Sleepless by Romy Hausmann
Translated by Jamie Bulloch — Dear Child, Romy Hausmann’s debut which was published in English last year, proved to be a breath of fresh air for the stale psychological noir sub-genre of mainstream crime fiction. It subverted the tired clichés and tropes while at the…
Hostage by Clare Mackintosh
Many of us are dreaming of the day when we can step back on a plane and fly off into the wide blue yonder. After reading Clare Mackintosh’s latest standalone, you may find yourself having second thoughts. This award-winning author has made a name for…
The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain
Interviews with Irish author Jo Spain always meander into the same territory – she would just LOVE to be a big name in the US. And that bid for world domination makes a massive step forward with The Perfect Lie, which leaves the rolling green…
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
Any ‘best of’ list of creepiest love songs worth its salt is sure to include Every Breath You Take, the stalkerfest made famous by The Police back in 1983, when it reached number one in six countries including the US and the UK. With lines…
The Captive
After the lockdowns we’ve endured, how would you feel if you were forced by the justice system to host a caged prisoner in your home? This is what happens to Hannah in Deborah O’Connor’s thriller, when she is effectively handed a life sentence, as she…
The Little Lies by Valerie Keogh
An eye-catching cover showing two sweet, tiny, baby shoes in the palest blue sets out the stall for this psychological thriller. The ‘little secrets’ of the title must include an infant, right? But Valerie Keogh is such a tease! She wrong-foots the reader from the…
The Art of Death by David Fennell
It’s a debut that was making waves before it was published – The Art of Death even made CFL’s list of books to look out for in 2021. But does David Fennell’s novel bring anything new to the serial killer party? It certainly arrives with…