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  • Criss Cross: Friendship can be murder: Book 1: A murderous confessional full of twists and turns

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Caron Allan
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Criss Cross: Friendship can be murder: Book 1: A murderous confessional full of twists and turns Kindle Edition

by Caron Allan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 out of 5 stars (364)
Friendship Can Be Murder!

Reviewers said:

“…the heroine is completely without morals…You really should not like her, but you find yourself wishing her every success in her increasingly bizarre schemes and personal entanglements”

“Outstandingly witty, daft, exciting and so enjoyable!! This is the best book I have read in a long time. Exquisite!!”

“…enables the reader to enter into the twisted world of the main character … reading her journal … you take voyeuristic pleasure in her inner thoughts, plans & audacious exploits”

Spoilt society girl Cressida Barker-Powell wants to murder her interfering mother-in-law. In her diary she carefully plans the perfect murder but when she arrives at the scene, she finds the old woman already dead. Soon it becomes clear that her Hitchcock-Movie-loving best pal, Monica, has carried out the deed for her!

Taking the murder-switch idea from their favourite Hitchcock movie, Cressida decides the only real way to show her gratitude is by killing off Monica’s philandering husband and his bimbo girlfriend. Monica should appreciate the idea of swapping murders. That’s what she wants, right?

Wrong!

Cressida quickly discovers this was not what her friend had in mind, and a devastated Monica is now hell-bent on revenge. Which means their friendship is definitely over. Isn’t it?

Buy Criss Cross by Caron Allan now for a dark, humorous tale of murder, revenge and choosing the right outfit for a dastardly deed.

Extract from Criss Cross: Book 1 of the Friendship Can Be Murder trilogy:

'I was actually going quite fast by the time I hit him. He, with the usual arrogance of the pedestrian these days, had assumed I would simply stop when I got to him, and he just stepped into the road and began to cross without actually bothering to check if it was safe. As I reached him, he was still ambling across the road and clearly wasn’t about to hurry himself.

I think he may have even seen me, as he glanced around at the very last nanosecond with suddenly frightened awareness, and there was something–some little look on his face–no, not even on his face, it was just the strangest suggestion of a shade in his eyes, the little lines between his brows contracting. It was a look that said, ‘I always knew she hated me,’ followed by a sudden realisation of what was about to happen and a strong impression that he suddenly thought, ‘oh crap!’

But then he bumped up in the air and over the top of the car. I was doing quite a speed and of course, it’s downhill and on a slight bend at that point–not at all a good place to cross really—and I saw him in my mirror, almost in slow-motion, as his head whacked down on the boot and then he hit the tarmac behind me with a strange flomping sound I could hear even though the window was up and Michael Bublé was blaring out of the speakers.'

Buy Criss Cross by Caron Allan now for a dark, humorous tale of murder, revenge and choosing the right outfit for a dastardly deed.

Search terms: Criss Cross, Alfred Hitchcock, Strangers On A Train, Patricia Highsmith, Bridget Jones, murder swap, dark humour, murder mystery romance, cozy murder mystery, romantic suspense, humorous fiction, diary-based fiction, women’s contemporary fiction, women’s detective fiction, amoral hero heroine,
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Friendship can be murder
  2. Print length
    392 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    January 7, 2014
  6. File size
    596 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Caron lives in Derbyshire, England, where Jane Austen's Mr Darcy came from. She hasn't met him yet, but nevertheless clings to the dream. She writes mysteries and crime but sometimes dabble in other genres, such as romance or paranormal fantasy.

Like many writers, Caron always wanted to write stories. She can remember announcing this to her mother when she was eight years old. Caron says, 'I seem to remember she wasn't overly impressed.'

Caron started reading adventure stories and mysteries for children when she was around 7 or 8 and graduated to Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth (her faves) when around 9 or 10. She has never looked back.

Caron has tried writing literary fiction - and says she was terrible at it. She has tried writing romance but got bored and killed everyone off. So now she sticks to what she loves - murder mysteries.

The Dottie Manderson mysteries are set in the 1930s and feature Dottie, a terminally-nosy well-to-do young woman, book 1 is called Night and Day. The Friendship Can Be Murder series are set 'now' and written as diary entries by a posh woman, Cressida Barker-Powell, who has a low tolerance for bad people, and plans to begin with her mother-in-law. The new series The Miss Gascoigne Mysteries set in the 'swinging sixties' debuted in 2022 with book 1: A Meeting With Murder.

