Crime Review Update: New issue of Crime Review

We’re now featuring 24 new reviews in each issue of Crime Review www.crimereview.co.uk  together with a top industry interview. This time it’s author Caroline England in the Countdown hot seat: http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/9245

 

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

 

This issue’s reviews are:

 

A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

John Rebus always focused on his job. But family is important which he realises more than ever when his distraught daughter Samantha calls in the middle of the night. Her partner Keith, interested in the old POW camp on the windswept coast, has gone missing. Rebus knows he has to help her.

 

A Prince and a Spy by Rory Clements, reviewed by John Cleal 

Cambridge-based American history professor Tom Wilde investigates the death of George, Duke of Kent, brother of the King of England, in a mystery plane crash.

 

Box 88 by Charles Cumming reviewed by Chris Roberts 

Lachlan Kite, working with top-secret spy agency Box 88, is abducted by Iranians and subjected to questioning about events one summer 30 years ago.

 

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, reviewed by Linda Wilson 

While magician and copper Peter Grant is off chasing unicorns and missing children, his 13-year-old cousin Abigail has some missing kids of her own to investigate, with the help of a bunch of talking – and very organised – foxes.

 

Double Agent by Tom Bradby, reviewed by Chris Roberts 

A Russian foreign intelligence agent offers to defect, bringing evidence that the British Prime Minister is in the pay of Moscow.

 

Secret Weapon by Anthony Horowitz, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Seven short stories featuring teenage spy Alex Rider.

 

Blackout by Simon Scarrow, reviewed by John Cleal 

Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is assigned to investigate the murder of a former well-known actress, but is put under immense pressure by rivalries in the Nazi hierarchy in an atmosphere where ‘disloyalty’ can mean death.

 

Smoke Screen by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, reviewed by Viv Beeby 

When a bomb rips through the centre of Oslo as the clock strikes in a New Year, police officer Alexander Blix and journalist Emma Ramm are both at the scene. And so begins a new investigation and a ten-year-old mystery to solve for this unlikely partnership ...

 

The Coldest Case by Martin Walker, reviewed by Linda Wilson 

With the ever-present danger of forest fires adding to his workload, Bruno, Chief of Police, still finds time to help investigate a cold case that has haunted his friend J-J throughout his career.

 

The Finisher by Peter Lovesey, reviewed by John Cleal 

As teacher Maeve Kelly struggles to compete in a charity half marathon, Superintendent Peter Diamond, tasked with crowd control, spots a violent criminal he once jailed – and his suspicions are raised when a runner disappears without trace.

 

The Island by Ben McPherson, reviewed by Ewa Sherman 

Scottish Cal and Norwegian Elsa leave their home in Washington DC to stay for six months in Norway, with their two teenage daughters and a baby son. The change of scene brings a devastating change to their lives: 15-year-old Licia vanishes from a summer camp on a tranquil island where two men shot tens of youngsters.

 

Knife Edge by Simon Mayo, reviewed by Linda Wilson 

Seven journalists are murdered on a single day in London. They all worked for the same news agency. The question in everyone’s mind is who will be targeted next. It’s not a happy thought for Famie Madden, or her colleagues, but that doesn’t stop them when a possible lead turns up.

 

A Double Life by Charlotte Philby, reviewed by John Cleal 

Foreign Office counter-terrorism expert Gabriela finds her life falling apart in a web of lies, while drunken, drug-taking journalist Isobel is in danger as she investigates people trafficking and prostitution.

 

Making Wolf by Tade Thompson, reviewed by Chris Roberts 

Weston Kogi returns to his birthplace in West Africa for the funeral of his aunt and is pushed into investigating the death of a revered statesman.

 

After Dark by Dominic Nolan, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor 

The little girl suffered from man's inhumanity. Now the police must piece together her story because she may never find the words.

 

Good Dark Night by Harry Brett, reviewed by John Cleal 

Tatiana Goodwin, widow of crime boss Rich, has struggled to take over his business as enemies pile up. Now she must learn that power comes at a price.

 

Killing Rock by Robert Daws, reviewed by Chris Roberts 

Gibraltar-based detective Tamara Sullivan joins forces with a colleague across the border to solve murders from the past and present.

 

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Elle Croft, reviewed by John Barnbrook 

Kat has two daughters, Imogen and Jemima. She has a secret about the elder daughter, Imogen, that even Imogen does not know. One day Imogen disappears, and Kat is desperately worried that this is linked to what she knows.

