It’s a bittersweet moment for fans of British police procedurals will as Peter Lovesey’s Bath-based detective Peter Diamond hands in his badge. Plus, our news report brings you murder at a wedding, murder under the Arctic ice, murder in 16th century Italy and a fine-looking reprint of a Canadian indie crime novel.
Don’t forget to vote for the best of the best in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2024.
Against the Grain by Peter Lovesey
Fans of Peter Lovesey, and his creation Detective Peter Diamond, with be delighted to hear that Against the Grain is out now. The bad news, however, is that this novel marks the conclusion of a series spanning 22 books. Diamond, head of the Avon and Somerset Murder Squad, is taking a well-earned holiday. He’s visiting former colleague Julie Hargreaves in idyllic village of Baskerville. But something’s afoot – a local farmer has been convicted of manslaughter following a terrible accident in her grain silo, and Julie is convinced there has been a miscarriage of justice. Can Diamond act the tourist while getting to the bottom of what actually happened?
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The Good Bride by Jen Marie Wiggins
Jen Marie Wiggins is something of a wedding expert, having written a range of magazine articles and even a book on the subject. Now she’s leading crime fiction readers up the aisle with her debut thriller, The Good Bride, out on 10 December. It would take more than a natural disaster to stop Ruth Bancroft from marrying the man of her dreams in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. A year after the place was hit by a hurricane, Ruth has everything planned with precision. But you can’t predict what your family will get up to in the run up to the Big Day – and when the rehearsal dinner is rocked by gunshots and a guest disappears, that perfect wedding day begins to feel like an impossible dream.
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Death on Ice by RO Thorp
Let’s meet twins who are both marine biologists in Death on Ice by RO Thorp published for Kindle on 11 December. Rose and Finn are part of a research team on a luxury cruise ship in the Arctic. They’re deep under water, looking for sharks, when one of their colleagues is murdered on the ice, with a harpoon, no less. The vessel is filled with suspects, from the wealthy guests, to crew members and even the research group. Only Rose and Finn have watertight alibis, and it spurs them on to find the killer before he or she strikes again. Cosy crime in a cold, cold climate – perfect for a night snuggled up in front of the fire.
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City of Silk by Glennis Virgo
In 16th century Bologna, a talented seamstress finds her world unravelling. Against the odds, Elena Morandi has managed to secure a place in the workshop of a master tailor – a job officially barred to her as a woman. The arrival in the city of Antonio della Fontana, a powerful man who could threaten everything she has strived for, puts Elena on high alert. She and della Fontana have history; she knows that he abused his position of power at the Baraccano orphanage. Is it time for Elena to finally exact her revenge? Find out when City of Silk by Glennis Virgo, winner of the inaugural Debut Writers Over 50 Award, arrives on 5 December.
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Surf City Acid Drop by Craig Terlson
Canadian author Craig Terlson has released a brand new expanded second edition version of Surf City Acid Drop – with three new intros (written by Thomas Trang, Kenneth M Gray, and one by the author), plus two chapters from the next Luke Fischer book, Sayulita Sucker. Luke is dividing his time between happy hours at the El Rayo Verde and reluctant bouts of investigating. But when he finds a dead junkie in his hotel room, he clicks into detection mode. Or should that be flight mode? Because Luke decides to leave town, in the hope of staying one step ahead of the police and progressing on his latest case – finding his client’s missing brother. Only problem is, he’s not the only one looking for the man…
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