Caron Allan can be found on these social media channels and would love to hear from you:

Instagram: caronsbooks

Twitter: caron_allan

Also, if you're interested in news, snippets, Caron's quirky take on life or just want some sneak previews, please sign up to Caron's blog shown below:

caronallanfiction.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BM9AJ3Q
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 7, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 596 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Friendship can be murder
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,681,602 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 out of 5 stars (364)

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Caron Allan

Caron Allan

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Caron lives in Derbyshire, England, where Jane Austen's Mr Darcy came from. She hasn't met him yet, but nevertheless clings to the dream. She writes mysteries and crime but sometimes adds in a little dash of romance or fantasy.

Like many writers, Caron always wanted to write stories. She can remember announcing this to her mother when she was eight years old. Caron says, ‘I seem to remember she wasn't overly impressed.’

Caron started reading adventure stories and mysteries for children when she was around 7 or 8 and graduated to Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth (her faves) when around 9 or 10. She has never looked back.

Caron has tried writing literary fiction – she was terrible at it. She has tried writing romance but got bored and killed everyone off. So now she sticks to what she loves - murder mysteries. The Dottie Manderson mysteries are set in the 1930s and feature a terminally-nosy well-to-do young woman, the Miss Gascoigne mysteries are set in the 1960s and a spin-off from the Dottie books, and the Friendship Can Be Murder series are set 'now' and written as diary entries by a posh woman, Cressida Barker-Powell, who plans to make the world a better place by getting rid of bad people, starting with her mother-in-law.

Instagram: caronsbooks

Twitter: caron_allan

Facebook: CaronAllanFiction

Pinterest: caron_allan

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
364 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book an outstanding entertainment with several twists and turns in the plot, and they appreciate its humor. The writing style receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as a well-written cozy murder mystery book. The character development receives mixed reactions from customers.
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15 customers mention enjoyment, 12 positive, 3 negative
Customers find the book enjoyable and outstanding entertainment, with one customer noting it's never a dull moment.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to read book 2. There are a lot of twists and turns....Read more
...To my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I didn't like Cressida at first but she grew on me and she grew more likable as the book went on....Read more
...I liked the different turns the story took. It held my attention throughout. I would definitely recommend....Read more
...Even without regarding the murder it is sickening.Read more
8 customers mention plot, 6 positive, 2 negative
Customers enjoy the plot of the book, appreciating its multiple twists and turns, with one customer describing it as a great murder mystery movie.
...Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of....Read more
...I can’t wait to read book 2. There are a lot of twists and turns. Every time I think I can predict what’s going to happen next, it takes a turn.Read more
An unusual storyline, well you may be familiar with "Strangers on a Train"....Read more
...I say "lean" because the writing is good, the plotting excellent and humorous bits enjoyable. But I did not enjoy the book overall....Read more
6 customers mention humor, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book humorous.
I liked this story because it is a great concept and quite funny if one realizes it's an Arsenic and Old Lace humor....Read more
...The storyline has some surprising twists and turns. It's funny, dark in places, and I think many readers will be able to relate to Cressida's deed...Read more
...Having said that, I am absolutely blown away by this novel! Its hilarious, creepy, emotional , disturbing and kept me up until 3am reading....Read more
This is quite a laughable tale! Written in the first person, I enjoyed the outlandish musings the main character writes in her journal.Read more
6 customers mention writing style, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, with one customer noting it is a well-crafted cozy murder mystery.
Criss Cross was a well written story about a bratty rich woman who took a plunge or two into madness....Read more
I really liked the way this book was written. Reading the story through Cressida's journal made it a more personal story....Read more
This is quite a laughable tale! Written in the first person, I enjoyed the outlandish musings the main character writes in her journal.Read more
...A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written cozy murder mystery book....Read more
6 customers mention character, 2 positive, 4 negative
Customers have mixed opinions about the characters in the book.
Not my thing at all. I disliked the main character (whose very name has disappeared from my memory) from the first page....Read more
...Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of....Read more
...The central character is a wholly self-absorbed, woman with just enough unearned "posh" status to make her insufferable, pretentious, incompetent...Read more
Police are really dumb in the book, and the protagonist behavior is not much better. A lot of UK only English words make it interesting.Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Sylvia V
    5.0 out of 5 stars A different type of chic lit
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Criss Cross was a well written story about a bratty rich woman who took a plunge or two into madness. Cressida can't stand her mother-in-law and plans to kill her. Her best friend, Monica, discovers her plot and decides to help her out. The storyline has some surprising twists and turns. It's funny, dark in places, and I think many readers will be able to relate to Cressida's deed a little bit - at least in our frustrated moments when we wish things to ourselves.
    I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading chic lit but is tired of the same old plots.
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Tony Parsons
    4.0 out of 5 stars cozy mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Cressida Barker-Powell (32, wife, spoiled society girl), the mother-in-law, Thomas “Tommy” Powell (36, husband, stockbroker), & a few of her friends were celebrating Cressida’s 32nd birthday.
    Ely. Clarice (mother-in-law) was viciously attacked in her own home.
    Cressida was knocked out.
    The funeral/burial were held.
    Later Thomas died. Or was he murdered?
    His funeral/burial was held.

