Crime Fiction Lover HQ is in the United Kingdom, and as spring progresses we’re fortunate to be emerging from lockdown. We hope things are easing where you are too, although we know that some places still have it pretty tough. Stay safe, and keep reading crime fiction is our advice. This week’s new books column starts off with a couple of kickers by women crime authors – check out The Pact by Sharon Bolton and Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Aegisdottir, they’re looking strong. There’s more too, with Bruno, Chief of Police making his return, a killer action thriller set in Mexico and a tricksy psychological thriller about a killer nurse. I’ll just have my vaccine, thanks.
Read about last week’s new crime novels here.
The Pact by Sharon Bolton
Long, hot, carefree summers… remember them? Sharon Bolton conjures up a sparkling example in her new standalone, The Pact, which is out now on Kindle, in print on 27 May. Six friends are having a whale of a time in the sunshine, until a daredevil game goes horrifically awry, leaving a woman and two children dead. Megan, 18, agrees to be the fall guy and is jailed, leaving the others to get on with their lives. But her actions come at a price, and now that Megan is out of prison her old friends are about to start paying.
Buy now on Amazon
Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Aegisdottir
Icelandic author Eva Bjorn Aegisdottir follows up her debut, The Creak on the Stairs, with a new mystery for Elma, a detective with the Akranes police department. It begins with the disappearance of an alcoholic single mother – assumed to be a suicide. But when the body is found seven months later, the evidence says otherwise. This is a case that has roots in the past, about a woman who never felt she fitted in and a list of suspects who may have been responsible for that. Girls Who Lie is a police procedural with psychological aspects, released 22 May for Kindle and later in print.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Coldest Case by Martin Walker
Let’s travel to the Dordogne for The Coldest Case, latest addition to Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police series, out on 27 May. An exhibit on facial reconstruction of old skulls inspires Bruno Courreges to reopen a cold case – and a can of worms. Thirty years ago, a young male was found dead in the woods near St Denis and never identified. Now it looks like the victim could finally be named, but when the trail leads Bruno to a reclusive vintner, the pugnacious policeman uncovers rumours of Cold War espionage that begin ringing alarm bells well above his pay grade.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Saint Death by Mark Dawson
The second book in Mark Dawson‘s John Milton series came out on 6 May – something worth checking out if you love action thrillers. After a career killing people at the behest of the government, Milton’s aim is to use his skills to help the downtrodden. He’s been in hiding and finds himself in Juarez, Mexico, where he saves the life of a journalist amid gang warfare between the narcos. She has a target on her back and Milton’s mission is to get her to safety in Texas. Trouble is, they’re being hunted by an assassin called Saint Death.
Buy now on Amazon
The Nurse by JA Corrigan
An angel of mercy, or angel of death? The nurse in the spotlight in JA Corrigan’s psychological thriller could be either, or both. Rose Marlowe is in jail after admitting to killing a patient in cold blood. Outwardly she is a kind and generous woman, who loves her husband and family – so what inspired her to murder? Down-on-his-luck journalist and author Theo Hazel visits Rose behind bars to hear her story, but is what she is telling him the truth? We’re about to be led on a merry dance before all is revealed. This gripping story with an unreliable narrator at its heart is out on 20 May.
Pre-order now on Amazon