Rotten Peaches by Lisa de Nikolits

ROTTEN PEACHES is a gripping epic filled with disturbing and unforgettable insights into the human condition. Love, lust, race and greed. How far will you go? Two women. Two men. One happy ending. It takes place in Canada, the U.S., and South Africa. Nature or nurture. South Africa, racism, and old prejudices — these are hardly old topics but what happens when biological half-siblings meet with insidious intentions?

Can their moral corruption be blamed on genetics — were they born rotten to begin with?

And what happens when they meet up with more of their ilk?

What further havoc can be wreaked, with devastating familial consequences?

The Big Thrill spent some time with award-winning author Lisa de Nikolits discussing her latest thriller, ROTTEN PEACHES:

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

There are some very funny elements. There are very dark moments for sure but there are some very funny moments in the tradition of true noir.

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

This book was inspired by Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, and The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain, all noir reads. I hope to contribute an original, deeply noir modern day story about love and obsession and the lengths to which men and women will go.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

I was surprised by the intimacy of the plot and how well it all worked out! The characters led me on a merry chase and I was as surprised as the readers will be by how it all turned out!

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I hope readers will enjoy a ripping, thrilling, disturbing, riveting, fantastic read!

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

James M. Cain, John Steinbeck, Gillian Flynn, Graham Greene, Harry Crews, Lionel Shriver, Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), Annie Proulx.

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Originally from South Africa, Lisa de Nikolits has lived in Canada since 2000. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and philosophy and has lived in the U.S.A., Australia and Britain. No Fury Like That, her most recently published work, is her seventh novel. It will be published in Italian, under the title Una furia dell’altro mondo, in 2019. Previous works include: The Hungry Mirror (winner 2011 IPPY Gold Medal); West of Wawa (winner 2012 IPPY Silver Medal); A Glittering Chaos (winner 2016 Bronze IPPY Medal); The Witchdoctor’s Bones; Between The Cracks She Fell (winner 2016 for Contemporary Fiction); and The Nearly Girl. Lisa lives and writes in Toronto. Her ninth novel, The Occult Persuasion and the Anarchist’s Solution, is forthcoming in 2019.

To learn more about Lisa, please visit her website.