Our unquenchable thirst for more crime novels continues here in On the Radar. This week the immensely talented literary author John Banville is back with a new Quirke novel. Previously he published them under his crime fiction nom de plume, Benjamin Black. Meanwhile, Dominic Martell is another established author making his return, and we also have a new psychological thriller from former newsreader Teresa Driscoll, debutante Tariq Ashkanani and a second novel from Australian writer SR White.
Which of these five novels will you be picking up? Let us know in the comments below.
April in Spain by John Banville
Booker Prize winner John Banville‘s dark and evocative new mystery is set on the Spanish coast, where Dublin pathologist Quirke is on holiday with his wife. He’s finally getting some R&R, until he spots a familiar face and suddenly work mode kicks in again. At first Quirke doubts his instincts – could the woman he saw really be who he thinks she is? If so, she has links to a crime that almost led to the ruin of an Irish political dynasty. A call back home brings Detective St John Strafford out on the next flight – but he is not the only one on board who is interested in the mysterious woman… April in Spain is out on 7 October
Pre-order now on Amazon
Her Perfect Family by Teresa Driscoll
Teresa Driscoll’s latest psychological thriller begins with a happy family event as Rachel and Ed Hartley attend the graduation ceremony of their daughter, Gemma. All is going well until Gemma stumbles and falls onstage. She’s been shot and is rushed to hospital where she lies in a coma. PI Matthew Hill, one of the first on the scene, uncovers a cryptic message that Gemma received earlier in the day, suggesting someone close to her was about to be exposed. But as Matthew tries to find out who, he begins to suspect that the Hartleys have something to hide. You can grab a copy of Her Perfect Family on 1 October.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Blackchain by Dominic Martell
It was back in the 1990s when Dominic Martell wrote three novels featuring repentant ex-terrorist Pascual Rose, now Pascual is back and his quiet retirement in Marseille is about to be disrupted, big time. The Agency needs a favour, and there’s a million dollars in it for Pascual if he delivers the ransom for some hijacked government data. But when the hackers get hacked and the new deal on the table involves a human life, the job gets complicated. A high-octane thriller which takes the readers from the banking district of Monaco, to a secret prison in war-torn Yemen, an anarchist squat in chaotic Athens, and the haunted streets of Istanbul, Blackchain is out on 5 October.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Welcome to Cooper by Tariq Ashkanani
We’re in Cooper, Nebraska for Tariq Ashkanani’s debut crime novel that’s out on 1 October. Cooper is a place where nothing much happens, so when Detective Thomas Levine is transferred there, he knows it’s a punishment. But the discovery of a young woman lying in the snow, choked to death, her eyes gouged out sets Levine on a course that can only lead to disaster – and when his new partner kills the prime suspect using Levine’s weapon, all hope of redemption evaporates. With the case in chaos, and both blackmail and a violent drug cartel to contend with, Levine finds himself in a world of trouble.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Prisoner by SR White
Detective Dana Russo is called to a shocking crime scene in the swamps of northern Australia in Prisoner, which is out now. The victim has been crucified, and Russo and her team soon identify him as a convicted rapist who had been released from jail the previous day. Curtis Monroe had committed an atrocious crime a short distance from where his body is found – but who would want him dead? As the case progresses, Russo realises that the answer to that question is anything but straightforward. And to get to the bottom of it all, she must venture into the darkness of her own troubled past. Read our review of Hermit here.
Buy now on Amazon