Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
Suspense has always been Stephen King’s stock-in-trade, but he’s increasingly turning to crime too. The much-admired Joyland was published last year in the Hard Case Crime series, and his latest book more than lives up to the publisher’s description of a riveting mystery thriller. This…
A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton
That there London. It has featured in films, telly shows, songs and, of course, crime novels. But whether you see the place as a bustling metropolis or smelly, overpriced and somewhere south of Watford Gap, I doubt you’ve ever given much thought to the possibility…
The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
Tragedy seems to follow at Lucy Dane’s heels. When she was a little girl Lucy’s beautiful young mother, Lila, vanished after entering a cave known as Old Scratch near the town of Henbane, isolated deep in the Ozark mountains. Residents of the area know everything…
Broken Monsters
Written by Lauren Beukes — Detroit always has the potential to be a compelling backdrop to a crime novel, and in the hands of the wildly inventive Lauren Beukes this decaying city becomes a bad dream. The South African writer made her name with science…
To the Top of the Mountain by Arne Dahl
Translated by Alice Menzies — Crime readers have to get used to time lags in English translations, but you suspect some devoted fans of Arne Dahl have decided to learn Swedish rather than wait for the UK publisher to catch up. To the Top of…
A Morbid Habit by Annie Hauxwell
If you had to create a check-list for a spy fiction heroine, then Catherine Berlin would not tick many boxes. Let’s try: Young and glamorous? No, she shows all of her 57 years, and looks slightly the worse for wear. High profile job? Sorry. She’s…