The Unfortunate Englishman by John Lawton
John Lawton is not the most prolific author, so when a new book comes along it is something of an event. He made his name with the excellent Frederick Troy novels, and in 2014 he gave us a new character in Then We Take Berlin…
A Tapping at My Door by David Jackson audiobook
Narrated by Jonathan Keeble — The early chapters of this police procedural are tremendously intriguing. A woman copper in Liverpool is murdered in her back garden, with a dead raven splayed over her face. Only when the crime scene investigators remove the bird do they…
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
While All Things Cease to Appear does have a suspicious death and violence in it, this book is far, far removed from your conventional crime novel. Sure, it tightens the psychological screws as you read, but the suspense has more to do with atmosphere than…
Death Do Us Part by Steven Dunne
Detective Inspector Damen Brook of Derby CID is back, with a new case and a new set of troubles. An old couple are found dead in their house, in a quiet Derby suburb. Holding hands, both are smartly dressed, their favourite piece of music playing…
The Detective and the Devil by Lloyd Shepherd
Melding real life and fiction is a delicate balancing act, but one that Lloyd Shepherd has successfully pulled off in three previous historical thrillers. This is his fourth to feature the indefatigable Constable Charles Horton of London’s River Police. It’s 1815, and Horton is called upon…
Die of Shame by Mark Billingham
Mark Billingham is celebrated for his long-running police procedural series featuring the London detective Tom Thorne. Like all good writers, however, he has shown he can produce standalones too, such as Rush of Blood, which came out in 2012. Die of Shame is still set…
Little Sister by David Hewson
This third police procedural in Hewson’s Netherlands series again features Amsterdam police brigadier Pieter Vos and his misfit Frieslander colleague, Laura Bakker. The story centres on the plight of Mia and Kim Timmers, orphaned twins – originally from a set of triplets – who have…