On the Radar — Welcome to our weekly column featuring new crime books. This week’s selection isn’t quite as earthshaking as last week‘s, we’ll admit, but there are some great releases starting with a brand new book by Martin Cruz Smith. Can’t wait!
The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith
The author of the Arkady Renko series, as well as numerous other novels, Martin Cruz Smith is a Rolls Royce among crime authors. With a considered, poetic style, he doesn’t just bash out the novels. In fact, you could refer to him as Martin Cruise Ship. His first novel in two years, The Girl from Venice takes us back to World War II and the city is occupied by the Nazis. Cenzo is quietly keeping away from the SS, catching fish in the lagoons. One night, he hauls not a fish but a beautiful, young jewess out of the water, and thus begins dangerous and gripping adventure. The hardback has a beautiful map of Venice as an endpaper, and it’s released 3 November – watch for our review.
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The Reykjavik Assignment by Adam Lebor
Iceland is the hottest cold climate crime setting there is at the moment, and in this international thriller covert UN negotiator Yael Azoulay is sent to Reykjavik to set up a secret meeting between the American president and that of Iran. However, someone definitely doesn’t want the two countries to get along in peace and is preparing to sabotage the talks. Azoulay finds himself up against a people trafficking ring that thrives on chaos and has links to both Washington and Tehran. On sale from 3 November.
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The Taken by Alice Clark-Platts
Alice Clark-Platts follows up her debut novel Bitter Fruits with The Taken, set in the ancient city of Durham. The pastor Tristan Snow is murdered at prayer. He’s been staying at a boarding house with his wife, daughter, sister and manager (because he’s a famous priest). They are all suspects for DI Erica Martin. Nobody saw anything, but everyone seems to have a motive. What is it about this priest that made someone want to kill him? Find out on 3 November.
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The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths
Here’s a magical 1950s mystery set around the time of Elizabeth II’s coronation. Col Cartwright has been murdered and DI Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto are on the case. So far so Cleudo, as the pair have two leads. The ace of hearts – aka the blood card – and a playbill naming a deceased comrade of the colonel. Edgar puts his investigation into the death of a Brighton fortune teller on hold and travels to New York, trying to track down a mesmerist but this individual is silenced and the book heads towards an explosive crescendo… well, for a cosy crime novel, that is. On sale 3 November.
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Truth Will Out by AD Garrett
DCI Kate Simms and forensics expert Nick Fennimore return in their third novel. A mother and daughter are kidnapped as they drive home from the movies, and the crime has similarities with a cold case that Fennimore has mentioned in his recent lectures. He starts getting text messages taunting him. In a separate story strand, he also receives an email containing a photo taken in Paris, that could help him find out what happened to his own daughter, who’s been missing for six years. It’s pure frustration for DCI Simms, though. Police bureaucracy has blocked her from helping Fennimore’s investigation! AD Garrett is made up of the writing duo Margaret Murphy and Helen Pepper and this book is out 3 November.
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