Passenger 23
Written by Sebastian Fitzek, narrated by Max Beesley, with a cast of actors — Unless you speak German, the only way you can enjoy psychological thriller-writer Fitzek’s latest book is on audio, which is perhaps why it’s called ‘An Audible Original Drama,’ though it is…
First look: Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama
Here’s an innovative approach to an eye-catching early review copy of a crime novel. It looks, in the picture, just like an ordinary compact cassette from back in the 1980s, but in fact it’s a whopping book of 634 pages – the latest Japanese crime…
Enough Rope by Barbara Nadel
Former soldier and ex-cop Lee Arnold runs an enquiry agency in London’s East End. His assistant is Mumtaz Hakim is a psychology graduate and, as a Muslim, wears a headscarf. She walks the tightrope between the conflicting demands of being a woman in Bangladeshi society…
Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell
The appetite for domestic noir seems insatiable, so it’s not surprising that this debut novel by American writer Maggie Mitchell has been marketed as perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train. There are some similarities, but to my mind this is a much…
Half the World Away by Cath Staincliffe
Gap years have become such a rite of passage for university students in the UK, that parents hardly dare to admit their dismay when their children set off to face the dangers of travelling around the world by themselves. After all, in an age of…
The French Detective by O'Neil De Noux
A jambalaya of factors go into your enjoyment of a crime novel, and this one is definitely a flavourful mix. Author O’Neil De Noux has selected a time and place ripe for drama. New Orleans is consistently intriguing on many levels, most particularly for its…
Before It's Too Late by Jane Isaac
There is a seemingly unquenchable thirst for police procedurals among crime fiction fans, and this one certainly scores high marks for its setting. The graceful river with its swans, the ancient streets and lanes, the half-timbered houses – all would have been familiar to William…