 

Private Moscow by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy, reviewed by John Cleal 

One of PI Jack Morgan’s oldest friends is shot dead at his company’s New York public launch. In Moscow an office worker is murdered in a bomb blast. Morgan finds a link and exposes a deadly conspiracy.

 

Like Flies From Afar by K Ferrari, reviewed by Chris Roberts 

Self-made businessman Luis Machi has made plenty of enemies, but who dislikes him enough to leave a body in the boot of his beloved BMW?

 

The Viper by Cristobel Kent, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan 

Two bodies are found in a remote area of the countryside near Florence. Sandro Cellini is called back into his old police department as a consultant.  He knows why, but is he strong enough to be able to help?

 

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, reviewed by Viv Beeby 

An isolated hotel in the remote Swiss Alps, which was once a sanatorium, is cut off by an avalanche. A deranged masked predator stalks the residents and the only person who can help them is convalescing fellow guest, Detective Elin Warner.

 

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Burn, reviewed by Chris Roberts 

A young Vietnamese woman smuggled into Britain is imprisoned in a rural hell and as the last of her possessions are taken from her she desperately seeks a means to escape.

 

Slow Burn by Stephen Leather, reviewed by Linda Wilson 

Spider Shepherd is taxed with bringing a former jihadists wife and son back to the UK as the price for his cooperation with the security services but, as ever, there are added complications. 

 

Best wishes

 

Sharon and Linda

www.crimereview.co.uk

Crime Review Update: New Issue for 1/17/2021

 Happy new year! 

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 Amanda Lees in the Countdown hot seat: http://www.crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/9040  

 

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

 

This week’s reviews are:

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE LEGACY by Carl Chinn, reviewed by John Cleal

The TV series Peaky Blinders turned the fashionably dressed, charismatic, but deeply flawed Shelby family into cult anti-heroes. Now read the sordid facts behind their criminal legacy.

 

THE KINGDOM by Jo Nesbo, reviewed by Viv Beeby

In an enclosed and remote Norwegian mountain community the rules of good and evil are played out in a manner more reminiscent of the Wild West. It's a place where family means everything and guilty secrets are buried deep …

 

BITTER WASH ROAD by Garry Disher, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Constable Paul Hirschhausen has committed the heinous crime of whistleblowing on corrupt colleagues, and as a reward is posted to a rural backwater where life is a challenge.

 

KILL A STRANGER by Simon Kernick, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Matt comes home from a night out with friends to find his girlfriend missing and a dead oman’s body in their bed. The nightmare gets worse when he’s told that Kate will die if he involves the police. To get Kate back, Matt has to do the unthinkable. He has to kill a stranger.

 

FOR THE DEAD by Lina Bengtsdotter, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

Thirty years ago, teenager Paul was found drowned in a lake, and his best friend Francesca vanished from home. His death was considered a suicide. Francesca was never found. When journalist Johan Ro writes about the cold case, DI Charlie Lager gets pulled into the story.

 

BACKLASH by Marnie Riches, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan

Bev Saunders wants to be a private investigator and has started to take on cases. She sets out to go undercover as a cleaner for a colourful local man of doubtful reputation

 

A LONG WAY OFF by Pascal Garnier, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Marc dreams of freedom and abandons his quiet life for a trip with his daughter Anne, but things move in a rather unexpected direction.

 

THE FAMILIAR DARK by Amy Engel, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Junie and her best friend are dead. And Eve will make sure their killer pays.

 

WATCHING FROM THE DARK by Gytha Lodge, reviewed by Linda Wilson

When Aidan Poole logs onto Skype to talk to his girlfriend, he gets a nasty shock. Someone is in the flat with her, but she doesn’t seem to know it.And she’s in danger.

 

FEAR FOR MISS BETONy by Dorothy Bowers, reviewed by John Cleal

Former governess Emma Betony is asked to sort out a series of strange happenings at a friend’s struggling girls’ school.

 

THE SYSTEM by Ryan Gatiss, reviewed by Chris Roberts

The discovery of a gun used in a shooting leads to the prosecution of two young men, one guilty and the other innocent. The case will change the lives of several people.

