Sonja van der Westhuizen

Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

22 May, 2023

Translated by Megan E Turney — From Ruth Galloway to Eve Ronin, if there’s one thing readers can’t complain about in recent years it’s a lack of strong female protagonists in crime novels. Now, debut Danish author Jenny Lund Madsen introduces Hannah Krause-Bendix, who is…

Kindle Print Reviews

Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

8 May, 2023

Screenwriter, filmmaker and bar owner Eryk Pruitt is no stranger to crime fiction that depicts the dark side of the American South, and has a growing reputation in rural noir storytelling. Something Bad Wrong is his third crime novel and was partly inspired by the…

Kindle Print Reviews

The Acapulco by Simone Buchholz

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

19 April, 2023

Translated by Rachel Ward — Unlike Erdinger or St Pauli Girl, German crime fiction doesn’t always travel as well as the country’s beers. However, the Chastity Riley series by Simone Buchholz has been something to behold. Beginning with Blue Night, Orenda Books has translated and…

Kindle Print Reviews

A Death in Denmark by Amulya Malladi

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

4 April, 2023

It’s not often crime fiction lovers will come across a Kierkegaard quoting, sharply dressed detective who is also a jazz musician. However, that’s just what we get in Gabriel Praest, an ex-cop from Copenhagen who provides a promising start to Amulya Malladi’s new series. Gabriel…

Kindle Print Reviews

Tina, Mafia Soldier by Maria Rosa Cutrufelli

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

23 March, 2023

Translated by Robin Pickering-Iazzi — Fact and fiction fuse in feminist Italian author Maria Rosa Cutrufelli’s first novel, Tina, Mafia Soldier, which is also the author’s first to be translated into English. Originally published in 1994, Tina Cannizzaro’s story was inspired by that of Emanuela…

Features

Sonja van der Westhuizen: Top five books of 2022

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

22 December, 2022

A few months back someone asked me what my favourite book of the year was, so far. After staring into space for a minute or three, I came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a favourite or best book of the…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

16 November, 2022

Translated by Tara Chase — Danish author Anne Mette Hancock is writing the kind of crime fiction that’s perfect for lovers of Nordic noir. Her debut, The Corpse Flower, was a hit in Denmark and appeared in English last year. Now investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

8 November, 2022

Step aside Mr Bond, it’s time for Miss Moneypenny to prove her grit as a World War II spy. In Christine Wells’ new historical spy novel, One Woman’s War, we meet 19-year-old Victoire ‘Paddy’ Bennett – the real-life inspiration for the James Bond character who…

Crime Fiction Lover

About author

Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt

The Acapulco by Simone Buchholz

A Death in Denmark by Amulya Malladi

Tina, Mafia Soldier by Maria Rosa Cutrufelli

Sonja van der Westhuizen: Top five books of 2022

The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock

One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

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