    What was Monica contemplating?

    I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

    A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written cozy murder mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. It was just OK for me so I will rate it at 4/5 stars.

    Thank you for the EBookStage; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
    Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    If you read the reviews, it is clear that readers either love or hate this book. I lean towards the hate side. I say "lean" because the writing is good, the plotting excellent and humorous bits enjoyable. But I did not enjoy the book overall. Every bit of humor was accompanied by something cringy. The central character is a wholly self-absorbed, woman with just enough unearned "posh" status to make her insufferable, pretentious, incompetent and entitled. She can be unintentionally funny, but as she is the narrator she is unavoidable.. I tired of her quickly. There was only one likeable character who was always at a distance. Add in animal cruelty and a bunch of negative -isms and the negatives outweighed the positives.
    That said, I suggested this book to a few friends. One disliked it; another thought it was the funniest book she had ever read!
    Try a sample chapter.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kathie Jamison
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Entertainment
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Caron Allan is one of my most favorite authors. Having said that, I am absolutely blown away by this novel! Its hilarious, creepy, emotional , disturbing and kept me up until 3am reading. Cressida is a rather vapid, well-to-do thirty-something who abhors her domineering and selfish mother-in-law. Once she determines she must remove the despised one from her life the games begin. Having a knack for murder becomes a well-honed skill.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Plug75
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not easily followed
    Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book is in diary form and trying to follow along leaves one lost more often than not, as the main character has become a serial killer.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Debra H
    4.0 out of 5 stars I like the author's technique of the main character writing her ...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I like the author's technique of the main character writing her story in her journal. While the heroine wasn't exactly likeable, she was entertaining. It was always interesting what she would plan next to "do in" the next person on her list. She did seem to care for a few people who also cared for her. As the year moved along, she seemed to realize how empty and vapid her previous life had been. I found the book amusing in many instances with my only complaint being it was perhaps a little long. One of the best free Kindle books that I have read!
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • DougWest
    3.0 out of 5 stars Fun book, but a bit shallow
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Police are really dumb in the book, and the protagonist behavior is not much better. A lot of UK only English words make it interesting.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Girl Scout
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worth your time
    Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to read book 2. There are a lot of twists and turns. Every time I think I can predict what’s going to happen next, it takes a turn.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Mrs. Linda L
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Engagingly written diary-style story which enables the reader to enter into the twisted world of the main character Cressida. By reading her journal entries you take voyeuristic pleasure in her inner thoughts, plans & audacious exploits. It feels as though she is talking to you personally as a friend & confidante, but this is a friend I'm not sure I would wish to have! Reminiscent of the film "The Ladykillers" in it's dark humour, a very enjoyable read. It had me laughing out loud at times, but also held some poignant moments. Looking forward to the next novel in the series... Does contain some strong language.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars A real mystery
    Reviewed in Australia on March 25, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The most convoluted murder mystery I have ever read. Whilst I am sure who died, I am still not entirely sure who kiilled who. Plenty of murder, even more of mysteryà
    Report
  • Sharon Irwin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good read!
    Reviewed in Canada on April 9, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This was definitely a different kind of book. Some hilarious spots and some sadness, as well as some shocks! Good read!!
    Report
  • DogMa
    4.0 out of 5 stars Scurrilous but entertaimimg
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Quirky plot, rather crass heroine - I really enjoyed this book.
    Report
  • sammidog
    4.0 out of 5 stars Dead Certain
    Reviewed in Canada on July 12, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Strange book, but good and well written (so many aren't). Not too much surprise after the first event, although the author has a way of presenting things that makes you believe that what is happening is possible and even real. Can't say much more without giving away the story within her story.
    Report
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