Anyone else think that April Fool’s Day is a bit outdated? After the year we’ve had, who’s got time for pranks? Or a silly press release, or lame corporate tweet? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s get down to business, and to why you visit our site. Crime novels. Serious stuff. Even the humorous ones are serious stuff to us. Give us a caper or a heist over a prank every time. Anyway… let’s have a look at some of the new crime novels arriving this month because they’re not for fools. We’ve Icelandic crime fiction, domestic noir, a creepy stalker thriller, espionage and a trip into the Outback…
Silenced by Solveig Palsdottir
Here’s some new crime fiction from Iceland, as Solveig Palsdottir returns with a twisted mystery for Reykjavik detective Guðgeir Fransson. Twisted, because two unusual events become entwined. First of all, there’s the apparent suicide of an artist who was doing a short stretch for driving under the influence and crashing into someone’s house, nearly killing a child. Second, when Guðgeir and his family move into their new apartment, the woman living across the hall tells him that her brother disappeared 20 years ago and that she’s still upset about it. No sooner has Guðgeir begun looking into it than he sees links between the two cases. Coincidence? Hmmm. Find out more on 15 April.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Everything Happens for a Reason by Katie Allen
Another former journalist joins the crime writing fold when Katie Allen’s debut novel Everything Happens for a Reason arrives on 10 April on Kindle. The title is one of those trite things people say after a tragedy, and Allen mines her own experiences of being on maternity leave after her baby was stillborn for this unique take on domestic noir. Protagonist Rachel is grieving the loss of her child when someone says the fateful phrase. It sends her off on a quest to find the man who she stopped from jumping in front of a train, convinced that saving his life cost her the life of her son.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Girl A by Dan Scottow
A scrawled note pushed through her letterbox sends Beth’s world crumbling around her ears in Dan Scottow’s psychological thriller Girl A, which is out now. The message is short and definitely not sweet – just the words ‘found you’ – but its repercussions are wide ranging for Beth. All she ever wanted was a quiet, uncomplicated life for herself and her family but now someone is out to get her. The question is, have they got the right person in their sights? There’s plenty to keep the pages turning before we discover the truth…
Buy now on Amazon
How to Betray Your Country by James Wolff
Drummed out of the service, former spy August Drummond finds himself on a plane to Istanbul, about to begin some private contract work in Turkey. But his spy-D-sense is tingling when he notices there’s something odd about the passenger a few rows ahead of him. He follows the man at the airport and notices him putting something in the bin, before being arrested. Drummond decides to follow the map that was in the trash and a new adventure beings that might be a little more complex than his private contract. Or not… New espionage by James Wolff out 15 April.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Vanished by James Delargy
James Delargy gained many fans with his debut novel, 55, which came out almost two years ago. On 15 April he is back with Vanished, and once more we’re in the harsh and unforgiving Australian outback. The Kane family, Lorcan, Naiyana and their young son, leave Perth and move to Kallayee, an abandoned mining town in the Great Victoria Desert. They are hoping to find a fresh start, leave their chequered past behind – but this is crime fiction after all, so good luck with that folks! Suddenly, the quiet, remote town is filled with untold danger – and then the Kanes disappear…
Pre-order now on Amazon
