{"id":7035259,"date":"2026-08-09T14:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T14:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/confessions-of-a-crime-writer-by-louise-mangos-bookchattercookiebiscuit\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T14:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T14:12:08","slug":"confessions-of-a-crime-writer-by-louise-mangos-bookchattercookiebiscuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7035259","title":{"rendered":"Confessions of a Crime Writer by Louise Mangos \u2013 Bookchatter@Cookiebiscuit"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A budding crime writer, a death at a literary festival and a satirical peek into the world of publishing<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Handsome, debonair Nigel Inchcock is a talented crime writer working on the next global bestselling thriller. Or so he believes. In his early thirties and still living with his ageing mother, his writing career is taking time to kick-start, hampered by his warped sense of self-belief. From attempting to woo literary agents and library assistants, to becoming a victim of his own research, we follow Nigel on his turbulent journey through the bewildering world of publication.<\/em><\/p>\n

#ConfessionsofaCrimeWriter<\/em> X\/Twitter <\/strong>@LouiseMangos<\/a>
\u00a0<\/strong>#RandomThingsTours\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0@annecater\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0@RandomTTours<\/a><\/em>\u00a0
Instagram<\/em><\/strong> @louisemangos<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0@randomthingtours<\/a><\/em>\u00a0#blogtour<\/em> <\/p>\n

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While attending a series crime writing festivals, Nigel befriends octogenarian author Edith Sparrow, after which his writing career takes an unusual turn. An accidental murder, the unintentional theft of a manuscript and the devious misuse of intellectual property leads to some unexpected publishing scandals that will change Nigel\u2019s world.<\/em><\/p>\n

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My Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

I once told someone I\u2019d only just met that I was writing a book about a female serial killer and it was \u2018dark humour\u2019. He looked at me a bit weird. How can a book where someone gets murdered be funny? Think Killing Eve<\/em> I suggested. OK, that\u2019s a bit extreme, but crime fiction can be funny so long as you don\u2019t go in for really gruesome details. And Confessions of a Crime Writer<\/em> IS hilarious. <\/p>\n

Budding crime writer Nigel Inchcock may believe he is talented, debonair and handsome, but in reality he is awful, be it in an almost lovable way. Well his mum loves him. Jennifer Primrose at the Library thinks he\u2019s stalking her. When he gets a job there, she leaves, saying she is being stalked. Nigel questions who it could possibly be. Yes, he\u2019s that dense.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Marion Winterbottom, who Nigel is convinced is a literary agent. He asks her on a date, which she accepts, but it goes disastrously wrong. It\u2019s her dog you see. It doesn\u2019t like him. But octogenarian author Edith Sparrow\u2019s dog Riddles \u2013 or Widdles as she pronounces it with her lisp \u2013 adores him.<\/p>\n

When Nigel attends a famous crime festival, there\u2019s a murder, and Nigel becomes the prime suspect. But there\u2019s doggy DNA on the victim, as well as human. And poor Riddles is implicated. <\/p>\n

\u2018Her dog,\u2019 said Best. \u2018Jesus, the old biddy had a dog! The DNA! We need to question Mrs Sparrow\u2019s dog.\u2019<\/p>\n

This is so my type of book. I love a bit of crime humour, and occasionally as in the \u2018we need to question the dog,\u2019 it slips into the absurd. All the better as far as I\u2019m concerned.<\/p>\n

As an aside, I love this self-insertion by the author.<\/p>\n

Sally scrolled a little further through the thread \u2026 she looked down at the list of names:
Hugh Smith \u2013 Evening\u2019s Standards<\/em>
Louise Mangos \u2013 The Beaten Track<\/em>
Nigel Inchcock \u2013 untitled spy thriller<\/em>
\u2026 Flannery hadn\u2019t been quick enough to send her an offer before she was snapped up by another agent right after the festival \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

But seriously this book is so entertaining I read it in two and a half days. I adored Edith Sparrow and I\u2019d love to see a picture of Widdles, sorry Riddles, please.<\/p>\n

Many thanks to\u00a0@annecater<\/a>\u00a0for inviting me to be part of\u00a0#<\/strong>RandomThingsTours #blogtour<\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Louise Mangos grew up in the UK but has spent more than half her life in Switzerland. Her debut psychological thriller Strangers on a Bridge<\/em> was a finalist in the Exeter Novel Prize and long listed for the Bath Novel Award. The psychological thriller The Beaten Track<\/em> and her historical mystery The Secrets of Morgarten <\/em>were both finalists in the Page Turner Awards, while the psychological whodunnit Five Fatal Flaws<\/em> reached the shortlist. She also writes short stories and flash fiction which have won prizes and been published in various anthologies. She holds an MA in crime writing at UEA.<\/p>\n

Louise lives on an Alp with her Kiwi husband and two sons, and when she\u2019s not writing you can find her on the cross-country ski trails or wild swimming in the lake, depending on the season.<\/p>\n

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