On the Radar — This week we announce an exciting new series from Denmark, and Jesper Stein’s Unrest looks like it will pack a lot of action. It’s been a big seller in Denmark and its fame has spread to 10 other countries already. Now we have it in English. In addition, we’ve got new releases from the UK, the US and Southern Africa for you to check out.
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Originally published in Denmark in 2012, the opening novel in the Axel Steen series is landing in English on 19 July. It’s set in 2007, and after a riot in the multicultural Norrebro district of Copenhagen, a man lies dead. Initially, it looks like a case of police brutality and needs to be dealt with sensitively. However, Detective Superintendent Axel Steen soon finds that forces both within the police and outside are taking an unusual interest in the case. From drug lords to journalists and from his boss to his ex-wife, everyone seems to be pulling Steen in a different direction.The film rights for this series have been snapped up by the makers of The Bridge. Watch for our review soon.
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If you like a bit of forensics plus a lot of tense action, then dial into The Third Rule when it comes out on 10 July. Bloodhound Books is republishing Andrew Barrett’s first book featuring CSI Eddie Collins. It’s England, but not as we know it. After a series of atrocities, the government has brought back capital punishment and artist Christian Ledger stands accused of stabbing someone to death. Collins too, is a wanted man. He has been suicidal in the past but unless he can exonerate himself, this really will be it – he’ll be sent to ‘the slaughterhouse’.
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The writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip who created the popular Detective Kubu series return with a standalone, set in South Africa and out 15 July. Freelance journalist Crystal Nguyen heads to South Africa to research an article on the illegal trade in rhino horns for National Geographic, but the assignment turns sour when she becomes the target for the hunters and is then accused of murder. There’s also the added complication of a suitcase full of cash that she doesn’t want but can’t get rid of. This could all add up to the story of a lifetime, but will Crystal stay alive long enough to tell it?
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Introducing Detective Inspector Dan Hellier, who is headed back home to Exeter with his career on the slide. He soon has a case – a singer’s body has been found in the woods and there are all sorts of angles for Hellier to investigate – a recording studio boss, a music teacher, a predatory gang… just for starters. Book two in the series, Death on Dartmoor, has been released at the same time if you want to double up.
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Many crime novels feature dysfunctional families, but few are as broken as the people featured in this psychological thriller by the author of The Other Twin. Lily’s marriage to oncologist Maxwell was a disaster. He was jealous and possessive and she eventually leaves, taking her six-year-old son with her. Then Lily meets and marries headteacher Sebastian and begins again with a man who loves and cherishes her. Life is good, until Maxwell makes a reappearance – determined to win Lily back, whatever the cost… Out for Kindle.
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Prolific writer Donald Dewey has released the sixth in his series featuring private investigator Paul Finley, out now. Finley’s latest investigation is close to home when a pile of old police reports sent by a former colleague reveals unanswered questions about the accidental death of Finley’s wife and daughter some years earlier. Then Finley’s source dies unexpectedly under dubious circumstances and Finley must work alone to get to the bottom of something he thought he’d put behind him long ago.
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Illinois author Dennis Canfield has written several children’s books, but he’s also a crime fiction lover and has written a short story that falls into our favourite genre. It’s the story of Brian Jefferies, whose job means that he helps his clients prepare for the future. Soon, it’s Brian’s future and that of his family that are in jeopardy because he’s found himself one violent client and the story quickly involves illegal drugs and $3 million. It’s 99p on Amazon and it’s out now.
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