Category Archives: David Videcette

A day with author…. David Videcette @DavidVidecette

Today I’m thrilled to welcome the “James Bond” of authors to my blog David Videcette. The author worked as a Scotland Yard investigator, and has worked on a wealth of infamous cases. He’s chased down numerous dangerous criminals, searched hundreds of properties, placed bugs on scores of vehicles, and interviewed thousands of witnesses.

David is the author of the DI Jake Flannagan thriller series based on real events: ‘I can’t tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story…’™ How much is fact and how much is fiction, only YOU can decide….

I hope you enjoy reading David Videcette’s post as much as I did.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DAVID VIDECETTE

David Videcette, former detective with the Anti-Terrorist Branch.

5 .30am/6.30am: On a good night, when there are no nightmares, I will sleep like a log. The vibrations from my Apple watch will wake me up. Then I’ll catch up on the news and overnight emails that might have come in from the US or Australia. These might be from readers asking when the next book is out or enquiries about film and translation rights. I’m straight on my phone with a rolling news channel playing in the background. It’s really important for me to know exactly what’s happening in the world, both for my security consultancy work in London and for my writing and media commentating.

7.00am: As well as being a writer, I’m a father to two girls, both of whom think that I run a taxi business for them, so some days are spent helping with the school run.

9.00am: Besides my writing, I work as a security consultant in the personal protection industry which takes up a lot of my time. I keep VIPs and high net-worth-individuals safe. Mornings will be spent in central London meeting about the work ahead and completing anything left over from the day before.

Lunchtime: I do a lot of work with the media, across TV, radio and newspapers commentating on terrorism, policing and crime. This often involves me travelling to TV studios or writing opinion pieces for the press. Sometimes I’ll meet with a journalist from the national papers for lunch. I love to try out new foods. Right now I’m into sushi and Lebanese.

The writing process: My books are based on real events and I use my detective experience having spent twenty years in the police as a Scotland Yard investigator. In essence, my books are as close to crime fact as crime fiction ever gets. To back up that claim, I have to do an incredible amount of reading, research and review of cold cases before I can put pen to paper.

Daytimes are often spent snatching reading opportunities where I can; visiting places that I’m writing about; or tracking down and interviewing people. You might find me hunting down sealed or archived documents – or visiting my publishing lawyer to get legal advice on which secrets I can and cannot share…

My writing space: The romantic idea that authors sit by lakes, writing on beautiful decks in the sun, typing their hearts out on a typewriter couldn’t be further from the truth for me. I do have a clear desk and a room set aside, but I’m rarely there! My writing space can be anything from an iPad in the back of a vehicle, to dictation in the BBC’s green room, or a snatched paragraph written out on location in a greasy spoon café. It’s not ideal, but that’s the reality of my writing world.

8pm/9pm: If it’s not my turn to help out with some ferrying to and from after-school activities – I’ll get home late. We sadly lost two guinea pigs recently, so the remaining one is very lonely and now gets spoiled rotten. My daughter brings it inside a lot and it sits watching television with us. Sometimes it even eats its dinner with us!

Over the summer I’ve been working on a very famous, unsolved, real-life cold case that is very close to my heart. There are plans in development with a documentary production company, and for a possible non-fiction book.

10pm: I’ll have an online chat with my editor about the latest DI Jake Flannagan storyline and how it’s going. She will have read what I’ve written the day before and comes back to me with questions about the structure, plot and characters.

Midnight: I find that my best writing is mostly done at night, after dark, when the world becomes a bit quieter, and the pace of London is a little less frenetic. This is often when things will click into place and I’ll feel at my most productive, writing-wise. And then, it’s time to do it all over again…

About the author

David Videcette is a former Scotland Yard detective and an expert in organised crime and terrorism.
He is the author of two hit thrillers based on real events – The Theseus Paradox and The Detriment
He can’t tell you the truth, but he can tell you a story…
Follow David on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram

For the chance to win a signed copy of his latest book and a selection of goodies in his regular draw, sign up to his monthly newsletter HERE

My thanks to David Videcette for taking time out to write this awesome post for the book review café.

