On the Radar — Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz and Lee Child – three of the UK’s biggest names in crime fiction – all feature this week. Cleeves has written about a moth hunter, Horiwitz about 007 and Lee Child, well, he’s got a new Jack Reacher story for us. But that’s not all – if these aren’t destined for your Kindle or bookshelf, maybe one of the other new offerings is more to your taste…
The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves
The middle-aged and thoroughly believable character of Vera Stanhope has clearly struck a chord with readers and viewers of TV police procedurals. Again, we are in the quiet fields and rolling uplands of Northumbria, and a young lepidopterist (moth fanatic) is found dead. He has been working as a house sitter in a local mansion, but free to pursue his passion when he is not looking after the house. Another corpse is found, and Vera and her team must avoid flying too closely to the light. Read our review of Harbour Street here. The Moth Catcher will be available from 10 September.
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Mr Scarletti’s Ghost by Linda Stratmann
The author moves us away from the all-too-familiar lanes and slums of London, to the south coast resort of Brighton. Despite making a passable living from writing ghost stories, Mina Scarletti is one of life’s sceptics regarding ‘the other world’. When her widowed mother is sucked into what appears to be a scam engineered by bogus spiritualists, Mina sets down her pen and takes up her cudgel on behalf of those grieving souls who are gulled into believing that it is possible to contact their dear departed soulmates. Linda Stratmann is happily feeding the unquenchable thirst for Victorian crime fiction, and earlier this year we reviewed The Children of Silence. Mr Scarletti’s Ghost is published on 7 September.
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Devoted in Death by JD Robb
NYPD cop Eve Dallas has a legion of fans and features in over 50 books and novellas in the ‘…in Death’ series. As the dying strains of Auld Lang Syne echo around the bars of New York City, Dallas feels little New Year optimism as she examines a corpse in a filthy alley. A tattoo on the body tells her that this is the latest victim of a vicious pair of killers, who are working their way across the states. Bonnie and Clyde they are not. There is no glamour, no love story, no compassion. Ella and Darryl are stone-cold killers, and they are determined not to be stopped. If you are a newcomer to the series, then you might be interested in our 2013 review of Calculated in Death. Devoted in Death will be out on 17 September.
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She’s Not There by PJ Parrish
PJ Parrish is the alias of sisters Kelly Nichols and Kris Montee. In this psychological thriller, a woman wakes up in a hospital bed, bruised, battered and scarred, but with no knowledge of how she got there. Although her memory is shot to pieces, her common sense is intact. She gradually realises that someone from her own family circle is responsible for her predicament and, unsure of who to turn to for support, she checks out of the hospital and goes on the run. Pursued by those who wish her harm, and also those who seek the truth, Amelia must hope that it is the good guys who find her first. Published on 8 September.
All In by Joel Goldman and Lisa Klink
This is a must for readers who like escapist international thrillers, set against the background of personal jets, mega-rich commodity traders and beautiful people who spend the evening trying to beat the wheel in a Monaco casino, but have breakfast together the next day in Buenos Aires. Poker ace Jake Carter teams up with an unlikely ally – social justice warrior Cassie Ireland – to pit their unique skill set against an amoral and pitiless hedge fund boss who lines his wallet at the expense of those less fortunate. On the shelves or available for download from 8 September.
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Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz
Cynics may be appeased by the fact that this book actually contains material written by Ian Fleming, and that it is billed as a sequel to Goldfinger and features an appearance by Pussy Galore. Horowitz has wisely decided not to try and make Bond ever more tech-savvy, and he has put our man in the classic Bond era of the 50s and 60s. The plot involves motor racing, a megalomaniac Korean millionnaire and – heaven be praised – SMERSH. You can make your own mind up about the title, but the author has proven his worth in many media and genres. We reviewed his Sherlock Holmes novel The House of Silk in 2012, and Foyle’s War, which he wrote for television, featured in our chart of The 20 Best Crime Shows Of All Time. Out 8 September.
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The Devil Wins by Reed Farrel Coleman
Unlike their creators, some detectives live for ever. Parker died in 2010, but both his mouthy Boston PI, Spenser, and the gloomy Chief of Police Jesse Stone, are still with us, in various manifestations. Coleman entered the Jesse Stone stakes with Blind Spot in September 2014, and now we have another adventure involving the gloomy and booze-prone chief cop in the ironically named Massachusetts resort of Paradise. A massive storm washes up three corpses on the Paradise shore. One was living and breathing just hours earlier, but the other two have been dead for 25 years. Stone must combat very present danger and old evil to solve the case. Out on 8 September.
Liar Liar by MJ Arlidge
This is the fourth in the popular series featuring DI Helen Grace. Our 2014 review of Eeny Meeny is here, and now Arlidge continues the nursery rhyme theme. Set in Southampton, the story revolves around the hunt for a serial killer who likes to see various things – never mind just pants – go up in flames. Havoc ensues for DI Grace. Out 10 September.
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Death Comes to Happy Acres by JT Moss
It looks like a cosy. It sounds like a cosy. But when we learn that Happy Acres is actually a far from salubrious trailer park, and the main character is an ageing jazz musician and serial philanderer, we might sniff of noir. But rest assured, cosy fans, when you learn that the plot involves a very cute inherited cat, you can expect a few deaths, but nothing too graphic. When one of Wade Lovett’s three on-the-go girlfriends is found dead, he becomes a suspect and the only way he can clear his name is – you guessed it – to find the real killer. Published on 10 September.
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Make Me by Lee Child
Our man Jack is, as usual, on the road to nowhere in particular with his usual lack of both luggage and any clear direction. When he gets off the train at the intriguingly named town of Mothers Rest, in the middle of a featureless wheat prairie, he is expecting to do a little research into local history. This is his 20th novel and we know, and Racher knows, that this simply ain’t gonna happen. Reacher walks head first into an unholy tangle involving the FBI, the Dark Web and serious mental illness. We reviewed Lee Child’s Personal in 2014, and you can get up to date with the big man’s latest adventure on 10 September.
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