On the Radar — Schedule change! We used to bring you our new books column, On the Radar, every Thursday. Today we’ve moved it to Fridays. From now on, our Thursday newsletter will bring you the best of the new releases by email, as well as updates from the rest of our site. You can sign up for that here.
But, we will still bring you new books here on the site, and let’s start off with the latest Fiona Griffiths novel by Harry Bingham. This time, the Welsh investigator’s archaeological case conjures up the spirit of King Arthur. Ruth Ware’s new release plays on the theme of childhood games, we have two books that take social media as a starting point for murder and mayhem, and the latest from Deon Meyer as well as a Donald E Westlake book discovered and delivered by Hard Case Crime. Read on!
The Deepest Grave by Harry Bingham
The quirky Cardiff-based detective, DC Fiona Griffiths, returns in the sixth of this popular series. She is a unique female protagonist with a rare psychosis that colours her view of the world. To Griffiths’ delight, a headless body turns up with an antique sword nearby. It turns out to be Gaynor Charteris, an archaeologist who was leading a nearby dig. As Griffiths delves it soon gets more complex and elements of the Arthurian legend are baked into the plot. Expect an outlandish, twisting story with a remarkable heroine. The first five in the series all received five-star reviews and The Dead House was reviewed here. Out 16 June.
Pre-order on Amazon
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
The Woman in Cabin 10 certainly made waves when it was released last year, but how do you follow up a global success story? Ruth Ware’s answer is a tale that begins in a boarding school, where Isa and her three friends play the Lying Game – which sounds a bit like Would I Lie to You without Rob Brydon. Move on 17 years later, when the local marshes reveal a deadly secret and suddenly those teenage games take on a whole new slant… Out 15 June. The author shared her favourite crime classics with us here.
Pre-order on Amazon
Trust Me by Angela Clarke
There’s been quite a buzz about this book, out 15 June and the third in Angela Clarke’s hugely popular social media murderer series. Kate watches a horrific attack streamed to her laptop, but by the time the police arrive the video has disappeared without trace and she’s dismissed as a time-waster. She’s desperate to learn the truth – can Met Police DS Nasreen Cudmore and journalist Freddie Venton help Kate to solve the puzzle before anyone else gets hurt?
Pre-order on Amazon
Fever by Deon Meyer
Post-apartheid South Africa is much written about, but how about post-apocalyptic South Africa? That’s what Deon Meyer delivers here. A pandemic has wiped out most of the population, and among the survivors are Nico Storm and his father. They trundle across the dusty landscape, facing down feral dogs and deadly gangs, and try to establish a place where civilisation can start rebuilding. But to do this, they need law and Nico might be the source of that law. Out 15 June.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Forever and a Death by Donald E Westlake
Donald E Westlake needs little introduction but this novel has an intriguing genesis. The original story was conceived for the James Bond franchise. It involves a Western businessman who seeks revenge after being kicked out of Hong Kong when it was returned to Chinese rule. It was never picked up but Westlake turned it into an original novel which has never been published… until now. Hard Case Crime hints at that 007 DNA in the jacket illustration, and this makes for a belated addition to the oeuvre of one of the great crime writers of the 20th century. Available 13 June.
Pre-order on Amazon
Three Drops of Blood and a Cloud of Cocaine by Quentin Mouron
It is an extravagant title for this literary crime novel set in Massachusetts. Church-going Sheriff McCarthy is investigating two murders that could be the work of the same killer. Franck is a young and violent private detective from New York with a penchant for cocaine who is also soon embroiled. As McCarthy tries to keep some distance between his personal life and the sordid details of the case, he seems to be on a collision course with the PI. Mouron is a Swiss-Canadian author and this is his first novel to be translated into English. Released 15 June.
Pre-order on Amazon
After I’ve Gone by Linda Green
In this unusual novel arriving on 15 June, a woman called Jess Mount checks into Facebook, as you do, and is alarmed to note that the date has skipped forward by 18 months. She has died and her friends and family are posting tributes to her. As she explores her timeline, she discovers that she’s had a beautiful son, but also that her death might not have been an accident. So, does she try and change things to prevent her own death, which might negate the child’s very existance… What would you do?
Pre-order now on Amazon
Out on the Ice by Grant Nicol
New Zealand author Grant Nicol is no stranger to ice, having moved first to Iceland to begin his crime series featuring Grimur Karlsson, and then to Finland for even lower temperatures. His latest features 23-year-old single mother Soley, who finds herself on a frozen lake in Iceland pondering what went wrong. Pain, tears, death – she and her son have not had it easy. Out 16 June for Kindle.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Health of Strangers by Lesley Kelly
In author Lesley Kelly’s second novel, we join the North Edinburgh Health Enforcement Team. No, they’re not restaurant inspectors. Instead, their duty is to stop the spread of a new and deadly strain of the flu virus. The team are made up of cops and health service staff, and as they search for two infected women they come across a mysterious cult called the Children of Camus, and deal with interference from Germany. Out 15 June.
Pre-order now on Amazon
