The Smiling Man
Written by Joseph Knox — Razor-sharp with blunt-talking northerners, literary but spiked with page-turning ferocity, tragedy laced with hope and a convincing cop anti-hero who gets justice both in and outside of the law. These are just some of the paradoxes that make The Smiling…
Sunburn
Written by Laura Lippman — As well as her Tess Monaghan series of detective books, Baltimore-based crime author Laura Lippman also writes incredible standalone crime novels that conjure up very real characters and very human situations in an effortless and composed manner. What the Dead…
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn
This immersive psychological thriller by newcomer AJ Finn has already been published in 36 languages and is in development for a movie treatment. It’s easy to see why. From the first pages, you’re pulled into the claustrophobic world of Anna Fox, the story’s first-person narrator….
Back Up by Paul Colize
Translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie — This crime thriller by Belgian writer Paul Colize about a British rock band was short-listed for a number of prizes when first released. Although it is only now available in English, the book should find a natural home and…
Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar
Written by Olga Wojtas — This time slip romp through imperial Russia has been published to coincide with the centenary of The Pride of Miss Jean Brodie author Muriel Spark’s birth. Spark’s bestselling book mined her own schooldays at James Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh, which…
The Gathering Dark
Written by James Oswald — Ever since James Oswald published his first Tony McLean novel in 2013 he has been admired for his skill in capturing loyal readers with his police procedurals that have a sprinkle of the supernatural. Less adept writers would alienate those who…