On the Radar — It’s something of a rarity to find seven – yes, SEVEN – new books by established masters of the genre hitting the shelves at around the same time. But this week, that’s just what we have. Seven of the biggest names in crime fiction are all vying for your attention. So read on, and take your pick!

The Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri
Some fictional characters are made to last, and Inspector Montalbano is a classic example, as he returns in the 16th book of this long-running series. After dealing with a bizarre but violent shoot-out, the Inspector finds himself involved in a treasure hunt, set by a mysterious challenger. After a whimsical start, this hunt turns deadly serious and Montalbano must use his decades of cunning and experience to stave off mortal danger to both himself and others. For new readers, Montalbano is a rather cranky Sicilian policeman – honest, decent and loyal, but with his own way of doing things, and regarded by his bosses as something of a loose cannon. The Treasure Hunt is out on 26 September.
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The Kill List by Frederick Forsythe
Over the years, Forsythe has, unlike some other celebrated writers, contented himself with the maxim that less is more. So, a new thriller from him is always something of an event. As ever, Forsyth’s latest reflects the dangerous and complex contemporary world. His classic The Day Of The Jackal – published over 40 years ago, and still going strong – mirrored the political unrest in France over its post-colonial legacy. The Kill List is bang up to date, with the main villain being a radical Islamic cleric who has drawn up a list of high profile targets from ‘The Great Satan’. His inflammatory sermons have inspired a legion of would-be assassins across the Muslim world, and an ex-Marine Corps intelligence agent has to track down The Preacher, and halt the potential bloodbath. Out on 26 September.
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An Officer and A Spy by Robert Harris
The author of the best-selling novels The Fear Index, The Ghost Writer, Enigma, and Fatherland has gone back even further in history to dramatise an affair which shocked fin de siècle France. In 1894, a young army officer of Jewish descent, Alfred Dreyfuss, was accused of giving military secrets to the Germans. On a wave of anti-semitism, he  was convicted, and sent to the infamous Devil’s Island. After political and legal corruption was exposed, he was exonerated, fought in The Great War and lived to a decent old age. Harris’s book features Georges Picquart, a counter-espionage officer who is convinced that Dreyfuss has been framed, and that the real culprit has yet to be unmasked. Published on 15 October.
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Catch and Release by Lawrence Block
Block has already proved himself over the years to be a master of the longer form of novel, but here he turns his hand to what many writers have found fiendishly difficult – the short story. Lovers of Block’s work will not find themselves short changed. The 16 stories (and one stage play!) collected here feature appearances by some of Block’s most famous characters, including gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr and alcoholic private detective Matt Scudder, as well as glimpses into the minds of a rogue’s gallery of frightening killers, dangerous sociopaths, crooked cops, and lost souls whose only chance to find themselves may be on the wrong side of a gun. Out on 30 September.
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Light of the World by James Lee Burke
Aficionados of James Lee Burke will be delighted that here is another outing for the brooding and damaged New Iberia cop, Dave Robicheux. Dave, and his frightening buddy Clete Purcell, came close to extinction in their last adventure, but the author is set to thrill us again with his atmospheric descriptions of the Louisiana/Texas coastline, and some truly repulsive villains. Burke’s poetry, as he portrays the humidity, distinctive sounds, tastes and smells of Robicheux’s stamping grounds, has won him a legion of readers. Once again, his fiercely independent but vulnerable step-daughter Alafair becomes the prey of a nasty psychopath. It’s out now for Kindle and as a paperback, and on 26 September as a hardback.
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Solo – A James Bond Novel by William Boyd
The official term for the post-Fleming Bond stories is ‘continuation novel’. The latest ‘continuer’ is William Boyd, an African born, Oxford educated novelist and screenwriter, who has adapted Evelyn Waugh, Joyce Carey and Chekhov for stage and screen. According to Boyd, “Events conspire to make Bond go off on a self-appointed mission of his own, unannounced and without any authorisation – and he’s fully prepared to take the consequences of his audacity.” The estate of Ian Fleming clearly take their continuation authors seriously – previous ones include Jeffery Deaver and Sebastian Faulkes – and it is hoped that Boyd will wear the James Bond suit as elegantly as his predecessors. You can buy the latest James Bond from 26 September.
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The Strangler’s Honeymoon by Hakan Nesser
Lonely 16-year-old Monica Kammerle has little idea of what she is getting herself into when she begins an affair with her mother’s latest partner. Months later, when a woman’s strangled body is found decomposing in her flat, the Maardam police must discover who has committed this terrible crime. It isn’t long before they realise the perpetrator may have killed before – and is likely to do so again. Meanwhile former Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is drawn into the mystery when a priest, who has learned dreadful secrets, appeals to him for help. But when the priest falls beneath the wheels of a train and the police find more dead ends than leads, it seems Van Veeteren will have to come up with a new approach to unearth this dark serial killer, before he chooses his next victim. To be published on 26 September.
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