 

SISTER by Kjell Ola Dahl, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

Frank Frølich works as a private detective after being suspended from duty with Oslo Police. He takes on an assignment to find the missing sister of a young immigrant woman who is just about to be deported to her home country. He also gets involved in searching for an eyewitness from a ferry disaster 30 years ago.

 

THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS by Megan Miranda, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Arden left the story that defined Widow Hills, even though she was the story. She even left her name. But two decades later, her past is shadowing her, and her life is in danger once again.

 

GILLARD’S STING by Margaret Duffy, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler

Ex-military and spook Patrick Gillard and his author wife Ingrid Langley are pulled back into the action as they try to track down a missing top cop.

 

A MATTER OF MURDER by Ann Granger, reviewed by John Cleal

Drop-out Miff Ferguson disturbs a killer disposing of his victim and is forced to flee to escape the man who now wants to dispose of the only witness to the crime. When a second member of the dead girl’s family is found in a blazing van Detective Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter must try to solve the mystery.

 

YOUR STILL BEATING HEART by Tyler Keevil, reviewed by Chris Roberts

After the death of her husband, Eira Vaughn is adrift. But her life is given new meaning as a result of a chance encounter in Prague.

 

THE SCOUNDREL HARRY LARKYNS by Rebecca Gowers, reviewed by John Cleal

A 140-year-old cold case investigation into a true crime of passion – the murder of bon viveur and conman Harry Larkyns by one of the fathers on modern cinema.

 

THE STITCHER AND THE MUTE by DK Fields, reviewed by John Barnbrook

In the United Realms there are no elections, instead each year the leading group is chosen by picking which of them tells the most compelling story. As the election proceeds, Detective Cora Gorderheim becomes more embroiled in solving the crime and also resolving personal issues.

 

ARE YOU WATCHING? by Vincent Ralph, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Jess is out to catch a killer. The only problem is that the killer might catch her first.

 

THE POTTERY COTTAGE MURDERS by Carol Ann Lee & Peter Howse, reviewed by

John Cleal

A police manhunt across the snowbound moors. Just one survivor. This is the first definitive account of the horrifying 1977 Pottery Cottage murders that shocked the nation.

 

Best wishes

 

Sharon and Linda

www.crimereview.co.uk

Crime Review Update: New Issue of Crime Review for 12/21/2020

Here’s our final issue of 2020. Season’s greetings to everyone and thanks for all your support. We’ll see you in the new year …

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 Craig Robertson in the Countdown hot seat: http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/8969

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

 

This week’s reviews are:

 

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman, reviewed by Viv Beeby

The Thursday Murder Club meet once a week in the Jigsaw Room at Coopers Chase luxury retirement village - to keep their brain cells working by 'solving' cases from long ago.  But when the members witness real-life murder, they employ all the tricks of their former trades in the race to solve a series of brutal killings.

 

THE FEY AND THE FURIOUS by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Peter Grant is roped into the fast, dangerous world of illegal street racing, and thrust into a world he has absolutely no desire to visit again.

 

SHERLOCK: THE COMPLETE SERIES ONE BOXSET by Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Steve Thompson and Jay, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler

The BBC’s adaptation of Sherlock Holmes gets the manga treatment in this boxset that includes The Great Game, The Blind Banker and A Study in Pink.

 

GALLOWS ROCK by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

Detective Huldar and child psychologist Freya join forces again to work on a complicated case where a banker is found hanging from Gallows Rock, an ancient execution place, and a ysterious small boy is in the man’s luxurious empty flat.

 

MIDNIGHT AT MALABAR HOUSE by Vaseem Khan, reviewed by Chris Roberts

In an India still adjusting to independence, a junior female detective is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent English diplomat.

 

ALEX RIDER: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL COLLECTION by Anthony Horowitz and Antony Johnson, reviewed by Linda Wilson

The first five Alex Rider books in graphic novel format plunge the reluctant teenage spy into a variety of dangerous missions.

 

THE BURYING GROUND by David Mark, reviewed by John Cleal

Disgraced academic Cordelia Hemlock is in the graveyard of a village in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall when a storm brings down a tree which crushes a mausoleum, revealing a fresh corpse among the crumbling bones.

 

THE MARCH FALLEN by Volker Kutscher, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Gereon Rath and his fiancée Charley Ritter tackle a series of murders involving ex-servicemen, as the Nazis consolidate their grip on Germany.