#GuestPost by David Videcette @DavidVidecette

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Today I’m thrilled to have David Videcette author of the highly gripping crime thrillers, The Theseus Paradox and The Detriment appear on the book review café, both books are based on true events, and are books I would highly recommend if you are looking for a highly original crime thriller

David Videcette has very kindly written a special guest post for me to share with you all, and what an intriguing post it is too. So without further ado…….

CRIME FICTION: SHOW ME THE BODIES

I’ve been in the book writing world for two years now, having come from life as a detective. I really enjoy it and I’ve met some truly fantastic people. But, standing in a room with readers, book bloggers, other authors and publishers, as I often do, I always have the same uneasy question buzzing around in my head: Why are all these people obsessed with murder and killing?

When you pick up pretty much any crime fiction novel, it’s full of death and murder. Crime fiction authors are obsessed with body count – the more cadavers and the more gruesome the death, the better.

Watch the average detective series on TV or pick up one of the hottest new paperbacks and you’d be forgiven for thinking that slaughtered corpses of murder victims were as numerous as pigeons in Trafalgar Square.
I have often wondered whether we should just rename it murder fiction. Why bother with the ‘crime’ prefix at all?

Murder capital of the UK? 

One of my old favourites is the television series, ‘Midsomer Murders,’ based on Caroline Graham’s novels. Tally up the show’s total body count and it’s currently running at around 265. That’s almost four-and-a-half murders per episode in one tiny, rural area. And that’s not even including the twelve accidental deaths, eleven suicides and eight deaths from natural causes…

I write Crime thrillers based on truth events, so it got me thinking – do we ever stop to wonder how common these incidents are in real life? Or do we simply want to be entertained in a fantasy world of murder fiction?   Let’s start with some basics. (I’ll use the UK crime figures from 2015 for this bit.)

Murder is extremely rare – there were six and a half million crimes recorded in the UK in 2015 – just 573 of those were murders; that’s less than 0.01% of the overall total.   If we delve further into those figures, we find that crime fiction not only over-represents murder, it also blurs the reality of who the victims are and how they are killed.

Who gets it? 

In real life, most murder victims are men (64%) – and 2015 was an unusual year for male homicides, they normally make up nearly 70% of a year’s overall total. Men are mostly either stabbed or beaten to death. They are as likely to be killed by a stranger, as they are to be killed by someone they know. I think this underscores how lots of men end up dead. It’s mainly spontaneous violence by other men that kills them. Unplanned, messy, screaming, beating-each-other-up violence. In 2015, just five men were shot dead in the UK.

Women always make up the minority of homicide victims. They represent around 30% of the victims normally, but in 2015, this figure was running slightly higher at 36%. And if you’re a woman, again, in real life, the most common form of murder is to be stabbed. You are very unlikely to be beaten to death, unlike your male counterparts. Asphyxiation also features highly amongst female murder victims, perhaps demonstrating that many women are most likely to be killed by their partners in fits of rage following years of domestic abuse.

So crime fiction tends to major on women being the victims, which is far from the truth – as you can see from the figures. A juicy murder yarn also tends to depict women being killed by strangers. But in real life this is very unlikely – just twelve of the 186 victims that year were killed by strangers. Just 6.5% of all female murders are by strangers, a tiny proportion.

When we look at crime fiction books published over recent years, many of the most high-profile releases were big on serial killings perpetrated by one individual, but how many of these feature in the year’s crime stats? None. You’d have to go backwards some way to find statistics on any real life serial killers – male or female.

And here we find another difference between real life and ‘murder fiction’. The terms serial killer and mass murderer are often used interchangeably in fiction, but in real life, they are two distinct, separate things.

Mass murder is when the killing of more than one person takes place at the same time, with little or no passage of time between the killings. This might be an act of terrorism or people killing their own family all in one place.

A serial killer is someone who repeatedly kills, normally three or more people, and there is space between the killings. The space might be several hours, days, months or years, but it is often multi-site, rather than all in one place – and the case will often hinge on premeditation, rather than a split-second act in a mist of rage.

