On the Radar — Earlier this year, two giants of British crime fiction – PD James and Ruth Rendell – died within months of each other. But both lived to a decent old age, and we can be thankful that Ruth Rendell completed Dark Corners before her final illness. It takes pride of place among this week’s new releases…
Dark Corners by Ruth Rendell
Television viewers will know the late Ruth Rendell best through her wonderful series centred on Chief Inspector Reg Wexford, memorably brought to life by the great George Baker, but she always wrote stand-alone novels of great distinction. In this, a typical tale of psychological suspense, she re-invents the theme of the nightmare lodger and throws in the potent ingredients of obsession, blackmail and murder. Published on 22 October. Please take the time to read our feature Ruth Rendell remembered.
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Savage Lane by Jason Starr
During Classics in September we took a long hard look at Starr’s 1997 debut, Cold Caller. Now the Brooklyn-born author returns with a story set close to his home ground and it promises to be as dark and unflinching as anything he has written before. When two unhappy marriages converge an escape to better times beckons for Karen and Mark, but instead of the sunlit uplands, they find themselves down and dirty in a swamp of obsession and hatred. Savage Lane is just out in hardback and Kindle, and the paperback available from 22 October.
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Nine Lives by Wendy Corsi Staub
The quaintly-named township of Lily Dale in New York State has featured in previous books by this prolific writer. As the cover suggests, there is just a touch of the paranormal in this thriller which sees a widow and her son forced to make a stopover en route to a new life in Chicago. A dead hotelier, a sinister killer, and enough psychics and mediums to fill a spiritualists’ convention combine to fill the pages of this mystery, which will be available from 26 October.
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Red Tide by Jeff Lindsay
It may well be the case that Dexter is Dead but Lindsay’s equally resourceful ex-cop Billy Knight is very much alive and well, and kicking butt in Florida. A spate of drowned Haitians washing up on the shore is just an inconvenience to the local police, but Knight is stirred into action when a beautiful woman goads him into investigating the mysterious deaths. Soon he finds himself in very deep water, literally. You can check out a video trailer for the book below. Get your hands on the real thing on 27 October.
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Four Days by Iain Ryan
Brisbane-born author Iain Ryan takes us back to his home city in Four Days. The year is 1984, and Detective Jim Harris is beset on all sides by a dangerous alliance of police corruption, strong drink and violent criminal gangs. When the latest killing sears itself into Harris’s consciousness, he is tipped over the brink into a self-imposed suicide pact. Fours days to find the killer, or he will end his misery in the most brutal and final way possible? You can listen to an interview with Ryan on this Soundcloud link. Available on 31 October.
Blood Stream by Luca Veste
Luca Veste used to contribute here on Crime Fiction Lover but these days he is busy writing best-selling police procedurals. He spoke to us in this 2013 interview, and we’ve reviewed both The Dying Place and Dead Gone. Liverpool cops DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi return in Veste’s latest, in which a man and a woman are found dead. They have achieved dubious celebrity status on account of their high profile social media activities. When their deaths are copied, Murphy and Rossi have to swerve to avoid the hysterical media presence in the city, while keeping their eyes on the main target – a stone cold killer. Out on 22 October.
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Nine Toes in the Grave by Eric Beetner
Beetner is hugely prolific in the harum-scarum world of pulp fiction and earlier this year we reviewed Rumrunners. His latest release comes via All Due Respect Books. If dead bodies, a dystopian view of the world and whip-crack dialogue are your thing, then this tale of an ordinary Joe who mops the floor at a diner but then gets seduced by his boss’s hot-pants wife may just be for you. The problem is Reese’s new squeeze wants a high price for her body and it’s nothing less than her husband’s body in a coffin! Published on 1 November
Death on Demand by Jim Kelly
One of the UK’s finest writers brings us another episode in the life and career of Norfolk copper Peter Shaw. With curmudgeonly Sgt George Valentine facing a personal crisis, Shaw once more ventures away from the rough and tumble world of Kings Lynn into the rarified atmosphere of North Norfolk, with its weekend cottages, gastro pubs and exclusive care homes for elderly gentlefolk. When one of the residents is murdered on the eve of her centenary, Shaw and Valentine uncover a dark and murderous conspiracy. This is out on 1 November. You can read our appreciation of Jim Kelly here.
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