Front Page Fridays Week-56
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-56. On Fridays I showcase the first page of a new book.
My Front Page Fridays Week-56 guest is… me! Her Rising Star, the third book in my Gloucestershire Crime Series comes out on 26 May, published by Hobeck Books. Here’s a sneak peek at the opening page of the first chapter.
CHAPTER ONE
MONDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2018
In the bathroom mirror, Andrew McGillis adjusts his tie. Not too straight; he’s a retired GP, a leisurely man of medicine. His beard could do with a trim, but when he said that to Hurst last week, the half-wit producer refused point blank to let Mary-Ann, the makeup girl, cut his hair. According to Hurst, Mary-Ann is there “to dab about and stop camera glint”. Beyond that, panellists are responsible for their own personal grooming.
Andrew goes to the kitchen area of his tiny bedsit to make sandwiches and tea with real lemon. For all Jeremy Hurst talks of rejuvenating the tearoom where they film, he still isn’t registered to serve food. And as for the drinks, the offer is a range of flavoured teabags or instant coffees. The difference between large and small cups is how much the hapless Mary-Ann spills. When she’s not dabbing makeup about, she acts as waitress.
Other panellists seem happy to indulge. How many powdered cappuccinos does the Anderson woman need? Enough for Mary-Ann to disrupt the flow of every debate to serve her, and always when Andrew is winning. She slops froth on the table and lets out that damn silly giggle, obscuring Camera One with her pendulous breasts. Andrew has complained to Hurst that she’s dumbing down a serious programme, but the producer laughs. “You’re doing great, Andy. More of that outrage on camera, if you can.”
About Her Rising Star
DI Steph Lewis comes under an unforgiving media spotlight in this twisty locked room mystery, where murder is committed live on air.
While attending a police conference at Cheltenham Town Hall, Steph is summoned to a nearby film studio. A chat show panellist has collapsed during a live broadcast.
At the scene, Steph discovers the man sprawled on the floor. The livestream is still running, other panellists are horrified and the studio is in chaos. Is the death accidental, the result of a severe allergy, or is there more to the fatality than meets the eye?
Despite intrusive press interest in the case, Steph must investigate her suspects: the producer, the studio runner, the cameraman and the diverse cast of panellists.
Nothing about this on-screen death adds up.
Is just one of them a murderer? Or do they all have something to hide?
Her Rising Star is the third book in the Gloucestershire Crime Series, featuring DI Steph Lewis, a spirited, no-nonsense detective with secrets of her own.
'A tense, twisty plot with a heart-rending ending.' JACKIE BALDWIN
'Beautiful writing, a terrific plot and gut-punch of an ending.' BRIAN PRICE
'Original, compelling and filled with deliciously unpleasant suspects!’ ANTHONY ABERFORD
Purchase Links
The book is also available to order from bookshops.
Here is a sneak peek at the Prologue.
About Rachel Sargeant
I’m a bestselling author of thrillers and crime fiction, published by HarperCollins, Hobeck Books and Hera Books, part of Canelo. I’m a graduate of Aberystwyth University and hold a PhD from the University of Birmingham. After many years in Germany, I now live in Gloucestershire. My hobbies are visiting country houses and coffee shops, going to book club, watching amateur theatre and travelling with my husband to visit our grown-up children in various places around the world. I also like chatting about books with readers and writers on my blog.
Social Media Links
Bluesky: @drrachelsargeant.bsky.social
Facebook: @rachelsargeantauthor
Instagram: @rachelsargeant3
BookBub: @rachelsargeant3
*Bargain Alert!
Her Deadly Friend, the first book in the Gloucestershire Crime Series is on sale in ebook at 99p from 19th May 8am GMT/11amPST and ending exactly seven days later.
Other Titles by Rachel Sargeant
An Ordinary House (writing as Rae Starling)
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-56. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis – Front Page Fridays Week-17 — Rachel Sargeant
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd – Front Page Fridays Week-18 — Rachel Sargeant
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell – Front Page Fridays Week-19 — Rachel Sargeant
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-20 — Rachel Sargeant
21. The Car Horn revolution by A.J. Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-21 — Rachel Sargeant
22. What Lies Beneath by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-22 — Rachel Sargeant
23. A Safe Place by Stephanie Carty – Front Page Fridays Week-23 — Rachel Sargeant
24. Fatal Image by Brian Price – Front Page Fridays Week-24 — Rachel Sargeant
25. Run For Your Lies by A.A. Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-25 — Rachel Sargeant
26. A Walk in the Park by Natalie Kleinman – Front Page Fridays Week-26 — Rachel Sargeant
27. A Storm in a Teacup by Rachael Gray – Front Page Fridays Week-27 — Rachel Sargeant
28. The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-28
29. A Death in the Afternoon by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-29 — Rachel Sargeant
30. Justice by Madalyn Morgan – Front Page Fridays Week-30 — Rachel Sargeant
31. Let Me Out by Amanda Brittany – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-31
32. A Pocketful of Poisons by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/85orb6bc15cs2voyn37yv3jprw0jec
33. Tribute by Madalyn Morgan – Front Page Fridays Week-33 — Rachel Sargeant
34. Mistress of the Manor by Cara Clayton – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-34
35. Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Chistensen – Front Page Fridays Week-35 — Rachel Sargeant
36. A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet – Front Page Fridays Week-36
37. Beneath the Same Moon by AS Andrejevic – Front Page Fridays Week-37 — Rachel Sargeant
38. The Fallen by Maureen Myant - Front Page Fridays Week-38 — Rachel Sargeant
39. The Bad Women by Jennie Ensor – Front Page Fridays Week-39 — Rachel Sargeant
40. Lies Between Friends by AA Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-40 — Rachel Sargeant
41. Ftal Shot by Brian Brice – My Front Page Fridays Week-41 — Rachel Sargeant
42. The Alibi by Katharine Johnson – My Front Page Fridays Week-42 — Rachel Sargeant
43. The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-43
44. If I Were You by Helen Matthews – Front Page Fridays Week-44 — Rachel Sargeant
45. (Not Quite) Done With Dating by Bella Osborne – Front Page Fridays Week-45
46. Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop by Jackie Baldwin – Front Page Fridays Week-46 — Rachel Sargeant
47. Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley – Front Page Fridays Week-47 — Rachel Sargeant
48. Missing… Rose Malone by Linda Huber – www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-48
49. Fiasco by Nicola Kelsall – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-49
50. 27 Church Street by A.J. Hobart – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-50
51. The Girls of Maple Close by Amanda Britanny – www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-51
52. Growing Old Disgracefully by Karen King – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-52
53. Meet Me At Apple Blossom Lane by Anita Faulkner – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-53
54. Festival Days by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-54 — Rachel Sargeant
55. The Conservatory by Anthony Aberford –https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-55