The past will come back to get you. And if you happen to be a character in a crime novel, be warned – because this is doubly the case. We won’t drift into metafictional discussion here, though. What we will do is tell you that nearly all our books this week are either set in the past – like Whitethroat by James Henry and Tell Me How It Ends by VB Grey – or involve past events that come back to shake the main characters. And in some cases, both. This week’s selection is very interesting as well, particularly in terms of the types of stories and settings on offer. There’s mystery, thrills, creepiness and more…

Whitethroat by James Henry

On 9 July, you’ll be able to step back in time to the 1980s once again with crime fiction author James Henry, creator of the DI Nick Lowry series. This is the third novel to feature the Essex detective and the year is 1983. In the garrison town of Colchester, a 19-year-old soldier has been found dead in the High Street. It appears as though he was killed in something resembling a duel. The military police want to keep the matter internal but it’s a case that criss-crosses the town’s civilian life, possibly involving a local entrepreneur, a skinhead, some minor gentry, a Mauritian travel agent and the Robin Hood pub.
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Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer

There’s good news and bad news for fans of Carol Wyer’s series featuring DI Natalie Ward. The good news is that book seven, Somebody’s Daughter, is out on 9 July. The bad news? Well, Carol says there will be no more Natalie books for a while. As this book opens Ward is still grieving the loss of her own teenage daughter, so when two young runaway girls are found murdered on consecutive days she feels a personal connection with their deaths. Then another victim is targeted but this time it’s a wealthy young woman, the word ‘guilty’ scrawled on her forehead. As the body count rises, it’s up to Ward and her team to try to fit the pieces together. But time is against them, and they have a mole in the camp too.
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Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Here’s a book that’s ripe for some late night reading, and you only have to wait until 9 July to get your hands on a copy. Harrow Lake was a quiet and unassuming town until it was used as the setting for an iconic horror movie. Now the place trades on its fame, and the locals seem strangely obsessed with the film that put their town on the map. Then a newcomer arrives in the shape of Lola Nox. She’s the daughter of the man who made the movie, and when he is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, Lola is packed off to spend time with her grandmother. But Harrow Lake has secrets, and when Lola suspects she has a stalker, no one seems prepared to help her out… Have a look at the horror movie-inspired early version of the book sent out for publicity.
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Tell Me How it Ends by VB Grey

Star singer Delia Maxwell is loved around the world, adored by men and women alike. For Lily Brooks, a huge fan, being Delia’s assistant is a dream job, but private detective Frank has his doubts about Lily. Is she getting just a little too close to the star? Set in the 1960s, this is a novel that has a hint of the Patricia Highsmith about it. Maybe there’s a reason Lily is zeroing in on Delia, one that’s buried deep in the past. You’ll be able to find out more on 9 July when Tell Me How it Ends is released. Author VB Grey is an experienced screenwriter and, publishing as Isabelle Grey, also wrote the DI Grace Fisher series. Read our interview with her here.
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Fire on the Island by Timothy Jay Smith

Be transported to the Greek Islands in this crime thriller with more than a hint of romance, out on 7 July. Would-be author Nick Damigos arrives in Vourvolos in search of a muse. But Nick is actually an FBI agent, called in by the village mayor to investigate a string of arson attacks that have occurred all around the island. Beneath their apparent randomness is a pattern which seems to show the Vourvolos coastguard’s oil tank as the next target. If that goes up, it will take most of the village with it. There’s intrigue interspersed with blossoming love in Fire on the Island, and Timothy Jay Smith throws in a perspective on the current Mediterranean refugee crisis too.
Pre-order now on Amazon