Ordeal by Jorn Lier Horst
What is it about William Wisting? He’s getting on a bit, and he doesn’t really have the cannon ball-style impact of Harry Hole. Nor does he quite match Inspector Sejer for psychological intensity. And yet this quiet Norwegian detective is gaining a big following just…
Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama
Translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies — The main attraction of a police procedural is the opportunity for readers to watch the characters develop over a series of short, complex novels – Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels, for example, or Sjöwall and Wahlöö’s Martin Beck series. Both offer…
Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
Old-style TV crime dramas have a lot to answer for. At an hour long (minus advert breaks) they had a beginning, middle and all-tied-up-in-a-neat-bow ending. Sadly, life isn’t like that. Some crimes are never solved, with both police and victims stuck in a limbo they…
A Siege of Bitterns by Steve Burrows
Described as a birder murder mystery, A Siege of Bitterns is the first in a series aimed at crime fans and birdwatchers alike. The novel is one of the first issued by Point Blank, a new imprint from Oneworld focused on literary crime, thrillers and…
Thin Ice by Quentin Bates
How does Quentin Bates manage to do it all? Translate Ragnar Jonasson’s Icelandic crime series, organise the Iceland Noir festival, and produce on average one murder mystery a year. What’s more, all this productivity seems to be making his writing better and better: self-assured, witty, generating a…
Death in Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson
Hampstead is one of London’s more desirable quarters, with its lofty position, much sought-after properties, and reputation for housing many of the city’s millionaires. Murder does not respect postcode, however, and when the wife of a well-to-do doctor is found dead, the local constabulary compare…