December 7, 2015
Falling in Death and Love
Love hit when they met. Murder came later
Additional Info for Reviewers & Staff
The first draft was handwritten. I'm old school, so I still can't fathom doing it any other way. By the time the draft was finished and typed (by yours truely - noboby else can read my scribbles) I'd made enough changes for it to count as a second draft. From then on, all subsequent drafts (I stopped counting after the fifth) were done on my laptop. Then I gave the manuscript to beta readers. With their feedback I did one more draft and then passed it on Clare Kauter, the editor, for a copy and line edit.
And that's more or less the text you have now in front of you. Enjoy!
There are two 'Falling in Death and Love' playlists on spotify that I made to get the reader into the 1977 mood. Some of the tracks are directly mentioned in the narrative, others help to underline the timely context; all of them were out by '77. They're great fun, whether you read the book or not so do check them out -
Playlist 1 'Falling in Death and Love' is here http://tinyurl.com/z9dzldn
Playlist 2 'FDL Vol 2 - Party like it's 1977' http://tinyurl.com/hpk5urn
Amazon e-book: $2.99
Editing, Production, Marketing & Sales
Edited by Claire Kauter
Cover design by Juampi Chiapero
Published Through Amazon Createspace – KDP
Scheduled for review – the information below will be filled out slowly. It will not be visible to the public until it is published on our magazine.
The year: 1977. No internet, no mobile phones.
The place: Mallorca, Spain. The Dictator is Dead, Long Live Tourism.
David falls hard for Aurora and vice versa, but the holiday is over. When she returns to Mallorca she isn’t alone, the deadly chase already underway: first it’s the hitmen and then the police.
The action does not let up as author Magnus Stanke puts the reader into the heads of David and Aurora, our hero and heroine, as well as the crooked bad cop; the coldly professional gunman and his hapless sidekick; the junkie informant couple who will do anything to get out from under the thumb of The Man; and even the half-blind old man in the Mallorcan forest who nearly takes out our hero, mistaking him for a deer.
Falling in Death and Love is a hard-boiled, heartfelt thriller, a breathless ride through times of change. Love, guilt, paternity, murder – probably not in that order.
Stanke’s wildly thrilling period piece captures not just the groovy vibe of post-Franco Spain in 1977, but also the feel, the look, the smell, of Mallorca just as tourism was starting to really make inroads into the formerly pristine island.
His unusual and ambitious jumps in point of view wouldn’t have worked in the hands of a less skilled author, but here you’re in good hands. David and Aurora’s whirlwind courtship is over almost before it began, and then, upon her return to him three months later (surprise! With a child in tow) the breathless chase through the pine forests and over the mountains unwinds skillfully. David and his young charge flee for their lives from hit men, and then murderous cops. Then Stanke rewinds and adds another perspective, layering on a new level of understanding for the reader. And again he backs up and goes over the same ground again but in the head of yet another character. By the end, when the whole heart-squeezing narrative has unfolded, the reader knows everything and is satisfied. It’s not an entirely happy ending, you know that going in—but it’s a just one, and a thrill right to the last scene.
I wholeheartedly recommend Falling in Death and Love, for anyone who enjoys and appreciates intricate plotting, who has an affinity for Spain, or who needs a reason to stay up late. Once you start this novel, you won’t want to stop.
The Rundown
The year: 1977. No internet, no mobile phones.
The place: Mallorca, Spain. The Dictator is Dead, Long Live Tourism.
David falls hard for Aurora and vice versa, but the holiday is over. When she returns to Mallorca she isn’t alone, the deadly chase already underway: first it’s the hitmen and then the police.
The action does not let up as author Magnus Stanke puts the reader into the heads of David and Aurora, our hero and heroine, as well as the crooked bad cop; the coldly professional gunman and his hapless sidekick; the junkie informant couple who will do anything to get out from under the thumb of The Man; and even the half-blind old man in the Mallorcan forest who nearly takes out our hero, mistaking him for a deer.
Falling in Death and Love is a hard-boiled, heartfelt thriller, a breathless ride through times of change. Love, guilt, paternity, murder – probably not in that order.
The Recommendation
Stanke’s wildly thrilling period piece captures not just the groovy vibe of post-Franco Spain in 1977, but also the feel, the look, the smell, of Mallorca just as tourism was starting to really make inroads into the formerly pristine island.
His unusual and ambitious jumps in point of view wouldn’t have worked in the hands of a less skilled author, but here you’re in good hands. David and Aurora’s whirlwind courtship is over almost before it began, and then, upon her return to him three months later (surprise! With a child in tow) the breathless chase through the pine forests and over the mountains unwinds skillfully. David and his young charge flee for their lives from hit men, and then murderous cops. Then Stanke rewinds and adds another perspective, layering on a new level of understanding for the reader. And again he backs up and goes over the same ground again but in the head of yet another character. By the end, when the whole heart-squeezing narrative has unfolded, the reader knows everything and is satisfied. It’s not an entirely happy ending, you know that going in—but it’s a just one, and a thrill right to the last scene.
I wholeheartedly recommend Falling in Death and Love, for anyone who enjoys and appreciates intricate plotting, who has an affinity for Spain, or who needs a reason to stay up late. Once you start this novel, you won’t want to stop.
The Rating
Top Pick! 5 Stars (out of five): Freaking amazing. Any agent or publishing house that passed this one up made a big mistake. It was selected by our reviewer as a personal favorite. This is also a nomination for our Novel of the Year award.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Page Turner, Plot, Unique StyleAuthor’s Summary
The year: 1977. No internet, no mobile phones; tablets cure headaches not boredom.
The place: Mallorca, Spain. The Dictator is Dead, Long Live Tourism
David falls hard for Aurora and vice versa, but the holiday is over. When she returns she isn’t alone, the deadly chase already underway.
First the hitmen then the police.
‘Falling in Death and Love’ is a hard-boiled, heartfelt thriller, a breathless ride through times of change.
Love, guilt, paternity, murder – probably not in that order.
Short Description
Aurora, a holiday maker, and David, a globetrotting sushi chef, meet-cute on a skydive, literally falling head over heels for each other. However, after a few days of bliss reality rears its ugly head and they have to part again. Three months later Aurora has rearranged her life to be with David. When she returns to Mallorca their love remains strong. Only, nobody reckoned with the human baggage Aurora unwittingly brings to the island. Two professional hitmen with nothing but murder on their minds. The chase is on
Catchphrase
Love, guilt, paternity, murder - probably not in that order.You might also like...
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Quality reviews of independent literature from 2011 - 2018