Yup, we’ve mentioned the X-word. Autumn is here and it’s a great time to get into some cosy crime fiction with our lead novel – the latest in the Corpse series by Cathy Ace. Nicola Upson serves up a slice of Christmas, which we promise won’t be a turkey this year, and some historical crime fiction from John Banville is entirely in keeping with the vibe. We’ve also got three novels from names that are new to us: Rupa Mahadevan, Charly Cox and Colin Wade. Read on and pick your next crime novel…
The Corpse with the Amber Neck by Cathy Ace
It’s April in Paris, and Welsh Canadian criminal psychologist Cait Morgan and her stalwart husband, retired homicide detective Bud Anderson have plans for a few romantic days away from it all. But thoughts of revelling in the French capital’s art and architecture, history and food have to take a back seat when Cait witnesses what she believes to be a murder. Time to take on a knotty case, woven around an enigmatic woman who created a world-renowned fashion house. Romance may be going out of style for our perceptive couple, but are they prepared for what’s in store when they manage to stitch together the truth? The Corpse with the Amber Neck by Cathy Ace is published on 22 September.
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The Christmas Clue by Nicola Upson
She’s made a name for herself as a purveyor of historical crime and Nicola Upson stays in that lane with The Christmas Clue, out on 25 September. It’s Christmas Eve, 1943, as Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to put their wartime worries aside and run a murder mystery game in a posh hotel. The plan is that guests move through the rooms, looking for clues and solving the crime. Things become shockingly real when Anthony discovers the cook’s sister, Miss Silver, beaten to death. The hotel manager, Mr Browning, is all for keeping the peace, while Colonel Colman is itching to take the place over for the war effort. And where on earth is the elusive Mrs Threadgold?
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Venetian Vespers by John Banville
John Banville is probably best known for his books set in Ireland, most notably the Benjamin Black crime series set in 1950s Dublin. However, his latest novel follows a different route. As you might guess from the title, Venetian Vespers (out on 25 September) is set in Venice. The year is 1899, and English hack writer Evelyn Dolman and Laura Rensselaer, the daughter of a wealthy American plutocrat arrive in the city after a winter wedding. But their belated honeymoon goes awry when the couple experience a series of seemingly otherworldly occurrences. Evelyn is worried about his fragile grasp on reality – could he be losing his mind, or are other more tangible deceptions at play?
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Nine Dolls by Rupa Mahadevan
Navaratri, the Hindu Festival of Dolls, is at the heart of Rupa Mahadevan’s award-winning debut novel Nine Dolls, set to arrive on 25 September. Newly married Leela is nervous about spending 10 days in a secluded Scottish manor with her husband’s old university friends – it’s Navaratri, and while the others have agreed to her displaying nine dolls to honour different goddesses, she feels very much the outsider. As part of sacred tradition, the dolls must stay in place for the whole 10 days, but as a storm rages outside, the dolls are tampered with and a death occurs. Can Leela trust anyone? Even Dhruv, her husband?
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The Hunting Grounds by Charly Cox
Let’s head to New Mexico for Charly Cox’s latest, out on 18 September. The Hunting Grounds opens with a bloody knife murder – could Jennie Killingbeck be the victim? Detective Alyssa Wyatt and the squad are on the case after Jennie vanishes while driving back to Albuquerque. The missing persons investigation takes a chilling turn with the arrival of FBI Agent Ryker Newlin, on the trail of a serial killer dubbed The Sunset Slayer for their MO of brutally murdering young red-haired women and mutilating them with an X across their lips. Could red-headed Jennie be his latest victim? It’s time for Wyatt and Newlin to pool their resources and find out…
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The Oxford Mystery by Colin Wade
Fancy winning £50,000? That’s what’s on offer for solving The Oxford Mystery and it’s no surprise that the idea soon takes the university city by storm. Once the mystery trail game is announced on social media, the police struggle to control the crowds. The growing frenzy pulls in Rachel Keen, a theatre nurse, and John Bamford, a police officer with a gambling problem. Then a man goes missing from the suburb of Jericho, and Rachel becomes convinced she has a stalker. The answer could lie inside a spooky mansion deep in the Oxfordshire countryside, but is all this fuss really worth the reward? All will be revealed when The Oxford Mystery by Colin Wade is published on 28 September.
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