On the Radar — In a collection of diverse short stories by Peter James we discover an even darker side to the Brighton author, and they include a tale featuring his famous detective Roy Grace. Inspector Montalbano is back as well, and so is Roberta Kray with a new London gangland thriller. Other books among our upcoming releases feature two possibly paranormal investigations, a rockabilly detective, farmers in drag and a former FBI detective. There’s more, so read on…
This collection of short stories by Peter James is available on 6 November, and fans of the author’s Brighton copper Roy Grace need not despair, as he features in the opening piece. Other stories feature a food writer who has a morbid fear of the number 13 and a wronged woman whose life is entirely devoted to getting revenge. James shows that he can evoke a genuinely spooky atmosphere via these macabre tales. You can judge Peter James’ talent for the short story by checking back to our review of the collection which involved various leading detectives – and authors – meeting up. In Face Off, Roy Grace joins forces with John Rebus in the story In the Nick of Time.
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Inspector Montalbano has made his way into the hearts of many readers with his inherent decency, humour and tolerance in the face of the myriad social problems both in Sicily, where he lives, and on the mainland. This new story is little more than a novella, but involves Montalbano investigating the exploitation of migrant workers from Eastern Europe. When an Albanian construction worker dies as a result of a fall from scaffolding, he is staggered to learn that this is only the latest in a series of similar deaths. As he probes more deeply, he comes close to the dark heart of property development and the human cost of financial shortcuts. The Fourth Secret is out on 4 November.
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Rose Gardner has visions. Some of them are banal, but others warn of fatal times ahead. When her boyfriend, Mason Deveraux, Fenton County Assistant District Attorney, is threatened by a distinctly unpleasant gang boss, Rose has to use her unique gifts in an unjust cause so that Devereux can survive. Meanwhile her best friend Kate is puzzled by the disappearance of her cousin. Again, Rose is the one to turn to. The action takes place in the fictional town of Henryetta which is loosely based on Magnolia in Columbia County, Arkansas. The author is planning a tour of the UK in spring 2015, so if you are a fan, you can find the details on DGS’s website. Her latest novel is available from 4 November.
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It was Edgar Allen Poe who inspired Karen Rose to become a writer. She has set her bestselling novels in places like Chicago, Atlanta and Baltimore, and her latest touches down in Cincinnati. After a spell working with the FBI, Deacon Novak returns to his hometown in Ohio. He expects that his new job with the city’s Major Crime Enforcement Squad will not be a walk in one of Cincinnati’s famous parks, but he comes to learn that his two toughest tasks are keeping his younger brother out of trouble, and protecting a female therapist. Faith Corcoran’s work with victims of sexual violence has given her a unique insight into what makes predators tick, but now she is a potential victim. Only Novak stands between her and a deranged killer. Published on 6 November.
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The author is the widow of the legendary London gangster Reg Kray, who died shortly after being released from prison in 2000. With an unrivaled insight into the world of British crime gangs, the author has written a dozen or more hard-hitting bestsellers. In this one we meet Lena Gissing, the hard bitten matriarch of an established London crime family. She locks horns with a young woman called Maddie Layne, whose sister has been murdered. Maddie is doing her best to bring up her sister’s little boy, Zac, but when she is approached by a shadowy underworld figure and asked to investigate her sister’s death, and that of another woman – Lucy Rivers – what she learns brings her into direct confrontation with some of the most dangerous people in London. Available from 6 November.
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Fans of the author will have read the previous novels featuring the London copper, PC Peter Grant. Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Under Ground and Broken Homes have all attracted a loyal readership, but in this novel Grant has to travel far from his metropolitan comfort zone into the wilds of Herefordshire. Once settled in the border county, he learns that a child has gone missing and that locals including the police have not ruled out supernatural intervention. Grant’s urban scepticism cuts no ice with them, and the mystery forces him to question everything he has ever learned about the business of police investigation. Available on 13 November.
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From the stable of 280 Steps, one of our New Talent November partners, comes this tale by Rob Kitchin. Set in contemporary Ireland, it has a cast which includes a rockabilly cop, drag queen farmers and sadistic gangsters. Grant and his wheelchair-bound buddy Mary have arrived in the country on the eve of a general election. The title of the book is a grisly pun based on the fact that one of Grant and Mary’s friends – Sinead – has been kidnapped. Her captors are not content to send a photo of Sinead holding today’s paper as proof they have her. Instead, they send Sinead’s amputated and gift-wrapped fingers. One at a time. Grant and Mary have a matter of hours to save their friend and also prevent certain corrupt politicians from hoodwinking the electorate. Out on 13 November.
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Puleston’s Inspector Drake mysteries are set in North Wales. This is the third in the series, and is preceded by Brass in Pocket, and Worse Than Dead. Drake is snowed under with paperwork but his bureaucratic bosses are the least of his problems with the recent death of his father. With his own marriage on the proverbial rocks, he has to visit a literal shoreline – on the island of Anglesey – where the body of young woman has washed up. Jane Jones was murdered but her family background is complex and troubling. More deaths occur and Drake must get to the truth, but he has powerful foes including English aristocrats, international corporations, and fanatical preservationists. Against the Tide will be available on 4 November.
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The dramatis personae of this novel include jailbait teenage girls, bent lawyers, drug dealers, disillusioned ex-cops, drunks, and petty criminals who have killed once and are prepared to kill again if it keeps their wallets fat and the competition at arm’s length. When Dean and Earl Powers hatch a plan to enrich themselves by relieving rival drug lords of their stock and cash, what can possibly go wrong? You guessed right, and the answer is – everything! The latest from Pennsylvania’s Steve Myers is out now.
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