On the Radar — For all James Patterson’s constant output, Alex Cross is his standout creation, and the good doctor heads up our selection of new releases this week. Spies, kidnapping, an Italian take on Scotland Yard, short stories and plenty more are on offer in On the Radar…

Cross Justice by James Patterson
The prolific James Patterson returns with another episode in the long career of Washington criminal profiler, Alex Cross. Cross Justice sees the character temporarily forsake his usual haunts in the capital’s southeast district and return to his childhood home in North Carolina. His cousin is in big trouble for a crime that Cross hopes he didn’t commit. Proving his innocence is not simple. Soon it’s not just his cousin’s case but a string of murders he must solve, plus some family secrets go into the mix, just to confuse matters. Out 5 November in Kindle and later in the month in print. Also, we took a close look at Patterson’s recent serial publication, Murder House.
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The Mentor by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli
The Mentor is unusual. It’s a police procedural set in London, but was written by an Italian author in her native language. Eric Shaw is a detective specialising in forensic evidence, and his current case has a chilling resonance with one he investigated two decades earlier. If that weren’t enough, he finds himself distracted by the talented and alluring Adele Pennington, a criminologist also working on the case. As well as her physical charm, she is uncannily perceptive about the investigation, and Shaw has no option but to trust her instincts – and hope that his own don’t betray him. It comes out 1 November, and if Italian crime fiction appeals to you have a look here.
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Spy Games by Adam Brookes
It seems that China has become a major player on the world espionage stage – particularly cyber spying. In Spy Games British journalist Philip Mangan has been identified as a spy by ruthless Chinese agents and goes into hiding. Requests for help have gone unanswered, so he asks a genuine agent, Trish Patterson. He becomes further embroiled in this international plot when he’s caught up in a terrorist incident in East Africa and approached by a Chinese agent. The story takes us to Hong Kong, Washington… and more. Spy Games came out for Kindle in the summer, but will be available as a hardback from 5 November.
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Lost Girls by Angela Marsons 
Silent Scream author Angela Marsons is back, and so is her detective DI Kim Stone. This time Stone is faced with the kind of case everyone dreads – missing children. But here there is a difference. Two girls have been taken, and the sadistic kidnapper is the auctioneer in a terrible kind of sale. Whichever family bids the most will have their daughter returned unharmed. And to the losing family? Heartbreak and lasting grief. The author lives in the Black Country in the Midlands of England, and this is where Lost Girls is set. Out on 6 November.
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Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths
We recently included Elly Griffiths in our Gazetteer of British Crime for her book set in East Anglia. In Smoke and Mirrors, she’s done a period piece set in 1950s Brighton. The unlikely heroes are DI Edgar Stephens, and that stalwart of pantomime and variety theatre, Max Mephisto the magician. In the real world, the pair were pals in the army, and now they have to solve the murders of a boy and a girl. Left dead in the snow, the press quickly christen them Hansel and Gretel. Battling personal issues, and the secretive world of theatre folk, Stephens and Mephisto try every trick in the book to find the killer. Smoke and Mirrors is published on 5 November.
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London’s Glory by Christopher Fowler
London’s most ancient detectives, Bryant & May, are firm favourites here at Crime Fiction Lover and we’re pleased to see them back in a collection of 11 short stories where they work their way through the highways and byways of London solving more peculiar crimes. There’s a special introduction by Christopher Fowler, who spoke to us earlier this year in this interview, and for new readers, an excellent dramatis personnae of regular characters in the series is included. The two octogenarians tackle, among other problems, The Nameless Woman, The Secret Santa and The Bells of Westminster. Out on 5 November.
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