On the Radar — We’ve probably said it before, but Iceland seems disproportionately blessed with fine crime fiction authors despite the country’s lack of actual murders. And the nation of Floki is disproportionately represented this week as both the established master Arnaldur Indridason and young pretender Ragnar Jonasson have new titles coming out. Read more below. Plus we’ve got thrillers and detective stories set in the suburban USA, Brighton, LA and Helsinki…
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The Shadow Killer by Arnaldur Indridason
Iceland is changing. It’s World War II and the Tommies are leaving, to be replaced by GIs. So when a traveling hat salesman is found shot through the head, execution style, and the bullet is confirmed to be that of a Colt 45, it looks like the killer might be an American soldier. Reykjavik detective Flovent is on the case, to be assisted once again by armed forces liaison Thorson, a Canadian with Icelandic blood. This book follows Arnaldur Indridason’s excellent The Shadow District, which went number one in our top 10 Nordic noir novels of 2017. Out 15 March.
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The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson
More Iceland… As revealed back when we went to Iceland Noir 2016, as well as his series featuring policeman Ari Thor Arason, Ragnar Jonasson has a second series up his sleeve waiting for translation via Penguin. The first of these books is arriving in the form of The Darkness. When the body of a young Russian woman washes up on a beach on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the death is dismissed as suicide and the case closed. More than a year later, Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir of the Reykjavik police is about to take an enforced retirement but when she’s given the chance to investigate a cold case of her choice she picks that all-too-easily dismissed death. Out 15 March.
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Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks
Here’s standalone that’ll have you thinking hard about your own circumstances. Melanie Barrick has battled against a tough start in life and now has everything she ever dreamed of – a loving husband, steady work and a beautiful baby son, Alex. Then her child is taken into care and her house is raided by the police who find enough drugs to lock her away for years. Melanie is innocent, but who will believe her story? Her only hope is assistant commonwealth’s attorney Amy Kaye, but Amy has troubles of her own. Thought-provoking domestic noir from the US, out 13 March.
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Secret Relations by Rebecca Forster
Finn O’Brien is an LAPD detective who finds his loyalties torn when his partner’s daughter, Amber Anderson, comes to him for help. Amber’s immigrant boyfriend is missing and O’Brien is not keen to deceive his colleague. That is until the first murder… He soon finds himself on the trail of a serial killer who is taking advantage of unrooted people in a vulnerable limbo existence. Forster has over 30 books under her belt and is the author of the successful Witness thriller series with Josie Bates. This is the third novel featuring Finn O’Brien and Cori Anderson and promises a tense procedural. Out 3 March.
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Godlefe’s Cuckoo by Bill Todd
Brighton-based private detective Danny Lancaster is supposed to be dead. He hasn’t been seen since a fishing boat blew up just outside the marina. Wanda Lovejoy is still flying the flag for Danny but the head of a criminal empire isn’t content to let it lie. He might be on the other side of the planet needing round-the-clock medical care to keep him alive but he’s hellbent on ensuring Lancaster is dead. We reviewed former journalist Bill Todd’s collection of Danny Lancaster tales, Gargoyle Pixie Dog, and this is now the sixth in the series. Released 15 March.
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Holy Ceremony by Harri Nykanen
Ariel Kafka is the Helsinki detective in the Violent Crimes Unit looking into the death of a women found in her apartment, her body scored with religious texts. Intriguingly, it turns out she wasn’t murdered at all and her body was stolen from the morgue. Kafka is Jewish and soon his religion is clashing with his profession as investigations lead him to the shadowy Christian Brotherhood of the Holy Vault. Finnish crime journalist Harri Nykanen has published dozens of books but only a handful have made it into English. We have previously reviewed Nights of Awe. Out 15 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
