Wednesday's full of Summer Surprises!

Wednesday's Surprise for the Summer Solstice is a dark one!

Today, the 21st June, I have an exciting guest post by Eli Carros, author of The Watcher.

Newly launched today, The Watcher is a psychological crime thriller that's now on my kindle. I have to be honest, though, and say that it looks like a scary read so I'll probably not be reading it late at night!

Eli also extends an invitation to his launch party, today 21st June, on Facebook where you can join us to celebrate with him and enter to WIN his fabulous Launch prizes. Just click this link HERE and say hello. I'll be getting to know Eli today at the launch party, as well, since he's a fairly new +Crooked Cat Publishing  author.

Eli- thank you for coming today to share some of your secrets about The Watcher. I'll leave it to you now to tell us about them...

Unmasking a master predator

By Eli Carros

Secrets are something we’re all fascinated by but sometimes what is concealed can be deadly.  That’s the premise of my newly released crime thriller The Watcher, the story of a master predator’s deadly sexual obsession which results in extreme, fatal violence.

It’s up to one man to stop the serial killer terrorizing London’s streets, a man who preys on his young female victims ruthlessly.   But what to do when you’re hunting a man who leaves no trace, no evidence?

My lead protagonist, Detective Inspector Jack Grayson knows he must find out who’s responsible for the dead bodies that kept turning up, all artfully arranged, posed, as if the killer is taunting the police.

But when he delves deeper, opening up a 17 year old murder case with links to the current killings, he only becomes more confused, why is there not a single trace of the man he’s tracking?

Before writing The Watcher, I made a study of several serial killers and noted that a common thread running between many of the hardest to catch, was the innate ability to blend, to remain unseen.  In some cases, such as the deviant psychopath Ted Bundy, this even involved assuming another identity.   Bundy did this on December 30,1977 when he escaped out of a courthouse window in Aspen, Colorado, throwing several police forces into panic and embarking on a bloody crime spree.

I drew heavily from this particular character trait, the ability to shed ones skin, when I came to make my own fictional portrayal of a psychopath.  As I wrote The Watcher, I infused my antagonist with the characteristics that many of the world’s most prolific serial killers have embodied.  But I also gave him his own unique personal story, background, and past skeletons, all of which the harried Jack Grayson and his talented partner, Detective Gita Naseem must uncover, if they hope to catch him.

The Watcher is clever, a predator who stalks his victims silently from the shadows but as with nearly everyone, though it might not be obvious at first, he does have a past.  When Grayson discovers the secret that masks The Watcher’s identity, he’s knocked sideways, as it’s not something he had considered as a possibility at all.

Secrets and surprises are interwoven throughout The Watcher’s narrative, and are a central part of the novels plot.  Major and minor discoveries are revealed as the story unwinds, with the final big secret, the most shocking surprise, coming right at the books climax.  I’d be surprised myself if you see this one coming!

If you’re a fan of dark, psychological crime thrillers with lots of plot twists and surprises that keep you on your toes, then I wrote The Watcher for you, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you enjoy reading it.

The Watcher is released by Crooked Cat Books on June 21^st, and will be available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and the Apple store.  

Readers who want to stay updated can visit Eli’s website at www.elicarros.weebly.com, 

check out the Facebook page at https://facebook.com/elicarros, 

or sign up to attend the Online Launch Day Event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1541000742597845 to take part in author Q+ A’s, hear Eli give live readings from The Watcher, and be in with the chance to win a luxury food hamper and Amazon Giftcard.

Eli Carros is a crime fiction and thriller author from London, England. His debut novel, The Watcher, was inspired by the London landscape, and by what can happen when sexual obsession, psychological abuse, and madness collide.  Eli loves reading crime, fantasy, and mystery suspense, and is an ardent admirer of authors Steven King, Mark Billingham, Harlan Coben, and Patricia Cornwell.

In his spare time Eli loves sailing, camping, hiking, and sketching, and detests getting up in the morning without several cups of strong percolated coffee.

Thank you for being with us today, Eli, and my very best wishes for a successful launch of The Watcher.

Slainthe!