A Darker Place by Rachel Amphlett

The frozen body of a man is discovered in a used car yard on the hottest day of the year, his face contorted by fear and pain.

Detective Kay Hunter and her team are assigned the case, but when they find out who their victim is, their worst fears are realized.

There is another man missing—but is he a victim or a killer?

With time running out and witnesses afraid to talk, Kay is thrust into one of the most challenging investigations of her career to date.

A DARKER PLACE is the 10th book in the Detective Kay Hunter series by USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett—and perfect for readers who love fast-paced crime thrillers.

Rachel Amphlett recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing her latest thriller, A DARKER PLACE:

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

The setting usually comes first for me, particularly with a long-running series. In the case of A DARKER PLACE it was the opening scene: the body of a frozen man is discovered on the back seat of a vehicle in a used car yard.

After that, I’m as intrigued as my detectives to find out who he is, how he got there, and why!

Rachel Amphlett

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

The biggest challenge was getting the science right when dealing with a frozen body—both getting the victim in that state in the first place, and then making sure my pathologist defrosted him properly without losing any—ahem!—vital evidence…

The biggest opportunity with any new writing project is to push myself as an author and develop new skills every time. I like problem-solving, so when my detectives hit a dead end, it’s fun working out with them in what direction they go next.

It’s why I always love writing witness interviews—I never know what the answers are going to be until my detectives ask the question.

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

The Detective Kay Hunter series continues to provide a modern take on the police procedural genre, often sidestepping well-trodden tropes to look at things in a different light.

That’s helped by the fact that forensic science and investigation techniques are constantly developing in the real world, so I’m always looking out for news articles that can inform my writing.

*****

Rachel Amphlett is a USA Today bestselling author, best known for her fast-paced crime and thriller novels.

Her debut thriller, White Gold, introduced secret agent Dan Taylor. The subsequent series established Rachel as an author to watch and spawned three more novels before Rachel turned her attention to a new character, Detective Kay Hunter.

The Kay Hunter crime thrillers are based in Maidstone, Kent and feature a tight-knit team of detectives. Praised by experts for their attention to detail, the books are also much loved by readers for their page-turning plots and devious twists.

More recently, Rachel created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Mark Turpin, an Oxfordshire-based detective.

In addition to her detective stories, Rachel also writes the English Assassins series featuring female assassin Eva Delacourt and a number of standalone crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, and conspiracy thrillers.

A keen traveler, Rachel holds both British and Australian citizenship.

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit her website.