The Jagged Line

Book excerpt: True Grip-Lit To Keep You In Suspense When Kirsty Cartwright takes herself off to France to lick her wounds, it's partly out of shame over her father's actions and partly out of shame over her own, for her betrayal of her fianc�. Then she hears that her father has been seriously injured in an accident. Forced to come home and face her demons - and her ex-fianc� - she soon begins to suspect there is more to her father's accident than meets the eye. Driven by the need to make amends, she resolves to unravel the truth - but the deeper she digs, the more her own life becomes embroiled in the dangerous forces she is unleashing. Things start to spiral out of control until her very survival is under threat. Can she even trust the ones she loves?DS Harry Briscombe is back, and facing a personal dilemma that threatens his career. Already investigating a local murder, Dominic Cartwright's accident raises the possibility that the two cases could be linked. Between the two of them, Harry and Kirsty get caught up in a trail that is increasingly perilous. It's becoming a race against time ... and time is running out.- If you love Clare Mackintosh and Rachel Abbott, you'll love this book Questions to the Author How did the plot idea come to you?- In drabs and drabs - it was very irritating! I started off with just an idea in my head of a character meeting up with her estranged father because of some secret he was going to tell her, but I didn't know what that secret was. I wrote that whole scene and a couple of others before I ditched it. The current theme (no spoilers) was as a result of a real case that I heard on the radio and I just thought how easily every day people can get caught up in that sort of thing, tempted by the money. The various sub-plots along the way are themes that interest me - and I think everyone has views on them one way or another. The title The Jagged Line is more about the fine line we draw between truth and the stretching of it; between morality and immorality ... and how easy it is to cross those lines.Harry's got a new side-kick in Beth. Will you continue their stories on?Definitely! Beth has a very interesting back-story to develop, which was hinted at in The Jagged Line. It will come into its own in my new novel (yet to be named!). We already know that she comes from a tough background but even she will be surprised at what comes out!And now for the Big question ... when will your 4th novel be published?That really is the big question! I've literally only just started it, so it depends how quickly I can get it done. At the moment I'm struggling with the finer details of the plot, which is slowing things up a bit, but I'm sure I'll get it sorted and I'm hoping that it will be out in the next 6-9 months. If people would like to be among the first to receive early notification of when it will be published, they can sign up to my website at: www.carolynmahony.com to be notified of its release date.