On the Radar — Given the title of Louise Penny’s latest novel, we’re expecting some stone throwing, or at least some of the double standards hinted at in the old adage, as her latest novel leads our new books column this week. Penny has a good claim to being Canada’s greatest living crime novelist and her book is worthy of your attention. As well as Quebec, our latest crime cruise also takes in Derbyshire, London, Maine, Amsterdam and a transatlantic liner on its way to New York. Read on and tell us what your favourite new release is.
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Glass Houses by Louise Penny
We’ve reached number 13 in this popular series and Chief Superintendent Armand Gamache has thrown off any pretence of retirement and is back in harness. His refuge from the toils of the job is his home in the tiny village of Three Pines, Quebec, but when a mysterious figure brings fear and death to the peaceful community, Gamache must make some difficult decisions if justice is to be truly served… Louise Penny’s Bury Your Dead, sixth in the series, was among our top 10 Canadian crime novels of all time. Out 29 August.
Pre-order now on Amazon
A Patient Fury by Sarah Ward
The third novel by Derbyshire-based author Sarah Ward arrives on 7 September, and her series detective DC Connie Childs is back for another case that delves into the past. Three bodies are found in a burned out house on Cross Farm Lane and it looks like a murder-suicide carried out by the mother. But there is a fourth body to be found, and it holds the key to the mystery. Connie’s convinced there’s more to it than murder-suicide and is driven to catch the real killer – but at what cost? We’ve previously reviewed In Bitter Chill and A Deadly Thaw.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Prime of Ms Dolly Green by EV Harte
Dolly Green is a professional Tarot card reader living in Tinderbox Lane in South West London who is shocked when she has a bloody vision during a session with voluptuous Nikki. Not long after, a body washes up under Chiswick Bridge and Dolly fears she might have seen Nikki’s watery fate. But will Sgt Raff Williams believe her? As the soft images and pastel tones of the cover suggest this is firmly in the cosy genre. Sit back for a light-hearted whodunnit with Dolly, the Tarot card toting sleuth. Released 7 Sept.
Pre-order on Amazon
Copycat by Alex Lane
What would you do if a stalker created a fake Facebook profile that was identical to yours? Creepily, Sarah Havenant can see it is her in every detail. There is even a photo taken from inside her own house. Soon life in her small town on the coast in Maine is unravelling as the phoney causes havoc. Her relationship with her husband is strained, her children and her job are at risk. Soon her life itself is threatened. The nightmare unfolds in a psychological thriller with a modern twist that promises to exploit our exposure on social media. Out 7 Sept.
Pre-order on Amazon
A Cold Case in Amsterdam Central by Anja de Jager
A case of health and safety gone mad? Quite the opposite here as the body of a painter and decorator is found. Did he fall from the building he was working on? Detective Lotte Meerman doesn’t think it was an accident – especially not when a skeleton is found in the man’s locker at Amsterdam Central station. Even more strange is the fact that these bones date back to World War II, and hence we have the cold case that Lotte must solve. Though the author is of Dutch origin, the book was written in en English. Out 7 Sept.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Shock by Marc Raabe
A new thriller from the author of The Cut, which was an international best seller. A woman goes missing in the Cote d’Azur at the height of a storm, leaving behind nothing but her phone – containing a disturbing video. It’s a great mystery, and her friend Jan wants some answers, but when his next-door neighbour in Berlin is found with a bloody message on her forehead the quest for the truth becomes all the more compelling…
Buy now on Amazon
1920: Variations on a Theme of Masculinity
Let’s round things off with a journey by see. As you’ll guess the year is 1920 and Captain Rider Garforth is crossing the Atlantic to New York hoping to see a doctor who is an expert in shell shock. As if the Great War weren’t filled with enough death, murders start occurring on the ship and because of Garforth’s experience as a policeman he is railroaded into investigating the murders, along with his servant, Martins. It’s out 31 August.
Pre-order now on Amazon
