On the Radar — We’re leading off this week with two very British books – one’s a collection of short stories by PD James, and the other is the new Kate Shackleton mystery by Frances Brody. What wonderful covers they have, so artful and appealing. After that, though, we’ve got some more standard-looking covers featuring an indistinct photo of someone facing away from the camera though, with that anonymous stock-photo feel to them. To round things out, a period mystery set in Oslo for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction. Read on and let us know what you think…
The great English crime author PD James passed away in 2014, but now Faber & Faber is publishing this delightful collection of four short stories by the writer, along with a foreword by Val McDermid. It’s coming out in time for Halloween, but bringing together a set of Yuletide mysteries, the promise is a tantalising set of puzzles for you to solve. The title story begins with a strained party at a country house, we also have an illicit affair that leads to murder, and two Adam Dalgliesh cases. Start your Christmas shopping early!
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A lovely 1920s style jacket greets you once again when you reach for Frances Brody’s latest Kate Shackleton book. World War I widow Kate fancies a break by the seaside and heads to Whitby to spend time with her old friend Alma. Soon, Alma’s daughter Felicity has disappeared and just about the only clue is a pawn shop ticket from the sale of the family’s valuable watch-guard. So, an idyllic break in Whitby for Kate? Not on your nellie! Out 6 October.
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Things are going pretty well for psychotherapist Mia Cosgrove when she receives a desperate phone call from old friend Lysette. Work is going well, she’s about to get married, and there’s a baby on the cards. But Lysette’s friend Sarah has fallen to her death from a multi-storey car park and needs Mia’s help. Another death in the village leads them to doubt that Sarah’s death was suicide. This is the second Mia Cosgrove mystery and it’s out 22 September.
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Just released as a hardcover, and out as a paperback on 22 September, The Perfect Girl tells the story of child prodigy Zoe Maisey who, despite her musical gifts, cased the death of three teenagers in a car accident when she wasn’t even old enough to drive… let alone drink alcohol. After leaving youth detention, she’s given a second chance by a foster family. No sooner has she arrived than her new mother is dead… You can find out what happens from 22 September.
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Felix Francis has successfully taken over his father Dick Francis’ horse racing mystery writing franchise and Triple Crown is his latest. Racing fans will be able to tell by the title that this story takes British Horseracing Authority Investigator to the United States. He’s to infiltrate a race fixing racket and finds himself at Belmont Racecourse in New York. Ah… but what if there are corrupt officials in the organisation he’s meant to be helping? Released 22 September.
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It’s March, 1972 and it’s cold. That’s because we’re in Norway. A cyclist is frantically ringing at Inspector Inspector Kolbjørn ‘K2’ Kristiansen’s door. Maybe he’s at the wrong house because he’s actually being pursued by K2’s employers, the Oslo police. He’s carrying a knife that seems to match the stab wounds found in a politician murdered two days earlier. But the boy won’t talk – they don’t even know who he is – and K2 finds himself doubting someone guilty of murder would run to him. 22 September is the date for your diary.
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