Crime Review Update

In our new edition of Crime Review (www.crimereview.co.uk) this week we
have 16 reviews, together with Penny Hancock in the Countdown interview hot
seat:
Crime Review can be followed on Twitter: @CrimeReviewUK
Linda Wilson can be followed on Twitter: @CrimeReviewer
Sharon Wheeler can be followed on Twitter: @lartonmedia

This week’s reviews are:
CURTAIN CALL by Anthony Quinn, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler
London 1936. There are Blackshirts on the streets and a murderer
terrorising women. Actress Nina Land is in the wrong place at the wrong
time – and realises she may be the only person to have seen the killer’s
face.

AFRAID by Mandasue Heller, reviewed by Linda Wilson
When 15-year-old Skye ends up in care, the children’s home is more like a
young offenders’ institution and she has no one to turn to apart from a
friend she met online. But it’s not her friend who comes to pick her up –
it’s someone else entirely.

THE SUN IS GOD by Adrian McKinty, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Ex-military foot policeman Will Prior exiles himself to a 1906 German
Pacific Colony, and is asked to investigate a death on an island where a
group of sun-worshippers pursue an unconventional lifestyle.

THE BOY THAT NEVER WAS by Karen Perry, reviewed by Sylvia Wilson
Harry cannot come to terms with the death of his son, Dillon, in an
earthquake in Tangier. So when he sees a boy he believes to be Dillon on a
crowded Dublin street, he is determined to find him.

IF I SHOULD DIE by Matthew Frank, reviewed by John Cleal
Afghan veteran Joe Stark is recovering from physical and psychological
wounds while trying to qualify as a Met detective. The TA soldier and
policeman is assigned to investigate a series of apparently random attacks
on down-and-outs, but as Stark struggles to deal with his own problems, the
case explodes into murder.

THE RECKONING by Rennie Airth, reviewed by Arnold Taylor
A retired banker goes fishing and is shot dead for no apparent reason. When
others die in the same way it becomes obvious that there must be a reason
and that the killings are connected.

THE EXECUTION by Dick Wolf, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Jeremy Fisk of the NYPD Intelligence Division has to work with Cecilia
Garza, his opposite number in Mexico, to counter a threat to Mexico’s
newly-appointed president on a visit to the US.

A POSSIBILITY OF VIOLENCE by DA Mishani, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Inspector Avraham returns to work after a break that followed a difficult
case, but the errors made continue to haunt him and affect his approach to
new enquiries.

FORTY ACRES by Dwayne Alexander Smith, reviewed by John Cleal
Rising lawyer Martin Grey comes to the notice of a group of black
powerbrokers. They invite him to join them, but when he visits their
secretive headquarters he discovers an alternative world which challenges
most deeply held beliefs.

STAR FALL by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler
Popular TV antiques expert Rowland Egerton is found dead in his posh flat –
and DI Bill Slider and his team discover he wasn’t quite as nice as he
appeared on-screen.

AFTER I’M GONE by Laura Lippman, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan
Felix Brewer knows how to make money, but not always legally. When the law
catches up with him he decides to disappear, leaving family and friends
behind.

SLEEPING DOGS by Mark O’Sullivan, reviewed by John Cleal
Gangland boss Harry Larkin, dying after being shot, begs DI Leo Woods to
find his missing daughter. Woods is drawn into the dysfunctional Larkin
family – including Harry’s wife with whom he had an affair. He must also
puzzle out a possible connection to a young hit-and-run victim in the same
ward – and why a Libyan intern is taking an interest.

FIDDLE CITY by Dan Kavanagh, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Ex-copper Duffy is hired to get to the bottom of a series of thefts in
Heathrow Airport, otherwise known as Fiddle City.

MALLORY’S ORACLE by Carol O’Connell, reviewed by John Cleal
When child thief Kathy Mallory was rescued from the streets by Sergeant
Louis Markowitz, he and his wife reshaped her life. When he is butchered,
Mallory, now a detective herself, sets out to trap his killer.

COURIER by Terry Irving, reviewed by Chris Roberts
In Nixon era Washington, motorbike courier Rick finds himself in a fight
for his life after he makes a delivery of material revealing a conspiracy
at the highest levels of government.

BUTTERFLY GRAVE (audiobook) by Anne Cassidy, reviewed by Linda Wilson
When Joshua’s uncle is injured in a fall, Rose and Skeggsie accompany him
to Newcastle, but Joshua is certain they’re being followed. Is there a
connection with the mysterious disappearance of his father and Rose’s
mother?

Best wishes

Sharon