Ian Rankin. John Rebus. Edinburgh. They are as synonymous in my mind as haggis, neeps and tatties. However, I must tear these connections from my synapses because authors should never be held to one detective, one city and one set of expectations from readers. (And, neeps can also be enjoyed with salmon.) So it is with trepidation, excitement and no small amount of hunger that this week our news column brings you Ian Rankin writing about a new detective in London. It’s a long time since he’s written a standalone crime novel, but we know what a master he is.
That’s the big news but don’t let it overshadow any of the other novels on offer this week. We’ve got a new Devonshire mystery from Ann Cleeves, who ranks right up there alongside Sir Ian, in my opinion. There are also books by the very excellent Andrew Raymond, Mona Marple, RWR McDonald and Charlie Gallagher. Any of them catch your fancy?
The Heights by Ian Rankin
Welcome to The Heights, Ian Rankin‘s first standalone thriller for a whole two decades, arriving on 8 October. Another surprise is that it’s set in London, where The Heights of the title is a gleaming luxury high-rise looming over Hyde Park, filled with sumptuous apartments and secretive billionaires. But their cosseted lives are badly disrupted when a night concierge is found murdered in the lobby. The residents are used to discretion and privacy, but that’s about to be shattered with the arrival of born-and-bred Londoner Detective Gillian Gish, who must find a way past their power, wealth and unimaginable influence and get to the truth. Watch for the Crime Fiction Lover review, soon.
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The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves
Fans of Ann Cleeves’ North Devon-set series featuring Detective Matthew Venn should mark 8 October in their diaries – it’s when The Dying Light is published. In the height of a summer heatwave, the body of a young woman is found in the swimming pool of Tide House, a luxurious holiday home. Her friend has vanished, and the fact that the property belongs to rising political star Paul Armstrong brings huge media interest so Venn is under pressure to solve the case, and fast. But there’s more tragedy on the horizon, and when Venn and his team question the local community they come up against a wall of silence.
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The Glowing Man by Andrew Raymond
There’s a ritual killer on the loose in rural Ayrshire, and Glasgow detective DCI John Lomond is on their trail. Or should that be serial killer — because as the investigation takes shape it points to similarities in a number of unsolved cold cases. As the evidence is evaluated, a pattern emerges. Witnesses described a suspect seen at night who glowed with light, and many of them subsequently ended up dead in suspicious circumstances. Just as the team appears to be getting somewhere, a task force with powerful political connections pushes for Lomond’s removal. Hmmm. Number eight in the series, The Glowing Man by Andrew Raymond arrives on 8 October.
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Christmas Corpse by Mona Marple
Ready for some cosy crime with a liberal sprinkling of festive frivolity? You’ve found it, in the shape of Christmas Corpse by Mona Marple, making an appearance on 8 October. The aptly named Holly Wood nearly froze in a snowdrift before being rescued by Mrs Claus and now she’s recuperating at a storybook cottage in Candy Cane Hollow, where it’s Christmas all year round. But it’s not so jolly for a frosty receptionist who eats one of Mrs Claus’s famous mince pies and dies. Now Holly’s benefactor is in the frame for murder, and the only way she can repay Mrs Claus’s kindness is by finding the real culprit.
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The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm by RWR McDonald
The Nancys were a big hit last year after finally leaving their native New Zealand and introducing themselves to crime fiction lovers worldwide. Now Tippi, her uncle and his boyfriend are back in The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm by RWR McDonald, out on 8 October. It’s April, and the trio are reunited in Riverstone, with strictly no mysteries, no crimes, and definitely no secret detective clubs on the agenda. But the best laid plans fall apart when the town hall blows up and three people die. Someone is arrested and the case is closed – but not for The Nancys, who are convinced that something isn’t right, and Tulip Farm is at the heart of it…
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I Had to Do It by Charlie Gallagher
A chance meeting in a cafe is about to send Jessica Walsh’s life into a tailspin in I Had to Do It by Charlie Gallagher, out on 8 October. Jessica and the stranger get chatting, and it transpires that both have sisters battling addiction, and fathers who are desperate to help. But there’s one crucial difference: while Jessica’s dad would never resort to violence, this woman’s father has. Then Jessica receives a frantic phone call from her sibling, but arrives to find her gone. Is it all a part of a plan for Vicky to get clean, or is something more suspicious going on? And was Jessica’s chance meeting really by chance after all?
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