About The Book

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SHE IS HUNTING FOR THE TRUTH, BUT WHO IS HUNTING HER? Freelance journalist and single mother Hannah Weybridge is commissioned by a national newspaper to write an investigative article on the notorious red light district in Kings Cross. There she meets prostitute Princess, and police inspector in the vice squad, Tom Jordan. When Princess later arrives on her doorstep beaten up so badly she is barely recognisable, Hannah has to make some tough decisions and is drawn ever deeper into the world of deceit and violence. Three sex workers are murdered, their deaths covered up in a media blackout, and Hannah herself is under threat. As she comes to realise that the taste for vice reaches into the higher echelons of the great and the good, Hannah realises she must do everything in her power to expose the truth …. and stay alive.

Guest Review By J A Warnock

Anne Coates ‘Dancers in the Wind’ is one of those books that is quite difficult to categorise. Yes, there is a cop and yes, there is a murder enquiry but it is not your run of the mill crime thriller. Neither is it your average investigative mystery despite the freelance journalist and tabloid hacks.

It is, in fact, a cleverly written, nicely paced and utterly believable story. Set in London in the recent past, there is a familiarity to the setting; that sense of place almost a character in its own right. In certain moments, I felt a sense of nostalgia for times past. In others, I felt a palpable relief that some things have changed. I was reminded how the telling of a story has changed in our more technology driven present. I was also reminded that some things we might like to see changed are still with us in the present day.

As the book progresses, each character asks the fundamental question, who can I trust? With their answer, each character shapes their response to events and their place in the narrative. Motivations and actions are not always explicitly drawn into the main narrative but a line on blackmail here and personal investigation there invites the reader to assemble the building blocks and keeps the novel interesting.

With Coates’ cast, as in life, what is thought does not necessarily resemble what is said or what is done. Her portrayal of human nature is, I think, well observed. She embraces conflicting and often irrational emotions never making the characters’ decisions overly straight forward or clear cut. As a reader, one must decide whether or not to believe in coincidence just as the characters, in their part, must decide how to act on them. It is easy to get caught in the action and you may find yourself wondering what you would do in a character’s place.

I highly recommend the book.

#FavFive with Anne Coates

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What’s your favourite book cover by another author and why?

Thinking about this question I realised that I am more likely to be put off a book by a cover I dislike than be led to a book because of its interesting cover. However, that said, I love the Marnie Rome series by Sarah Hilary and adore the covers which depict the outline of the heroine with a scene depicted in the silhouette. All four books are now like this and it brings a unity together with a brilliant and immediate identity.

What is your favourite time to read?

I love reading whenever I have the opportunity but probably my favourite time is when I have a free afternoon ahead of me and can immerse myself in a book for several hours.

Do you have a favourite snack to nibble whilst reading?

Eating while reading goes against the grain with me. If the book is absorbing, I don’t want to let my concentration lapse while reaching out for a chocolate. Plus I like to keep my fingers clean for turning the pages!

Who is your favourite book character that has stayed with you long after the book ended?

When I was a child I loved the Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. The story of the Prince (a statue) giving his gold and jewels to the poor via the Swallow who, in the end when he was blind, would not leave him, has stayed with me. The Swallow’s fidelity and love still bring tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat when I read it to children.

What is your favourite book quote?

“Tomorrow is another day” from Gone With The Wind.

Twitter ~ @Anne_Coates1

Website ~ http://www.annecoatesauthor.com/

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Buy your copy here ~ AMAZON UK

Coming Soon ~

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Death’s Silent Judgement is the thrilling sequel to Dancers in the Wind and continues the gripping series starring London-based investigative journalist Hannah Weybridge. The series is very much in the best traditions of British women crime writers such as Lynda La Plante and Martina Cole. Following the deadly events of Dancers in the Wind, freelance journalist and single mother Hannah Weybridge is thrown into the heart of a horrific murder investigation when a friend, Liz Rayman, is found with her throat slashed at her dental practice. With few clues to the apparently motiveless crime, Hannah throws herself into discovering the reason for her friend’s brutal murder and is determined to unmask the killer. But before long Hannah’s investigations place her in mortal danger, her hunt for the truth placing her in the path of a remorseless killer…

Pre~ Order your copy ~ Amazon UK