Carol Anne Davis
Encyclopedia
Carol Anne 'Kenneth' Davis -- born in Dundee
, Scotland
in 1961—is a crime novelist and true crime writer.
, commenting on one of her novels, said ‘Davis understands primal fears from the inside.’
with a Master of the Arts degree in criminology. This was followed by a postgraduate diploma in Adult & Community Education from Edinburgh University.
, specifically the district of Marchmont where she lived for many years.
Her debut novel Shrouded has a trainee funeral director as its protagonist. The book charts his alcohol-fuelled descent into necrophilia and sexually-motivated murder. Four reviewers named it as their debut of the year. It was followed by Safe As Houses which explores the murders of a sadistic white collar psychopath and his unsuspecting wife and child. Also Edinburgh-based, Noise Abatement is the most autobiographical of her novels in that, like the protagonist, she endured the neighbours from hell when a band moved into the flat above hers. She fantasized about killing them - but the law abiding man in the novel actually carries out his sleep-deprived desires.
She moved to Salisbury
and set her fourth novel, Kiss It Away, there. It’s an unsettling exploration of male-on-male rape and of how society ignores or makes light of this violent crime.
Davis set her fifth novel, Sob Story, in her birthplace of Dundee, charting the journey of an isolated university student and her penpal, a violent prisoner in HMP Maidstone.
Between novels, Carol Anne Davis has written several true crime books, each composed of profiles which profile the killer’s childhood and formative experiences. For Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers, she interviewed the reverend who heard Myra Hindley’s confession and produced what has been called a fair assessment of a complex case.
Children Who Kill: Profiles of Preteen & Teenage Killers includes details of her friendship with the then-youngest boy in Scotland ever to be charged with attempted murder. She also interviewed the detective who caught Britain’s youngest serial killer, Peter Dinsdale
, and found unique details about the case.
For Couples Who Kill: Profiles of Deviant Duos, she met one of the West’s surviving victims and corresponded with a convicted British serial killer and a journalist who spent time with one of America’s cruellest torture-killers, now on Death Row.
Sadistic Killers: Profiles of Pathological Predators, included input from a psychiatrist who has successfully treated imprisoned psychopaths by helping them come to terms with their brutalizing childhoods. Becoming aware that sexually-dominant men in consensual relationships were often dismissed by society in the same way as criminal sadists, she included a chapter on consensual sadomasochism for which she interviewed a female masochist.
Youthful Prey: Child Predators Who Killprofiles British, American, Canadian and European homicidal paedophiles and has chapters on treatment options and child protection. An excerpt appeared in The Sunday Times on the anniversary of the victims' deaths.
Davis’ crime, horror, erotic and literary short stories have been showcased in numerous anthologies, and her humorous, true crime and lifestyle features have appeared in various magazines. She is the British true crime expert on the international In Cold Blog.
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1961—is a crime novelist and true crime writer.
Biography
She has admitted in interviews that she and her brother suffered greatly at the hands of a violent father who told them on a daily basis that they would never amount to anything. The BooksellerThe Bookseller
The Bookseller is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Neill Denny is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine, while Philip Jones is deputy editor, having recently been promoted from the position of managing editor of the Bookseller.com...
, commenting on one of her novels, said ‘Davis understands primal fears from the inside.’
Education
She left school at 15 but later graduated from the University of DundeeUniversity of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
with a Master of the Arts degree in criminology. This was followed by a postgraduate diploma in Adult & Community Education from Edinburgh University.
Writing
Her first three novels are set in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, specifically the district of Marchmont where she lived for many years.
Her debut novel Shrouded has a trainee funeral director as its protagonist. The book charts his alcohol-fuelled descent into necrophilia and sexually-motivated murder. Four reviewers named it as their debut of the year. It was followed by Safe As Houses which explores the murders of a sadistic white collar psychopath and his unsuspecting wife and child. Also Edinburgh-based, Noise Abatement is the most autobiographical of her novels in that, like the protagonist, she endured the neighbours from hell when a band moved into the flat above hers. She fantasized about killing them - but the law abiding man in the novel actually carries out his sleep-deprived desires.
She moved to Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and set her fourth novel, Kiss It Away, there. It’s an unsettling exploration of male-on-male rape and of how society ignores or makes light of this violent crime.
Davis set her fifth novel, Sob Story, in her birthplace of Dundee, charting the journey of an isolated university student and her penpal, a violent prisoner in HMP Maidstone.
Between novels, Carol Anne Davis has written several true crime books, each composed of profiles which profile the killer’s childhood and formative experiences. For Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers, she interviewed the reverend who heard Myra Hindley’s confession and produced what has been called a fair assessment of a complex case.
Children Who Kill: Profiles of Preteen & Teenage Killers includes details of her friendship with the then-youngest boy in Scotland ever to be charged with attempted murder. She also interviewed the detective who caught Britain’s youngest serial killer, Peter Dinsdale
Peter Dinsdale
Peter Dinsdale was a football player and coach. He played 239 times for Huddersfield Town and was head coach of the Canadian national soccer team for qualifying for the 1970 FIFA World Cup.-Player:...
, and found unique details about the case.
For Couples Who Kill: Profiles of Deviant Duos, she met one of the West’s surviving victims and corresponded with a convicted British serial killer and a journalist who spent time with one of America’s cruellest torture-killers, now on Death Row.
Sadistic Killers: Profiles of Pathological Predators, included input from a psychiatrist who has successfully treated imprisoned psychopaths by helping them come to terms with their brutalizing childhoods. Becoming aware that sexually-dominant men in consensual relationships were often dismissed by society in the same way as criminal sadists, she included a chapter on consensual sadomasochism for which she interviewed a female masochist.
Youthful Prey: Child Predators Who Killprofiles British, American, Canadian and European homicidal paedophiles and has chapters on treatment options and child protection. An excerpt appeared in The Sunday Times on the anniversary of the victims' deaths.
Davis’ crime, horror, erotic and literary short stories have been showcased in numerous anthologies, and her humorous, true crime and lifestyle features have appeared in various magazines. She is the British true crime expert on the international In Cold Blog.