If we compare our 2015 real life stats with fictional events in Midsomer during 2015, sadly there were only four episodes of the show made that year. But don’t let that disappoint you, because in just those four episodes, we saw 12 locals strangled, 13 poisoned, 16 drowned – including one in a vat of soup – four killed by bow and arrow attack, and six decapitated. That’s 52 gruesome deaths in four episodes!

So, why the obsession with death and killing in crime fiction? Why is it that screenwriters and authors keep churning out book-after-book that doesn’t represent what is actually happening in real life?   Maybe we see murder as the ultimate crime? It does after all have the most serious penalties. Perhaps as readers, we want to escape, to explore our darkest fears in a safe and secure environment?

Supply and demand

Perhaps it is easier to ask: Who creates the market for killing, in the world of crime fiction? Is it what the reader wants, or is it that there is nothing else on offer?

One thing I’ve found since being in the book business, is that it is dominated by women. The agents are mainly women, the editors are mainly women, the publishers are mainly women and the book buyers and bloggers are mainly women. And as authors, many of us are bound to write what our agents and publishers tell us that they believe the market wants.

As any large publisher will tell you, as many told me – ‘Most of our readers are middle-aged women who are married with children. Remember that’s who you’re writing books for.’  Industry figures back this up, showing that around 70 to 80 per cent of crime fiction readers are women, and 80 per cent of those signing up for writing workshops to become aspiring crime writers are also women.

So why is it that mainly middle-aged women with children who love to read and write about murder and serial killers – the blood thirstier the better?   Various people have hypothesised that women, many of whom see themselves as vulnerable, want to explore the darkest depths of the human mind, and that crime fiction is a metaphor through which they see themselves.

So, how do we explain the rise in novels which depict women as the killers themselves? And how likely is that?

Women do kill, of course, but again it’s rare. Female serial killers are even rarer. There are currently just three women in the UK who have been given life imprisonment without parole for this crime.

When women do kill, it’s mostly domestic-related killing of partners.

Women adore murder 

Germaine Greer once wrote that, ‘Women have very little idea how much men hate them.’ Although I do not agree with her, I do wonder if this rise in the popularity of the female killer in crime fiction, is down to women seeing the world as male dominated and wanting to explore ways of killing the men that they hate and that they believe hate them – metaphorically speaking? Or are there just a whole bunch of women who do secretly hate men and want to kill as many of them as possible?

I don’t have the answers. But you can see why I worry at these book events, surrounded by these women, hungry for blood…  Perhaps for both women and men, crime fiction gives us all an outlet for our hidden sides; the vindictive avengers within us who hold angry and bitter grudges against those who’ve wronged us in the past.

In real life, murder is rare, most often perpetrated by a partner and over in an instant. But because of its rarity and shock factor – murder in fiction is a simple hook to cling to. In other words, it’s an ‘easy sell’.  But when I look at some of the most harrowing crimes I’ve investigated as a detective in real life, murder has featured very little. Where are the books about getting into the depraved mind of a serial male rapist who drugs and rapes other men?

How many books have you read that look at the effects of serious fraud perpetrated on a female victim who then has to turn to a haunting and tragic life of prostitution to survive? How many books look at drug addiction and what twisted and degenerate acts mothers will do in front of their children, just to be sure of their next fix.   But these would be far harder to write, and far harder to sell.

So maybe we should just stick with the slaughter.  After all… everybody loves a good body count?

David Videcette is a former Scotland Yard investigator with twenty years’ policing experience, including counter-terror operations and organised crime.

He is the author of detective thrillers The Theseus Paradox and The Detriment. Based on true events, David’s books are perfect for readers who like their crime fiction as close to real crime as it gets.

He loves to interact with fans of all crime fiction genres. Readers can chat to him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. For the chance to win a signed copy of David’s latest thriller, pop in your Email address here

My thanks to David Videcette for the fabulous guest post and the images shown on this post.

My Book Of The Month June 2017

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Now we’re in July (OMG where have those six months gone?) it’s time for me to look back at June’s reads and choose my Book Of The Month.

The Book Of The Month is chosen by myself at the beginning of every month, for the previous month. It goes to the author/book that I found outstanding for that month, and I may have given a higher rating than a 5 star review.

