Wow, we reckon you’ve got plenty of choice here in this week’s new books report. The long shadow of the past is cast across a set of friends in London, but you can equally find yourself enjoying a heist in Bangkok, rubbing shoulders with the rich in Manhattan or… um… getting away with murder in Vienna. Wouldn’t it be cool to coordinate your meals to chime with your reading? Either way, this selection looks delicious…
The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza
The Pretenders by Agatha Zaza is a psychological thriller set in a London townhouse, where six adults gather to celebrate an engagement. It should be a time to party, but the appearance of an unexpected figure from the past throws a spanner in the works. Suddenly, the spectre of old relationships and buried truths lead to the unravelling of carefully created illusions. It’s time for a long overdue reckoning, and as the polite smiles fade, the atmosphere sours and past secrets are aired – with devastating consequences. It arrives on 28 April.
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A Thousand Cuts by Gregory Poirier
Seven years after a CIA mission in Laos went sideways, disgraced CIA operative turned underworld fixer Max Starkey is still dealing with the consequences. These days, he inhabits the shadowy spaces between criminals and justice, recovering stolen goods for villains who don’t ask questions, but in Bangkok his past is about to catch up with him. Old flame Kelly Riggs has Max in her sights, and she’s about to put him slap bang in the middle of a multi-million-dollar double cross. A Thousand Cuts by screenwriter-turned-debut crime writer Gregory Poirier is published on 28 April.
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A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad
Mumbai and New York are the twin settings for Amin Ahmad’s A Killer in the Family, out on 30 April. Mumbai party boy Ali Azeem is ready for a good time when he meets the well-connected Khan sisters, Maryam and Farhan. Their father heads a glittering property empire and New York is his playground. Soon Ali is living the high life in Manhattan, but the more he learns about the Khan dynasty, the less comfortable he feels. As Ali uncovers links to a serial killer who once stalked the streets of the Big Apple, it’s time for him to decide whether unfettered access to wealth and power is worth it after all.
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Getting Away with Murder by Russell Wate
Fans of Russell Wate’s DCI McFarlane series – we have bad news! Getting Away with Murder, out on 28 April, is the final instalment. Austrian police are stumped after celebrated British violinist Arthur Barrington is found dead in his Vienna hotel room. Uncertain as to whether the death is murder, an accident or suicide, they call in the help of DCI Sandy McFarlane from the Foreign Office. But as the investigation progresses, McFarlane finds worrying links leading from the streets of Vienna to his home turf, and the quaint country lanes of Stamford, England.
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An Accidental Death by Peter Grainger
Peter Grainger’s DC Smith/Kings Lake Investigation series debuted as ebooks and now is being republished in paperback, with the first, An Accidental Death, out on 30 April. It opens as Smith returns from leave, and he and his partner, trainee Christopher Walters, are assigned to the case of a young man who drowned at a rowdy party by Kings Lake. At first glance, it has all the hallmarks of an accident, but the victim shows signs of violent injuries and none of the witnesses can agree on what happened. With the bosses keen to close the case, Smith and Walters must go it alone if they’re to get to the truth.
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All Cats Are Grey by Susan Barrett
Let’s head to London in the middle of WWII for Susan Barrett’s All Cats Are Grey, published on 24 April. It’s 1942 and the relentless bombing of the Blitz has taken its toll on the inhabitants of the UK capital, four of whom are about to come together to fight a hidden enemy – and it’s not the Luftwaffe. A killer is lurking on the bomb sites of South London, and Civil Defence warden Albert recruits Edwin, Bette and Cat to find the Beast and mete out justice and retribution. Each will bring their own unique skill to the table as they target a monster that the police have failed to catch.
