Author Cathy Ace on how difficult it was to ‘categorize’ her new novel

There’s no point denying that lovers of books are also often lovers of screen entertainment. Today’s streaming services mean the popularity of Welsh crime drama has never been greater; Requiem, Hidden, Hinterland and Keeping Faith have shown that millions around the world are fascinated by an ancient land that holds its secrets close. But gripping Welsh psychological suspense drama is not just something that can be viewed, it can also be read.

     
Cathy Ace is the author of the award-winning Cait Morgan Mysteries and the WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries. Now she’s turned to the darker side of Welsh crime fiction with The Wrong Boy (Four Tails Publishing Ltd., PUB: January 9th 2019) and it seems she’s hit a home run – quite literally – since the book is set in and around the city of her birth, Swansea, and the glorious beaches of the Gower peninsular where she spent much of her childhood.

“I admit I was terrified when I started to send out ARCs for early feedback; The Wrong Boy is a departure from the traditional puzzle mysteries in the Cait Morgan series and the cozy Welsh PI series featuring the WISE women for which I am known. I’ll be even more honest and admit I wasn’t sure what I’d written. A psychological thriller? Domestic suspense? I know how important categories are in today’s busy publishing landscape, but really didn’t know how I should ‘label’ the book. So I hoped for useful feedback.”

When that feedback came, Cathy was delighted to hear all the right keywords in the blurbs. “When Hallie Ephron – whose work I adore – said it was a ‘suspense-packed page-turner’, and that the ending was ‘a stunner’ I was…well, stunned. Then Craig Roberston, another multi-award-winning author whose work I greatly admire, called it ‘almost mythic’ I was blown away. And the kind words kept coming. Thank heavens! It seems I’ve written a psychological suspense novel that’s gripping, complex, thought-provoking and populated with highly memorable characters – which, I must say, is a relief.”

She knew her portrayal of her Homeland would be critical to the book’s appeal. “I wanted to show readers the real Wales of today. I hoped they would feel the coastal winds on their faces and the rain in their bones; that they’d both warm to – and sometimes be horrified by – the inhabitants of what is a complex society; that they’d understand the tensions caused by the interplay between urban modernity  and rural traditions.”

It seems she’s succeeded. Martin Edwards, 2018’s winner of the UK’s Dagger in the Library Award, said that "a sense of place" was one of the highlights of the book, while Iceland’s Queen of Crime,  Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, says it has “…a truly gripping and strong narrative, coupled with a storyline that is both intriguing and thoroughly entertaining.”

So does Cathy have a handy “categorization” for her thirteenth novel yet?

“’Psychological suspense thriller’ is about the best I can come up with. I believe if readers enjoy twisty, and maybe even twisted, tales which explores  - in this case - how a small Welsh community is ripped apart by an inexplicable crime at its midst, with a climactic ending – which, apparently, no one saw coming – and characters who linger in the mind, then they’ll enjoy this. I didn’t want to write a category, I wanted to write a book that would be enthralling, thought-provoking, and memorable. I am hoping readers believe I have achieved that.”

The Wrong Boy is published by Four Tails Publishing Ltd. on January 9th 2019, and is available now through IngramSpark in hardcover (ISBN 978-1-7751754-5-2) and paperback (ISBN 978-1-7751754-2-1), and as an e-pub (ISBN 978-1-7751754-1-4).

For more information: http://www.cathyace.com/

SPONSORED BY