On the Radar — As Christmas nears, there’s the chance to get yourself a Kindle book and at the same time donate to very good causes with our lead book this week. Dark Minds is an anthology of 40 short stories by established and emerging crime authors. Plus we’ve got a Hitchcockian thriller, a period piece from an American grand master, and a gruesome case set in Norway for you…
Dark Minds edited by Bloodhound Books
All the proceeds of this compilation of 40 short stories are being donated to Hospice UK and Sophie’s Appeal, both of which do their best to help the terminally ill and both of which deserve our support – especially at Christmas time! Inside you’ll find works by some the UK’s top writers including Steven Dunne, Alex Walters, Anita Waller, Lisa Hall and Paul D Brazill, and they sound enticing. How about London’s Crawling by Emma Pullar, or Slow Roast Pork by SE Lynes? It’s available for Kindle at just £2.99 and we’d encourage you to indulge – all the authors and Bloodhound Books have put this together purely for charity.
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The Watcher by Ross Armstrong
A touch of black humour and a classic Hitchcockian feel – that’s what The Watcher seems to offer. It’s the story of Lily Gullick, who loves to observe the neighbourhood goings-on through her binoculars, particularly the suspicious events that take place in the council estate across the road. It’s slated for demolition. Soon, her elderly neighbour Jean is found dead and Lily is determined to find out what happened. This proves dangerous in a post-Brexit environment of increasing social division and gentrification in her area. A mad and modern psychological thriller, which comes out 29 December.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Jealous Kind by James Lee Burke
In this period novel, set in 1952, the Korean War is raging and a young man called Aaron is growing up. At a Galveston drive-in, he sees a young woman arguing with her boyfriend. Stepping in, he unwittingly pits himself against local organised crime and one of the richest families in Texas. Aaron is going to have to find the courage his father had back in World War I, as James Lee Burke gives us a slightly different take on normally idolised 1950s America. Class division sits beneath the glitz. Already out in the US, and available in the UK for Kindle, this is on our review pile so keep a steady eye out for it.
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I’m Travelling Alone by Samuel Bjork
Samuel Bjork is the pen name of Norwegian playwright and singer/songwriter Frode Sander Oien and ITV has signed the rights to adapt this book for TV in both English and Norwegian. A six-year-old girl is found hanging from a tree with an airline tag around her neck saying ‘I’m travelling alone’. A gruesome case for Holger Munch and Mia Kruger. The former is divorced and estranged from his child, the other… is suicidal! The paperback is out on 29 December, and watch for our review soon.
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City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
After her best friend is attacked, Detective Casey Duncan decides they should both head to the extremely remote town of Rockton to start again. It’s the place people go when they want to stay lost. Luckily for Casey, the Rockton sheriff needs a new detective, but as soon as she starts work there’s a murder. Cut off from the world, and with nobody to help her, Casey has to take on the killer by herself. Out now as a hardback and for Kindle, released 29 December as a paperback.
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To read about last week’s new crime fiction books click here.
