The Sixth Window
Written by Rachel Abbott — Authors today have a choice. They can go down the standard route, sending their manuscripts to traditional publishers who may or may not give it the attention it deserves. Or, they can self-publish through platforms like Amazon. Rachel Abbott, once the owner…
Rupture
Written by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Quentin Bates — Iceland’s modern answer to Agatha Christie is back in fine fettle, with a tale of two mysteries set in the northernmost regions of this remote island nation. This instalment of the crime series featuring young policeman Ari Thor Arason slots in…
You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott audiobook
Narrated by Lauren Fortgang – Known for her hardboiled and noir stories, Megan Abbott’s latest novel – reviewed here as an audiobook – captures a darker side of sporting competition to coincide with the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. America’s queen of noir has written a psychological thriller…
Highbridge by Phil Redmond
His name is synonymous with hard-hitting TV dramas like Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks, but can Phil Redmond cut the mustard as a crime fiction writer? On this showing, the answer is an unhesitating ‘yes’. I suppose it’s not surprising that the man behind the…
The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Translated by William Frost — Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen is now one of the country’s top literary exports. The jacket of The Hanging Girl – the sixth Department Q novel, featuring Carl Mørck – proclaims sales of 12.5 million copies. The author’s creation of a separate department…
I Let You Go
This excellent debut is not the work of a novice writer, but of an experienced and established journalist. A clever combination of police procedural and psychologocal thriller, it begins with a scene that will chill every parent’s soul to its core. One momentary lapse of…
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
I Let You Go might be Clare Mackintosh‘s crime debut, but as a journalist she is an established writer. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Sainsbury’s Magazine, Good Housekeeping and WI Life. If you’re into suburban or kitchen sink noir, this sounds like a very…