We’ve never been busier at Crime Fiction Lover. And if anyone tells you that reading is a dying pastime you better let them know that authors and publishers have been elbowing their way to the front of the line to appear on our site. So many books. So many great stories. As the month of July opens we’ve got seven new ones for you to choose from. It might be genre fiction but there’s plenty of variety on offer.
The Tailor by Tim Sullivan
The Tailor, the eighth book in Tim Sullivan’s DS George Cross series arrives on 16 July and we can’t wait! When a tailor dies on the 10am train from Bristol to London, found lying in the toilet, his throat slit and a bag over his head, it’s up to Cross to pin down the killer. This was no robbery and he’s convinced that there was nothing random about the death, either. In fact, Cross believes it was an execution and will stop at nothing to catch the perpetrator. But his persistence puts the neurodivergent detective directly in the sights of someone who wants him dead… Learn more about this series by heading to our YouTube channel – where the author reads an extract.
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Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher
Aussie author Garry Disher leaves both his Paul Hirschhausen and Hal Challis series behind to come up with Under the Cold Bright Lights, his first ever standalone, out on 16 July. Meet Sgt Alan Auhl, who’s come out of retirement to run Victoria’s Cold Case Unit. The younger cops dismiss Auhl as old and out of touch, but this is a man who shouldn’t be underestimated. Yes, he might be stuck in his ways, but when his ways work, why change things – because every case, no matter how cold, deserves justice. He gets results too, whether it’s a skeleton found under a concrete slab, finding evidence to convict a doctor who killed three women, or answering a daughter’s plea that her father’s death was no accident.
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When Shapes Take Hold by Avery Wilde
The eco thriller is a fast-growing subgenre and Avery Wilde’s When Shapes Take Hold is cutting a new furrow into that fertile new land. We’re in Cascadia, in the Pacific Northwest, where Cole Walker came to build a glass and cedar lodge perched above a deep glacial fjord. The waters are home to orcas and giant octopus and although Cole had no plans to stay in Hood Canal, the place and its people have kept him there for five years. The calm is shattered by the discovery of illegal crab traps and suddenly the lodge is under threat. Cole has always been the quiet one, a passive observer, but against a backdrop of wildlife trafficking, bribery and corruption it’s time for him to act – before the unthinkable happens.
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The English Speakers by Agatha Zaza
Fans of Nordic noir take note – and mark 13 July in the diary – because that’s when The English Speakers by Agatha Zaza arrives. Three mismatched Helsinki detectives, with nothing in common except for being expats, are thrown together when two cryptic cases come their way. Charles is running from disgrace, Aija is young and eager to impress, while James has a side-gig as a famous author. They’re tasked with finding out the identity of a young woman buried in woods 15 years ago – but with a compromised crime scene and no clues, how will they find the killer? Months later and no further on, Charles is called to an apparent suicide that sets alarm bells ringing – should he trust James at all?
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Mercy by Philip Swan
Yorkshire-based author Philip Swan is back with another Zoodunnit mystery featuring his animal detectives, led by Mountie the moose and Charlton the zebra. Hearts River Zoo has just held its annual Flaming Stork Music Festival. Their moments of joy turn to tears when young baboon Roger is found dead with the word Mercy inscribed into the earth next to his body. Did the unfortunate primate have a dark secret? Was he killed for it? It looks like he was stabbed, so the two large grazing animal investigators put their heads together. Mercy is out now.
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The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage
Described as “twisty, genre-bending metafictional mystery set in Cuba past and present”, The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage, is out on 14 July. It’s 2020 when Cuban-born mystery writer Teresa gets a call from her old friend that has her heading from the USA to Havana. The summons is from her her childhood best friend, Estrella, and together they determine to finally learn the truth about a decades-old mystery – the supposed dual suicides of a teacher and student at their high school. Back in 1980 we meet Teresita, an awkward and bespectacled 14-year-old who knows all the secrets that everyone thinks they’ve got hidden at her high school. And on one fateful day, she comes face to face with death…
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Scary Movie Night by Miranda Smith
Fans of classic horror films may raise a wry smile at the first name of the protagonist in Miranda Smith’s Scary Movie Night, which comes out on 14 July. Tippi is about to turn 35 and after the year from hell she’s ready to party. It’s time to put her broken engagement behind her, so Tippi is thrilled when her friends organise a lavish theme party at a secluded mansion, where everyone dresses as characters from iconic scary movies. It promises to be a frightfully good night – until Tippi’s ex, Oliver, starts sending terrifying messages, threatening to expose a secret she was ready to take to the grave. Then one by one the guests disappear… and Tippi realises the messages are coming from inside the house. Cue the scary music!
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