Three books that inspired Pretty Evil

Pretty Evil is my debut thriller. It tells the story of Camilla Black, fashion magazine editor by day and serial killer by night. Governed by a warped moral code, Camilla kills bad men, men she believes deserve it.

First published in 2020, at the height of the MeToo movement, Pretty Evil was at the forefront of the now burgeoning ‘killer of bad men’ trope.

Here are three books that inspired it.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

I first read American Psycho when I was 15 years old. I’d never read anything like it, and it blew my mind with its unique tone, darkness, graphic scenes, and bold, original writing style. I’ve been a huge Bret Easton Ellis fan ever since, and I’d always wanted to write something in the same vein as American Psycho. When I had the idea for Camilla Black, the heroine of Pretty Evil, I imagined her like a female Patrick Bateman, replete with a superficial preoccupation with materialism and a desperate need to fit in, as well as a deeply unhinged mindset and murderous tendencies.

Maestra by L.S.Hilton

Maestra tells the story of Judith Rashleigh, an Oxford graduate from a working class background, who’s trying to make it in the art world, while being knocked back every step of the way by better-connected people. The novel is superbly written, and its cutting critique of class issues is second to none. As a working class author, I found it personally relatable, and class is a theme I also explore through my character Camilla Black, who like Judith, is intelligent and capable, but feels like an outsider due to her social background.

Judith Rashleigh is one of the most calculating female protagonists I’ve ever read. She is unapologetically cunning, and fully aware of her intelligence. Prior to reading Maestra, I had never encountered a female protagonist so devoid of the usual humility or downplaying of personal potential that is so common in female psychology, and this mindset massively inspired that of my protagonist, Camilla.

Maestra also features graphic sex scenes, which align with the nature of its protagonist. It makes sense that a character that has a taste for extreme violence would have a taste for extreme sex. I liked that Hilton was unapologetic in writing edgy, explicit scenes. Similar to Bret Easton Ellis’s execution of American Psycho, Hilton doesn’t try to make her main character palatable or easy on the reader. She stays true to her protagonist's nature, even if that may be push boundaries. The unwillingness to pander or play it safe is something I admire and harness in my own writing.

Sweetpea by C.J.Skuse

With a narration that's quirky, funny, and chatty in tone, but delivered from the perspective of a complete psychopath, Sweetpea by C.J.Skuse kickstarted a whole new style of serial killer fiction. Its protagonist, Rhiannon, is hilarious and relatable and yet completely devoid of morals. One minute, you’re laughing with her, like you’re having a chat with a close friend after a few glasses of wine, and the next you’re bristling at her utter psychopathy. Rhiannon is the sort of character you’d have a laugh with, and then block on your phone and wish you’d never met.

The tone of this book is so unique and it inspired me massively with Pretty Evil, particularly as I had been writing romantic comedies prior to my debut thriller, and so a chatty tone was my comfort zone as a writer. Sweetpea gave me the confidence to use that writing style for a darker book.