A Christmas Murder of Crows by DM Austin
There’s nothing better than a nice murder to warm the cockles at Christmastime. In fact, the fine tradition of festive homicide has given rise to such literary gems as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, Francis Duncan’s Murder for Christmas, J Jefferson Farjeon’s Mystery in White…
The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee
The fifth Wyndham and Banerjee mystery is a delight to read because author Abir Mukherjee is such a wonderful storyteller. It’s a narrative that’s easy to get lost in. The 1920s colonial India setting is rich and colourful but also ripe with all the best…
The Crystal Crypt by Fiona Veitch Smith
The Crystal Crypt marks the sixth investigative outing for reporter and amateur sleuth Poppy Denby. It’s a story that sees the sins of the past come back to haunt her, with former friends and foes resurfacing to destabilise her professional life at just the same…
Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple by Gary Phillips
Los Angeles-based author Gary Phillips has been writing crime in a variety of styles and media for nearly 30 years. I can remember reading about his black PI, Ivan Monk, in books such as Violent Spring in the late 90s. He’s since branched out into…
Death in the East
Written by Abir Mukherjee — The acclaimed Wyndham and Banerjee historical crime series returns with a fourth instalment. Was it really in 2016 that The Rising Man introduced us to Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee? Most recently Wyndham was caught in the angry…
Mafiosa: a feminist take on gangster land
The macho image of organised crime in the 1920s is being turned on its side by a new crime fiction comic which is building a following on Kickstarter. Written by Sunshine Barbito and illustrated by Debora Carita, Mafiosa will tell the story of Nicoletta Marchesi,…
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…