marsh Girl by the locals). A murder takes place early on in the book and Kya is immediately a suspect. She lives alone on the marshes, after her mother left and her father is more often than not, absent. She manages on her own from a young age, and the book follows her journey as she grows into a beautiful young woman, attracting the attention of two local guys in particular. Her friends are the gulls, the sea shells and sand.

I probably haven’t done it justice in that description, but trust me – it’s a must read. It is written in third person, but the author writes with such a deep point of view you are immediately transported into Kya’s world and I fought every step of the way with her. I was delighted to find out that Reese Witherspoon has bought the film rights, I just hope she gives it the justice the story (and Kya) deserve.

The Giver of Stars – JoJo Moyes
Is there any subject that JoJo Moyes can’t write about it? This book had me in tears, made me angry and left me feeling elated – always a sign of a good book!

I read this in January 2020. I was laid low with a stinking cold, it was wet and rainy outside and I hadn’t yet started writing The Lie She Told so with lots of time on my hands I dived into this and it was the perfect read.

Set in 1930’s Kentucky, English born Alice Wright marries a rich American and leaves her home in England behind. Marriage, and her husband turn out to be a huge disappoint and her need for adventure leads her to Margery O’Hare, a town outcast. Between them they start a travelling library, using horses, in the wandering, wild hills and mountains of rural Kentucky. It raises eyebrows with the local community and beyond but for the natives of the hills it becomes a lifeline. Alice, Margery and the rest of the travelling library ladies must overcome prejudice, anger and social norms to continue with their essential service.

I absolutely fell in love with this book – so much so that I leant it to my mum, who lent it to her friends, who lent it to their friends and I’ve only just got it back! I will definitely read this book again. Perfect escapism for the cold January months.

After The End – Clare Mackintosh
Where to start with this one? First of all, I am a huge Clare Mackintosh fan. I’ve read every thing she’s ever written and she’s my inspiration for my own writing.

But this book? Well this is something else. A couple are faced with a hugely important decision, and they don’t agree. I don’t want to give too much away to be honest but the writing is superb, highly emotive and challenging at the same time. I wept more than once, and the ending? Oh wow… breath taking. It’s clear throughout that this book is deeply personal to the author and she treats a tough subject with sensitivity and real understanding.

Honestly, give it a read but take this as your mascara warning!

Now onto my Kindle reads. I always have more than one book on the go. I find I read different genres at different times, often on the same day but at bedtime I always turn to my Kindle to lull me to sleep. These are what I call my ‘easy reads.’ This is absolutely no disrespect to the author by any means, but they’re usually crime fiction, and it’s like putting on a cosy pair of slippers. Strange that I find crime fiction comforting!

Anyway, I have read so many that to do a detailed description of each one I would be here all day so I’ve listed them with links back to Goodreads. These are in no particular order by the way – just how they appeared in my Kindle library (I’m not that organised!). Some of the authors you will have heard of but I’ve tried to focus on self-published authors as much as I can.

The Liar’s Daughter – Claire Allan
Lies Lies Lies – Adele Parks
45% Hangover – Stuart McBride
The Missing and the Dead – Stuart McBride
The Doll Factory – Elizabeth MacNeal
Sleep – C. L. Taylor
Dead Inside – Noelle Holten
Strangers – C. L. Taylor
The House Guest – Mark Edwards
The Puppet Show – M W Craven
Black Summer – M W Craven
I can’t Sleep – JE Rowney
The Surrey Stalker – BL Pearce
Room 15 – Charles Harris
DI Bliss Series – Tony Forder
Righteous Anger – BL Pearce
After – Louise Broderick
Run For Your Life – M A Comley
The Trouble On Regency Road – Emmy Ellis
The Murder On Elderflower Mead – Emmy Ellis
Complete Darkness – Matt Adcock
The Solace Farm Killings – Simon McCleave
Cuthbert’s Way – LJ Ross
Fifty-Fifty – Steve Cavanagh
Dead Simple – Peter James
The Guilty Man – Helen Durrant

In part 2 of this post I’ll be covering the books I’ve used as research for my crime novels, including autobiographies of David Wilson, Kate Kray and Dr Amanda Brown.

If you’ve read any of the books listed above please do let me know.

posted by Catherine Skeet-Yaffe on January, 15

My top reads of 2020
A bit late in the day (well, 14 days after the new year but whose counting) but i’ve had my head stuck in finishing Book 2 The Web They Wove.

I wrote those much longed for words ‘The End’ yesterday which is a bit of a misnomer as it’s far from being the end of anything, it is only the start!

I’ve put it away for now, to give myself head space and to let it ruminate (and hopefully sort itself out so that all the errors, plot holes and characters are perfectly in place when I do the first read through some time next week). At the moment it all feels a bit messy so it’s super important I take this break, regroup and then read it objectively (as a reader) when my head has cleared.

So that means I can finally get round to clearing away much neglected admin tasks and sort my finances out, which I’ve been blithely ignoring for far too long (ugh, self assessment anyone?).

Most of these books I’ve reviewed over on Goodreads but here’s a more detailed look at some of my favourites.

Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
I was a bit late to the party on this one. It isn’t my usual genre, and I read it as part of Clare Mackintosh’s book group – I am so glad I did.
Set on the North Carolina coast in 1969, the story revolves around a young girl called Kya (or Marsh Girl by the locals). A murder takes place early on in the book and Kya is immediately a suspect. She lives alone on the marshes, after her mother left and her father is more often than not, absent. She manages on her own from a young age, and the book follows her journey as she grows into a beautiful young woman, attracting the attention of two local guys in particular. Her friends are the gulls, the sea shells and sand.