 

DEAR CHILD by Romy Hausmann, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Hannah and her mother Lena have escaped hell. But Lena is injured, and the world around Hannah is alien and terrifying.

 

THE DANCE OF THE SERPENTS by Oscar de Muriel, reviewed by John Cleal

Paranormal investigators Inspectors Frey and McGray find their lives under threat by Royal order in a Gothic world of blood, bats, folklore, superstition and murder.

 

THE WINDSOR KNOT by SJ Bennett, reviewed by Linda Wilson

When a visitor to Windsor Castle is found dead in suspicious circumstances, everyone hopes the investigation can be wrapped up before it hits the press. But when the police and MI5 seem no nearer to a solution, the Queen has to take time out of her day job to make some enquiries of her own.

 

THE MESSAGE by Mai Jia, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Crucial information is leaked from a wartime intelligence unit. There follows a battle of wits between ‘Ghost’, who leaked the intelligence, and the man sent to uncover Ghost’s true identity.

 

THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton, reviewed by John Cleal

Does the devil haunt a ship bound from Indonesia to Holland? Soldier Arent Hayes must find out.

 

LOST by Leona Deakin, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Naval officer Captain Harry Peterson is caught up in a terrorist bomb blast and goes missing for three days. Psychologist August Bloom is called in by Peterson’s girlfriend to investigate. When he’s found, he’s lost all memory of the last few years.

 

ONE DARK, TWO LIGHT by Ruth Mancini, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Solicitor Sarah Kellerman discovers a police sergeant in a critical care ward, apparently unidentified. When her client is questioned about the officer’s injuries, Sarah has suspicions about the police accusations.

 

ANGOLA by Fabien Nury, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Tough anti-hero Tyler Cross accepts a job in the ultimate profit-making prison, Angola. His chances of getting out again don’t look good, but Tyler doesn’t give up easily.

 

WHEN HELL STRUCK TWELVE by James R Benn, reviewed by John Cleal

Boston detective Billy Boyle is on the track of a French traitor betraying the Resistance movement in the run-up to the liberation of Paris.

 

THREE by DA Mishani, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Orna, Emilia and Ella have questions and insecurities, causing each of them to turn to Gil. And he may have all the answers, but Gil is a liar.

 

BLACK SOULS by Gioacchino Criaco, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan 

Three boys born into poverty in southern Italy stay together as they grow up and eventually make a lot of money in the big cities in the north of the country. But it comes at a cost.

 

SAVE ME FROM DANGEROUS MEN by SA Lelchuk, reviewed by John Cleal 

Private investigator Nikki Griffin takes an apparently run-of-the mill case involving tech secrets, which snowballs into murder, involvement with the FBI, and a team of hitmen.

 

Best wishes

 

Sharon and Linda 

www.crimereview.co.uk

Crime Review Update

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 Harriet Tyce in the Countdown hot seat: http://www.crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/8906

 

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

 

This week’s reviews are: 

ZERO 22 by Chris Ryan, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Despite an ambush that leaves Danny Black the only survivor of an SAS unit, it’s not long before he’s deployed again, this time to assist in the assassination of the man ultimately responsible for the attack that left so many of his teammates dead.

 

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS by Elly Griffiths, reviewed by Viv Beeby

Ninety-year-old Peggy has two main interests in life – observing the comings and goings beneath her bay window in Seaview Court and murder.  So when Peggy is found dead in her favourite chair, notebook by her side, it must surely be from natural causes – mustn't it?

 

BROKEN by Don Winslow, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Six short stories set in the US featuring people on the wrong side of the law and those who oppose them.

 

THE CORPSE IN THE GARDEN OF PERFECT BRIGHTNESS by Malcolm Pryce, reviewed

by John Cleal

Railway detective Jack Wenlock, thrown out of work by the 1947 nationalisation of the industry, searches the Far East for his mother, whom he has always believed dead.

 

THE SUMMER OF ELLEN by Agnete Friis, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

The realities of modern Copenhagen and of Jutland farmland from the 1970s clash as Jacob Errbo, an architect drinking through his bitter divorce, must return to the area he has not visited for nearly 40 years. His very old great-uncles Anton and Anders want to find out what happened to a beautiful hippy Ellen who moved in with them from a local commune.

