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Seriously, we have all battled with these digital door-keys, and the latest book from Rosie Claverton uses the Captcha theme in its title. Among other new titles we have 600-plus pages of a newly translated Japanese blockbuster, and the Icelandic thriller alluded to in the header to this story…
Captcha Thief by Rosie Claverton
Amy Lane has chronic agoraphobia, and never leaves her flat. Put her in front of a high-powered computer, however and every street in Cardiff is at her fingertips, as she can hack into any surveillance system in the city. We first met her in Binary Witness (2014) and now she returns, along with her faithful foot-soldier Jason Carr. Together they have to solve a double crime – the murder of a museum security guard, and the theft of an Impressionist painting worth millions of pounds. Available on 29 February.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama
We took a first look at this veritable brick of a novel earlier in the year, but the publisher has abandoned the intriguing cassette tape image for something more conventional. We still have 635 pages describing how a cold case crime from 1989 bursts back into the 21st century public’s imagination. A police press officer discovers an anomaly in the case which not only opens old wounds, but threatens to destroy the careers of everyone involved in the original investigation. This was published in Japan in 2012, and this first English translation is available from 3 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Thin Ice by Quentin Bates
Married to an Icelander, Quentin Bates made the island his home for many a year and has written several stories featuring his cop character Gunnhildur. Here he brings us the tale of two petty crooks who make the seriously poor career choice of robbing one of Reykjavik’s most serious and connected villains. The two no-hopers hijack a car, plus its two female occupants, but can get no further than a snowbound rural hotel. The Reykjavik cops become involved a desperate race to reach the mismatched quartet before the drug baron and his enforcers arrive at the scene. Available on 3 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Last Refuge by Martin Roy Hill
The first Iraq war – remember Desert Storm? – is a chapter in the history books, but its legacy has cast a long shadow. A friendly fire accident saw a US helicopter gunship mistaking a group of military police for enemy combatants. Among the resulting corpses was an American engineer who had been arrested behind enemy lines. Now, his widow wants recompense, and seeks the help of war correspondent Peter Brandt. As he digs deeper into the secret archives, he finds he is investigating conspiracy rather than cock-up.
Out on 1 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
When Falcons Fall by CS Harris
When Falcons Fall takes us back to Georgian England. Sebastian St Cyr, Viscount Devlin is, as his name suggests, not of humble stock, and he plays the role of gentleman detective… or should it be thief-taker? He is visiting rural Shropshire to investigate his family history, but is diverted from his research to solve the mystery of a young widow who has drowned as a result of a tragic accident. But was it an accident? Expect excellent period detail, and a fascinating account of an England still at war with Napoleon, whose nephew actually makes a fleeting appearance in this historical crime story. Published on 1 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Simon Blunt: The Broker by Jeffrey Funnell
For those who love a financial thriller this, as the title suggests, is set against the multi-billion dollar world of international insurance. There is no more legendary name in the business than Lloyds, and when the company takes a massive hit as a result of a jewellery heist, Simon Blunt learns the hard way that the industry is not as genteel as outsiders might suspect. Then a cool $75 million goes astray, and Blunt must hang up his elegant pin-stripe suit, and do battle with Eastern European gangsters, blackmailers and ruthless enforcers. Out on 29 February.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Silenced by Anne Randall
This Glasgow-set police procedural features the gritty cops DI Wheeler and DI Ross. Their most pressing case is to find a mass murderer whose life ambition is to solve the city’s homeless problem. As you can imagine, his method doesn’t meet the approval of social services – he buries people alive. It all gets personal when the killer turns his attention towards DI Wheeler and she and her colleague have to duck into the darker side of Glasgow. The hardback was released last year, but the paperback and Kindle versions will be available from 3 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
What She Never Told Me by Kate McQuail
Neither cops nor robbers here, but a taut psychological thriller about remembrance and the dangers of selective memory. Louise Redmond is a middle-aged woman who was part of the Irish diaspora who came to London seeking their fortunes. Now she is going home to watch over the last hours of her dying mother and, hopefully, to learn the truth about her mysterious father. Her mother fails to fill in the missing details, however, and Louise becomes wrapped up in the world of a man who may be her father but, on the other hand, may be a ruthless and dangerous opportunist. Published on 3 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
