There’s always more, more, more hot summer crime fiction here on CFL and we can either cool you off with some Swedish crime fiction care of David Lagercrantz, or bring you some British heat with the Midsummer Mysteries collection from the Crime Writers Association. Plus, we have more UK mystery reads with Rebecca Tope, Ellie Keel and Lesley McEvoy.
You might just discover the next book for your reading pile…
Fatal Gambit by David Lagerkrantz
Swedish author David Lagerkrantz continues his Rekke and Vargas series with Fatal Gambit, translated by Ian Giles and out on 20 August. Clair Lidman is meant to have disappeared 14 years ago, but now has been seen in the background in a holiday photo, so her husband sets Rekke and Vargas on her trail. At first they are sceptical, but as the evidence begins to stack up it appears that the impossible could be true. Meanwhile, Rekke has domestic problems when his daughter’s new boyfriend brings along baggage that forces the professor to confront memories he’d far prefer to leave in the past. Get ready for plenty of twists and turns in a book set against a backdrop of the political upheaval and financial crisis of the 1990s.
Order now on Amazon or Bookshop.org
The Borrowdale Body by Rebecca Tope
Let’s head to the Lake District for some British cosy crime. It’s an idyllic setting, but the picturesque landscape is hiding some dirty deeds. High Gates House in Borrowdale is about to come under the hammer, with Jennifer Reade taking all the profits. She needs everything to run smoothly – but the little matter of a body in the cellar could put a spanner in the works. Jennifer pleads with Christopher Henderson to keep the death quiet until the police arrive on the day of the auction with news that a murder has been committed. Can Christopher’s wife Simmy employ her skills as an amateur sleuth and get to the bottom of it all? The Borrowdale Body by Rebecca Tope is published on 22 August as a paperback.
Order now on Amazon or Bookshop.org
Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards
Summer is the ideal season to sample some short form crime fiction stories, which means that the arrival of Midsummer Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards, is perfectly timed. Make a note of 29 August, when this splendid selection of taut tales by members of the Crime Writers’ Association is released. The anthology contains 19 original, thrilling mysteries by the likes of SJ Bennett, Chris Curran, Kate Ellis, Helen Fields, Judith Cutler, Luke Deckard, Victoria Dowd and Martin Edwards himself. It’s also lovely to look at, with a foiled cover and printed edges.
Order now on Amazon or Bookshop.org
The Four by Ellie Keel
Four scholarship girls met and bonded at a posh boarding school and those bonds were tested when tragedy struck at High Realms. But what actually happened? Ah, that would be telling, and as the pages turn it becomes clear that not everyone is offering a realistic version of events. Just how far are these girls prepared to go in pursuit of friendship? It’s a million miles away from Malory Towers and Enid Blyton but if dark academia is your bag, then grab a copy of this assured debut by Ellie Keel. The Four is already out in the UK, and arrives in the US on 20 August.
Order now on Amazon or Bookshop.org
The Invisible Dead by Lesley McEvoy
By gum, folks are dropping like flies in the Yorkshire town of Fordley. It seems that the poor townsfolk have become accident prone – but forensic pathologist Elle Richardson isn’t so sure. Could there be a serial killer working under the noses of the unsuspecting police force? No one seems convinced by Elle’s theory and when she enlists the help of her friend, forensic psychologist Dr Jo McCready, the pieces begin to fall into place. Can Jo get inside the head of a serial killer and catch them before the death toll rises once again? The Invisible Dead by Lesley McEvoy is out now.
Order now on Amazon or Bookshop.org