Kate Rhodes Books

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Kate Rhodes is an English author that writes mysteries. She was working as a schoolteacher when a student challenged her to write a novel. The author regrets starting her writing career so late.

She admits that fear kept her from pursuing her publishing dreams. She did several jobs, most of which she disliked because of the financial security they offered. Rhodes was 45 when she finally decided to take the plunge.

She had a ‘Now or Never’ attitude that pushed her to persevere despite the challenges. If the author could go back in time, she would tell her younger self to have more faith in her talents. Rhodes had a difficult childhood.

Her father came from a stifling home with a Derbyshire miner and a frustrated housewife. Alcohol kept the panic his duties as a submariner instilled. By the time he came home, WWII had left deep-rooted scars.

The author doesn’t know whether post-traumatic stress disorder fueled Christopher Rhodes’ drinking habit. All she remembers was the joy he took in making her cry. He would tell her she was too ugly and stupid to amount to anything.

When her parents divorced, Christopher cut the author out of his life so thoroughly that she couldn’t grieve for him when he died fourteen years later. A series of terrible relationships cemented Rhodes’ belief that men couldn’t be trusted and that she was better off staying alone.

But then Dave, her husband, came along and changed her life. She credits her stepsons, all younger than sixteen when she met Dave, for adding a spark to her life. Their support came in handy when she decided to give writing a go.

She experimented with poetry before turning her attention to crime fiction. Like many aspiring writers, Rhodes queried several agents and accumulated a mountain of rejections before Teresa Chris came along and got her a three-book deal.

She also introduced Rhodes’ stories to international readers. The author thinks highly of Ruth Tross for not only commissioning her first book but also editing several manuscripts for her. She pities writers with contentious editors.

Rhodes appreciates the work Ruth does for her, particularly the advice she offers. She encourages aspiring writers to find editors whose company they enjoy personally and professionally. Rhodes and Ruth go out for coffee all the time.

She wouldn’t have it any other way. While she faced several challenges at the start, the author’s current process is a well-oiled machine. She writes all day but only after taking a stroll. She also takes frequent tea breaks.

She enjoys writing during long train journeys. For some reason, the landscape fires up her imagination as it blurs past.

Rhodes doesn’t answer emails or texts until the evening. They are too much of a distraction. She looks forward to the research stage because it gives her an excuse to interview experts. She will also visit the locations in her novels, walking their streets and absorbing the atmosphere, not to mention taking photos. This allows her to write descriptively.

Kate Rhodes Awards

Rhodes has received Library Dagger and Crime Novel of the Year Award nominations. Her poems won a Ruth Rendell Prize.

Best Kate Rhodes Books

The author worked as an English tutor, cocktail waitress, and theater usherette. Rhodes’ best books include:

Hell Bay: Ben Kitto was trying to start over at his Uncle’s boatyard. A decade on a London murder squad ended abruptly when he decided to resign in the aftermath of a traumatic event. But the detective was too good at his job, and his boss gave him three months to reconsider before making a decision he would regret.

Unfortunately for Kitto, any semblance of peace he hoped to find at the boatyard went out the window when a 16-year-old girl’s body appeared on the beach. Now, the DI must find her killer before he leaves the island.

Ruin Beach: DI Ben Kitto was determined to leave his time with the murder squad behind. But that was before he became the Deputy Chief of Police on the Scilly Islands. Now, he can’t help but think fondly of his days in London.

That sentiment is tested when a body shatters the island’s lazy summer. Can Kitto uncover Tresco Island’s secret before a killer strikes?

When Does The Next Kate Rhodes book come out?

Kate Rhodes doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Hangman Island and was released on October, 12th 2023. It is the newest book in the DI Ben Kitto Series.

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