On the radar — This week our radar is going crazy with a major signal as we bring you news of the return of one of crime fiction’s most popular Scottish detectives. Yes, Ian Rankin has penned another Rebus novel. He’s been away for five years and for many that’s just too long.
But that’s not all. Rebus is big but can’t quite overshadow some of the other releases we’re sharing with you here because Arnaldur Indridason and Karin Slaughter have new books on the way as well, plus we have a promising new crime story from France. It continues to be cold, wet and miserable in the United Kingdom but this week’s report on upcoming books brings more than a ray of sunshine… it’s positively scorching!
As alluded to above, Detective Inspector John Rebus is about to come out of retirement and return to the streets of Edinburgh for a new investigation. It’s not long before he starts to ruffle a few feathers in the internal affairs unit, and he may be about to derail the career of his ex-colleague Siobhan Clarke in the process. Rebus decides to delve into a cold case dating back to 2000 – a series of seemingly unconnected disappearances. The only problem is, no-one else seems to want to get involved, including his own officers. This isn’t enough to deter Rebus who has no plans of stopping until he gets to the bottom of it. Standing in Another Man’s Grave isn’t out until 8 November, but that’s definitely a date to note in your diary.
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The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier
As a child Catherine Monsigny was the only witness to a heinous crime. Now she’s a rookie lawyer working for a well-known law firm and doing the odd bit of pro bono work on the side, and she’s just landed the case that could make her career. A woman has been accused of murdering her wealthy farmer husband in a village in central France where nothing ever happens. However, while preparing the case her own past comes back to haunt her. The English translation of The Paris Lawyer is currently only available from Le French Book.
Written by one of the highly regarded Arnaldur Indridason, author of Jar City, Black Skies opens with a man making a crude leather mask with iron spikes around the forehead. It’s a ‘death mask’, once used by Icelandic farmers to slaughter calves, but this man has revenge in mind. Meanwhile, Sigurdur Óli’s life seems to be falling apart. He’s just been to a school reunion which has left him more than a little depressed with his lot. His job is on the line and his relationship is on the rocks. Then, a friend asks him to visit a couple of blackmailers as a favour, and he arrives just as a woman is beaten unconscious. When she dies, Sigurdur is left with a murder investigation on his hands. Black Skies is out on 5 July.
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Criminal by Karin Slaughter
We’ve seen a few mentions of Karin Slaughter’s latest on Twitter from fellow crime fiction lovers out there. When a woman is found brutally murdered in a sordid apartment in Atlanta, Special Agent Will Trent can’t help noting the starting similarity of the blood soaked body to one in another murder case. But that was 40 years earlier. Trent travels back to his home town to investigate both of the killings, but is the solution also hidden back in the past? Criminal is out on 5 July.
Pre-order now on Amazon
