On the Radar — Anyone who read our most wanted books of 2017 feature late last year will know that we’ve been anticipating The Long Drop by Denise Mina for a while. We know that fans of her Glasgow-based Alex Morrow series will also be dying to see what she does in this standalone. The CFL radar has been bleeping like crazy, though, and we also have legal thrillers, historical crime fiction, Nordic noir and a ghost story for Hamish Macbeth to solve.
The Long Drop by Denise Mina
In Plain Sight, a three-part mini-series based on the story of Peter Manuel, the notorious Scottish serial killer, was shown on ITV late last year. Trust mistress of the macabre Denise Mina to put another spin on the tale. Businessman William Watt, whose family has been murdered and Peter Manuel, a liar, criminal and rapist, meet in a bar. Watt wants to discover what Manuel knows; Manuel has another agenda entirely… Based on true events, watch for our review of this highly anticipated novel. Out on 2 March.
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Say Nothing by Brad Parks
Brad Parks has won two Shamus awards, a Nero and a Lefty, and yet somehow Faber claimed that Say Nothing was a debut on the advance reading copy sent to us. Alternative fact or honest mistake, the American author has plenty of experience writing mysteries and thrillers, and in his latest two desperate parents struggleto save their kidnapped children. Judge Scott Sampson and his wife Alison are tricked by a text and instead of Scott picking the kids up from school, someone else has nabbed them. A phone call warns Scott that he has to do exactly as he’s told when dealing with an upcoming drugs case, and to keep quiet about it. It’s a nightmare for the family, and a nightmare for the US judicial system. On sale from 2 March.
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Summary Justice by John Fairfax
John Fairfax is the pen-name of former barrister William Brodrick who has won awards for his crime fiction. He puts his insider knowledge to good use in this, the first of a new series which has already been optioned for TV. Sixteen years ago, Tess de Vere was a law student on work experience, as 21-year-old William Benson was found guilty of murder. He maintained he was innocent and she believed him. Now Benson is out and a barrister too. Can the mismatched pair get him through his first, seemingly hopeless, case? Out on 2 March.
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Death of a Ghost by MC Beaton
Let’s start with the title. Hamish Macbeth knows that you can’t kill a ghost – by their very nature, ghosts are already dead. But he doesn’t think there’s a ghost inhabiting a derelict Highland castle, he thinks that whoever is operating there is very much alive and aims to scare people. However, after a bit of scouting around by Constable Charlie Carter, a body is discovered and behind it a secret passage. While Charlie and Hamish dash down the passage to investigate, the body disappears and that makes them look a bit stupid while at the same time deepening the mystery. Add in lashings of malt whiskey and one or two vampish upperclass women characters you’ve got a the makings of a Famous Five-style story with adult themes. Let the intoxication begin on 21 February.
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Cursed by Thomas Enger
Hedda Hellberg has not come home from a three-week trip to Italy. Crime writer Henning Juul’s estranged ex-wife, Nora, is soon peeling back dark layers as she investigates this strange disappearance. Juul himself is also embattled as he tries to find the man who set a fire that killed their son. This is now the fourth instalment in Norwegian Enger’s series featuring the dogged journalist, and it follows Burned, Pierced, and Scarred. The fifth and final book is promised soon so it’s a good time yet to take in this exciting addition to the sub-genre of Nordic noir that just keeps giving. Out now for Kindle and as a paperback on 1 March. Watch for our review.
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A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
The Inspector Lynley series has reached book 16 and the master storyteller that is Elizabeth George has shifted the pieces once again to give her characters new impetus – a banquet of consequences indeed! Barbara Havers is under pressure to redeem herself as she takes the rural route to a particularly complicated case where jealousy, desperation and deceit blurs the lines between truth and lies.. Meanwhile, Lynley pursues other lines of enquiry in London. Can their combined efforts get to the bottom of things? Previous books were used as the basis of a BBC series between 2001 and 2008. This latest one is out on 23 February.
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On Copper Street by Chris Nickson
Our doughty hero is DI Tom Harper and we are back in Leeds in 1895. Harper is a devoted family man but he can still rub his colleagues up the wrong way. The death of a petty crook sets off the fifth book in this series of Victorian police procedurals, each of which has a type of metal in the title. Harper also investigates some acid attacks, with author Chris Nickson highlighting a heinous modern crime with 19th century roots. His last book, The Iron Water, was reviewed here and garnered high praise. Nickson is the king of historical crime fiction in Leeds and this could be his strongest yet. Our review is coming soon and the book is released 28 Feb.
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Cambridge Black by Alison Bruce
Two cold cases are the starting point for the seventh book in the DC Gary Goodhew series. He is still trying to find his grandfather’s killer. In a parallel story, Amy was just seven when her father was convicted of murder but sets out to clear his name. The two apparently unrelated strands are set against the backdrop of Cambridge – a fully fleshed out character in this series from Bruce. These cold cases soon flare up with another murder. In the review of the last Goodhew book here, it was suggested the series was getting darker. Bruce is growing in strength and is a writer who knows her craft. It is released 23 Feb.
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