Crimson Mind

by Amanda Leigh

He Breathes...like a rabid dog...in my ear.
"I knew...I'd enjoy...you."

When twenty-year-old Mary Hunt is raped then murdered in Rocky Burrow Mountains, it is up to small town police officer Senior Constable Susan Connelly to prove herself capable and solve the case.

With Mary's friend, Samantha, and cousin, Jacqueline, also searching for answers, it is a race to find the killer before the killer finds them.

Fast-paced, violent, and sexy, this erotic verse thriller delves into the lives and minds of the sexual, criminal, and just. It's a page-turner until the very end.

232 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Amanda Leigh was born in Sydney, Australia. She spent her early years living in Hertfordshire, England, then moved back to Australia when she was 11, making Newcastle her home. She has travelled through Europe, the USA and has also spent time living in Canada. She has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Drama, and an English Honours Degree, as well as several years of experience working in radio as a copywriter. Crimson Mind is her first novel.

Reviews

[Dean Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first foray into a verse written novel and I was surprised with the results. The writer Amanda Leigh has managed to give us a gritty tale, with a bit of sauce thrown in for good measure, that is gripping, confronting and best of all, leaving us hungry for more. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

[Brooke Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the tradition of Dorothy Porter, this fast-passed, erotic thriller written in verse will have you captivated from the opening passage right through to the closing words. As good thrillers do, it has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and just when you think you might have it all figured out, you're made to guess again.

Thanks for a great read Amanda Leigh!

[Amanda]

Crimson Mind by Amanda Leigh is Available Now! Woo hoo!

Please excuse my excitement but this is my debut novel and it has just been released! I have a gigantic smile on my face at the moment.

Crimson Mind is an erotic thriller written in verse. It is more of a thriller with erotic undertones. It is violent, sexy and easy to read (in my opinion). My aim was to write a verse novel that most people could read without any difficulty. It is fast-paced and it gets straight to the point.

Some of the poems were laid out to look like particular things e.g. a knife, a noose etc. Because of this, I recommend you read a hard copy version as I can't guarantee the layout will look the same on your e-reader. I have been told it is to do with different device settings. It is totally up to you which version you read, but just be aware you may not see the work the way it is meant to be seen, which is why I recommend a hard copy.

For those who aren't sure what I mean by 'verse', Crimson Mind is a series of poems that are all connected to form a story. Each poem links with the next. If you are familiar with Dorothy Porter's work, you will understand what I mean. I love her writing style and I wanted to do something similar.

Here is the synopsis for Crimson Mind, for those who are interested:

When twenty-year-old Mary Hunt is raped then murdered in Rocky Burrow Mountains, it is up to small town police officer Senior Constable Susan Connelly to prove herself capable and solve the case.

With Mary's friend, Samantha, and cousin, Jacqueline, also searching for answers, it is a race to find the killer before the killer finds them.

Fast-paced, violent, and sexy, this erotic verse thriller delves into the lives and minds of the sexual, criminal, and just. It's a page-turner until the very end.

Crimson Mind is available at http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products...

You are welcome to follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaLeigh....

Thanks for your support.

Amanda Leigh xxx

P.S. Note I haven't rated my book. I will leave that for you. I hope you enjoy it. :)

[Luka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel from the author was nail biting and filled with suspense. It was my first time reading a verse novel of this kind and it definitely held my attention more than the conventional novel layout, for those of us with demanding hectic lives and time constraints- it could be read a page at a time, rather than chapter.
It is fast paced, tense and delivers from the first page to the very end. It avoided cliche and wasn't predictable, thus, the mystery and tension remained throughout.

I loved the authors lavish descriptions, certainly a joy to read and captured a richer and vivid picture of the scene, the surroundings and the characters and their individual qualities.

''Her crystal hand shakes
as she drinks,
coughing alcohol flames
when she's done.

I can't help flashing
a pumpkin grin.
She will love what's coming
next''

It always pays to invest in your characters as it makes it easier to potentially empathise with them and truly delve inside even the coldest character's, mind, thought processes, motives and so on. The author particularly excels at this.

I would like to see this book gain the recognition it deserves and wider readership.
It is in the erotic vein and if rubbish like '50 Shades of Grey' can become a sensation.. I don't see why there isn't a place for good quality writing such as this, which is fueled with lust and danger. I stumbled across it by accident, admittedly, and was pleasantly surprised, thrilled, even when I decided to give this new author's work a try.

[Evette Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

'I breathe in slowly
bite
rock pillow
close my eyes and go to hell'

Mary's blood battered body was found at the bottom of an embankment in Rocky Burrow Mountain. She had been raped and murdered.

night before she had ended her relationship with her long time boyfriend Kurt. The pair were described as having had and "on again, off again relationship."

On that same night she chose to seek comfort from someone else she trusted.
Or could she?

Her friend Samantha and cousin Jacqueline set out to find the killer. Small town cop Senior Constable Susan Connelly was also determined to solve the crime to make a name for herself.

This is Amanda Leigh's first novel. She wrote it more than 10years ago whilst studying creative writing at University.

Crimson Mind is written in prose which I found easy to read and follow the plot.
The multiple chapters are set out with clever visual appeal, demonstrative of the text.

I enjoy reading murder mysteries and have not previously read an erotic thriller written in verse.

This novel is suitable for adult readers and women could easily empathise with the shocking but realistic scenarios.

Some readers might find the graphic text confronting however it serves its purpose in the rawness it depicts.

Alcohol fuelled violence, sex and the delusional thinking of a criminal mind kept me page turning until the end.

Well written, I enjoyed and reread some of the descriptive analogies. I could have kept reading and would look forward to reading more of Amanda Leigh's work in the future.

[Ernest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Amanda on a bus while she was on vacation in Alberta, Canada over 6 years ago and we stayed in contact. I have read her poetry and was delighted to hear of her first novel. Ordered it right away. I am delighted that I did. The style of her writing and the language is very engaging. She draws you into certain parts as if you are part of it. Other parts, you are just on the outside watching the action right in front of you, only a breath away. Teasingly sexy but tasteful with some real grit where it is needed. Very fun read, especially for her first novel. Looking for the next already. Good job, Amanda!

[Jason Towers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a friend of mine and the book is self published, so it came as a relief to find it's a gem. Crimson Mind is told in a series of free verse poems. Nearly every page holds a turn of language I wish was mine. The text is charged with sexual allusion, much of it subtle and byzantine. As other reviewers have pointed out, the story moves at speed. An unusual format; a quick, rewarding read.

[Glenda Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a very easy read. Writing in prose made the rape scene in the book very raw and brought to the forefront the horrendous violence of the act. I could not put it down. From beginning to end it kept me intrigued as to 'who done it'. I did not want it to finish. Excellent first book for this writer. Can't wait for the next. Well done.

[Annette Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It caught my attention at the very start, this first novel from Amanda Leigh. Just reading the back cover was enough to get me interested. A who done it novel, my kind of read. A very good read, looking forward to Amanda Leigh's next novel.

[Michael Powlesland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read a novel in verse before so this is a unique experience. I really enjoyed the story and its complexity. Can't wait for the next book from this author.