Intimacy is what it’s all about. Intimate lovers, intimate starvation, intimate murder — and when I required a symbol of closeness for each of the victims, I found the best one of all: A bracelet full of charms that represent each kill and then gave it to his wife. She is oblivious to their meaning but cherishes it anyway. She should. Her husband hand-made each one — out of the victim’s SIM cards!
Some would say that’s a shocking and outrageous storyline. In any case, they’re not symbols at all but trophies, as serial killers often take something from their victims. It’s not new Michael.
Okay, it’s outrageous, but that’s my writing style. As far as the issue about the trophy goes: Yes, there’s a prize claimed with each SIM collected by my protagonist, but as far as the story goes, the rewards he gets from them aren’t achievable until Samantha is holding the finished charm bracelet in her hand and smiling at him. She must give him her obligatory peck on the cheek and say something like, “Thank you, dear. How sweet of you”, before he feels his special inner glow rise and warms his evil soul.
Yes, they are more like symbols of intimacy than mere trophies.
The manner in which each victim dies also gives readers a super-sized clue about how much intimacy is poured into the story. There are no guns, poisons, knives, and no pushing someone down a flight of stairs. The eyes of my killer look directly at the victim’s eyes as the dying/killing process occurs. Every grunt, squirm, gasp and gurgle are up close and personal. Even the reader is forced to experience the moment of expiration. It’s detailed and insanely intimate.
The SIM cards add a nice touch as they come from the phones of the victims. It was how they found and communicated with their killer. Our villain remodels each SIM card into a specific charm so no two are alike. Samantha becomes the bearer of all of the symbols and the recipient of the killer’s secret seethe. Every private moment he had with them will become hers to have and to hold, forever and ever, until death does them part. It triples the creepiness and allows that feeling to linger well beyond the book’s last page.
I’d love to tell the rest of the story but it went into the book. If you keep in mind that it’s all about intimacy, you’ll be able to stay with it. This explains the motive, the means and the opportunity — to everything, not just each murder. The book is free (for a limited time) so download it now and start reading. When you’re done, please leave a review on Goodreads here.
Five women’s bodies are discovered after the nights of thunderstorms. Their spouses are suspected of the crimes, but it becomes clear that someone else is responsible. There’s no blood and few clues. A storm photographer specialising in taking lightning pictures may be the only witness.
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