Since it was founded in 2014, Orenda Books has led the way as an independent publisher, snapping up great authors and making available some of the most engaging crime fiction you’re every likely to read. There’s no sign of that stopping either, and in 2017 Orenda will be launching several debut authors including Steph Broadribb debuting in January, Matt Wesolowski in March, and Sarah Stovell in June. Another book to watch out for in January, is Rupture, the fourth book in Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series. Here we present 10 of our New Talent November sponsor’s current titles. Read on to discover more great crime reads, and check out our spotlight on Orenda here.
In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings
Amanda Jennings’ third book quite entranced DeathBecomesHer back in March. She’s a writer who is fascinated by the way people react to trauma, how they deal with its long-term effects, and complex relationships within families. This is a novel that certainly contains all three elements. Bella Campbell’s father commits suicide the day after her mother’s funeral. Struggling to come to terms with her parents deaths, her world is blown apart by a letter from her father. A letter that reveals she isn’t who she thinks she is. It’s a discovery that sets her off on a journey to find out who she really is, and why the truth has been kept hidden. Read the review here.
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Blackout by Ragnar Jonasson
The third book in the Dark Iceland series actually falls between its two predecessors within the timeline of events. It’s set two years after Snow Blind, and a few years prior to Nightblind, during the short Icelandic summer. An American tourist gets lost in Siglufjördur and finds the body of Elias, one of the contractors working on a new tunnel being built to improve the remote little town’s road network. Elias was also building a house for a disgraced doctor; man struck off for operating while drunk. Neither man is particularly well-liked, which means police detective Ari Thor really has his work cut out for him. Was it a case of mistaken identity or did one of Elias’ dodgy deals catch up with him? Read our review here.
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Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski
Winner of the Pitch Perfect Competition at Bloody Scotland in 2015 with a short story entitled Tulpa, Matt Wesolowski makes his debut in March 2017 with Six Stories. In 1997, teenager Tom Jeffries was found dead at an outward bound centre on Scarclaw Fell. The coroner delivers a verdict of misadventure, but not everyone is convinced. Fast forward twenty years and investigative journalist, Scott King conducts six interviews with the friends who were in Scarclaw with Tom in an effort to find out how he fell to his death. Each interview brings a new revelation, but who is telling the truth?
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The Exiled by Kati Hiekkapello
Criminal investigator Anna Fekete fled war torn Yugoslavia as a child. Now she returns to the village where she was born hoping for a relaxing summer break. However, when her handbag and passport are stolen, and the thief is found murdered, she finds herself investigating a case that somehow reverberates into her own past. Everything that was comfortable and familiar about the Hungarian community she grew up in becomes twisted by the murder, and the corruption that surrounds her… and every day waves of refugees are arriving in the town, adding to the tension. Watch for our review soon.
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The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn
Allis Hagthorn is a woman running away from her past. So when Sigurd Bagge advertises for a live-in carer, she jumps at the opportunity. Sigurd is a man of few words and an air of mystery surrounds him. His house is on the edge of an isolated Norwegian fjord and he doesn’t seem to need a carer. Allis knows that Sigurd is married, but where is his wife, and what’s in the room with the door that’s permanently locked? Allis is determined to find out what’s going on and get her life back on track. A hidden cookbook starts to get Sigurd to unlock his secrets, but will Allis be ready for the tale he has to tell? Read our review here.
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Epiphany Jones by Michael Grothaus
Epiphany and Jeremy are two young misfits who join forces to uncover the truth about a stolen Van Gogh, sex-trafficking amongst the Hollywood elite, and find Epiphany’s young daughter. Jerry is accused of stealing a priceless Van Gogh from the museum where he works, and killing one of his colleagues. He thinks he’s been set up by Epiphany in order to get her access to the big Hollywood names he knows through his deceased PR guru father. The pair set off on a journey which sees them travel from Mexico to the Cote d’Azure. Read our review here.
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Deadly Harvest by Michael Stanley
Deadly Harvest is the fourth outing for crime writing for Assistant Superintendent David ‘Kubu’ Bengu, created by the South African writing duo Michael Sears and Stanley Trollop. Set in Botswana, a young orphan girl called Lesego, is offered a lift home by a stranger, and is never seen again. Local police hit a dead end and chalk her down as a runaway. Then a second girl goes missing. New detective Samantha Kharma sees similarities with a cold case and suspects a more sinister motive for the girls’ disappearances. When a politician is murdered after winning an election, Samantha and Kubu work together to solve both cases. Read our review.
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Where Roses Never Die by Gunnar Staalesen
In September 1977, three-year-old Mette Misvaer disappeared from a sandpit outside her home. The police investigation failed to find out what happened to her and is gradually forgotten about. With the deadline looming on the statue of limitations – 25 years later – her mother approaches PI Varg Veum to take one last look into her daughter’s case. Veum’s investigation reveals a web of secrets and lies that have been meticulously concealed over the years. The seemingly random shooting and killing of a passerby during a jewellery shop robbery uncovers a link to the little girl’s disappearance. It may hold the key to what happened to her. Read our review here.
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Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb
Lori Anderson is a Florida bounty hunter. She’s also a single mother bringing up nine-year-old daughter, Dakota, who suffers from leukaemia. With mounting hospital bills, Lori takes Dakota with her on her latest job. It’s a decision she’ll come to regret. JT was Lori’s mentor. Now he’s the fugitive she’s been assigned to bring back to court. JT’s onto something that involves Florida’s biggest theme parks. He’s also managed to get mixed up with the Miami mob. With three days to bring him in and two dangerous gangs after them, Lori must keep her daughter safe and meet her deadline. Steph Broadribb’s debut thriller is out now for Kindle and as a paperback in January. Read our interview with her here.
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A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone
The award winning Scottish poet turned crime writer takes on the subject of an abused husband in his latest psychological thriller. When Andy Boyd’s wife dies in childbirth his world falls apart. With an infant son to bring up alone, he believes his chances of falling in love again are slim. Then he meets Anna, and his faith in love returns. The pair marry and this is when the cracks begin to show. Anna is a complex character who on the surface appears feisty and fun, but behind the facade, she’s a woman riddled with deeply embedded insecurities and prone to aggressive outbursts. This is the sensitively told story dealing with the issue of abusive relationships from the perspective of the victim…Andy.
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