HE CHEATED. HE LIED. HE DIED.Vicki's husband David once promised to love her in sickness and in health. But after a brutal attack left her suffering with epilepsy, he ran away with his mistress.So when Vicki gets a call one day to say that he's missing, her first thought is 'good riddance'. But then the police find evidence suggesting that David is dead. And they think Vicki had something to do with it.What really happened on the night of David's disappearance?
And how can Vicki prove her innocence, when she's not even sure of it herself?For anyone who loved The Couple Next Door, Lisa Jewell's Then She Was Gone and Cara Hunter's Close To Home, this book has everything you need for the perfect summer read - gripping twists and turns, brilliant characters and a story you can't put down.
The Dead Ex by Jane Corry was published in paperback on 28 June 2018 by Penguin. As part of the Blog Tour, I'm delighted to welcome the author here to Random Things today. She's talking about the books that are special to her in My Life In Books
My Life in Books - Jane Corry
WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Graeme. My father used to read this to me as a child. I loved the idea of ‘messing about on boats’ as well as all the characters including the irascible Toad. Now my father is 94 with failing sight. So I read it to him.
LOOK OUT FOR SQUALLS by FRANK ROMER. The author was my great grandfather. I always knew he was a doctor but I only recently discovered that he was a novelist on the quiet with three novels published by Duckworth. This book (published in 1926) is a humorous cosy crime novel. I love the idea that maybe there’s a writing gene in the family. I’m also really proud of him for having made the time to write even though he had a full-time – and demanding - occupation. Frank was one of the first osteopaths in the UK and treated the Royal Family.
THE PALLISER NOVELS BY ANTHONY TROLLOPE. I devoured most of the classics when I was a teenager but only came across Trollope in my mid twenties. I got to the last in the series when I was pregnant with my eldest child. I kept willing myself not to go into labour until I reached the final page. I only just made it!My son is now a writer himself.
JANE EYRE BY CHARLOTTE BRONTE. I didn’t really enjoy school until I got to the sixth form and could concentrate on subjects I liked best, such as English. Jane Eyre was one of our set texts. I would sit on the upstairs classroom window sill (probably not allowed now) and dream myself into her character. I wanted to be her. I now know better.
POETRY BY KEATS. I’ve always loved poetry. As a teenager I wrote reams. Later when I left women’s magazine journalism and became a writer in residence of a high security male prison, I helped the men write poetry. Keats is possibly my favourite poet. He combines warmth of character with scenes you can step into. I know ‘Ode To Autumn’ by heart. ‘Close bosom friend of the maturing sun’ is a wonderful line.
THE ‘ALFIE AND ROSE’ BOOKS BY SHIRLEY HUGHES. I discovered these when my own children were little. I love the stories and charming illustrations. ‘Dogger’ is possibly my story. It’s about a toddler who loses his special ‘comfort toy’ - a situation which many of us can identify with – and then finds it. I now have two small grandchildren whom I look after twice a week. They love Alfie and Rose too.
DAILY STRENGTH FOR DAILY NEEDS SELECTED BY MARY TILESTON. When my mother died at the age of 56 from ovarian cancer, she left me a book which had always been at her bedside table. It contains a selection of sayings and prayers for each day of the year. She
wrote all our birthdays down on the relevant pages and it’s lovely to see her handwriting. It gives me inspiration for the day ahead. And it makes me feel she is close.
ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE BY GAIL HONEYMAN. I resisted reading this for a bit because everyone was doing so and I don’t always like to go with the crowd. But then I gave in and was hooked from the start. I now recommend it to everyone. It’s quirky with some wonderful twists. But it’s also poignantly funny.
THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY BY RACHEL JOYCE. This is another quirky novel (you can tell my taste by now!) about a man who goes off to post a letter to a former dying work colleague and end ups by walking to Newcastle to deliver it in person. On the way, he reflects on his life. Thanks to the author’s skill, I walked with him, side by side.
MY GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER’S DIARY. I was given this by an elderly relative just before he died. I’m extremely grateful. It was written in 1871 and chronicles everyday life as a young mother. Most of it is, to be honest, fairly monotonous and deals with chores such as helping the children with their lessons. But there are hidden gems. Betty talks about being ‘tired’ but it isn’t until the end of the year that she refers to being ‘churched’. This was a ceremony which new mothers went through after giving birth. That meant she’d been pregnant all through the year but hadn’t actually said so because it wouldn’t have been considered good manners, even in a diary. There’s also a line about going ‘to tea with Dickens’ children’. So maybe they knew the author himself!
PUFFBALL BY FAY WELDON. I devoured Fay Weldon’s books as a teenager and young woman but this was the first I read. When I was a magazine journalist, I was sent to interview her. It was a dream come true! I confided in her my ambition to write novels and she encouraged me over the years. We still stay in touch. I’m lucky enough to be asked to her birthday party every year which is held in a huge marquee in her garden with all kinds of people – some famous and some not. She is an inspiration.
Jane Corry is a writer and journalist who has spent time working as the writer in residence of a high security prison for men - an experience that helped inspire her Sunday Times bestsellers 'My Husband's Wife' and 'Blood Sisters'. Jane runs regular writing workshops and speaks at literary festivals all over the world. Many of her ideas strike during morning dog-jogs along the beach followed by a dip in the sea - no matter how cold it is!Jane's brand-new thriller 'The Dead Ex' is published June 2018 by Penguin Viking.
You can find Jane on Twitter at @JaneCorryAuthor and on
Facebook at JaneCorryAuthor
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