On the Radar — It’s time to go back to school, and that means some of the big crime fiction releases are hitting the shelves in time for the cooler weather. One example is JK Rowling’s new Cormoran Strike novel, Lethal White, which leads our new books column this week. The series has been excellent so far. But it’s not alone, we’ve got five other new books for you to check out including the latest from George Mann, Betsy Reavley and Felix Francis.
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Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
Fans of Cormoran Strike probably have 18 September ringed already in their diaries. It’s the date the much-anticipated fourth in the series created by JK Rowling under another name is published. Strike has now taken on Robyn as his business partner and the pair will need all of their combined sleuthing skills when a young man comes for help in solving a crime he witnessed as a child and which has haunted him ever since. But when their client disappears, Strike and Robyn are pulled deeper and deeper into danger… Look out for our review, coming soon. The series began with The Cuckoo’s Calling in 2013, and has been made into a BBC television series.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Hallowdene by George Mann
It says on our calendar that Halloween is on 31 October but the date you really need is 18 September, because that’s when George Mann’s latest creepy, folklore-inspired crime story Hallowdene hits the shelves. Will the horned one be raising his head as journalist Elspeth Reeves arrives at the grave of a witch buried under a large stone 300 years ago? And what of the series of brutal murders that is taking place in quiet, rural Oxfordshire and their connection to black magic? This follows Wychwood, reviewed here.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Murder at the Book Club by Betsy Reavley
There’s a touch of the Agatha Christie about Betsy Reavley’s latest mystery, out now for Kindle and as a paperback. Nine women meet over coffee and cakes to discuss their latest read. What could be more innocuous? But one of them is a killer, and when a woman’s body is discovered on a common in Cambridge, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer are called in to investigate. Their enquiries lead them back to that aforementioned book club soirée, but can they recognise the red herrings, discover a motive and nab their killer before another death occurs?
Pre-order now on Amazon
Crisis by Felix Francis
The call has gone out for an accident investigator after six valuable racers have been barbecued in the Chadwick’s stables. But when lawyer Harrison Foster arrives in Newmarket to look into the crisis it appears the fire was no accident and that a human being was among those killed. Who is the victim, who has struck out at the dysfunctional Chadwick family, and can horse racing survive another murderous scandal? Felix Francis continues in the tradition of his father with a brand new mystery out 20 September.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Darkest Place by Jo Spain
Here new Irish crime fiction comes your way as DCI Tom Reynolds heads to Oileán na Caillte, a fictional island off County Kerry, where a mass grave has been discovered. The location was once the site of St Christina’s mental asylum. Amongst the bodies is that of a doctor who went missing from the asylum 40 years earlier and after forensics examine the body Reynolds finds he has a cold case murder on his hands. This fourth book in the series is out on 20 September.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Suspended Retribution by Rob Ashman
This wild and fast-paced thriller sees DI Rosalind Kray on the trail of a serial killer who seems to be dispatching vigilante justice – first to a small-time crook, then to a serial burglar. Kray’s bosses aren’t on board with the vigilante theory but soon the bodies are stacking up and Kray finds herself pitted against an adversary who is in his own private war zone. Flesh-eating parasites also feature. Out 12 September from Bloodhound Books.
Pre-order now on Amazon
