On the Radar — We’ve got a sensational headline for you this week because in our lead book DI Savage seems to be dealing with a satanic killer operating on those eerie crags of Dartmoor. Crime authors have also delivered a tale of obsession, cat and mouse games played with the police, and a Scottish anti-hero, plus there is SJ Watson’s much-anticipated second outing. Read on and tell us which ones you fancy reading this week…

Tell Tale by Mark Sennen
Based in Plymouth, Detective Inspector Charlotte Savage has featured in several previous novels. Now, she’s faced with the most challenging case of her career. Her own daughter is dead, and Savage knows who the killer is. Balancing a mother’s natural desire for revenge against her professional responsibility, her next investigation begins when a woman’s body is found on Dartmoor. There are other sinister finds as well, like a pentagram with a dead animal at its centre. When the dead woman’s housemate also dies, Savage tries to hunt down her daughter’s murderer and also bring the Moors Killer to justice. Out on 12 February.
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Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger
Ian and Priss were childhood buddies, but even as kids, there was an edge to the relationship. Ian was the perpetual outcast, dismissed by the other children as just another fatboy, while Priss was simply too different to fit in. Now grown up, they’ve moved from Hicksville to New York City. Ian has changed. He is a successful graphic novelist. Priss, however has merely traded her childhood quirks for sex and drugs. When Ian meets a young woman called Megan – beautiful and wholesome – his life seems complete, but he reckons without the possessive and dangerous nature of Priss, his childhood friend. Available on 10 February.
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Obsession in Death by JD Robb
It is hard to believe that this is the 40th book in the In Death series. JD Robb, aka Eleanor Marie Robertson, has been penning these at a rate of two a year since 1995, when Naked In Death was released. Having a millionaire husband certainly hasn’t hindered Detective Eve Dallas in her career, and she is no stranger to the public spotlight. When a mysterious killer starts to dedicate his grisly work to her, she faces a career-challenging case where she herself becomes the focal point of the investigation. Published on 10 February.
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Dangerous by Jessie Keane
It’s 1953 and a new queen has been crowned in England, but Clara Dolan is unable to share in the national rejoicing. Her mother is dying and will leave her – a 15-year-old girl – in charge of a growing family. Clara survives the 1950s, but the challenges of the Swinging 60s is different. She becomes involved in a glittering life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, typified by the tight-knit and tumultuous world of London’s Soho. On the shelves on 12 February.
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The Doll’s House by MJ Arlidge
This is the third outing for DI Helen Grace, and you can read our review of the first, Eeny Meeny, here. Hampshire-based Grace now has to pick up the scent of a manipulative and barbaric killer. One of the corpses is found on a pleasure beach and as the body count rises Grace has one baffling question to deal with. Why were the victims not reported missing by those close to them? Arlidge has been a TV drama producer for many years, so expect a visual story. The words work well enough on their own, and you can listen to an extract from The Doll’s House by following this Soundcloud link, and buy the book on 12 February.
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Beyond the Rage by Michael J Malone
Fans of Scottish author Michael J Malone will be familiar with DI Ray McBain, and may recall a peripheral appearance of a young criminal – and childhood buddy of McBain – Kenny O’Neill. The two young men have gone their separate ways, but now Malone has given McNeill a book of his own. Our Kenny is outraged when his escort girl lover is brutally beaten. His anger is fuelled by pity for her, but also by the implied disrespect to his reputation. His peace of mind is not improved when his estranged father seeks a reunion, despite their unfinished family business. Available now for Kindle, out as a paperback on 12 February – watch for our review soon.
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Prayer for the Dead by James Oswald
Oswald’s increasingly popular DI Tony McLean series reaches its fifth book and here our hero is found exploring the maze of ancient tunnels and caves lying beneath the fashionable streets and avenues of Edinburgh. A man has been slaughtered in what can only be described as a sinister, quasi-religious ceremony. The CSI team are baffled by an almost supernatural lack of forensic evidence, and McLean must decide if he is dealing with the Devil, or a more prosaic opponent. Published on 12 February. Read the author’s article on self-publishing your novel here.
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Second Life by SJ Watson
Watson’s first novel, Before I Go To Sleep, won all manner of accolades, and was turned into a film last year. His new book tells the tale of a woman whose humdrum life is turned on its head when her sister is murdered. Julia seeks to assuage her grief by befriending her late sister’s best friend, Sophie. Instead of closure, it opens the door to a whole new dark and distressing world of internet chatrooms and cybersex. Rather than being warned off by her sister’s demise, Julia is herself sucked into an exciting but potentially deadly relationship with a mysterious online friend called Lukas. Available from 12 February.
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When You Run with Wolves by Robert White
Indie publishing house Number Thirteen Press is on a mission to publish a new pulp novel on the 13th of every month in 2015. February’s offering features an Ohio-based minor criminal called Jack Trichaud. Most small-time hoods might count their blessings to find themselves in possession of $1 million, the proceeds of a botched bank job, but Trichaud’s peace of mind is threatened by a variety of people determined to make his life difficult. A violent and slightly deranged white supremacist is one such threat, but an ambitious and relentless FBI agent called Pippin is also aiming to bring him down. Out on 13 February.
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