On the Radar — The Baltimore area was home to one of the first great crime fiction authors in the form of Edgar Allan Poe, and it’s also home to one of the contemporary greats, Laura Lippman. It’s her latest release, Lady in the Lake, that makes this week’s On the Radar column special, but if you don’t like her brand of noir we’ve got plenty more for you including Alex Marwood, Michael Robotham, Martyn Waites and Rod Humphris. Let’s help you find your next crime read, shall we?
Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
Nope, it’s not about King Arthur. This particular lady takes us to 1960s Baltimore where a newly-separated Jewish housewife decides to go after the things she most desired before marriage put a hold on her life. A reporter’s job at the Baltimore Sun is top of the list, and when the body of a young black woman is found in a park fountain, Maddie Schwartz sees the death as a perfect springboard for her ambition. It seems that Maddie will stop at nothing to achieve her ends, but where is the story of poor, dead Cleo Sherwood in all of this? An intriguing standalone that noirishly aims to capture the atmosphere of America in the 60s, and it’s out on 23 July. Read our review of Laura Lippman’s Sunburn.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood
We’ve not had a novel from Edgar award-winning Alex Marwood for a while, so mark 25 July in your diary. It’s a standalone and has all the hallmarks of Marwood’s dark and twisted plotting. Romy is the only survivor of a mass suicide by a cult based in Wales. At 22, she has never spent time alone in the outside world but Romy is a fast learner and soon develops her street smarts. It’s vital, because Romy is pregnant and in danger as a past she knows nothing about threatens her present and future… Here’s our review of Marwood’s award-winner The Wicked Girls.
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Go Fast by Rod Humphris
Action and adventure with a noir vibe come our way with the first novel in the Simon Ellice series by Rod Humphris. Set in Morocco, the story begins with a bit of smuggling and black marketeering in the port of Nador but soon winds its way through the kif terraces of the Rif Mountains and off towards the Sahara. Can ex-military man Ellice extricate himself from this illegal predicament? See also the prequel novella Dead Ground. Go Fast is out now.
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The Sinner by Martyn Waites
Last year’s The Old Religion by Martyn Waites provided us not only with an allegory for Brexit but also introduced undercover cop Tom Kilgannon, now in witness protection after his cover was blown. In The Sinner, he’s recruited to go undercover once again – this time in Blackmoor prison, where his mission is to befriend the notorious child killer Noel Cunningham and find out where two victims were buried. If that wasn’t dangerous enough, also in the prison is an organised crime kingpin Kilgannon previously put away and the man is onto him. Survival hangs by a thread. The Kindle version arrives 18 July.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
23 July sees the arrival of a new series by Michael Robotham *claps hands in glee*. Cyrus Haven is a forensic psychologist with a troubled past of his own and he’s about to have his skills tested to the limit by Evie Cormac. Six years ago, she was found, half starved and filthy, in a locked secret room at the scene of a horrific crime. Since then, Evie has grown into a damaged adult who has never opened up about who she really is. She also has a gift that has the potential to put her in danger – because Evie knows when someone is lying and when they’re being truthful. Can Cyrus break through the barriers and unearth the real Evie? Here’s our interview with Michael Robotham.
Pre-order now on Amazon