I read some outstanding books in June in fact I really struggled to choose just one book, this month so I’m going for two books! I absolutely loved these books and although very different in subject and writing they had all the elements I look for when reading a book, well developed characters, a strong plot and bucketfuls of suspense. So without further ado the books I have choosen are………

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne

Each chapter starts with a part of the The Marsh King’s Daughter fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, as we all know some of the best fairy tales are also the scariest and as the story relates to Helena’s own life it adds to the overwhelming sense of foreboding that radiates from the pages of this novel.
Expertly plotted and wonderfully written this novel made for haunting and compelling read, it’s one of those books that just begs to be read in one satisfying sitting. This is one book I will be recommending to anyone and everybody.

You can read my review here……The Marsh King’s Daughter

The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

Oh my god I absolutely loved The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker, what a deliciously dark and utterly gripping novel this one turned out to be. I’m the first to admit you can’t beat a good serial killer in a crime thriller (hmmm I’m not sure what a psychologist would make of that) but believe me when I say they don’t come more twisted than the The Fourth Money (or 4MK as they are known) but it certainly made for a brilliant read. Masterfully written, fast-paced thriller this novel made for a rivetting read. You can read my full review here…….The Fourth Monkey

As I mentioned earlier in my post I have read some exceptional books this month, and if you are looking for your next read I would highly recommend all the books listed below

Exquisite by Sarah Stovell you can find my review here…. Exquisite

The Detriment by David Videcette you can read my review here….The Detriment

Each Little Lie by Tom Bale you can find my review here…..Each Little Lie

The Betrayed by Casey Kelleher you can read my review here….The Betrayed

Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips you can find my review here….Fierce Kingdom

Weekly Wrap Up

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Another week gone and I managed to read two books which I’m happy about one was the top secret ARC I mentioned in last weeks post, my lips remained tightly shut for now but when I can share you will be the first to know until then…..🤐🤐🤐

Books I read this week

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter I’m a huge fan of this author but I won’t be sharing my review just yet as I’m saving it until Monday 17th July when it’s my stop on the blog tour.

What I’m hoping to read next week

Beneath The Surface by Sibel Hodge

Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel

Books I bought this week

I know I said I was on a self imposed book ban until my NetGalley pile had decreased, but in my defence it’s an Ebook so in my world that doesn’t count, although the lovely Dee over at http://www.noveldeelights.com was quick to point out that it does! I’ve always been a rebel 😂😂

Book description

The heat of the Florida summer is relentless. Lucas is coasting to retirement in a mundane Florida police precinct. His world falls apart when a brutal serial killer codenamed Mechanic lands on his patch.

Three years ago they thought Mechanic was dead. But Mechanic is very much alive and the savage ritualistic murders continue. No family is safe from the threat of slaughter at this sadistic killer’s hands.

Mechanic is always one step ahead and Lucas is forced to operate outside the law.

Who can he trust?

The shocking truth is more terrifying than Lucas could ever imagine … and he has to put his life on the line to get it.

ARC’s I received this week

Ooopps I popped over to NetGalley to leave a review and some how managed to “click” on a couple of books, so there goes my 84% 🙈(Holds head in shame)

Book description

How do you catch a killer who knows your every move?

She drew the curtains and returned to the kitchen where she removed the bottle of vodka from the freezer and reached for the large kitchen knife. If he dared to come back, she’d be ready for him.

When a body is found hanging in the remains of a dock-side warehouse, Detective Kate Matthews is called to the scene. Recently transferred following the death of a colleague, Kate is yet to see a successful prosecution over the line. But this won’t be an easy win…

Someone is watching her: leaving her clues in her home, taunting her to throw the case and threatening the life of her little girl.

As more bodies begin to surface and Kate’s stalker closes in, her instincts tell her that there is a link hidden among the victims’ missing pieces. This is a killer with a message and Kate must race against the clock to solve his twisted riddle.

Book description

How far is too far when it comes to protecting your marriage? Find out in this relentlessly paced novel of psychological suspense.

“Gripping, thought-provoking, and irresistible.”—Dean Koontz

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.

The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . .

Never mention The Pact to anyone.

Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples.

