Nowhere to Hide

Blog Tour – ‘Nowhere To Hide’ by Alex Walters

  

I was delighted to be invited to host the first post in Alex Walters’ blog tour in which you’ll get to read exclusive interviews with the characters from the book. How exciting is that! Of course I said yes straight away, so here goes with an interview with the heroine, Marie Donovan.

Name: Marie Donovan

Rank/Job title/Occupation: Undercover officer

Why are you so important to the story of ‘Nowhere To Hide’?

I’m at the centre of it, though I’m not always sure how or why!  I’ve been assigned to an undercover case in dubious circumstances by a boss who may himself be corrupt.  I’m working alone with no idea who to trust, while forced to live apart from my partner who has a serious progressive illness.   My only contact is DI Jack Brennan, a well-regarded detective with a history of his own.  We’re faced with a series of murders which suggest growing gangland tensions, and we both have the feeling that we’re somehow being used...

What’s the biggest challenge of undercover work?

It’s dangerous, of course, when things go wrong.  But you don’t think too much about that on a day to day basis.  The biggest day-to-day challenge is keeping your story straight.  You have to think your way into the character you’re playing, and try to make sure you’re being consistent, thinking about every word you say.  It’s like being an actor but with no script and no opportunity to leave the stage.

Emotionally, the biggest challenge is the loneliness.  You have to leave your ‘real’ life behind, but you can’t afford to build meaningful relationships with the people you’re now living and working with.  And, if you’re not careful, that’s when you can start to lose touch with reality.  I know from experience just how dangerous that can be. 

What’s your biggest fear about your job?

My biggest fear is being found out! I’m conscious that at any time the mission could be compromised - perhaps deliberately, perhaps by a mistake on my part, or perhaps just by some twist of fate.  Initially, I was worried that I’d trip myself up in some way - maybe something as simple as answering to the wrong name or talking about the wrong parts of my life. Now, I’m more concerned about who might be setting me up. 

If you had to spend time on a desert island with another character from the book, who would it be and why?

To be honest, I’m not sure that there are many I’d trust to spend any time with anywhere!  My partner, Liam, of course, though that becomes increasingly unlikely as the book proceeds. My former boss, Keith Welsby, would probably be fun if I could manage to spring him out of prison. And then, well, there’s Jack Brennan...

Who would you like to play you in the screen adaptation of ‘Nowhere To Hide’?

Oh, gosh.  I don’t know. The young Michelle Collins?  Or maybe the slightly older Jaime Winstone? In my own head, anyway.

What music do you like to listen to when you’re not on duty/at work?

Either Finnish Black Metal or Dire Straits.  I’m lying, of course.  I can’t stand Dire Straits.

What do you enjoy reading?

I don’t get a lot of time for reading.  Non-fiction, mainly.  Such as the new Alex Walters.

About the book:

‘On the North Wales coast two people traffickers are brutally murdered; a drug dealer is mown down in inner-city Stockport and in a remote Pennine cottage a police informant is shot dead. Seemingly random, these murders are the work of one professional hitman.

Reluctantly, Marie Donovan takes on another undercover role and finds herself working with DI Jack Brennan, a high-flying detective with a tarnished career. Soon, mistrustful of each other and their superiors, both begin to suspect that they are mere pawns in a complex game of criminal rivalry and police corruption.

As Marie struggles to uncover the truth, she realises that nothing is as it seems. With every move, she draws the threat ever closer until ultimately the killer is watching Marie herself. Out on her own, she finds herself with no friends, no-one to trust and nowhere to hide.’

‘Nowhere To Hide’ is published by Avon HarperCollins, and you can buy it here.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nowhere-To-Hide-ebook/dp/B007UK9KPE