For my next book, you better put your seatbelt on because it is riveting. You won't want to miss this opportunity to add "The Career Killer" by Ali Gunn to your library. If you love novels set in London, you'll love this book. The plot weaves in and out very mysteriously. I think my readers are going to love it. Take a look and meet the author.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Career Killer (DCI Mabey Book 1)
A public body dump, an invisible killer.
What everyone is saying about Ali Gunn:
ALI GUNN
Tell
your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now,
where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.
At heart,
I’m a Londoner. I love the hustle and bustle of the city; the way neighborhoods
can change from one street to the next. From the glamour of Knightsbridge to
the glass-and-steel offices of Canary Wharf, it’s an enormously diverse city that
is home to eight million of us. There’s something magical about writing books
set in the capital. As the famous saying goes, if you’re tired of London,
you’re tired of. These days I’m based on the outskirts of the capital, well away from the
madding crowds.
It’s the best of both worlds: quiet neighborhood living
combined with easy access to zone one.
What inspired
you to author this book?
The idea
came to me when chatting with a friend. We give away everything online and
never more so than when we use dating apps. What if someone crossed the idea of
a dating app with the modern culture in which reviewing and rating everything
and everyone is perfectly normal? It was – fleetingly – a business idea known
as “Review My Ex,” a social media app, that would allow us all to review our
former lovers on the understanding that one woman’s trash is another’s
treasure. Alas nobody wanted to invest in that silly idea because ultimately it
would a) get me sued and b) be full of insults. The Career Killer is set in a
world in which someone – not me – did create such an app.
Where
did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
The cover,
which depicts a pair of high-heeled shoes and a wedding dress splattered with
blood speaks to the core theme of the book: violence against women. The
overwhelming majority of murder victims are women, and a spouse commits most of
those murders. Women are at their most vulnerable when seeking out a new
partner and, with the advent of online dating, this is a bigger problem than
ever before.
Who has
been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?
In 2017 Cressida
Dick was the first woman to be appointed to the post of Commissioner of the
Metropolitan Police Service, the most senior role in British policing. But it’s
still a mostly male-dominated profession. The women I know who work for the Met
(London’s police force) speak of having to “out-man” the boys by being more
confident, more assertive, and more forceful than their male counterparts. DCI
Elsie Mabey is not only a woman in a man’s world but she’s fighting with her
own hidden disability while trying to escape the long shadow of her father, a
recently retired detective.
What
were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?
Balancing
the need for medical accuracy with the needs of the story. Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome (“CFS”) can be devastating for those who suffer from it. Many struggles
to get out of bed. Elsie only has a mild case of CFS, which means that she can
still function most of the time but finds it incredibly difficult.
Tell
your readers about your book.
It’s a modern,
British crime novel focusing on the stories of those who have to solve
London’s most heinous murders without losing themselves in the process.
Who is
your target audience, and why?
Women who
like realistic, well-drawn characters that show the flaws and strengths of
(wo)man. Reading is about exploring all of life from the safety of our
armchairs and hopefully The Career Killer will give everyone the chance
to outwit me in the process by working out all the twists and turns.
What do
you consider your greatest success in life?
Finishing
the book! The second one, The Psychopath Within, is proving just as
tricky to write; but I’d best get a move on with that as its out in September.
What
one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?
It’s
disability positive but in a realistic way. Elsie isn’t perfect but she’s
trying her best with mixed results.
