On the Radar — The strap line for our first book – written by the appropriately named Jim Gallows – says it all this week. There will be no cessation of hostilities between the killers out there and the cops who chase them this Christmas. A plethora of crime authors and their publishers will see to that, and it’s all good as long as the crimes described are fictional. We’ve also got new books from Mari Hannah and Dean Koontz, some historical crime fiction, a dystopian thriller and more. Will you be writing to Sanda about any of these novels? Do let us know.
The Christmas Killer by Jim Gallows
There can be few more evocative settings for a crime novel than an abandoned asylum. Ghosts of tortured minds, empty rooms echoing with the screams of the mentally ill, and architecture from a bygone age haunted by the shades of long-dead residents. Here Jim Gallows tells the tale of Detective Jake Austin, who investigates a brutal killing. The brutalised body of a woman is unearthed on a building site, and Austin is drawn towards a disused mental hospital and a former warden who has disappeared without trace. There is snow, and it’s just days until Christmas, but Austin doesn’t have carols and sleigh bells echoing in his head. Instead, it’s sudden and violent death that are on his mind. To be published on 4 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Mouth of the Crocodile by Michael Pearce
Mamur Zapt is an Egyptian detective, but the action begins in Sudan just before World War I. In this meticulous description of the Ottoman Empire on the eve of its destruction, Zapt is head of the secret police and taking instruction from The Khedive, the Turkish ruler of the Egyptian colony. The plot is framed around that staple of classic crime fiction – the long rail journey. The train trundles across the desert between Sudan and Cairo, and one of the more important passengers is a royal courtier who believes that he has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Sudan, and that the perpetrator is on board. Mamur Zapt, helped by an English schoolboy and an Egyptian girl, is determined to track down the assassin. Out on 28 November.
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The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark by Orest Stelmach
Following on from The Boy From Reactor 4 and The Boy Who Stole From the Dead, this novel explores the potential for global instability should nuclear weapons get into the wrong hands. Through exotic locations like the toxic ruins of Fukushima in Japan and the awesome depths of Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the former American financier turned PI Nadia Tesla makes her third appearance. She must focus on the prodigious talents of a teenage hockey player called Bobby Kungenook in order to prevent a global catastrophe. Published on 2 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
You Are Destined To Be Together Forever by Dean Koontz
The young short-order cook called Odd Thomas was introduced back in 2003, and since then there have been five sequels, and a 2013 film. Among other things, Odd Thomas is a psychic, and this gift leads him into all kinds of strange adventures, usually accompanied by his girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn. The final book in the series, Saint Odd, is due out in January, but this eBook novella tells the tale of how Odd and Stormy are on their way to a carnival where there is a fortune telling tent, but before they can get there, they reluctantly give a ride to a man with a machete embedded in his neck. The man has to sit on the back seat next to the spirit of Elvis Presley! It’s out on 9 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
End of Secrets by Ryan Quinn
Personal liberty versus national security? This novel from the Alaskan born former athletics champion features CIA agent Kera Mersal and is about her attempts to solve the mysterious disappearances of prominent members of the artistic community. Is there a conspiracy, led by media corporations? This novel could hardly be more contemporary, and as Mersal proceeds she must decide if she has actually uncovered an attempt by the world’s most powerful media group to control all of us – from the great and the good to the poor and destitute. Available on 1 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Killing for Keeps by Mari Hannah
North East author Mari Hannah had her career as a probation officer curtailed by an assault, but has turned to writing and is putting her experience of the justice system to good use. She is the creator of Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels, who made her debut in The Murder Wall. Set in gritty Newcastle, the latest episode in Daniels’ career involves the death of two members of an infamous local crime family. Torture, intimidation and a rising body count take her across Europe in pursuit of a savage killer. Available from 4 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Cause by Roderick Vincent
It is 2022, and America is on its knees. The land of the free is struggling with economic collapse and social upheaval. The government has now become like Orwell’s Big Brother but a covert group is arming itself to return the country to something more like what the founding fathers had in mind. Hacker Isse Corvus penetrates this group, which calls itself The Cause, and finds plans to subvert The National Security Agency to restore individual privacy while at the same time smashing an oligarchy of financiers and multinational corporations. Should he join the impending second revolution, or does he turn his back on The Cause and support the rule of law? Out on 28 November.
Buy now on Amazon
Down and Dirty by Liliana Hart
Set in the intriguingly named town of Bloody Mary, Virginia, this novel is the latest in the series featuring JJ Graves. Here we see our heroine about to be married, but with all kinds of personal debris flying about her, not the least of which is her renegade father. All manner of threats and grudges are just waiting for the chance to be acted out. When a body is found in a rose garden, the note pinned to its chest leaves JJ in no doubt that she is meant to solve the crime and find the killer – all before she takes her walk up the aisle. Available from 2 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
