On the Radar — Michael Connolly, Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Robert Galbraith, John Grisham… No, it’s not the top table at a crime writing awards dinner, it’s this week’s collection of forthcoming new releases. Add in the names Abbott, Comley, Renn, and Wynd, and we can safely say that crime fiction lovers have struck it lucky in terms of great new books to try.
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
JK Rowling returns writing as her crime persona Robert Galbraith. PI Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott investigate the source of a particularly grisly parcel delivery. It is not every day that they receive a severed leg in the post, but as they narrow down the list of suspects, their careers and then their lives come under serious threat. We reviewed Cormoran Strike’s first two adventures, The Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm. His new outing is published on 22 October.
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Host by Robin Cook
Robin Cook has cornered the market in medical thrillers ever since Coma topped the best-sellers in 1977, and Host follows the same theme of unsuspecting patients being used as live experiments by ambitious but unscrupulous physicians. When Lyn Pierce’s boyfriend succumbs to what should have been routine surgery, she uncovers a web of greed, malpractice and sinister deals which go right to the top of the medical and political establishment. Host will be available from 20 October.
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No Hiding Place by MA Comley
The angst-laden cover says we’re in for a rough emotional ride with Mel Comley in the driving seat, accompanied by her protégé DI Sally Parker. Parker investigates the brutal killing of a young woman, and finds that there is no shortage of suspects – among the dead girl’s own family.
We took a brief look at Sally Parker’s debut, Wrong Place, earlier this year, and this follow-up novel is out on 21 October.
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Satan’s Sorority by Graham Wynd
Ready for a potent mix of lesbian erotica, noir crime and shlock horror? Satan’s Sorority is set in Middle America, in 1958. When feisty Sandra Delites is sent to a small-town university, her family hopes that their bad-time girl will be kept on the straight and narrow. Whoops! They forgot about the vixens belonging to the Sigma Tau Nu Sorority. If you check the publication date, you might be able to guess that this tongue-in-cheek Kindle thriller is from Number 13 Press. Out on 13 October at just 99p.
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Blue Voyage by Diana Renn
The real-life Middle East doesn’t seem a very welcoming place to be just now, but in this tale politician’s daughter Zan is taken on a trip to Turkey. She is no stranger to danger, being over fond of putting herself in harm’s way, but when she becomes involved in a smuggling ring, she finds that she is no longer the person in control. This is a young adult publication, but the publisher says it can be enjoyed by adults too. Published by Viking Books, Blue Voyage will be available from 13 October.
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Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham
In the world of crime fiction the words ‘rogue’ and ‘lawyer’ have become almost synonymous, but the master of the courtroom drama now brings us a very special kind of legal eagle. Sebastian Rudd takes on clients who are almost undependable such as rapists, child molesters, fat cat crime bosses and defendants so obnoxious that they’re beyond the pale. When the daughter of a top cop is murdered, however, and Rudd is lined up to appear for the suspected killer, he may have bitten off more than even he can chew. Published on 20 October.
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Nowhere Child by Rachel Abbott
This novella is out on 14 October, and you can also check out the backstory in our review of Stranger Child. The same characters appear here as in the earlier book, but Abbott spins the story around what actually happened to a young girl who disappeared after her mother was killed in a road accident. Now, everyone wants to find Tasha Joseph. Most of the searchers have the best of intentions, but not all. Can those who are offering comfort and compassion to Tasha find her before those with bad intentions?
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Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
Forensic investigator Kay Scarpetta has faced many a crisis in her long and distinguished career, but never one so close to home. Scarpetta has been mother to her niece Lucy since she was a child, but now Lucy is smack dab in the middle of a potentially devastating investigation by the FBI. Lucy faces serious jail time. Scarpetta is left with no-one to turn to, least of all her FBI husband Benton – so she uses her own investigative flair to try and save her family. You can read our introduction to the world of Kay Scarpetta here, and get hold of her latest case on 22 October.
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The Crossing by Michael Connelly
When crime authors have several series characters, it must be tempting to have them meet up at some point. Robert B Parker had Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall meet, but only at tangents. Here, Michael Connelly’s characters Harry Bosch (cop) and Mickey Haller (lawyer) will work side-by-side. Bosch has left the LAPD under an even darker cloud than usual, but hires Haller to sue the force for constructive dismissal. In turn, Haller enlists Bosch to help him with a particularly vexing case of murder. You can read about an earlier case for Harry Bosch in The Burning Room, and also check on how Micky Haller handles The Gods of Guilt. The Crossing is out on 22 October.
Pre-order now on Amazon
