On the radar –– This week’s book report contains the perfect mix of thrills and spills needed to perk you up on a cold autumnal day. We start in the sweltering heat of Louisiana and the latest thriller from Zoe Sharp. Also featured in this week’s latest blend, is a medieval mystery set in the aftermath of rebellion, a very Victorian murder, and a thriller from Laurence O’Bryan that’s enough to give Dan Brown a run for his money.
Die Easy by Zoe Sharp
The 10th book in the Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Fox series sees the former Special Forces soldier heading down to Louisiana where her former lover Sean Meyer has just woken from a gun-shot induced coma. His memory is a little on the hazy side, which could be a tad problematic for their latest job. An ambitious robbery turns into a hostage situation during a celebrity fundraising event. Something in Sean’s past may have triggered a vendetta, but with his memory failing, he’s proving more of a hindrance than a help. If she’s going to get out of this one, she’s going to have to fight her way out, on her own. Die Easy isn’t out until 9 January, but it’s definitely one for any Jack Reacher fan to add to their wish list.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal
It’s late summer 1270. Simon de Montfort’s recent rebellion is fading to a distant memory, but there’s still a lingering smell of death in the air. Tyndal Priory, a remote coastal religious house in East Anglia has just elected a new prioress – Eleanor of Wynthorpe. As she’s only 21 years old, there are people within the cloistered walls who doubt she’s up to the job. When a monk is found brutally murdered in the gardens, it’s up to Eleanor to hunt down his killer, but can she succeed whilst struggling to gain the respect of those in her charge?
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A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch
Charles Lenox has put his amateur sleuthing in Victorian London behind him. Much to his father’s relief he is now building his reputation as a successful politician. However, detecting hasn’t quite given up on him, as a trip down to his uncle’s Somerset estate is about to prove. The quiet village of Plumley has been hit by a spate of strange instances of vandalism on the local shops – broken windows, petty thefts and threatening messages scrawled on walls. Then things start to take a more sinister turn. With his assistant John Dallington along for the ride, the pair must stop the culprit before he strikes – and his intended victim could be someone very close to Charles. A Death in the Small Hours is out 13 November.
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The Jerusalem Puzzle by Laurence O’Bryan
In January Irish crime thriller writer Laurence O’Bryan made his debut with a novel very much in the tradition of Dan Brown, but with added thrills. The Istanbul Puzzle was high octane race through the streets of modern day Istanbul which his two main protagonists – Sean Ryan and Isabel Sharp – barely survived. Now they’re back and on the hunt for an ancient manuscript with the potential to change to world. An archaeologist has been murdered and an academic translating the manuscript has disappeared. Sean and Isabel find themselves caught on a deadly trail in some very dangerous parts of one of the oldest cities in the world. The Jerusalem Puzzle is out on 3 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