I probably haven’t done it justice in that description, but trust me – it’s a must read. It is written in third person, but the author writes with such a deep point of view you are immediately transported into Kya’s world and I fought every step of the way with her. I was delighted to find out that Reese Witherspoon has bought the film rights, I just hope she gives it the justice the story (and Kya) deserve.

The Giver of Stars – JoJo Moyes
Is there any subject that JoJo Moyes can’t write about it? This book had me in tears, made me angry and left me feeling elated – always a sign of a good book!

I read this in January 2020. I was laid low with a stinking cold, it was wet and rainy outside and I hadn’t yet started writing The Lie She Told so with lots of time on my hands I dived into this and it was the perfect read.

Set in 1930’s Kentucky, English born Alice Wright marries a rich American and leaves her home in England behind. Marriage, and her husband turn out to be a huge disappoint and her need for adventure leads her to Margery O’Hare, a town outcast. Between them they start a travelling library, using horses, in the wandering, wild hills and mountains of rural Kentucky. It raises eyebrows with the local community and beyond but for the natives of the hills it becomes a lifeline. Alice, Margery and the rest of the travelling library ladies must overcome prejudice, anger and social norms to continue with their essential service.

I absolutely fell in love with this book – so much so that I leant it to my mum, who lent it to her friends, who lent it to their friends and I’ve only just got it back! I will definitely read this book again. Perfect escapism for the cold January months.

After The End – Clare Mackintosh
Where to start with this one? First of all, I am a huge Clare Mackintosh fan. I’ve read every thing she’s ever written and she’s my inspiration for my own writing.

But this book? Well this is something else. A couple are faced with a hugely important decision, and they don’t agree. I don’t want to give too much away to be honest but the writing is superb, highly emotive and challenging at the same time. I wept more than once, and the ending? Oh wow… breath taking. It’s clear throughout that this book is deeply personal to the author and she treats a tough subject with sensitivity and real understanding.

Honestly, give it a read but take this as your mascara warning!

Now onto my Kindle reads. I always have more than one book on the go. I find I read different genres at different times, often on the same day but at bedtime I always turn to my Kindle to lull me to sleep. These are what I call my ‘easy reads.’ This is absolutely no disrespect to the author by any means, but they’re usually crime fiction, and it’s like putting on a cosy pair of slippers. Strange that I find crime fiction comforting!

Anyway, I have read so many that to do a detailed description of each one I would be here all day so I’ve listed them with links back to Goodreads. These are in no particular order by the way – just how they appeared in my Kindle library (I’m not that organised!). Some of the authors you will have heard of but I’ve tried to focus on self-published authors as much as I can.

The Liar’s Daughter – Claire Allan
Lies Lies Lies – Adele Parks
45% Hangover – Stuart McBride
The Missing and the Dead – Stuart McBride
The Doll Factory – Elizabeth MacNeal
Sleep – C. L. Taylor
Dead Inside – Noelle Holten
Strangers – C. L. Taylor
The House Guest – Mark Edwards
The Puppet Show – M W Craven
Black Summer – M W Craven
I can’t Sleep – JE Rowney
The Surrey Stalker – BL Pearce
Room 15 – Charles Harris
DI Bliss Series – Tony Forder
Righteous Anger – BL Pearce
After – Louise Broderick
Run For Your Life – M A Comley
The Trouble On Regency Road – Emmy Ellis
The Murder On Elderflower Mead – Emmy Ellis
Complete Darkness – Matt Adcock
The Solace Farm Killings – Simon McCleave
Cuthbert’s Way – LJ Ross
Fifty-Fifty – Steve Cavanagh
Dead Simple – Peter James
The Guilty Man – Helen Durrant

In part 2 of this post I’ll be covering the books I’ve used as research for my crime novels, including autobiographies of David Wilson, Kate Kray and Dr Amanda Brown.

If you’ve read any of the books listed above please do let me know.

The Lie She Told is now on Amazon at a reduced price of 99p!! AND it's FREE on Kindle Unlimited

The Lie She Told is now on Amazon at a reduced price of 99p!! AND it's FREE on Kindle Unlimited 😲

Crazy right?

Tell your friends, share the link, spread the word and leave reviews!

Thank you so much for making my debut crime thriller a favourite of many - it's been a crazy, scary and dare i say unprecedented 2020, and launching a self-published book in the midst of a pandemic was never going to be an ideal time but with your support it's been better than I could ever expected so again THANK YOU 🥰

https://amzn.to/3kF8lHj

Catherine Skeet-Yaffe

The Lie She Told

And so it begins - Book 3 whilst book 2 is away with my editor. I don't know why but it's taken me a while to settle into the rhythm of writing this book - maybe because so much has been going on with The Lie She Told and also fear that Book 2 is a pile of crap (I'm assured it isn't!).
So my daily word target is usually set to approx 2.5k words per day, more if I'm in the middle of a plot twist or gory details! Although I've done more planning with this than the others I can see 2 characters that are already going off on their own tangent so I'll see where they take me before I rein them back in (or not!)
Anyway, on with the writing - I'll update you the progress that The Lie She Told has made in another post - can you believe it's been a month already????
Have a great week, and do let me know what you're up to xx



posted by Catherine Skeet-Yaffe
on October, 27

And so it begins - Book 3 whilst book 2 is away with my editor. I don't know why but it's taken me a while to settle into the rhythm of writing this book - maybe because so much has been going on with The Lie She Told and also fear that Book 2 is a pile of crap (I'm assured it isn't!).
So my daily word target is usually set to approx 2.5k words per day, more if I'm in the middle of a plot twist or gory details! Although I've done more planning with this than the others I can see 2 characters that are already going off on their own tangent so I'll see where they take me before I rein them back in (or not!)
Anyway, on with the writing - I'll update you the progress that The Lie She Told has made in another post - can you believe it's been a month already????
Have a great week, and do let me know what you're up to xx