On the Radar — Another one of our most wanted books of 2017 arrives this week and what we’re wondering is just how much of a splash Into the Water is going to make. After all, Paula Hawkins’ first book, The Girl on the Train, was a runaway success and steamed into the bestseller lists and onto the silver screen. Bombs, devils, Greek gods, the mafia and even an elephant feature in the other releases this week, so it should be a good one.
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
If you haven’t heard of this author and her novel, The Girl on the Train, then where have you been? TGotT was Hawkins’ crime debut, a worldwide success and spawned a Hollywood movie, so no pressure for her follow up. Themes of fear, family and overweening responsibility run through this psychological thriller. Days before Nel died, she called her sister Jules. But Jules didn’t answer the phone, and now Nel is left to pick up the pieces of a family shattered by suicide. Trouble is, Jules is certain that Nel didn’t kill herself… Out 2 May.
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The Quiet Man by James Carol
In Vancouver, a woman is blown to bits when her husband opens a door triggering a bomb that’s been strapped to her. Jefferson Winter, a specialist in serial killers, is called in by ex-cop Anderton. For some reason, the quiet, patient killer is taking one life each year on 5 August. The date is coming around and the clock is ticking. British author Carol may live in leafy England but the globetrotting and compelling ex-FBI profiler Jefferson Winter has already lit up the bestseller charts. The fourth in the series is released 4 May.
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Sympathy for the Devil by William Shaw
As the title might suggest, let’s go back in time to London in the late 60s. DS Cathal ‘Paddy’ Breen has the murder of a young prostitute to investigate. Nicknamed Julie Teenager, she had an exclusive clientele and it is not long before there are signs of political interference in the case. Breen’s partner, headstrong Helen Tozer, used to be a copper and she is now pregnant. The fourth book in the Breen and Tozer series builds a compelling tale with 60s culture weaved into the fabric. We reviewed the first in the series A Song from Dead Lips here. Our review is coming soon and this one is out 4 May.
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The Age of Olympus by Gavin Scott
The ex-Special Operations Executive agent turned academic Duncan Forrester is now in Greece, searching for an ancient Cretan stone. However, the murder of a Greek poet and an impending civil war rather deflect him from his quest. It follows on from The Age of Treachery, set in the 1940s and one of our recommended books this time last year. The author is a former radio and television reporter for the BBC and ITN, and is now a Hollywood screenwriter. He’s recently worked on the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series. Out 28 April.
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The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan
Inspector Chopra is back and delving into the seamier side of life in this Mumbai cosy. As ever, Chopra’s sidekick is the baby elephant Ganesh. Playboy Vikram Verna is missing and Chpra is hired by his mother to track him down. This is the third book in the Baby Ganesh Agency series and will be a sure fire winner for fans of Alexander McCall Smith. Read our review of the first in the series here. Whimsy levels are cranked to the maximum in a light and witty tale that is steeped in India. Out 4 May.
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Spider by Leah Devlin
The second book in Leah Devlin‘s Chesapeake Tugboat Murders series, Spider follows on from Vital Spark and begins with the hunt for a treasure hidden in a sleepy part of Maryland. Chaos is let loose when the wake of Pamela Dodd’s motor yacht causes an eroded cliff to collapse destroying a cottage and revealing a mass grave. Detectives Jay Braden and Will Wilkins investigate in a story that includes a torture chamber and deadly spiders from Australia! Watch for our review soon. Out now.
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To Be a King by Gunner Alan Lindbloom
Author Gunner Lindbloom spent 13 years in a state prison, and used some of his time to write this crime novel about the American mafia. It centres around Omnio ‘King’ Falcone, who is due to inherit his grandfather’s crime empire. The only trouble is, he is only part-Sicilian and as such can’t count on the support of other mafia bosses. But he’s a determined gangster and goes to war against his uncle and cousins. The heat is turned up further when a beautiful young Mafia princess arrives from Sicily and King decides to have her for his own. Out now.
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Western Fringes by Amer Anwar
The first chapter of this novel by West Londoner Amer Anwar won the CWA Debut Dagger back in 2008. Now the completed work is ready to do for Southall what the Sopranos did for New Jersey. Muslim ex-con Zaq Khan is happy to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, but when the daughter of his Sikh boss runs off, Zaq joins the search and finds himself in no end of bother. The Kindle version of Western Fringes is already out, paperback out 31 May.
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The Clements Kettle by Erik Carter
OK, so here we have a Wild West mystery so it’s fitting that we go through the bullet points of what it has to offer. They include rough cowboys, sinister ladies, wide-open vistas, breathtaking action and loads of humour. The detective out on the plains is Barnaby Willcox and he’s in search of a kettle, not because he wants a cup of tea but because it’s a ransom item. And this kettle is even said to be cursed by an old slave – anyone who touches it ends up in a pine box.
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To read about last weeks’ new books, click here.