 

NEVER SAY DIE by Anthony Horowitz, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Alex Rider, traumatised by the murder of his best friend and guardian, is determined to learn more about her death, even if his quest might extinguish the tiny flicker of hope kindled by an inexplicable email.

 

HOUSE OF CORRECTION by Nicci French, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Tabitha Hardy is arrested for the murder of Stuart Rees. She has little recollection of the day he was killed, but is convinced she is innocent, although it seems everyone else believes she is guilty.

 

SAFE HOUSE by Jo Jakeman, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Charlie has a new life to go with her new name. But her past is closing in.

 

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH by Sarah Hawkswood, reviewed by John Cleal

When the Prince of Powys’ messenger fails to reach his English destination, lord sheriff’s men Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin must check a dead man’s identity.

 

THE CHEMICAL REACTION by Fiona Erskine, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Chemical expert Dr Jaq Silver is in desperate need of some income. She’s got debts mounting up and no easy way of paying them off, so when she gets a job offer that involves a trip to China, beggars can’t be choosers.

 

MIDNIGHT ATLANTA by Thomas Mullen, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Atlanta 1956. When the black owner of the Atlanta Daily Times is shot and killed, reporter Tommy Smith is determined to find the culprit.

 

INVITATION TO DIE by Barbara Cleverly, reviewed by John Cleal 

DI John Redfyre discovers a body and uncovers a story of wartime betrayal and multiple murders.

 

CALL ME EVIE by JP Pomare, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

A quiet beach town should be the place where Evie can heal. But Evie isn’t her name, and she is not there of her own free will.

 

SCAR TISSUE by Ollie Ollerton, reviewed by Linda Wilson

When former special services operative Alex Abbott’s son goes missing, he’s determined to do what he can to help, even if it means walking into a trap.

 

SECOND SISTER by Chan Ho-Kei, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Nga-yee is devastated when her younger sister Siu-man jumps from their Hong Kong tenement flat to her death.  She finds someone who can help her satisfy her desire for revenge on the people who drove her to it.

 

IMPOSTER 13 by Rob Sinclair, reviewed by John Cleal

Aydin Torkal – the former terrorist known as Sleeper 13, now working with MI6 – infiltrates a sinister new terror cell that’s planning a series of devastating worldwide attacks

 

THE TROPHY TAKER by Sarah Flint, reviewed by John Barnbrook

A murderer cuts off ring fingers, rips out hearts and discards them, replacing them with a token and leaves the bodies in graveyards in London. DC Charlie Stafford and her team are desperate to find this killer.

 

THE BRAMBLE AND THE ROSE by Tom Bouman, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Policeman Henry Farrell is called in when a body is found, suspected to be the victim of a bear. Events prove there is more than one predator in the woods.

 

THE FLIGHT by Julie Clark, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor  

Claire and Eva meet at JFK Airport, New York. But their encounter is brief, and their destinations could be their last.

 

CAST NO SHADOW by Julie Newman, reviewed by John Cleal

Young journalist Samantha investigates the story of an Indian hotelier cleared of a rape charge when he is revealed to be a she. The trail takes her into the dangerous Indian underworld, where money always talks – and life is cheap.

 

Best wishes

 

Sharon and Linda

 

www.crimereview.co.uk

Crime Review Update

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 DA Mishani in the Countdown hot seat: http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/8795

 

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

 

 

This week’s reviews are:

 

STORMBREAKER by Anthony Horowitz, reviewed by Linda Wilson

 

Reluctant 14-year-old spy Alex Rider is sent to Cornwall to investigate rich philanthropist Herod Sayle and his plan to install a new generation of computer in every school in the UK. Alex soon realises that there’s a lot more to the Stormbreakers than Sayle is letting on, and with that knowledge comes extreme danger.

 

MAIGRET AND MONSIEUR CHARLES by Georges Simenon, reviewed by Chris Roberts

 

In his last appearance, Maigret investigates the disappearance of Monsieur Charles, a wealthy lawyer well-known in Paris nightclubs.

 

 

POINT BLANC by Anthony Horowitz, reviewed by Linda Wilson

 

Reluctant teenage spy Alex Rider is sent undercover in an exclusive school for the rebellious offspring of some of the world’s richest people to find out what links two unexplained deaths to Point Blanc academy in the Alps.

