On the Radar — Well, whaddaya know? Philip Marlowe is back on the crime bookshelf this week, a result of Raymond Chandler’s estate inviting journalist and travel writer Lawrence Osborne to create a new mystery for the world’s most famous private eye. We’ve got new French crime fiction from Pierre Lemaitre, new and original Nordic noir and Sarah Ward’s latest Peak District mystery too. Read on and discover your next crime novel.
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Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne
A plethora of people have written Sherlock Holmes stories. Sophie Hannah is now writing Hercule Poirot mysteries. Ace Atkins has continued Robert B Parker’s legacy. So why not have Lawrence Osborne write a book about Philip Marlowe, the archetypal private eye as created by the great Raymond Chandler? In this much awaited novel, we find Marlowe aged 72, sipping cocktails and playing cards in a hotel bar. When Donald Zinn, a wealthy man with a younger wife, drowns mysteriously by his yacht, the great detective is pulled into a mystery that draws him to the Mexican border. Out 6 September, and watch for our review.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Inhuman Resources by Pierre Lemaitre
The award-winning author of the international bestseller Alex is back with a standalone that’ll have you on the edge of your reading chair. The ignominy of unemployment must hit even harder when you were formerly a big gun in human resources, and at 57, Alain Delambre is feeling the strain. He’s been offered nothing but menial, low paying roles and is at rock bottom, so when a major company offers him an interview, Alain is ready to crawl over hot coals to get the job. Instead, he is asked to participate in a roleplaying game that involves hostage-taking. But what might seem like a harmless exercise is about to become much more sinister. How far would you go for the job of your dreams? Out on 6 September.
Pre-order now on Amazon
After the Death of Ellen Keldberg by Eddie Thomas Petersen
The British indie publisher Handheld has discovered a new Danish crime author and will be releasing Eddie Thomas Petersen’s 2013 novel for British readers on 3 September. After the Death of Ellen Keldberg is set in a seaside town that’s full of life in the summer, and dead in the winter, with dead being the operative word. The eponymous artist has been found frozen on a bench in Skagen, and as her nephew Mikkel comes to settle her affairs, photographer Anne Sophie has arrived to uncover the truth about the old lady. It turns into a thriller driven by old family secrets and, well, there’s a naked dude on the front cover too.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Shrouded Path by Sarah Ward
Sarah Ward has proved a popular choice with crime fiction lovers ever since her debut In Bitter Chill, which we reviewed in 2015. Her third novel, A Patient Fury won five stars on the site last year, so this fourth book in the Derbyshire-set series featuring DC Connie Childs has been eagerly anticipated. The narrative skips between the late 1950s and 2017 and we begin in 1957, where a group of teenage girls walk into an old tunnel in the misty Peak District. When they emerge, one is missing and that mystery from the past is about to have huge repercussions for Childs and her Bampton police colleagues, including newbie DS Peter Dahl, freshly arrived from Glossop. Out on 6 September – look out for a review soon.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Trap by Lilja Siguradardottir
Following on from Snare, Lila Sigurdardottir’s debut, which was set in Reykjavik, the next in the Icelandic series is Trap and the heroine of book one is living in Florida with her son, having escaped the life of a drugs mule. But the sunshine doesn’t last long, and young Tomas is snatched, leading Sonja back to Reykjavik. The drama continues with her lover Agla and the customs officer Bragi returning – perhaps to help her, or maybe to hinder her. Read it and find out. Released 30 August for Kindle.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell
Former police detective turned author Caroline Mitchell already has nine novels under her belt. Book 10 introduces the first in a new series, featuring DI Amy Winter, whose life is about to be shattered by a surprise letter from an imprisoned serial killer. Lillian Grimes is one half of a notorious husband and wife team who ruthlessly killed many innocent people. She is psychopathic and evil, and what she reveals to Winter sends the DI on a journey into a past she’d rather have left buried… Out on 6 September.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Cold Summer by Gianrico Carofiglio
This hard-hitting inside look at the mafia is based on a true story and is out 4 September. It’s 1992, and the summer in Puglia has been shattered by mafia violence spreading from Sicily. At the eye of the storm is Pietro Fenoglio, a local officer of the carabinieri, who has enough problems in his personal life without having to deal with the gang wars raging around Bari. A breakthrough comes when a former made man decides to cooperate with the police but what he has to say pulls Fenoglio further into the fray, and into danger. Watch for our review soon.
Pre-order now on Amazon
