On the Radar: Here comes a candle to light you to bed
A strong concept will make for an enjoyable read if it’s executed correctly, and so we’re very much looking forward to Oranges and Lemons by Christopher Fowler, in which the murders follow the pattern of the old London-based nursery rhyme. And, of course, execution is…
My crime classics by Gary Phillips
He’s written for TV, he’s written graphic novels, he’s a top-drawer crime author and he has also edited short story anthologies. But today we’ve given LA crime author Gary Phillips a new assignment – we asked him to pick out his favourite classic crime fiction…
On the Radar: The Ice Temple is coming
What a time to be alive… The saying reverberates around social media as exasperated people observe a world in chaos, picking out the anomalies and contradictions while ducking insults and blocking racists. But this week we are saying ‘What a time to be alive’ with…
On the radar: The deadly past
The past will come back to get you. And if you happen to be a character in a crime novel, be warned – because this is doubly the case. We won’t drift into metafictional discussion here, though. What we will do is tell you that…
Rolling Thunder by AJ Devlin
With a lurid magenta cover and a private detective who is larger-than-life, AJ Devlin’s Rolling Thunder is the right kind of contemporary pulp crime novel to read if you want to get your mind off COVID-19, Donald Trump, Brexit and all the other nonsense going…
On the Radar: Crystal skulls are Ace
Pirate treasure in the Caribbean. It’s generally agreed in literature and filmmaking that this kind of booty is definitely worth killing for and that’s what seems to happen in our lead novel this week – a light and distracting new cosy from Cathy Ace. We’ve…