And then one of them breaks the rules.

The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life. And The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule.

For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.

Last week on the book review café

#TopFiveThursday with #BookBlogger Sean aka Seansbookreviews @seantalbot1977 | The Book Review Café
https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/06/22/%ef%bb%bftopfivethursday-with-bookblogger-sean-aka-seansbookreviews-seantalbot1977/

The Detriment by David Videcette #BookReview @DavidVidecette | The Book Review Café
https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/06/21/the-detriment-by-david-videcette-bookreview-davidvidecette/

The Betrayed by Casey Kelleher #BookReview @CaseyKelleher @Bookouture | The Book Review Café
https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/06/20/the-betrayed-by-casey-kelleher-bookreview-caseykelleher-bookouture/

**Blog Tour** The Woman In The Wood by Lesley Pearse @LesleyPearse #LoveLesley #BookReview | The Book Review Café
https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/06/19/blog-tour-the-woman-in-the-wood-by-lesley-pearse-lesleypearse-lovelesley-bookreview/

Next week on the book review café

**Blog tour** Exquisite by Sarah Stovall #Bookreview

**Blog tour** Wolves In The Dark by Gunnar Staalesen

The Marsh Kings Daughter byKaren Dionne #Bookreview

My book of the month

#Giveaway

The Detriment by David Videcette #BookReview @DavidVidecette

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Book description

June 2007: a barbaric nail bomb is planted outside a London nightclub, a spy is found dead in his garden, and a blazing Jeep is driven into Glasgow airport. Three events bound by an earth-shattering connection that should have remained buried forever.

From the author of the The Theseus Paradox, the smash-hit 7/7 thriller based on true events, comes the sequel about a real-life mystery that threatens to destroy a nation. Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan must uncover how a series of astonishing events are inextricably linked, before the past closes in on him.

Ever since I read The Theseus Paradox I’ve been eagerly anticipating the second book in the Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan series. Sometimes when I anticipate great things for a novel I can be left disappointed, but I’m thrilled to report if anything The Detriment takes this series to a whole new level, it’s the definition of a “thriller”,with terrorism, murder, secrets and corruption at the heart of the story this novel made for a fast paced, explosive read.

Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan now here’s a character who intrigues me, his peers consider him to be a loose cannon, a detective whose a liability and takes unnecessary risks, and his personal life is complicated to say the least, but as the author digs deeper into Jake’s behaviour you realise this is a man on the edge, whose seen and experienced terrible things and it’s only now his emotions are are beginning to surface which make him a very credible protagonist.

The Detriment opens with a car bomb outside a London night club and what follows makes for a very intense and satisfying read. I found myself reluctant to put this book down as I was eager to see how all the threads to this rivetting tale would piece together. There were so many elements of this tale that I enjoyed and amid it all there is controversy that will leave you questioning Jake’s decisions, he certainly doesn’t have an easy ride in this novel!

What I really love about David Videcette’s writing is the fact not only do his novels make for a very original and compelling read, but as The Detriment is based on real real life events mixed with fiction you can’t help but wonder how much of this novel is actual fiction , the whole tale is just far too chillingly credible. Would I recommend this book? I most certainly would, especially if you are looking for a thriller that’s highly original and jam packed with intrigue and suspense.

Print Length: 358 pages

Publisher: Videcette Limited (29 Jun. 2017)

Pre-order kindle links: Amazon UK 🇬🇧 Amazon US 🇺🇸

Pre-order paperback: Bookdepository with free delivery world wide

About David Videcette

A former Scotland Yard investigator with twenty years’ policing experience, including counter-terror operations and organised crime, David was a lead detective on the 7/7 London bombings investigation.

He’s been awarded several police commendations, including one for outstanding detective work and perseverance which led to his discovery of a 7/7 bomb factory during Operation Theseus.

Links to the author: Authors Books Website Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Weekly Wrap Up

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Have I got news for you, I hope you are sitting comfortable as I’m sure my news will shock some of you! I’m thrilled to report I’ve read three books this week, and still managed to fit in a 39 hour working week! I surprised myself this week and may have to go and have a lie down to get over the shock now I’ve shared my book news with you all 😂😂