Follow Me by Angela Clarke

LIKE. SHARE. FOLLOW ....... DIE

The 'Hashtag Murderer' posts chilling cryptic clues online, pointing to their next target. Taunting the police. Entralling the press. Capturing the public's imagination.

But this is no virtual threat.

As the number of his followers rises, so does the body count.

Eight years ago two young girls did something unforgivable. Now, ambitious police officer Nasreen and investigative journalist Freddie are thrown together again in a desperate struggle to catch this cunning, fame-crazed killer. But can they stay one step ahead of him? And can they escape their own past?

Time's running out. Everyone is following the #Murderer. But what if he is following you?

ONLINE, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM ..... 

Follow Me by Angela Clarke is published by Avon. The ebook is out on 3 December 2015, followed by the paperback on 31 December 2015.


Social Media; Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram .... the home of arguments, feuds, debate. A platform to connect with people just like you, or to haunt those that are the opposite. A place to make friends, or enemies. Social Media: the biggest change in how we live our lives, how we talk to each other, how we learn things. Online ..... where no one can hear you scream.

Follow Me is a story that could haunt any Twitter user, it will make you think about who you are online, and who can see you. It could change your habits.

Freddie is an investigative journalist. No, actually, Freddie would like to be an investigative journalist. Whilst she's waiting for her big break she's working in a coffee bar and writing a column for an online news site. Freddie's life revolves around her phone. She wakes up everyday and checks her screen; what's happening on Twitter, who has sent her a WhatsApp. Freddie's life is a bit of a disaster; she hates her boss, she sleeps on a ratty sofa, she lives with a gang of people who she doesn't really know, she has casual sex with random guys that she meets online. Freddie needs a story that will show the world that she IS somebody, she needs a scoop, something that nobody has got.

When Freddie bumps into her old friend Nasreen, her memories catapult her back to better days. She remembers her childhood, how strong their friendship was. They shared secrets, they were solid. But something happened to change that, and now Nasreen is a police officer and Freddie is on the scrap heap.

And then, bang. The action starts. There's a murder, and it's being played out on Twitter. The Hashtag Murderer is taunting the police. The number of people following the murderer increases by the hour, and the body count rises too. If there is anyone who can help the police, it's Freddie, and she soon finds herself smack bang in the middle of the investigation as the police Social Media Advisor .... and the chase is on.

Angela Clarke's writing is taunt, dark and bang on the mark. She has managed to get deep into the world of Social Media and delivered a story that is up to date, compelling and absolutely fascinating. Freddie is an unconventional character, so far away from the usual lead character in crime novels, but so well developed.

Alongside the hunt for the #Hashtag Murderer, the reader is transfixed by the relationship between Freddie and Nasreen. The mystery of their childhood friendship an its abrupt ending permeates this story and exposes Freddie's more vulnerable and softer side. I have no idea whether a police force would really take on an unknown to become such an integral part of a high profile murder case, and I'm not really bothered, because for me, Follow Me is a refreshing, new look at police procedure, and crime fiction on the whole.

There are moments when my heart beat so fast that I actually felt quite sick, the author hooks you and reels you in and it is almost impossible to get this story out of your head.

Twists and turns a plenty. This is a totally gripping and engrossing story. I'd recommend it highly.

My thanks to the publisher, Avon who sent my copy for review.

Angela Clarke is an author, columnist and playwright. Her debut crime novel Follow Me (Avon) is out December 2015. Follow Me is the first in the Social Media Murders Series.

Her memoir Confessions of a Fashionista (Ebury) is an Amazon Fashion Chart bestseller. Her debut play The Legacy received rave reviews after it's first run at The Hope Theatre in June 2015. Angela's journalist contributions include: The Guardian, The Independent Magazine, The Daily Mail, and Cosmopolitan. Now magazine described her as a 'glitzy outsider'. Angela read English and European Literature at Essex University, and Advances in Scriptwriting at RADA. In 2015 Angela was awarded the Young Stationers' Prize for achievement and promise in writing and publishing.

She is almost always late or lost, or both. 

Find out more at: http://angelaclarke.co.uk

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