Blood Standard by Laird Barron
Alaskan ex-patriate Laird Barron now lives in New York State, where this debut crime novel is set. Barron, by the way, is no ingénue; Blood Standard may be his first straight-up crime effort, but the hardboiled school of writing has been an obvious influence on…
Beside the Syrian Sea by James Wolff
Reading this debut feels like a stroll in a dangerous section of town. That’s probably how the protagonist in this espionage thriller feels too. Jonas is a former desk-job employee of MI5. His father, part of a church delegation visiting Syria, has been kidnapped by…
The Cutting Edge
Written by Jeffery Deaver — Can you imagine the reaction when Jeffery Deaver pitched his first Lincoln Rhyme novel. ‘Oh yes, and my protagonist is quadriplegic, solving everything from the confines of his apartment…’ What’s the betting that they said it’d never catch on? How…
A Baby's Bones
Written by Rebecca Alexander — Former psychologist Rebecca Alexander certainly knows how to mess with your mind, as evidenced by this debut novel which introduces archaeologist Sage Westfield and is set in the Isle of Wight. Sage is pregnant and has recently split up with…