Out of the Ashes by Vicky Newham
London. AKA The Smoke. Home of the cheery, never-say-die Cockney, who likes to dress up in his Pearly King costume, eat jellied eels and talk in rhyming slang. Got that, me ol’ China? Well that’s all the stereotypes out of the way, so let’s take…
The Paris Diversion
Written by Chris Pavone — The Paris Diversion is the followup to Chris Pavone’s award-winning debut thriller from 2013, The Expats. In the new book, former CIA agent Kate Moore is living in Paris with her husband Dexter when the ghosts from that earlier story…
Deadland
Written by William Shaw — There’s something magical when a book transports you completely to the place in which it is set. Elly Griffiths does it brilliantly with North Norfolk in her Ruth Galloway novels, and after reading William Shaw’s Deadland I feel like I’ve…
Worst Case Scenario by Helen FitzGerald
Helen FitzGerald’s The Cry, a harrowing story about a missing child, was dramatised by BBC TV last year. Worst Case Scenario is a very different book. It’s a satirical take on the revenge thriller and is funny, dark and provocative from the first glorious line….
Indian Summer
Written by Sara Sheridan — In the scheme of things across the genre, the Mirabelle Bevan mysteries fall into the cosy crime category. But like many others of its ilk, Indian Summer has its fair share of gruesome deaths, beginning with that of Catholic priest…
Metropolis
Written by Philip Kerr — The tragic passing of Philip Kerr last year means that Metropolis is the last book in his hugely popular historical crime series featuring the German detective Bernie Gunther. You can read a full rundown on the series here, and if…
The Ringmaster
Written by Vanda Symon — Sharp-witted, no-holds-barred Sam Shephard is back. After leaving her previous position in Mataura, deep in the countryside on New Zealand’s South Island, she’s starting a new job at the rank of detective in Dunedin. Being promoted after only a six-month…