On the radar – The cream of crime fiction literati have drifted home from Harrogate but our radar this week has certainly been picking up some residual energy from the Yorkshire town’s Crime Fiction Festival last weekend. Kicking things off is this year’s festival programming chair, Mark Billingham. He’s followed by new blood panel chair, Val McDermid, and special guest at this year’s festivities, Jo Nesbo. The latter takes us back to where things started for everyone’s favourite Oslo-ite detective Harry Hole. We also have a rather thrilling new release from American writer Ed Lynskey. And the radar just keeps blipping…

Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham
Three couples become firm friends as they enjoy their pool-side holiday in Florida, but on the final night of their stay, tragedy strikes when the teenage daughter of another holidaymaker disappears and is subsequently found murdered.

The shocked couples return home but stay in contact with each other. Over the course of three dinner parties, they get to know each other a little better, and it’s fair to say, they don’t like everything they find out. Then a second girl goes missing. Could one of the six be involved?

Rush of Blood is out on 2 August 2012. Pre-order now on Amazon

The Vanishing Point by Val McDermid
Stephanie Harker’s idyllic holiday with five-year-old son Jimmy turns into a nightmare before it’s even begun. As the pair reaches the security gates at O’Hare airport, Jimmy is lead away by a uniformed officer while a horrified Stephanie watches from the other side of the barrier. Authorities at the gate are unaware of Jimmy’s existence and view Stephanie as a hysteric. Wrestled to the ground, blasted with a taser and restrained, by the time she can explain what’s happened, Jimmy is long gone.

As Stephanie tells her story to the FBI, it becomes apparent that there is more going on here than meets the eye. With the clock ticking, can Stephanie get Jimmy back?

The Vanishing Point is out in hardback on 13 September 2012. Pre-order now on Amazon

Blood Diamonds by Ed Lynskey
When grifter Jonas Blades meets the scheming Jacquie, the pair plot an audacious diamond heist, but there’s no honour amongst thieves and Jonas decides to drop Jacquie in it with the police, bagging the diamonds for himself.

Nine years later, Jonas has made a new career for himself in IT and Jacquie has just been released from prison. Is she planning to get even with Jonas? You bet. With the pair hunting each other down, murder, mayhem and betrayal ensue, but who will be the victor in this quest for the blood diamonds?
Buy now on Amazon

The Bat by Jo Nesbo
Perhaps the most highly anticipated releases of the year, The Bat is the first book in the Harry Hole series and is set to make its English language debut on 11 October 2012. At £11.29 on Kindle, it’s not the cheapest book on the pile, but it’s certainly one to add to your TBR pile.

Harry’s first investigation sees him heading off to Australia in search of a young Norwegian girl who has disappeared in Sydney. It’s a case he’s not supposed to get too involved with and he’s definitely out of his depths, but when the local cops unearth a string of unsolved disappearances and murders, Harry is determined to get to the bottom of it. With a hunt for a serial killer underway, Harry finds himself being drawn into a situation where the killer will only talk to him, and he may just be the killer’s next target.

See our ‘first look’ article here, or pre-order now on Amazon