Today I’m thrilled to feature Rebecca Bradley on my blog, I have read both of Rebecca’s books Shallow Waters and Made To Be Broken if you enjoy a crime/police procedure thriller then I would highly recommend both books in the series. Three Weeks Dead is a novella and Rebecca has kindly written a guest post on why she choose to write a prequel. I’ve also included my review links to both of Rebecca’s books further down this post if this post has piqued your interest
Why I wrote a prequel
I want to thank Lorraine for having me on her blog today. I asked at pretty short notice if anyone would be able to host me on a short blog tour for the release of Three Weeks Dead and Lorraine was quick to respond, so thank you, Lorraine.
Three Weeks Dead is both a novella and a prequel. It’s a prequel to my debut novel, Shallow Waters, the start of the DI Hannah Robbins series. Following Shallow Waters I released Made to be Broken, the second in the series, and it has only been then that I have written and released the prequel.
So, why?
During Shallow Waters one of the characters, DC Sally Poynter, gets a particularly rough run of it. She finds herself keeping a secret from her boss, Hannah, and lying to her husband about it. This ties her up in a real emotional mess. It’s really not much fun and a couple of reviewers said they felt for her. Not in any negative way, just that she had got herself into this mess and it was difficult to read.
It was for this reason that I decided to write the prequel. I thought readers would be interested to see where Sally started. Who she was before Shallow Waters. Who she was before the lies and deceptions. So, in the prequel we get to see her as she first joins the Major Crimes Unit. Fresh faced and nervous about being the new girl on the team.
It was interesting for me to write it from a backwards timeline point of view. I hope readers enjoy the insight into her life like this.
How far would you go if someone took your wife?
Especially, if you buried her a week ago.
When Jason Wells is faced with this scenario, he is confronted with the prospect of committing a crime that will have far-reaching consequences.
Can young DC Sally Poynter get through to him before he crosses that line, or does a desperate husband prove to be the case she won’t ever forget?
A prequel novella, set before Shallow Waters, the first in the DI Hannah Robbins series.
I have read both books in the Detective Hannah Robbins series by Rebecca Bradley, and I found them both to be gripping reads, so there was no way I was going to miss the chance to read Three Weeks Dead, even though its prequel novella. If I’m honest I’m not a huge fan of novella’s as I feel they are to short to get a feel for the characters and the plot is usually rushed, but I’m pleased to report that Three Weeks Dead isn’t like that at all.
It’s certainly an original plot a wife is kidnapped, what’s original about that? I can hear you thinking! what is unusual is the fact the person kidnapped is in fact dead, it’s then a race against time for the husband Jason Wells to get his wife’s body back, a race that will see him take desperate measures to retrieve his wife’s body.
Rebecca Bradley takes a bold step with this novella, as it features DC Sally Poynter rather than the main protagonist from the series Hannah Robbins, but it works and it was intriguing to see how much Sally’s character has evolved in the series. In Three Weeks Dead she is trying to find her niche within the team, there’s one obnoxious character who makes life difficult for Sally, and I did feel she should have stood up for herself more. The author gives you an credible picture of the young Sally, nervous in her new role and eager to do well you can’t help being drawn to her.
The plot is fast paced and doesn’t feel rushed in a way, which I feel sometimes happens as authors try to cram so much into a short read. The author manages to add enough detail to police procedures to make it feel like an authentic read, and I feel this is down to the authors own background in policing. This maybe a short read but mark my words when I say it certainly packs a punch, it’s gripping and very well told. If you haven’t read any of the authors book Three Weeks Dead is an brilliant introduction to Sally and the rest of the team, and then I would highly recommend you buy both books in the series, especially if you are a fan of gritty crime/police procedures with more than a touch of authenticity.
Published: 14th October 2016
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️out of 5
You can find my review for Shallow Waters HERE
You can find my review for Made To Be Broken HERE
Rebecca Bradley is a retired police detective and lives in Nottinghamshire with her family and her two cockapoo’s Alfie and Lola, who keep her company while she writes. Rebecca needs to drink copious amounts of tea to function throughout the day and if she could, she would survive on a diet of tea and cake while committing murder on a regular basis, in her writing of course.
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