On the Radar — This week, our new books column starts off with a book that looks very interesting – and although it’s called The Whisper Man, it could be one of the novels that makes the most noise this summer. It’s one of five new releases we’ve got for you to discover…
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The Whisper Man by Alex North
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but we put this one top of the pile this week because the jacket looks fantastic. If as much imagination went into the story as well, it’ll be a doozy. It starts off with a man called Tom Kennedy who moves to a quiet town called Featherbank with his son, ostensibly to get over the death of Tom’s wife. But the town has a secret and 15 years ago was the prowling ground of The Whisper Man, a serial killer who took young boys. The culprit was caught, but not long after Tom’s arrival a boy goes missing and his own son, Jake, begins behaving strangely. He’s hearing whispering at the window… This chiller by Leeds author Alex North is out 13 June in the UK and 20 August in the US.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The String Games by Gail Aldwin
An idyllic family summer holiday ends in tragedy in this haunting thriller by an author best known for her short-form works. Nine-year-old Nim spends a lot of her time looking out for her four-year-old brother Josh and when he disappears on their camping holiday in France and is later found murdered, Nim blames herself. Years later, the events of that fateful summer still haunt the grown up Imogen and she makes a decision to return to France and find out what really happened. A mistake, or the chance to finally find closure? Out now and look out for our review, coming soon. Meantime, for more holiday trauma, try Alex Marwood’s The Darkest Secret.
Buy now from Waterstones
Stolen by Paul Finch
The creator of the Heck series, featuring DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg of the National Crime Group’s Serial Crimes Unit – including Kiss of Death, reviewed here – has come up with a new twist to the tortured police detective trope. DC Lucy Clayburn is the estranged daughter of a nasty gangster, and as if that’s not bad enough, she’s also under pressure in a tough investigation that’s got everyone on edge. People are disappearing across North West England, taken from the streets as they’re going about their daily lives. There are no clues, no bodies and little hope of solving this one. Then Lucy’s father gets caught in the crossfire and her stress levels go up to 11. Out now.
Buy now on Amazon
Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase
A little girl goes missing in Pine Valley, California and the past comes flooding back for Detective Katie Scott. Back when she was just a kid herself, Katie’s best friend vanished without trace from summer camp. It’s a memory that spurs Scott on in her investigation of the disappearance of eight-year-old Chelsea Compton. Then she and her loyal ex-military dog Cisco make a shocking discovery in the woods – a row of graves, each topped by a teddy bear. There’s a murderer on the loose – can Scott catch them before they strike again? This series opener is out now on Kindle.
Buy now on Amazon
Recursion by Blake Crouch
We’ll end this week’s new books column with something a bit… fractured. Recursion begins when a woman jumps off a Manhattan building right in front of protagonist Barry Sutton. “My son has been erased,” she says. As he investigates her strange case, he finds that dozens of other people seem to have memories wiped from their lives. In the meantime, a neuroscientist called Helena Smith is working on something quite the opposite – a way of letting people re-experience the emotions felt during their most precious moments. Is there a link between what she’s up to and the growing number of people whose lives have been broken by memories wiped out? Out 13 June, Recursion follows on from Dark Matter.
Pre-order now on Amazon
