These still wintry days are the perfect time to enjoy some wilderness noir, and for that there are few better authors than CJ Box. This week, the Wyoming writer brings us his 26th Joe Pickett novel and it’s got a new twist for fans of the series. The Crossroads is the first of six books in our report, which takes us from 1890s New Mexico to Iceland to Italy (twice), and more…
The Crossroads by CJ Box
Joe Pickett has been front and centre in the 25 previous books that comprise CJ Box’s popular series set in Wyoming but The Crossroads, out on 3 March, is a little different. This time, Joe is unconscious and fighting for his life after being shot in the head. But who did the deed? The Wyoming Game Warden was found slumped behind the wheel of his pickup at a crossroads linking the ranches of three powerful families, each of which has reasons to hate him. While wife Marybeth sits at his bedside, it’s up to Joe’s three daughters – Sheridan, Lucy and April – to get to the truth even though it could put them in the firing line too.
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The Harvey Girl by Dana Stabenow
Fred Harvey is a man on the up in 1890s New Mexico. But it’s a lawless place, and in the new city of Montaña Roja, Fred’s rise to success suffers a downturn when robbers set their sights on his newest Harvey House restaurant. He needs a skilled detective to go undercover and young Pinkerton Agent Clare Wright is just the gal for the job. Donning a disguise as one of Harvey’s famous hostesses, Clare travels west… and into danger. With only her instincts and her trusty Derringer as support, is she up to the challenge? Find out when Dana Stabenow‘s The Harvey Girl arrives on 5 March.
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The Murder Pool by Stella Blómkvist
The enigmatic Stella Blómkvist is back on 5 March, when The Murder Pool makes an appearance. This time, the most popular and successful defence lawyer in Iceland has a real challenge on her hands after a well-known artist is found in Snorri’s Pool with an axe buried deep in his chest. The police set their sights on an apparently harmless young man, and as Stella tries to build a defence she becomes intrigued by the story of her client’s mother, who spent time in jail for the murder of a personal trainer despite proclaiming her innocence. Is this a family of killers, or are they just exceptionally unlucky? It’s just one of the conundrums destined to keep Stella busy as her work and private lives collide.
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Marcella: Sicilian Nostra by Paul Smith
The Lake District might sound an unusual starting off point for a book called Marcella: Sicilian Nostra, but it’s where you’ll find our eponymous heroine, living the quiet life away from the machinations of the feuding Donetti crime dynasty in Sicily. One day she could hold the key to a family that has fingers in pies from the streets of Palermo to the halls of government. Paul Smith’s literary mafia debut is out now, and travels the globe as it explores themes of family, power and morality.
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The Boy in the Wall by Jeffrey B Burton
March 3 is the time to sit, stay and savour Jeffrey B Burton‘s latest K-9 crime thriller, The Boy in the Wall. Cory Pratt and his cadaver dogs are looking forward to an easy assignment – demonstrating their skills to the kids at Chicago’s Henry Horner Elementary School. Until, that is, one of the canines sniffs out the body of a missing teenage boy wedged into the wall of the cafeteria. The parents of Patrick Shortridge have had more than their share of tragedy – their elder son killed himself a few years ago. Then there’s an attempt to kidnap Patrick’s seven-year-old sister, Charlotte. Cory and his detective sister Crystal must find out who is targeting the family, and why.
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Thirty Feet Under by William Wodhams
There are more than a few questions to be answered when Kate Taylor gets a call from the Carabinieri Art Squad. A museum in Italy has been robbed and the guard murdered, but although Kate has worked the FBI Art Crimes Team for years, she’s just been updating files and doing computer work. The item stolen was only a small sphinx, but the thought of handling a real case fills Kate with excitement and as the investigation develops, she finds herself searching for suspects in an international smuggling ring. With no one she can trust, not even Luca, the dishy Carabinieri agent, this case is about to get even more complex. Thirty Feet Under by William Wodhams is out for Kindle on 3 March.
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