LA crime writer Michael Connelly is on fire at the moment. With his Harry Bosch series successfully adapted for the small screen by Amazon, his books are deservedly finding a wider audience. So it’s nice to see him put one of his older characters into the limelight as investigative journalist Jack McEvoy sees his first outing in 11 years. Connelly himself was a reporter, so he’s got the skinny on how this character operates. Fair Warning is undoubtedly the big news this week, but don’t overlook the other books we’re highlighting. They include two debuts, a trip to Italy and a stop in Nigeria as well.
Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
We last met journalist Jack McEvoy in The Scarecrow back in 2009. Now, leading American crime author Michael Connelly has thrown off the dust covers to give him another airing in Fair Warning, which arrives on 26 May. McEvoy has made a career out of writing about killers but this time he’s being accused of murder himself. When a recent date turns up dead, the police have McEvoy as their prime suspect. They’re wrong, but how can he convince them of his innocence, particularly when the real perpetrator seems to know so much about him? It’s time for McEvoy to make good use of all of his investigative skills, although someone else is watching….
Pre-order now on Amazon
Before I Say I Do by Vicki Bradley
Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, right? But in Vicky Bradley’s debut psychological thriller, out 28 May, things are about to go horribly wrong before the couple has even made it up the aisle. Julia is all dressed and ready to wed Mark, but her nerves aren’t just about the ceremony ahead – she has a guilty secret which will come back to haunt her, big time. The nightmare begins when Mark goes missing, and as the story unfolds from the twin viewpoints of Julia and Detective Alana Loxton, it becomes clear there’s more to this disappearance than meets the eye.
Pre-order now on Amazon
A Quiet Death in Italy by Tom Benjamin
Already available for Kindle and arriving on 21 May as a paperback, Tom Benjamin’s A Quiet Death in Italy will take you to the ancient city of Bologne, which has underground canals running beneath it. It’s in one such canal that the body of a protestor is discovered. The public believe that the police killed him. Private detective Daniel Leicester is the son-in-law of a former police chief, and he receives a call from the murdered man’s lover. Leicester’s subsequent investigation follows a trail of corruption and violence going back all the way to the 1970s. Check out some Noir Italiano here.
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Making Wolf by Tade Thompson
Weston Kogi works security in a London supermarket, but when he heads back to his homeland in West Africa for his aunt’s funeral he tells people he’s a homicide detective. Everything seems fine… until he’s kidnapped by rebel factions in the country and forced to investigate the murder of Papa Busi, a local hero. It’s not quite the same as shaking down a shoplifter from Shepherd’s Bush. Originally published in 2015, Tade Thompson’s Making Wolf was featured in our article on Nigerian noir. Now it’s being reprinted by Constable in the hope that it reaches a wider audience.
Buy now on Amazon
Sister Margaret by Travis Myers and Natasha Myers Marsiguerra
This debut novel by brother and sister Travis Myers and Natasha Myers Marsiguerra is out on 28 May and has more than a hint of authenticity. Travis is a retired New York police detective and Sister Margaret is the first in a series to feature veteran NYPD Detective Tommy Keane. He is nearing retirement and a new assignment in Manhattan sounds like an easy ride for a cop used to working the mean streets of the Bronx – but that all changes with the grisly and shocking murder of a well-known and celebrated nun in a usually quiet and gentrified neighbourhood.
Pre-order now on Amazon
