When you feel the need to dive into a crime read that’s instantly accessible, with thrills, suspense, twists, turns and mystery, Bloodhound Books could be the publisher to turn to. The company is one of our main supporters here at Crime Fiction Lover, helping make the site possible. At the same time, this independent publisher is putting out thriller after thriller, with nearly all its books set in locations around the British Isles. From suburban London to West Wales, from Exeter to Blackpool and on up to Scotland, it’s great to see such a diversity of locales featured.
What we’ve put together here is a quick guide to Bloodhound’s most successful reads, forming a great reading list for 2019.
34 Days by Anita Waller
There may be days in the title of this book, but it centres around a 35-year marriage. Anna and Ray are the couple in question, doting grandparents and apparently happy and content – but who knows what goes on behind closed doors? As their wedding anniversary approaches Anna has had enough and ups sticks and leaves, throwing the family into turmoil. When the first cracks in that perfect veneer begin to show, the wheels are set in motion for a murderous conclusion…
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Anglesey Blue by Dylan H Jones
DI Tudor Manx has returned to his Welsh origins on the isle of Anglesey after being discredited while working for the Metropolitan Police. But life on the island is no less dangerous than in the big smoke, with a new drug called ‘blue’ bringing trouble to local communities. When a crucified body is found, and then a man is burned to death, first thoughts might jump to the idea of ritual killing, taking the island’s dark Celtic past into consideration. However, this is a solid, modern day police procedural and plenty of suspects with here-and-now motives soon present themselves. Full review here.
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Death in the Woods by Bernie Steadman
Bernie Steadman’s crime thriller lands us down in the West Country – just outside Exeter, to be precise. The body of a young woman has been discovered and when DI Dan Hellier investigates he finds a somewhat dysfunctional family who didn’t know their daughter Carly all that well. Soon there’s more than one crime to deal with, and as an organised crime ring from Eastern Europe emerges, Hellier and inexperienced partner Ian Gould have a lot of investigating to do. Read our full review here.
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Doll Face by Dylan H Jones
Another book by Dylan H Jones is among Bloodhound’s bestsellers, and it once again contains DI Tudor Manx. A strangely mutilated body has been found, and inside it is a vial containing a religious quote. There seems to be a serial killer on Anglesey because soon enough another victim is discovered. Once again, Jones writes a strong police procedural with a rampant, unhinged killer and lots of suspects keeping things lively for Manx. Read the full review here.
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In Harm’s Way by Owen Mullen
Fans of Scottish noir will delight in this book by an author who combines no nonsense style with a pinch of quirkiness. Mackenzie Crawford is missing – but no one actually seems to miss her. Husband Derek thinks she’s run off with another bloke, while her brother and sister think she’s just pulling another of her drama queen acts. But Mackenzie really is missing, being held against her will, chained up in a dingy cellar – can there be a happy ending for a woman who seemed to have everything? Read our review here.
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The Red Cobra by Rob Sinclair
If action is what you’re after, try a book by Rob Sinclair. In The Red Cobra we meet James Ryker, AKA intelligence agent Carl Logan. He’s out of the game, but the old life won’t let go and when there’s a cyber attack on the Joint Intelligence Agency and the fingerprints of the assassin The Red Cobra are found at a murder scene in Spain, Ryker is drawn in. His former boss asks him to track down the Cobra, but first he has to figure out who the victim was and why she was killed. It’s the first in a series.
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No Place Like Home by Rebecca Muddiman
Unreliable narrators – we crime fiction lovers just love ’em! And they don’t come much more unreliable than the innocuously monickered Polly in this standalone (reviewed here) in which nothing is quite as it seems. We first meet Polly as she is excitedly moving into her new home, but that image of domestic bliss is shattered with the arrival of a strange man called Jacob – a cuckoo in the nest who seems intent upon ruffling Polly’s feathers. What on earth is going on? There’s something so satisfying when the mists clear and everything falls into place. Enjoy!
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The Optician’s Wife by Betsy Reavley
This author is making quite a name for herself as a purveyor of deceptive and deviously plotted domestic noir. Meet dowdy, downtrodden Deborah, stuck behind a counter at Woolworths and with no prospect of making anything of herself. Then along comes trainee optician Larry, who sweeps her off her feet and transforms Deborah into a happy wife and mother. But things are about to go awry in spectacular fashion (see what we did there?). Read our review here.
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The Other Mother by JA Baker
Three women with a dark secret share the narrative in this addictive thriller from an author who’s a dab hand at keeping readers on their toes. Lissy, Beverley and Erica lead very different lives, but something from their past looms large. Back then, a simple babysitting session went tragically wrong for two teenage girls. Who did they grow up to be and what lies in their future? You’ll be hard pressed to sort the wheat from the chaff before all becomes clear… Read our review here.
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Suspended Retribution by Rob Ashman
Someone’s out there, and they’re killing criminals in ironic ways. For instance, Jimmy Caldwell has received a suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter and he’s killed in a hit-and-run. Later, a burglar is found dead in the bathtub of a home he was robbing. DCI Rosalind Kray investigates in this book set in Blackpool, bringing her sandpapery style to a case that needs some grit, and that’s for sure. This is a book where the focus is on the thrill of the chase, but Rob Ashman’s plotting is pin sharp as well. Read our full review here.
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