There is always something new to discover in the crime fiction genre, and that’s why we love it so much. As well as a very unusual sort of crime novel set in Iceland, which is where we start off this week, we’ve got a legal thriller in the Big Easy, and a World War II cricket bat killer story set in London. Crazy! Plus, we’ll introduce you to two authors who are new to the site – Donna Morfett and Sean Jacques. Read on and take your pick.
Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain by Joachim B Schmidt
If you made the acquaintance of Kalmann, the loveable neurodivergent sheriff of Raufarhofn, Iceland, in the first of author Joachim B Schmidt‘s books translated into English, then you’ll want to know that book two is published on 18 July. Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain finds our hero in a troubled place. His grandfather has died and a grieving Kalmann takes up an invitation to visit his biological father in the USA. The reunion is not an easy one, and when Kalmann finds himself in the hands of the FBI it’s clear that he’s out of his depth in this strange country. But there’s no need to worry. Kalmann has everything under control…
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Seraphim by Joshua Perry
Former New Orleans public defender-turned-author Joshua Perry lifts the lid on a failing justice system in Seraphim, out on 23 July. A young boy confesses to killing a local celebrity who was a hero of New Orleans’ recovery after Hurricane Katrina, and local defenders are reluctant to take on a case that appears to have already been won. It falls to Ben Alder, somewhat of a drifter, who is an attorney and former rabbinical seminary student, and his partner Boris. The pair don’t have much of a success rate – can Ben make his mark against a corrupt and racist criminal justice system that believes an inexplicable crime has been solved?
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Murder at Lord’s Station by Jim Eldridge
Let’s pop down into London’s Underground. It’s March 1941, and the relentless bombing of London is seriously affecting morale. Then a body is discovered in the disused Lord’s station, and Inspector Coburg and his trusted Sergeant Lampson are called to the scene. What they find is a man beaten to death with what could well have been a cricket bat. Was the victim associated with the British Empire XI who are playing against English cricket teams at the world-famous Lord’s cricket ground or are the police officers on a sticky wicket? Prepare to be hit for six when Murder at Lord’s Station by Jim Eldridge arrives on 25 July.
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The Disappearance of Peter Markham by Donna Morfett
Debut crime writer Donna Morfett hits the ground running with The Disappearance of Peter Markham, the first in a series of police procedurals and out now. DI Cora Snitton is new to the Bedfordshire force and anxious to make her mark – and quickly. Looks like she will get her wish when local businessman Peter Markham vanishes. He was a man of habit and his wife is understandably worried – as she should be, because the poor man is in the hands of a nasty piece of work who likes to torture their victims. Cora and her DCs Luke and Darcey need results, but can this fledgling team work together and solve the case?
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Doe Run by Sean Jacques
Everyone in the Ozarks is counting down the days to the start of the deer hunting season – but handsome bucks are not the only target in Doe Run, a slice of rural noir by Sean Jacques that’s out now. Pen Cullen is home to collect his inheritance after the death of his no-good father only to discover the old man had squandered it all away. In more bad news, his childhood pal Byron Tisdale married Pen’s former girlfriend Tara – but their relationship is on the rocks after their son was killed in an accidental shooting and both of them are broken by what happened. As Pen tries to make peace with the town he vowed never to see again, tensions are building into what could prove a mighty explosive conclusion.
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