November Road by Lou Berney
Lou Berney’s 2015 novel The Long and Faraway Gone won a string of awards including the Edgar, Barry, McAvity and Anthony gongs. The author sets his latest novel in the aftermath of one of America’s defining moments, the assassination of John F Kennedy, and uses the…
The Good Sister
Written by Morgan Jones — “Out of pain will come good. That is how history is made.” These are the uncompromising words uttered by the 17-year-old protagonist of this novel. What would make an apparently well-adjusted, serious young girl flee to actively embrace extremist propaganda?…
The War in the Dark
Written by Nick Setchfield — Christopher Winter works for British Intelligence, and although he’s a spy, his talents lie more in removing threats to the state than tradecraft or espionage; he is somewhat of a blunt instrument. It is London, in the autumn of 1963 and…
Firefly
Written by Henry Porter — These are interesting times. Trump and Brexit dominate the headlines, and there are so many other bad things going on in the world. Crime fiction can provide wonderful escapist entertainment for those with news fatigue, but it can also illuminate important…
Beside the Syrian Sea by James Wolff
Reading this debut feels like a stroll in a dangerous section of town. That’s probably how the protagonist in this espionage thriller feels too. Jonas is a former desk-job employee of MI5. His father, part of a church delegation visiting Syria, has been kidnapped by…
Number 7, Rue Jacob
Written by Wendy Hornsby – Although Wendy Hornsby’s last mystery featuring documentary filmmaker Maggie MacGowen appeared several years ago, it’s clear that Hornsby – and Maggie – haven’t been sitting out the tectonic changes in our digitally connected world. As a result, she’s created a…