subject: The Mean Streets Crime Review -wink Murder, By Ali Knight [print this page] Ali Knight worked for many years as a sub-editor and journalist on several national newspapers, including The Guardian, The Observer and The European, and at the BBC World Service. In addition she worked for the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard on two of their most successful websites, including This is London and This is Money. Several years ago and with three small children, she left her job to start writing books. Wink Murder is her first novel.
She grew up in Bedford with an American father and an English mother and now lives in London with her family.
Kate Forman seems to have the perfect life - a gorgeous husband, two wonderful kids, her dream house and a fulfilling career in a high-rating TV show.
But Kate's world is shattered when her TV executive husband, Paul, arrives home late, drunk, covered in blood and babbling about having killed something - or someone. When Paul's attractive female colleague is found murdered, Kate is plunged into an unwelcome quest to get to the truth of what exactly happened that night.
What's different about Wink Murder is that the main character - Kate - isn't a crime specialist. She's just an average person, caught in the middle of a messy, murderous situation. As the story progresses you see her fears and paranoia, feel her jealousy and discomfort, and try to figure out just who's to blame.
The first person narration gives the story a very intimate feel. The tension and pace build steadily, layer by clue-dropping layer, as Kate reveals the hidden secrets within her marriage. She's a woman in crisis and, with the body count and rumours of infidelity increasing, her actions become more and more erratic as her suspicions lead her to question the very foundations of her marriage and motives of those closest to her.
Located in London, and set within the here-today-gone-tomorrow world of the reality TV industry, this story provides plenty of the puzzles and suspense you'd expect from a crime thriller. What gives it an unusual edge is that alongside the action Wink Murder tackles big ticket issues including trust, jealousy, ambition and betrayal, through the raw, emotional reactions of a woman juggling the challenges of contemporary life.
This is a story where the villain is always within reach, but never easy to identify. Kate's quest hooks you in, and her needy but determined resolve to find the truth will have you suspecting every character (including her!) at least once. And still the final reveal will be a surprise.
Debut novelist, Ali Knight, has crafted a rather unconventional, close-up and personal psychological thriller. It's a book I'd certainly recommend.
