On the Radar — In England, there’s an old children’s chant promising gunpowder, treason and plot for 5 November. Book publishers seem to have taken this to heart and have scheduled a veritable truckload of new crime releases for that date – Guy Fawkes Day. Treason might not be all that high up the list but these books will certainly bring with them gunpowder and plotting. Given the genre we can be sure of a fair bit of blood too…
Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin
When the newly retired John Rebus plans his new itinerary, hanging out with his former nemesis Big Ger Cafferty rates somewhere lower down the options than basket-weaving and lawn bowls. When his ex-colleague Siobhan Clarke needs help with a case, Rebus is quickly to her aid even if it involves having a less-than-social drink with Cafferty. The unthinkable has happened, and the old Edinburgh gangland boss is himself threatened. Will Rebus cast aside lingering enmity to keep Cafferty from an assassin’s bullet? This is available 5 November, and you can check out other novels by Ian Rankin starting here.
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Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo
The creator of Harry Hole turns his attention to dishonour among thieves in this tale set amongst Oslo’s crime gangs of the 1970s. When The Fisherman is betrayed by a petty crook, the gangland boss must have his revenge. Jon, however, has other ideas. He has no intention of kneeling down and waiting for the bullet. Instead he flees to a remote town in northern Norway in the hope of wrong-footing The Fisherman’s gunmen. This is the sequel to the excellent Blood on Snow and you can watch author Jo Nesbo talking about it in the clip below. It’s also on sale from 5 November.
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Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen
From Sherlock Holmes to The Strings of Murder, violins can make mysteries all the more mournful. Julia Ansdell is also a violinist, but when she innocently plays a tune from a mysterious manuscript she buys in Rome, the consequences are horrific. Her three-year-old daughter reacts violently enough for Julia to fear for both her sanity and her life. Woven in is the story of a Jewish woman in WWII, also a musician. The author, best known for her Rizzoli and Isles series, but this is a standalone novel. Published on 5 November.
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The Golem of Paris by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman‘Golem noun golem: plural – golems. In Jewish legend, a clay figure brought to life by magic. An automaton, or a robot.’ The Kellerman crime fiction dynasty returns with father and son spinning a yarn. LA Detective Jacob Lev is recovering his health and his wits after an earlier encounter with The Golem of Hollywood (2014). He is trying to come to terms with the fact that his mother – who he thought was dead – is still alive, but in a mental institution. As Lev tries to solve a notorious cold case crime, he is haunted by the fact that the Golem may not just be a frightening myth from the Jewish ghettos of Europe. Published on 3 November.
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The Hunter of the Dark by Donato Carrisi
We first met forensic analyst Sandra Vega in The Lost Girls of Rome (2012) and now she teams up once more with the enigmatic Marcus, a member of a mysterious group of investigators based within the walls of the Vatican – the Penitenzieri. Sandra and Marcus try to solve a series of macabre killings, and soon it becomes clear that Sandra’s training isn’t quite enough to catch this killer. This book is being described as a literary thriller, and might just reveal a hidden side of the Eternal City. Available from 5 November.
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Made to Kill by Adam Christopher
Los Angeles has seen all manner of detectives over the years, but Ray Electromatic is a bit different. He’s a PI and a hitman and he’s the last robot in the world. When he takes the case of a missing movie star we’re taken back to 1960s Hollywood with all its glamour, fortune and corruption. Titan Books tells us that Adam Christopher’s novel is Raymond Chandler meets Philip K Dick and it does look interesting, in a very pulpy kind of way. Published on 3 November.
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The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s latest book has been translated into English at last. It’s a mystery that goes back to abuse – and eventually murder – in a home for young offenders back in the 1970s. Now, single father Odinn is trying to find out what happened and to his surprise the abuse case seems to be linked to the death of his wife. What was an accident now looks like murder. The Undesired is released today. Last year, the author gave us a tour of some of the locations central to her earlier book My Soul to Take, also set in rural Iceland.
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Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose
Apart from the 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid, with Steve McQueen and Edward G Robinson, we can’t think of much crime fiction set there. However, author Karen Rose has chosen the Ohio city as her setting. Homicide cop Scarlett Bishop teams up with a former Army Ranger to bring to justice the murderer of a 17-year-old Asian girl. The case draws them into the world of people trafficking, and they realise that there are many more potential victims out there for the killer. On the shelves and for download from 5 November.
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A Cold Death In Amsterdam by Anja de Jager
In her debut novel, Anja de Jager introduces us to detective Lotte Meerman. She’s a cold case detective, whose father before her was a police investigator. When she starts looking into a murder that took place a decade ago, inconsistencies crop up in the original police work. She could bury the evidence to protect her family’s name, or she could use it to nail the real killer – a Dutch dilemma, you could say. Published on 5 November.
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Friends of the Dusk by Phil Rickman
Midwinter of the Spirit concluded on ITV recently, and as it was based on the Merrily Watkins novels by Phil Rickman the author may now have a new legion of followers. When a storm blows down a tree, and ancient human bones are discovered beneath, the find sets Merrily on a collision course with her new boss – a sceptical and modernising bishop – as well as leading her off to a remote farmhouse in the border foothills, where an apparently ancient spirit links dramatically to modern day crimes. Available from 5 November for Kindle and early December as a hardback. We’ve also reviewed the earlier Merrily Watkins novel, The Magus of Hay.
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