Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett

Today I am delighted to welcome to my blog Rachel Amphlett the bestselling author of the Dan Taylor espionage novels. Rachel has written a Guest Blog to talk about her new novel which is part of a new series involving Detective Kay Hunter. Here Rachel talks about the origins of a series and how the new series came about. 

The origins of a series

After writing two novels in the Dan Taylor espionage series in quick succession, I wanted the opportunity to explore a new character that had been going around in my head for a while.

Several months ago, an idea popped into my head that comprised an entire scene.  An accident had occurred, and a police detective had pulled over to the side of the road to see if the attending emergency services required assistance.

That one idea morphed into several pages of a new notebook. However, the more I wrote and the more I fleshed out the character, new ideas cropped up and it soon became apparent that I had a new series on my hands. Moreover, what I thought was going to be the first book in the series will likely be the third or fourth. And, unlike my espionage thrillers, this series centred around a female police detective in the UK.

Meet Kay Hunter.

As I fleshed out the ideas, one story in particular stood out for me as a way to kick off what I plan to be a new series. I began jotting down the various scenes that were going around my head, and then plotted the story out so that I had some sort of coherent plan to work on. I spent two weeks plotting about half of the story, and then began to write. Scared to Death came together really quickly. Once the story took hold and the characters started to stamp their authority on it, it became a very easy process.  I think because time is of the essence for the investigating team, this sense of urgency translated to the actual writing and, I hope, to a fast paced read.

The one word I would use to describe Kay is “resilient”. She’s been through a hell of a lot in both her professional and her personal life, but I think this makes her more human and definitely someone to whom readers can relate.

She isn’t a quitter, but neither is she invincible. She realises that she can’t do everything on her own and compared to some fictional detectives, she is a team player – most of the time.  When writing Scared to Death, I tried very hard to avoid any cliches that might normally be associated with a crime thriller. I didn’t want Kay to be a lone wolf, striking out on her own to solve the case with no help. There’s just no way that would be believable.

I also wanted to give the team around her a chance to shine, so Kay isn’t always the one that makes the breakthrough in an investigation.

 I hope readers enjoy Scared to Death, and I’m really looking forward to sharing Kay Hunter’s next investigation in the not too distant future.

The Review:

This is a new series by Rachel Amphlett in Scared to Death we meet Detective Kay Hunter. The book really starts fast and quick. A young girl has been taken and her panic stricken parents are doing everything they can to find her it is a desperate situation as they fear the worst for their daughter and when things turn out in the worst possible way, I could the pain and anguish and the sheer helplessness as well as the obvious grief pouring out of the pages.

Detective Kay Hunter is smart and a tough character and misses no stone that needs to be turned over. Though she may have a few secrets lurking in the shadows she and her team need to act quickly to stop the killer in his tracks before he strikes again. Time and speed are of the essence here. This is a superb crime novel that hits the ground running from page one and keeps the reader really on their toes. Rachel Amphlett’s writing is something to discover she knows how to write a crime novel and add some twists to keep everyone guessing. Thoroughly gripping read and if crime fiction is your favourite. This then is a must read.

Thank you to Rachel Amphlett for the guest blog and advanced review copy of Scared to Death.

The Scared to Death Official Blog Tour Continues