We’ve given this week’s new books column the title ‘back to the former you’ because it’s a theme that ties together all the novels included. For example, Kate Simants dug up her experiences as an investigative reporter in a children’s home for the basis of our lead novel. The Crime Writers’ Association has gone back to its past for its latest anthology, Nick Quantrill has revived his detective character Joe Geraghty, Karen Pirie is dealing with her own cold case in Val McDermid’s latest and in our final book the main character actually meets a younger version of herself… One way or another, these books have got something that will hook readers back to their first love: crime fiction.
A Ruined Girl by Kate Simants
Write about what you know. That’s what they start you off with on creative writing courses, isn’t it? Well: get this. The author of A Ruined Girl, Kate Simants, was an investigative reporter who went undercover to expose dark dealings in a children’s home. And, that’s exactly what she’s written about here. In her novel, a probation officer looks into why a girl went missing from a children’s home and what happened to her. Two boys in the home were in love with the girl… The author’s aim was to take a sympathetic look at the lives of young people in care, and her novel has already picked up an award or two. It’s out 27 August.
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Vintage Crime edited by Martin Edwards
Hot off the press is a new Crime Writers’ Association anthology, which celebrates its members’ achievements from the 1950s up to the current decade. Inside you’ll find 22 stories, with past greats such as Celia Fremlin presented alongside current must-read authors like Mick Herron. John Dickson Carr, Frances Fyfield and Peter Lovesey are just a few of the other writers to feature.
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Sound of the Sinners by Nick Quantrill
It’s been seven long years since we last met, but Joe Geraghty is back. The former Hull private eye is now living in Amsterdam, but he reluctantly returns to his old stomping ground for the funeral of former business partner and mentor Don Ridley. The man was found dead shortly after asking for Geraghty’s help. The city may have had a makeover, but some things never change and Geraghty soon finds himself investigating the circumstances of his friend’s death. Could it have something to do with Ridley’s time in the police? And what’s the link to the long unsolved ‘Car Boot Murder’? Sound of the Sinners is out on 21 August.
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Still Life by Val McDermid
Val McDermid’s cold case detective Karen Pirie is back in Still Life, an intriguing new mystery that’s out on 20 August. While out at sea pulling in their catch, a group of lobster fisherman find something unexpected – a dead body. The victim is soon identified as the prime suspect in a mysterious disappearance ten years before, and he’s been murdered. As Pirie was the last person to review the case, she’s tasked with taking another look but as she digs deeper, the tangled threads of past misdeeds begin to unravel to reveal dark and troubling secrets.
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You Again by Debra Jo Immergut
She was a 2019 Edgar award finalist for her debut The Captives, now Debra Jo Immergut is back with You Again, another standalone psychological thriller destined to keep you up well into the wee small hours – out now. Abigail Willard is left reeling when she spots the spitting image of herself at age 22, right down to the clothes she used to wear as a struggling artist. But the real Abby is now 46, married, with a corporate job and two kids. She dismisses it – but as weeks go by, Abby continues to spot her double around her old New York haunts. As the girl becomes an obsession, Abby’s finely constructed life begins to crumble in dramatic fashion…
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