Stephen B King and . . . the Deadly Glimpses

Wild Women Authors feature Australian author Stephen B King as he announces the release of Glimpse: The Tender Killer, book 3 of his Deadly Glimpses Trilogy. This brings an end to the saga of Criminal Psychologist Patricia Holmes' partnership with Detective Sergeant Rick McCoy of the Western Australian Major Crime Squad. 

Combined, the three books totaled around 300,000 words and each covers their hunt for a different serial killer while combined looks at their relationship, their desire, and its effect on their married partners. There is some talk there could be a fourth installment, but SBK is not being drawn on its validity.

Stephen granted us an interview about each book in the trilogy and brought Pat Holmes along with him.

Today:  Book 1: Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

In 1999 Australia, Sergeant Rick McCoy investigates the murder of a woman found packed inside a suitcase. 

The Killer abducts another victim and threatens to dismember her slowly. His life is further complicated by a marriage in tatters. Frustrated at every turn, he is paired with glamorous Criminal Psychologist and profiler, Patricia Holmes.  
While trying to rebuild his marriage, he finds himself in a desperate race against time to free the victim and fight his desire for his new partner.

https://amzn.to/2UURXVS

What was your motivation for this story?

SBK: During my working career, that’s my day job - not being an author, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some incredibly beautiful women. I am by nature flirtatious and have always enjoyed better friendships with women than men. I wanted to show that thrill of working with someone you fancy like crazy, but you are married and resist the urge to do anything about it for all the right reasons. So, my putting Pat with Rick and giving them both dysfunctional marriages I thought I would build drama around the police investigations into three separate serial killers. In each of the books I also wanted to give the reader an insight into the mind of the murderer. To give a narrative from their own point of view, hence each book has the word Glimpse as part of the title. The reader will get a glimpse into their very troubled minds.

So, this was planned as a trilogy for you right from the start?

SBK: Yes, it was never intended to go beyond the three books. That felt right to me. The problem now is that my editor, narrator of the audio books, and three Beta readers have all demanded more. It’s just about the biggest compliment as a writer I’ve ever had, that people want to know what happens to Rick and Pat next. Watch this space, it’s possible this could be the first ever trilogy comprising of four books.

Pat, what did you think of Rick at your first meeting?

PH: Well, looking back, no one thing struck me immediately, but several things were very vivid. I knew I was attracted to him; he is a good-looking guy and has a confidant air about him. He’s no pin-up, and he’s not muscle bound, but there is something about him. He has nice eyes, and, the most attractive thing to me was that while I knew he came to me for advice under sufferance, he listened to me. I’d been married to a man for over twenty years who never listened to me, or gave a damn about my career, his only interest was I cared about his own.

You also must understand, here was a cop seeking my professional advice and this was something I had dreamt of for many years; to be at the forefront of a major criminal investigation where my skills as a profiler could aid in catching a very troubled individual and thereby save lives.

Why was Rick there under sufferance?

PH: Well, it’s no secret that back in 2000 most police officers saw psychologists as the enemy rather than an ally. He thought consulting with me was on the one hand consorting with the enemy and on the other a complete waste of his valuable time. The assistant commissioner, whom I was at university with, ordered that I be consulted when the killer, PPP, progressed from the Body in the Suitcase murder. He had abducted another victim and threatened the police in general, and Rick in particular he would send a piece of her body every two days he went uncaught. The escalation, the taunting of the police, and the dire situation the victim was in, forced them to ask my opinion.

Did you feel an urge to start an affair with Rick?

PH: No, not at all. In the beginning, I liked him, and I’ve always worked best with a man, especially if there is a mutual attraction, which we had in spades. But Rick and I are from different walks of life, and we were both married. There was no possibility of jumping into bed, no matter how much the idea was appealing. There was also a very dangerous serial killer to catch.

That’s a good segue into PPP. Based on what Rick told you of the investigation, what were your 

initial thoughts?

PH: That he had done it before. What he was showing us then was a progression. I knew the only way to stop him, and save the victim was to look for what I called his footprints in the sand, his previous murders for which he hadn’t sought the limelight. I also realised he had some previous connection to Rick, that because of something in their past, their future was irrevocably bound together. PPP gave all the signs of being a sociopathic narcissist. He would feel no emotions, or regret. You couldn’t hurt him because he had been hurt all his life. You couldn’t threaten him, he had no concept of fear, and you couldn’t rationalise with him because he thought he was normal, and everyone else had the problem.

I was able to give Rick some insights which made him realise I had something to contribute. He went from being against my being involved to my biggest supporter. Together we trolled thought PPP’s previous unsolved crimes to try to find him before time ran out for the abducted woman, whom PPP was cutting bits off, and sending them to Rick. It has to be said, that the closer Rick and I worked together, the more our mutual respect and desire for each other grew. It also led to my husband, Tom becoming more jealous and boorish which didn’t help the situation.

The psychology in this trilogy is an important part of the story isn’t it?

SBK: Yes, it is. My daughter has a degree in criminal psychology and justice. A good friend, and his wife are both prominent psychologists, and I did a lot of research into the subject matter. Thankfully, people like PPP are very rare. That said it seems like almost every day we see another story of another mass murderer somewhere in the world, and I think everyone has a morbid fascination about the subject. PPP is the evillest killer I’ve ever created, and I assure you residing in his mind to tell his story was not a pleasant place to be. But what I wanted to show is why is he that way, what happened in his life to cause it. Some reviewers have said that portrayal was remarkable, and that some even felt sorry for him. I can think of no higher praise for my writing than that.

Glimpse, The Tender Killer is released on September 11^th as an eBook, paperback and audio. 

For the month of September Glimpse 1, Glimpse Memoir of a Serial Killer is on Sale for 99c

Stephen B King can be reached at:

www.stephen-b-king.com

twitter: @stephenBKing1

Facebook: @stephenbkingauthor