On the Radar — “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…” Yes, it’s Christmas Eve and here’s our penultimate round-up of new titles for 2015, but there is a distinct lack of seasonal goodwill to all men. We have murder, revenge, psychopathic predators, hostages and a corrupted social media network. Plus, Hard Case Crime has unearthed a lost classic by one of the 20th century’s greatest crime fiction authors and if you like a pulpy vibe it looks like a racy Christmas treat… Read on!
No Mortal Thing by Gerald Seymour
The veteran author returns with another of his trademark thrillers featuring international crime and political intrigue. He explores the classic trope of two young men who study together, become friends, but then mature into two very different beasts who are destined to lock horns. Marcantonio may have top academic qualifications in business and finance, but he is Italian mafia through and through. Jago grew up in an rough inner London estate, but has escaped his background, and is on the threshold of a glittering career in banking. Fate puts the two former friends on a violent collision course which offers nothing but a tragic outcome. It’s out in most formats on 7 January.
Pre-order now on Amazon
3 Truths and A Lie by Lisa Gardner
This is a short story featuring the Boston homicide cop, DD Warren. She faces one of the most daunting challenges of her career – but one which is completely devoid of the physical danger she usually encounters. She has been asked to address a convention of crime writers on the subject of real-life police procedure. She decides the job is best done by taking her audience through one of her most chilling cases. It is one that involves the very worst excesses of the vice-ridden Boston underworld… and a mysterious severed leg. Available on 5 January. An earlier full length DD Warren case was in Lucy Conlon’s Top five books of 2015.
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When Evil Calls Your Name by John Nicholl
This psychological thriller by the former policeman and child protection officer tell the story of Cynthia Galbraith, a woman who has been damaged by the actions of a predatory and calculating psychopath. But now she languishes in prison, a broken spirit, serving time for murder. When a counsellor persuades her to put into writing the terrible events that led to her conviction, she begins her journal. It will take readers into some very dark places, revealing how depravity can hide itself behind the most mundane of disguises. Published on 31 December.
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Hostage by Jamie Doward
British intelligence officer Kate Pendragon’s first adventure was On the Radar in February of this year, and she returns in another tale of international terror, violent crime and cynical political manoeuvering. MI6 and the CIA, reluctant bedfellows at the best of times, find themselves competing for the same prize – the annihilation of a terrorist cell who are holding a group of Western oil and gas workers to ransom. The author is a senior journalist with The Observer. This is his second novel and it will be on the shelves from 7 January.
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Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
This is definitely one for readers who like their crime fiction futuristic and apocalyptic. The book concludes the Brilliance Trilogy, in which the world has been pushed to the brink of destruction. Who is applying the big shove? Not Islamic terrorists, not rogue third world states, and not megolamaniac dictators. Instead, the threat comes from a group of people, just one percent of the population, who have remarkable but deadly gifts. They are The Brilliants. FBI agent Nick Cooper is one such. Can he use his mental and physical powers to avert a global catastrophe? You can find out on 12 January.
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Terms of Use by Scott Allan Morrison
This is a reworking of the old saying about something being an excellent servant but a terrible master. In this case we are talking about a social media platform called Circles, which bestrides the digital world like a colossus. Until, that is, its servers suffer a catastrophic cyber attack which threatens to make Circles users victims of a global conspiracy. Software engineer Sergio Mansour created the platform as his pet project, but now the cuddly pet has turned into a savage predator, and he is the only man still standing who can rescue the situation. For Sergio, the cliché ‘or die trying’ becomes horribly real. Available on 1 January.
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Cut Me In by Ed McBain
Dating from 1954, and originally released under McBain’s pseudonym Hunt Collins, Cut Me In takes place in a New York where men play hard and women usually have swelling bosoms. Well, the women Josh Blake meets do. He’s a literary agent whose partner has been shot through the head three times. To boot, the TV rights to a series of Westerns have been stolen from the agency’s safe. With Blake suspected by both the police and his dead partner’s mistress, our man begins his own investigation to find out which of Del Gilbert’s other enemies knocked him off. The book features a stunning illustration by the inimitable Robert McGinnis and predates McBain’s influential 87th Precinct series by two years. It’s out 12 January, and watch for our review.
Pre-order now on Amazon
For more new books, have a look at last week’s On the Radar column.