 

 

THE MAN IN THE WOODS by Ilaria Tuti, reviewed by Viv Beeby

 

There is a creepy man in the woods; a bad man with the face of a skull. And if you don't watch out he's coming to get you …

 

 

THE CABIN by Jørn Lier Horst, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

 

Chief Inspector William Wisting is assigned to lead a top-secret investigation into the life of a recently deceased controversial politician. When he finds boxes full of foreign currency in his cabin, he also manages to unearth possible links to two 15-year-old cold cases, one of them of a missing young man.

 

 

HITLER’S PEACE by Philip Kerr, reviewer by Chris Roberts

 

In autumn 1943 the tide of war has turned and Germany is putting out peace feelers. But the response of the allies will be settled in Tehran.

 

 

THE STRANGER by Simon Conway, review by John Cleal

 

MI6 agent Jude Lyon must deal with past events which threaten the credibility of his agency – and a terrifying new threat to the whole of the British establishment.

 

 

FORGET ME by Andrew Ewart, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

 

Hannah wants to know the secret her husband can’t remember, whatever the cost.

 

THE NIGHT OF SHOOTING STARS by Ben Pastor, reviewed by Chris Roberts

 

Lieutenant-Colonel Martin von Bora is in Berlin in July 1944, directed to investigate the murder of a prominent clairvoyant, but the rumours of political conspiracy suggest that Bora himself is at risk.

 

 

KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM CRY by Mary Higgins Clark, reviewed by John

Cleal

 

Investigative journalist Gina Kane receives an email describing the abuse of a woman by a well-known figure at a television news network that’s on the verge of a multi-billion dollar stock market flotation.

 

 

FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly reviewed by Linda Wilson

 

When journalist Jack McEvoy finds himself a person of interest in the murder of a woman he dated once, he’s determined to clear his own name, as the police don’t seem to be making any moves in that direction.

 

 

WILD DOG by Serge Joncour, reviewed by John Cleal

 

Retired actress Lise persuades her producer husband to holiday in the wild hills of the Causse de Limogne. He must come to terms with his fear of nature and rediscover the basic instincts common to both man and animal.

 

 

THE STRANGER GAME by Peter Gadol, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

 

Rebecca’s boyfriend is missing. But she is unsure if he is licking his wounds, or if has he become another victim of an increasingly dangerous game sweeping Los Angeles and beyond.

 

 

HAMMER TO FALL by John Lawton, reviewed by Chris Roberts

 

Joe Wilderness spies for Britain in 1960s Finland and Prague and runs into several people with whom he shares a history.

 

 

BONE CHINA by Laura Purcell, reviewed by John Cleal

 

Nurse-companion Hester Why flees London for a position at the lonely Morvoren House on a desolate Cornish clifftop where she finds herself faced with a dark and dangerous situation linked to events of 40 years before.

 

 

THE LAST WIFE by Karen Hamilton, reviewed by Linda Wilson

 

After Nina’s death, her best friend Marie steps in to help her grieving husband with two children and a large house, gradually taking over more and more of her friend’s former life. But not everyone thinks that’s a good thing.

 

 

THE AOSAWA MURDERS by Riku Onda, reviewed by Chris Roberts

 

The poisoning of celebrants at a Japanese family birthday party is a mystery, even when the culprit admits responsibility. The true story takes years to emerge.

 

 

HAVEN’T THEY GROWN by Sophie Hannah, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan

 

Beth Leeson sees an old friend whom she has not seen for 12 years. Her friend has aged appropriately, but her children appear not to have aged at all. Is Beth mistaken about what she saw?

 

 

LAKE CHILD by Isabel Ashdown, reviewed by John Barnbrook

 

Eva Olsen cannot remember much about the last year of her life and is horrified that her parents are keeping her locked in an attic room with no contact with her old friends. And her parents are behaving oddly.

 

 

CORRUPT BODIES by Peter Everett, reviewed by John Cleal

 

When the author becomes superintendent of Southwark mortuary, he walks into a corrupt world of sales of body parts, theft, bribery and kickbacks.

 

 

Best wishes

 

 

Sharon and Linda

 

www.crimereview.co.uk

Crime Review Update

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 Caz Frear in the Countdown hot seat:

http://www.crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/8742

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

This week’s reviews are:

THE GOLDEN TRESSES OF THE DEAD by Alan Bradley, reviewed by Linda Wilson

When a finger is found in her sister’s wedding cake, young sleuth Flavia de Luce is determined to identify its erstwhile owner.

