Monday, January 20, 2020

Crime Review Update: New 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 Steph Cha in the Countdown hot seat:


We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia


This week’s reviews are:


THE NIGHT FIRE by Michael Connelly, reviewed by Linda Wilson

When a cold case lands in Harry Bosch’s lap, he needs the help of night shift detective Renée Ballard again as the two look into an unsolved murder from 20 years ago.


SALT LANE by William Shaw, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

DS Alexandra Cupidi is about to learn that the Kentish Fens offer more than quiet and seclusion after the tumultuous Met. They are the almost perfect hiding place for bodies.


THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT by Susan Hill, reviewed by Viv Beeby

Lafferton police are just about coping with a series of ruthless and meticulously planned robberies. But a possible error of judgement puts Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailller's reputation on the line.


A SHADOW ON THE LENS by Sam Hurcom, reviewed by John Cleal

Forensic photographer and investigator Thomas Bexley probes the horrifying murder of a teenage girl in an isolated South Wales village and plunges into a world of claustrophobic suspicion, mass murder and the supernatural.


MAIGRET AND THE KILLER by Georges Simenon, reviewed by Chris Roberts

A young man with a particular interest in recording the voices of strangers is stabbed and killed in the street during an early spring downpour. The hobby initially proves to be a distraction for Maigret.


LIBERATION SQUARE by Gareth Rubin, reviewed by Arnold Taylor

Imagine that D-Day had gone the other way, with the Germans victorious, instead of the Allies. In the highly charged political climate that follows, a woman sets out to clear the name of her husband, who’s been arrested on a murder charge.


THE ROOM OF THE DEAD by MRC Kasasian, reviewed by John Cleal

Inspector Betty Church finds wartime life in her sleepy hometown of Sackwater hard to bear until a bombing raid and the discovery of a body on the beach put her on the trail of a killer.


CAGE BY LILJA SIGURÐARDÓTTIR, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

In Iceland Agla’s prison sentence for financial crimes is coming to an end while her former nemesis Maria gets drawn into helping her to pull another international money fraud.


WHEN THE DEAD COME CALLING by Helen Sedgwick, reviewed by Linda Wilson

The murder of a psychotherapist sends a northern village into shock and piles the pressure on resident DI Georgie Strachan.


GUILTY NOT GUILTY by Felix Francis, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Bill Russell is devastated when told that his wife has been murdered, and things get worse when the police make him their main suspect. Bill is sure his brother-in-law is the culprit, but is there enough evidence to get a conviction in court?


KILLING WITH CONFETTI by Peter Lovesey, reviewed by John Cleal

When the son of the county’s Deputy Chief Constable marries the daughter of a gang boss, Superintendent Peter Diamond, head of Bath CID, is assigned to make sure no criminal rivals can threaten the life of the bride’s father.


DEADLY DANCE by Hilary Bonner, reviewed by Linda Wilson

A killer has preyed on a 14-year-old girl in Bristol. At first it seems an easy case for DI David Vogel and his team, but then doubts creep in.


PRESERVATION by Jock Serong, reviewed by Chris Roberts

When in 1797 a vessel is shipwrecked on an island in what became known as Bass Strait, a small group make their way to Sydney, but the few who arrive have different tales about the journey.


IN HER EYES by Sarah Alderson, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

It isn’t the first time June’s life has hung in the balance. But this time it’s not cancer killing her. It’s a bullet.


MURDER IN THE MILL-RACE by ECR Lorac, reviewed by John Cleal

When the warden of a children’s home is killed, local police can make no headway in an isolated and self-contained village. Scotland Yard is called in and Chief Inspector Macdonald sent to take over the case.


ONCE A LIAR by AF Brady, reviewed by Chris Roberts

New York lawyer Peter Caine has built a successful career defending some very nasty people but finds himself as a suspect when his ex-mistress is murdered.


THE HOLIDAY by TM Logan, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

The villa in the south of France is idyllic, but the messages that Kate finds on her husband’s phone portend a lurking danger.


MORE RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Nick Rennison, reviewed by John Cleal

Fifteen of the rivals of the great Sherlock Holmes – police officers, PIs and eccentric criminologists – who all had their day in the sun in the popular magazines.


THE PROMISE by Teresa Driscoll, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

The Promise is one that they have kept for more than 30 years, but Beth and her friends know it is about to be unburied. And they all have too much to lose.


MY SECRET LIES WITH YOU by Faye Bird, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Cait is determined not to enjoy the holiday her mother has arranged. But a meeting with boy-next-door Marko changes things, and Cait starts to think North Wales might not be quite as dull as she expected. There’s also the mysterious disappearance of a local girl to add spice to the holiday.



Best wishes



Linda and Sharon


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