Friday, December 07, 2018

Festive issue of Crime Review


We feature new 20 reviews in each issue of Crime Review (www.crimereview.co.uk), together with a top industry interview. This time it’s author Catriona McPherson in the Countdown hot seat.



We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia


This week’s reviews are:


RIVERS OF LONDON VOLUMES 1 – 3 BOXED SET by Andrew Cartmel and Ben Aaronovitch, reviewed by Linda Wilson

A boxed set of three graphic novels in the Rivers of London series featuring PC Peter Grant and the ‘weird shit’ that keeps him in a job.



RED SPARROW by Jason Matthews, reviewed by David Rose

First of a spy trilogy by a 34-year CIA veteran, which revolves around the tangled relationship between a male rising star of US intelligence and his female Russian counterpart.



HOW TO STOP TIME by Matt Haig, reviewed by John Cleal

Tom Hazard may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but he has lived for centuries. After frequently changing his identity to stay alive, he nowcraves an ordinary existence.



DEADFALL by Linda Fairstein, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper is standing on the steps of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art when her boss is shot dead and collapses on top of her.



MISS PYM DISPOSES by Josephine Tey, reviewed by Arnold Taylor

Miss Pym, who has recently published a best-selling book on psychology, is invited by an old friend to give a lecture at a girls' school that specialises in dance and physical training. She accepts an invitation to
stay on for a few days – a decision that she subsequently regrets.



LIES SLEEPING by Ben Aaronovitch, reviewed by Linda Wilson

The Faceless Man is back and it’s up to DC Peter Grant and his colleagues from the Folly to stop his latest murderous spree and stop him unleashing chaos on London.



BIG SISTER by Gunnar Staalesen, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

Bergen’s PI Varg Veum is approached by a woman who introduces herself as his older half-sister and who wants him to find her missing goddaughter. The search for 19-year-old Emma takes Veum on a personal journey into the past.



THE CONFESSION by Jo Spain, reviewed by John Cleal

A man beats a disgraced banker to a pulp in front of his wife. He hands himself in, confesses the attack, but claims it was not premeditated and he didn’t know his victim. DS Alice Moody must discover whether this was a random act or linked to the banker’s shady past.

THE TALL MAN by Phoebe Locke, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Sadie left 16 years ago to protect her baby daughter from the man who whispered in her ears. Now she is back, but she is not sure she has returned alone.



ROBERT B PARKER’S THE HANGMAN’S SONNET by Reed Farrel Coleman, reviewed by
Chris Roberts

Sheriff Jesse Stone investigates a murder that appears linked to re-awakened interest in a 40-year-old recording that mysteriously disappeared.



THE RUNAGATES CLUB by John Buchan, reviewed by John Cleal

The final collection of John Buchan’s short magazine stories retold in the atmosphere of a gentleman’s club.



THE BREAK LINE BY James Brabazon, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Max McLean, an assassin for a shady unit operating on behalf of the British government, is sent to Sierra Leone to kill a rebel leader. But there’s a lot he hasn’t been told …



MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTORE by Matthew Sullivan, reviewed by
Kati Barr-Taylor

Lydia Smith’s quiet life in a bookshop is shattered when a young man commits suicide in the shop – and he’s been leaving messages for her inside books.



THE DARKNESS AROUND HER by Neil White, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Lawyer Dan Grant is asked to represent Peter Box, who has been accused of murder. The evidence looks damning and to make it worse Box refuses to explain what happened.



A STEP SO GRAVE by Catriona McPherson, reviewed by John Cleal

When Lady Lavinia Dunnoch is found murdered in the garden of her remote Highland home, detective Dandy Gilver, a guest at the house to discuss the marriage of her son to the victim’s daughter, is faced with a tangled web of lies, deceit and superstition.



NOW WE SHALL BE ENTIRELY FREE by Andrew Miller, reviewed by Arnold Taylor

Late one evening, shortly after the British army's retreat to Corunna, a very sick man is taken by cab to a house in Somerset. He is received by the sole occupant, the housekeeper, who proceeds to care for him.



FALL OF ANGELS by Barbara Cleverly, reviewed by John Cleal

Cambridge Detective Inspector John Redfyre investigates what appears to be the attempted murder of a female musician and is dragged into a nightmare of misogyny and murder as other killings quickly follow.



EVOLUTION by Teri Terry, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Shay is searching for the truth about the deadly virus that has swept through the country. She believes the answers are to be found in Multiverse, an isolated community of survivors.



LOCKERBIE: THE TRUTH by Douglas Boyd, reviewed by Fiona Spence

On December 21 1988, a passenger airliner blew up in the sky above the small Scottish town of Lockerbie. The events leading up to the tragedy and the subsequent trial of one suspect are both examined.



REX V. EDITH THOMPSON by Laura Thompson, reviewed by Chris Roberts

An exploration of the famous 1922 Ilford murder for which Edith Thompson and her lover Freddy Bywaters were hanged, along with the attitudes to women revealed in that judgement.



Thanks to all our reviewers and followers for their support!


Best wishes


Sharon

www.crimereview.co.uk

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