BLACKTOP WASTELAND by SA Cosby, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Beauregard ‘Bug’ Montage tries to extricate himself from money problems by driving for a jewellery heist, but the outcome threatens to destroy his life.

LAUNCH CODE by Michael Ridpath, reviewed by John Cleal

An order for a nuclear first strike in the paranoia of the 1980s Cold War threatens world apocalypse. Thirty-five years later, as a writer threatens to reveal what really happened, the family of a key player in the drama is threatened by unknown forces trying to keep the incident secret.

COLD FEAR by Mads Peder Nordbo, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

Danish journalist Matthew Cave is in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. Faced with the disappearance of his half-sister Arnaq and a murder inquiry that might have involved his father Tom, he finds himself in a strange search for the killers across the vast frozen land.

CRY BABY by Mark Billingham, reviewed by Linda Wilson

A seven-year-old boy has gone missing while playing with a friend in a wood next to a park, with his mother nearby. A police officer is determined not to have another child’s death on his conscience.

ALL IN HER HEAD by Nikki Smith, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Jack is back, and Alison is terrified – for her safety, her sanity and her life. But she cannot remember why.

THE WOMAN DOWNSTAIRS by Elisabeth Carpenter, reviewed by Viv Beeby

When the bailiffs are called in to a ground floor flat, they make a gruesome discovery. And the residents of Nelson Heights discover that they know very little about their neighbours.

THE NIGHT LAWYER by Alex Churchill, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Barrister Sophie Angel defends a young man accused of rape while facing some issues in her own life both current and past.

DEATH IN FANCY DRESS by Anthony Gilbert, reviewed by John Cleal

The dissolute Sir Ralph Feltham is murdered at a fancy-dress ball at his former home Feltham Abbey. Lawyer Tony Keith and his adventurer schoolfriend Jeremy Freyne, there to look into possible links to a

blackmail ring, investigate.

SEVEN LIES by Elizabeth Kay, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Jane and Marnie have been inseparable since childhood. And Jane will make sure that never changes, whatever it takes.

SEVEN YEARS OF DARKNESS by You-jeong Jeong, reviewed by Chris Roberts

After tragic events at a remote Korean reservoir, a young man is persecuted wherever he goes. After seven years he receives a package which reveals the truth about the past.

MAGPIE LANE by Lucy Atkins, reviewed by Linda Wilson

When the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford academic goes missing, there are a limited pool of suspects, with the spotlight falling first on her parents and their live-in nanny.

FINDERS, KEEPERS by Sabine Durrant, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan

Verity Ann Baxter tells the story of her developing relationship with new neighbours Ailsa, Tom and family. It is a love-hate relationship, as Verity and Ailsa become more and more involved in each other’s lives. But who is guilty of Tom’s murder?

DISTURBANCE by Marianne Kavanagh, reviewed by John Barnbrook

Sara lives in a beautiful isolated house with an irrational abusive husband and two sons, one off to university and one autistic. Serious events cause dramatic changes to her life, but dog walker Katie is always there to protect her.

NO BAD DEED by Heather Chavez, reviewed by Linda Wilson

No good deed goes unpunished, as Cassie Larkin finds out when she stops to help a woman being attacked by the side of the road.

THE HONJIN MURDERS by Seishi Yokomizo, reviewed by Chris Roberts

A newly-wed couple are found dead inside a house locked from the inside, with the weapon, a bloody samurai sword, stuck in the snow outside. Renowned detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the case.

COME BACK FOR ME by Heidi Perks, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor

Questions compel Stella to return to the island when she sees the TV report that someone has found a body at the bottom of her childhood garden.

KRAYS: THE FINAL WORD by James Morton, reviewed by John Cleal

Madness, assault, robbery, arson, murder, protection rackets, murder – a new look at the rise and fall of the East End of London’s most notorious gangsters.

MANHUNTERS by Steve Murphy and Javier F Pena, reviewed by Chris Roberts

The true story of two agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, in the words of the subtitle, telling ‘How we took down Pablo Escobar’.

CRIMINAL BRITAIN by Mirrorpix, reviewed by John Cleal

A look at some of Britain’s darkest criminal cases in a picture anthology from the files of the Daily Mirror.

Best wishes

Sharon and Linda

www.crimereview.co.uk