Author Lexie Elliott has a new book out with a title
that is sure to catch your attention, HOW TO KILL YOUR BEST FRIEND.
This latest spine-tingling, trouble-in-paradise
thriller brings to life another group of close-knit friends who are faced with
shocking tragedy: the mysterious death of one of their very own. As the friends
are reunited, trouble begins to unfold, leaving everyone questioning each
other’s motives.
Sweet Bronwyn, fun-loving Georgie, and
bold-and-beautiful Lissa were inseparable at university. The trio added Adam
and Duncan to their crowd after joining the swim team, and even years later,
their pastime unites them across time and long distance. But now, nearing 40
years old, the old pals find themselves gathering in tropical paradise for a
more tragic circumstance: Lissa’s memorial service.
Nobody knows exactly what happened on the fateful
night that Lissa went out for a swim at Kanu Cove and never returned. Lissa
knew the spot well―after all, she and her husband, Jem, had been living on the
lush tropical resort they newly owned together. And everyone on the island knows
that something dangerous is rumored to lurk beneath the crystal-clear waters of
the Cove.
So why would Lissa go for a swim at Kanu Cove,
alone, at night? Is it likely that a champion swimmer really drowned―or was
something more sinister at play?
The peaceful weekend in memory of a lost friend
turns chilling as trouble starts brewing in paradise, and violent events begin
happening at the hotel. Bronwyn and Georgie are quick to suspect that a member
of the friend group may be up to something deadly. Lissa’s death was only the
beginning….
Now join me in giving a warm welcome to Lexie as she
talks about her new book. Welcome, Lexie.
Tell us about HOW TO KILL YOUR BEST FRIEND!
What inspired you to write this story?
Lexie:
HOW TO
KILL YOUR BEST FRIEND is a psychological thriller, told through
the eyes of Georgie and Bronwyn, who, together with Lissa, have been
inseparable since dominating their college swim team. But Lissa, the strongest
swimmer they know, has somehow drowned off the coast of the fabulous island
resort she owned with her husband. Gathering together with Lissa’s closest
friends on the island for her funeral, the two women find more questions than
answers, and as the weather turns ominous, trapping them on the island, nobody
knows who they can trust… The idea came to me whilst I was on holiday and I really
liked the juxtaposition of the beautiful, sun-drenched setting with the inner
darkness within the friendship group.
HOW TO KILL YOUR BEST FRIEND finds a group of college
friends reunited in a tropical paradise to attend a memorial service. But it’s
well known on the island that something sinister lurks beneath the blue waters.
What made you choose this setting for the book? Is it based on a real place?
Lexie:
It is based (loosely) on a real island resort
in Southeast Asia, but I won’t be spilling the beans on exactly where! The idea
came to me whilst on holiday there; we were fortunate enough to be staying in a
beautiful eco-resort, which was just heavenly, but it occurred to me that,
despite the sunshine and the luxury, it could actually be quite terrifying if
you were somehow stuck there, with the staff gradually melting away…
The story explores changing relationships between
friends over time. What do you think is a key takeaway from the interactions in
the book?
Lexie:
The
characters all met when they were much younger, and much more careless and
reckless—but time and circumstances have changed that, and they have to take
responsibility now for their actions, both those in the present and those in
the past. To me, responsibility is
really the key theme of the novel: both responsibility for oneself and to what
extent one should take responsibility for friends and loved ones.
Each character in this novel has something to hide. Do
you think everyone has secrets?
Lexie:
I’m not
sure everybody has secrets of the magnitude of the characters within my novel,
but I do think everyone has secrets—or at least, some part of them that they
want to keep private. Nobody is an entirely open book; it’s part of human
nature to present a curated facade. And that’s okay—the demands of society are
such that we can’t display every little annoyance and irritation. Our curated
facades allow us to have a civil, functioning relationship with the friend that
we harbor some lingering resentment toward. Of course, in extreme cases, it
might also allow us to consider killing that same friend!
Your two protagonists, Bronwyn and Georgie, are very
different from each other. Do you relate to either character?
Lexie:
I relate
to both, actually; more than that, I like them both very much. I think
there’s a lot to like in both of them: Bronwyn is both a loving mother and a bright,
practical woman who is trying to find some balance for herself now that family
has overtaken career in her life, and Georgie is an extremely resilient young
woman who has dragged herself out of desperate circumstances and is trying, in
the face of all obstacles, to be a loyal friend.
Your characters are bonded by their love for swimming
– tell us about your hobbies, and what you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Lexie:
Spare
time—hah! There’s not a lot of that in my schedule! Exercise is important to
me, though; I try to run most days, and I usually enter a marathon every year
or so. Swimming has long been a passion of mine, both in the pool and in open
water (I swam the English Channel solo in 2007), and I have a lovely group of
like-minded friends with whom I used to go on swimming holidays, back in the
days when travel was possible… As a family, we like to go on bike rides
together and then snuggle up to watch a movie afterwards, and when we have the
chance to travel again, anywhere with either surfing or skiing will be top of
our list.
If HOW TO KILL YOUR BEST FRIEND became a movie,
who would you cast as its main characters?
Lexie:
I always
struggle with this question. The characters are exactly who they are in my
mind, I can’t really think of them as anyone else—though I dare say if you gave
me some suggestions, I’d have an opinion!
What are you working on next?
Lexie:
I’m
working on my fourth novel, but it’s very early days and not fully formed in my
head at present, so I can’t say too much about it for now. It will definitely
be another psychological thriller, though.
Lexie,
thanks so much for stopping by today and sharing this insight into your new
fascinating book.
Meet the
Author: Lexie Elliott
 |
| Photo
© Nick James Photography |
Lexie
Elliott graduated from Oxford
University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen
sportswoman, she swam and played waterpolo at university, and later swam the
English Channel solo.
She works
in fund management in London, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Thanks
everyone for stopping by today. Do you think everyone has a secret they are
hiding? What’s your secret?
