Kirsty Carse
What Was Kept Inside is my first novel.
You can download What Was Kept Inside today by clicking the link below. The novel is exactly 100 A4 pages, so if you can print it out double sided it won't cost you too much paper. However, if your printer is a little too stately to cope, you can order a copy from me. I will print it out for £3 (or £4 if you need it posted). Just send an email to kirsty@kirsty-carse.com.
Download What Was Kept Inside now (PDF 1.1M).
What Was Kept Inside is Copyright © 2005 Kirsty Carse. Redistribution without written permission is forbidden. The downloadable file is a PDF file which can be read using the Adobe PDF reader. Get Adobe Reader.
The novel begins in the present day as Andrew Dickson, the central character, has been arrested for four unconnected murders. Subsequent chapters delve back through his life, from childhood up to the present day, to build a picture of what drove him to his current predicament. His story is revealed to be much more complicated than the profile of a serial killer. I invite my reader to like Andrew, to feel passionately on his side at some points in his life, to feel indignant when things go wrong for him. At other times I think readers will despise him. And throughout the book I keep the reader guessing as to what exactly was the trigger for the sickening crimes. You'll have to wait for the twist at the end!
Each of the novel's ten chapters are narrated by a different significant person in Andrew Dickson's life. They contribute their view of him to the story by relating how he affected their life. In this way the novel not only deals with Andrew's life, but also fragments of the lives of ten other characters, making for a rich diversity of story-telling.
Want to know more? Here's the inside track on the ten narrators.
Chapter one: Anna Tyrrell — owner of the antique shop to which Andrew sells items belonging to one of his murder victims
Anna spends her days running a quiet antique shop and daydreaming about the lives of her customers. Her sleepy existence is given a jolt when DC John Wade walks in and asks to question her about some stolen goods Andrew Dickson may have pawned in the shop.
Chapter two: Nick Price — Andrew's half-brother
Nick suspects more than coincidence when he meets a woman who looks exactly like his twin sister. He digs into his parents' past and discovers extra branches of the family tree.
Chapter three: Tom Myers — Andrew's childhood best friend
Now settled with a wife and young son, Tom is shocked when he reads about his old friend's crimes in the newspaper. He recalls his and Andrew's childhood and pinpoints the events that set them on separate paths.
Chapter four: Chris Curtis — Andrew's social worker
Despite being brought up by flamboyant parents who hoped to produce an actress, Chris is a down-to-earth social worker in her first job at the childrens' home Andrew has become a resident of. Chris is quick to spot Andrew's problems, but can she persuade others that her instincts are right?
Chapter five: Ricky Leeming — Andrew's cellmate in Young Offenders Institute
A spell in YOI is no easy life for Ricky, who recognises that it is even more of a struggle for his new cellmate. Ricky becomes embroiled in a plan to victimise another boy. His cellmate, though vulnerable, is the perfect decoy for an attack.
Chapter six: Maria Lucantoni — Andrew's ex-girlfriend
When Maria meets Andrew, she thinks the excitement she has been searching for has been found. Then she starts to notice some very strange things about her new boyfriend. When she turns to Andrew's friend Trent for help, things start to get complicated.
Chapter seven: Rachel Anderson — Andrew's friend
When Rachel arrives at university, feeling outcast, Andrew makes her acquaintance at a crucial point in her lonely first term. She is grateful for his friendship, and for the friendship of those to whom he introduces her, but soon she realises the price of belonging. She is convinced that Andrew can't be trusted, and must get the others to believe it before she finds herself in danger.
Chapter eight: Caroline Pollard — Andrew's fellow patient on psychiatric ward
When Caroline is taken ill and admitted to a psychiatric ward she realises she has not been able to communicate meaningfully with anyone for months. This seems unlikely to change until she meets Andrew, whose companionship affects her indelibly.
Chapter nine: Leonard Igoe — Andrew's Landlord
Happy to let to all and sundry but not content to learn the sordid details of tenants' lives, Lennie thinks he has found the perfect tenant in Andrew Dickson. He soon discovers how wrong he is.
Chapter ten: Detective Constable John Wade — one of the officers working on Andrew's murder case
After spending eight years on the community beat, John is having a hard time adapting to a career-enhancing move to the CID. Dealing with the aftermath of Andrew Dickson's crimes is proving difficult. Just when he thinks he's getting somewhere, the situation twists... then twists again.