On the Radar — The ultimate goal of a crime fiction villain is usually to get away with it, and one of the best ways to do that is to make it look like an accident, right? And that dismissive phrase ‘accidents happen’ is the theme of one of our five new releases this week. However, as any crime author knows, a book doesn’t just happen by accident. Lots of hard work goes into every good publication. So it’s our duty as crime fiction lovers to check out the latest releases, and maybe tick a few off for the TBR pile. Read on!
Two years ago Turkish writer Esmahan Aykol made her crime fiction debut with Hotel Bosphorus, introducing us to her amateur sleuth Kati Hirshel, a German ex-pat who runs Istanbul’s only crime fiction bookshop. Now Kati’s back for a new investigation and this time she needs to find a killer for personal reasons. Kati has just taken possession of her new apartment, but not without the necessary bribe to a government official. However, before she has time to settle in, a man’s body is found in her new home and Kati finds herself labelled as the police’s prime suspect. Baksheesh is out now.
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Board Stiff by Kendel Lynn
Elliot Lisbon is one of the directors of the Ballantyne Foundation on Sea Pine Island, South Carolina. It’s her job to make discreet inquiries into the Foundation’s donors but when Jane Hatting, the board’s chair, is accused of murder, Elliot decides to put her detecting skills to a new use and find out what’s really going on. What she finds is a trail of blackmail schemes, gambling debts, illicit affairs and investment scams. Worse still, the deeper she digs, Jane’s guilt only seems to be confirmed. The closer Elliot gets to the truth also puts her in danger and the body count is mounting. Board Stiff is out on 30 April.
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One of the most popular reviews we ran in New Talent November 2012 covered David Mark’s debut The Dark Winter – it even got a thumbs up from Val McDermid. The Hull author is back with Original Skin, which begins with the discovery of ‘swinger’ Simon Appleyard hanging in his Hull flat. Detective Superintendent Trish Pharoah’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit is overloaded with work with the rise of violent drug-related crime and is none too keen to start an investigation into the man’s death, so the case is closed – suicide. However, when more bodies start turning up and a link between the deaths and a local underground erotic scene is found, DS Aector McAvoy is handed the case file. McAvoy digs up connections to the local political elite – people with secrets they would rather keep buried and the power to destroy McAvoy’s career. But he’s hunting a killer that must be stopped before more blood flows down the River Humber. Original Skin is out today.
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Accidents Happen by Louise Millar
Last year, Millar launched herself into the crime fiction genre with her debut novel, The Playdate. Her latest offering tells the story of Kate Parker, a woman who believes she is cursed with bad luck following a series of fatal accidents. She is desperate to keep herself and her son safe, but her life is spinning out of control, until an Oxford professor offers to help her. His methods are unconventional and Kate is not much of a risk taker, but if she wants to regain control of her life, she’s going to have to step out of her comfort zone and do exactly what he suggests. When a mysterious neighbour begins to show more than a passing interest in her, she tries to ignore her concerns but is this the one time she really should be trusting her instincts? Accidents Happen is out today.
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Back in 2011 we reviewed journalist Mark Douglas-Home’s debut novel, The Sea Detective, and on 18 April his second book hits the shelves. Cal McGill, an oceanographer who also solves maritime crimes, is back and this time he’s looking into the 26-year-old case of a woman who just walked into the water one day, tragically killing herself and her unborn child. That’s the official story, anyway, but now an elderly lady is willing to share her memories of that day and her revelations threaten to tear apart the seaside community. As we said in our first review, Douglas-Home writes beautifully, so it could be worth trying this softer, saltier style of Scottish crime fiction.
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