This week I’m talking to author Vikki Patis about her new gripping suspense novel, The Wake. Let’s take a look at the cover and find out a bit more about the book.

Blurb

Blood isn’t always thicker than water…

In the wake of Richard Asquith’s death, his family come together to say goodbye.

The Daughter
Skye hasn’t seen her father in years. Can she ever forgive him for what he did?

The Daughter-in-Law
Lexi hopes her secrets have died with Richard. Can she keep the truth to herself forever?

The Mistress
Eleanor is heartbroken, but is her grief clouding her judgement?

The Celebrant
James has had enough of death. Can he give Richard the send-off he deserves?

Everyone has something to hide but buried secrets always surface…

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/35ryMKh

It sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Here’s a #sneakpeek at the prologue:

Prologue

The blood is not the first thing their eyes are drawn to. They look around them as if in shock, eyes wide and disbelieving, hands running through hair as they take in the overturned chairs, the table on its side by the window, the sausage rolls scattered across the floor, pastry flakes coating the floorboards. Red liquid drips down the wall, the dark glass of a bottle clustered on the floor beneath, and the stem of a wine glass clatters against the floorboards, finally coming to rest against the side of the bar.

The staff hide behind the thick wooden barrier. They are not paid enough to deal with this; minimum wage and the odd free lunch is not enough for them to be involved in the events that are unfolding before them. One woman has a phone pressed to her ear, her mouth moving as she sounds the alarm, calls for help. A man with a tea towel slung over one shoulder turns to take a nip of whisky straight from the bottle, his fingers trembling as he sets it back down with a thud.

The air is eerily silent, the call to the authorities ended, the cordless phone hung up with a beep that echoes around the room. The air is full of breath, chests rising and falling in the silence. The door swings open suddenly, the wind catching it and throwing it against the wall, and something in the air skitters, the crowd jumping in unison. But still no one speaks. Still, no one moves.

Outside, the rain lashes at the windows, the early December chill invading the room through the door, the hinges creaking as it blows open and closed. The sky is leaden, clouds full of the promise of never-ending rain. A flash of lightning illuminates the room, bringing to life the faces of the people who sit or stand or lean against the wall, hearts beating wildly. They do not look at one another. They stare at the floor, or at their trembling hands. Anywhere but at the face of their neighbour. They are family, friends, acquaintances. They have had coffee together, dinner parties, arguments. Some were present at the birth of others; some went to school together; some made vows to have and to hold, for better, for worse. Some made vows to get revenge for past wrongs.

Another lightning strike ignites the picture of the person they have come here to honour, the flash lighting up the features of the deceased, the dead man whom they all have in common. It is a good photo, they thought as they’d filed into the room hours before. It shows him as he was. Husband, father, grandfather. Friend, colleague, teammate. Taken too soon, a tragic loss. These are still the thoughts of some as they stare up at his face, one grey streak through the front of his hair, the usual twinkle in his blue eyes. He was a handsome man, even in his fifties. Always a hit with the ladies, that roguish charm never leaving him. He was a generous friend, a good man.

The thoughts of others are not so charitable. Ex-husband. Estranged father. Tormentor. So many versions of the truth; so many versions of one man held in the minds of others.

A wail cuts through the air and heads snap up, eyes drawn towards the closed door at the end of the room. A child cries out, Mummy! and another voice shushes them, lifting them up and holding them close. Another wail, low and full of pain, animal-like, or is it the wind again, howling to be let in? All eyes are now on that door, on the trail of blood staining the floorboards, the scarlet handprint on the cream wall.

Sirens. The world turns blue as tyres crunch over the pebbled beach beneath the pub, small stones skittering. The next cry is drowned out and heads turn away now, towards the approaching vehicles and the people who have come to save them. Wipers battle against the furious rain, the water bouncing off the top of the blue flashing lights. The room is lit up by them, the faces of the mourners turned pale and ghostlike. A door opens, slams. Footsteps running up the stairs, boots pounding against the wood. The cavalry has arrived. The open door suddenly slams shut, as if barring their entry, and the people jump again, their nerves jangling.

As a gloved hand presses against the glass of the front door, the door at the other end of the room is flung open, a woman appearing in the doorway. The cavalry step inside, water dripping from their boots, their gaze casting over the crowd until they settle on the woman, and they move towards her, their eyes fixed on the blood on her hands.

‘In here,’ she says, her eyes wide and full of fear. ‘Please, hurry.’

If you want to find out what happens, you can buy the book here:

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/35ryMKh

Meet Vikki

Short bio

Vikki Patis is a bestselling psychological suspense author. Her third novel, Girl, Lost, was published by Bloodhound Books in May 2020 and became a top 100 bestseller on Amazon. It was later longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize 2020. The Wake will be published in October 2020, with another to follow in early 2021.

Vikki also runs The Bandwagon blog and the Psychological Suspense Authors’ Association. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, baking gluten free cakes, or walking in the Hertfordshire countryside. She lives with her partner, two cats, and a wild golden retriever puppy.  

Contact links

Author website: www.vikkipatis.com 

Twitter: @vikkipatis

Thanks for dropping by to tell us about your new book, Vikki. Wishing you many sales.

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Published by Bookouture on 23rd November. Now on preorder: Amazon: https://geni.us/B08GKRRPWHCover