The price of eggs has been a hot topic in recent months, and it’s no yolk either. But what if the eggs themselves were ‘hot’. And by that we mean stolen. Could that be the basis for a compelling crime novel? Well, British author Belinda Bauer has found a way, and if you scroll down a bit you can find out more. Her upcoming novel, The Impossible Thing, heads up a roster of six new titles here in a bumper edition of On the Radar.
The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer
There’s an egg at the centre of what promises to be a cracking good mystery from the pen of Belinda Bauer – and it also features on the cover of The Impossible thing, out on 27 February in the UK from Bantam and published by Grove Atlantic on 8 April in the US. The tale begins a century ago on the cliffs of Yorkshire, where unscrupulous men steal rare eggs from the birds that nest there and sell them on for big money. When Celie Sheppard finds an ‘impossible’ red egg, the life of the youngster is destined to change forever. Skip forward 100 years, and in a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort discovers his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up, a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg the only thing missing. As Patrick and Nick strive to retrieve it, they are about to become embroiled in the cutthroat world of illegal egg trafficking.
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Pagans by James Alistair Henry
A crime novel set in 21st century Britain doesn’t sound very, erm, novel! But wait, because this isn’t a Britain that any of us would recognise. In James Alistair Henry’s Pagans – out on 27 February – the Norman Conquests never happened and the ancient tribes of Britain still hold sway in a country rife with mead abuse and social media conspiracies. The Saxons hold the east, the Celts the West, and the Nordic tribes control Scotland, with an uneasy alliance between the three. That could change at a Unification Summit hoping to create a united kingdom – until a Celtic diplomat is found murdered and nailed to a tree. Captain Aedith Mercia, daughter of a powerful Saxon leader, must join forces with Celtic Tribal Detective Inspector Drustan to solve the crime and keep the peace.
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The Wonders of Doctor Bent by Paul Crawford
Murder, revenge and abandonment take centre stage in Paul Crawford’s The Wonders of Doctor Bent, published on 25 February. The good doctor of the title is the unlikely Medical Director of Foston Hall, a high-security psychiatric hospital, whose life takes an unexpected turn upon meeting Jason Hemp, an English lecturer whose twin brother has been killed. As Jason tries to identify the murderer, he finds his life unravelling in unexpected and frightening ways. Meanwhile, the visionary Dr Bent is fighting to reform Foston Hall into a place of comfort, all while battling his own mental health challenges.
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That’ll Teach Her by Maz Evans
Headmistress Claudia Stitchwell is a harridan and universally disliked by both students and staff – so when she drops dead, the supposed victim of a nut allergy, nobody is that upset about it. But could the nasty woman have been… murdered? There are plenty of suspects and the parents’ school group chat is rife with rumours, allegations and downright fantasy – but if they work together, maybe they can get to the truth of the matter? Will they get an A or flunk the test? Find out when That’ll Teach Her by Maz Evans arrives on 27 February.
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Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black
Forensic experts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies are pulled into a deadly mystery unfolding in the shadow of a celebrated rock star in Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black, which is book four in her Locard Institute Thriller series and out on 25 February. Music legend Billy Diamond’s daughter Devon went on a business development retreat with her boyfriend, Carlos, six months ago. Now Carlos has been found dead and Devon is showing no inclination to return home. Ellie and Rachael head to Nevada to find out more – and to meet the enigmatic Galen, who runs the retreat and is regarded as a near-deity by its attendees. He’s definitely hiding something, but what could it be?
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One Man Down by Alex Pearl
Let’s head to London, 1984, where Angus Lovejoy and Brian Finkle are plying their trade at the Gordon Deedes Rutter advertising agency. It’s not all glamour – their latest campaign is for diarrhoea tablets – but they can put the work worries aside by playing in a cricket match organised by an old school friend. The guys are soon on a sticky wicket in a caper involving a gay vicar, a small-time antique fraudster, a photographer and blackmail. Looks like murder can be the only outcome in indie author Alex Pearl’s debut novel, One Man Down, out on 25 February.
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