Lovereading Latest: Mystery / Thriller

Good People - Ewart Hutton

Good People
Ewart Hutton

Format: Hardback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £14.24 - Saving £4.75 (25%)

February 2012 eBook of the Month. Small town hypocrisy shamelessly satirised in a twisting murder plot in rural Wales. An entertaining, cleverly plotted debut.

Pantheon - Sam Bourne

Pantheon
Sam Bourne

Format: Hardback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. A truth unearthed by Jonathan Freedland, who writes under the pseudonym Sam Bourne, is the idea at the centre of this explosive WW2 thriller. While we thought we were fighting a morally repugnant enemy who believed in the ‘master race’ the idea behind it ‘eugenics’ was supported by some of the most influential British and American intellectual and political elite of the time. An unwitting Oxford don finds himself personally involved in this previously hidden aspect of WW2 when his wife and child are kidnapped.

Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith

Agent 6
Tom Rob Smith

Format: Paperback - Released: 19/01/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. Agent 6 is the third in Tom Rob Smith's trilogy about a former MGB agent, Leo Demidov. His stunning debut Child 44, set in Russia in 1953 won him the Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2009. The second The Secret Speech, again set in the 1950's, was equally gripping. In Agent 6 it is 1965 and Leo Demidov has a wife and teenage daughters - but can he stop his past life destroying his current one? Three decades. Two murders. One conspiracy. Who is Agent 6?

Finders Keepers - Belinda Bauer

Finders Keepers
Belinda Bauer

Format: Hardback - Released: 05/01/2012
Lovereading Price: £11.24 - Saving £3.75 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. Psychological thrillers don’t get much better than this. Chillingly gripping, it’s the sort of plot line that surprises you at every turn and absolutely does not let you go. A real tour-de-force.

Never Apologise, Never Explain - James Craig

Never Apologise, Never Explain
James Craig

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.24 - Saving £1.75 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. We were big fans of London Calling the first in this series of books featuring dogged, determined (coffee connoisseur ) Inspector John Carlyle. This latest Inspector Carlyle crime novel is superbly executed for at first glance it seems a straightforward case but, with Carlyle nothing is as it seems and if he's to resolve his latest caseload he must bring his skills of diplomacy and politics to the fore. Click here to see the first book in the series, London Calling.

The Calling of the Grave - Simon Beckett

The Calling of the Grave
Simon Beckett

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.24 - Saving £1.75 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. A Maxim Jakubowski Great Male Crime Sleuth. Forensics expert Dr David Hunter has featured in a handful of investigations so far and is becoming a worthy British counterpart to Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta. Ironically, he has become a major bestseller in Germany where he outsells all other crime writers. The meticulous emphasis on bones, blood, insects and the paraphernalia of crime scene investigations makes his cases emphatically realistic and Hunter proves a sympathetic if obstinate sleuth who seldom deviates from the right course of action. Addictive stuff.

The Book of Lies - Mary Horlock

The Book of Lies
Mary Horlock

Format: Paperback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

February 2012 Debut of the Month. A well-written insight into the twisted mind of an unashamed murderer, as she admits in the second paragraph of this book (see link to the Opening Extract on this page). In fact, The Book of Lies is so easy and approachable, and makes you so familiar with the writer, it feels like you are reading a personal letter from her to you. Alongside the subtly-woven, insightful narrative, throughout this book there are interesting footnotes about the island of Guernsey which add an interesting historical perspective as well as underpin the credibility of the story. A compelling read.

Death in a Cold Climate : A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction - Barry Forshaw

Death in a Cold Climate : A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction
Barry Forshaw

Format: Paperback - Released: 13/01/2012
Lovereading Price: £12.74 - Saving £4.25 (25%)

Death in a Cold Climate is a celebration and analysis of Scandinavian crime fiction which has become, almost out of the blue, one of the hottest areas of writing today. With forensic dissection and analysis of books, films and TV adaptations Barry Forshaw, the UK's principal expert on crime fiction, looks to explain the appeal. From Sjowall and Wahloo's influential Martin Beck series through Henning Mankell's Wallander to Stieg Larsson's publishing phenomenon The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo this is a must have for any fan of Scandinavian Crime Fiction... Click here to view 'Where to start with Scandinavian crime fiction' - an online booklet by Barry Forshaw.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion - Eric Van Lustbader, Robert Ludlum

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion
Eric Van Lustbader, Robert Ludlum

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

The latest installment in the most famous thriller series of them all. Bourne is back, and this time the stakes are higher than ever... When Robert Ludlum died in 2001 we all feared the incredible character of Jason Bourne he created would not see another adventure but through the pen of Eric van Lustbader he continues to thrill and excite. Visit Robert Ludlumn's author page on Lovereading to see all the Bourne books.

Fighting Dirty - June Hampson

Fighting Dirty
June Hampson

Format: Paperback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

The final, heart-pounding instalment in June Hampson's compelling gangland saga series. Our Editorial guru Sarah Broadhurst says of the series 'It’s Evocative and gritty and it's got heart, violence, sex and an underground current which is very atmospheric.' See the links below to read the books in order. 1 Trust Nobody 2 Broken Bodies 3 Damaged Goods 4 Fatal Cut 5 Jail Bait 6 Fighting Dirty

The End of the Wasp Season - Denise Mina

The End of the Wasp Season
Denise Mina

Format: Paperback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2011. In this stunning new novel DS Alex Morrow discovers that nothing is sacred, even human life...The End of the Wasp Season is an accomplished, compelling and multi-layered novel, which traces the damaging consequences of one man's selfish actions in a world ravaged by recession and questioning everything it previously held sacred. CWA Judges’ comments: 'A complex exploration of the economic motives which link a murder in Glasgow and a suicide in suburban England; Mina’s pregnant police detective’s own complicated personal background and career history give her a rare depth of character and understanding as she leads her team’s investigation into the disturbing undercurrents and repercussions of economic recession.'

Mice - Gordon Reece

Mice
Gordon Reece

Format: Paperback - Released: 03/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

A Piece of Passion from the Publisher of Mice, Maria Rejt:"Mice is not a thriller that conforms particularly to what a bestselling thriller purports to be these days – there are no serial killers, no high-octane car chases, no baroque methods of torture. It begins as a simple tale of domesticity which, within a matter of pages, has evolved into an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that literally will not let you go. The set up is simple. A middle-aged woman and her teenage daughter escape to a rural idyll. They are retreating from the miseries of failed relationships and vicious school bullying. Together and alone in the country they are safe. Until a stranger intrudes and a split second decision sends their world into tailspin.Gordon Reece is an author who has such empathy with his characters and such control over his plotting that the reader is held in a vice-grip. Once started, there is no escaping his story which hurtles to a truly chilling and haunting climax. I loved its simplicity and power but it is the ending which stays with you long after the last page has been turned." The Lovereading view... Sixteen year old Shelley and her mother move to a Cottage in the middle of the countryside, hoping to put behind them years of suffering at the hands of others. And for a while, in their cottage-haven, the women flourish. But one night, their fragile peace is shattered when Shelley wakes to hear a creak on the stairs. Someone has broken into the house ...A gripping, unique suspense thriller with a chilling twist, which has already elicited comparisons with Ruth Rendell, with the film Shallow Grave and with Picador’s acclaimed debut of 2010, Rupture by Simon Lelic. Like for Like: Ruth Rendell, Minette Walters.

The Siege - Simon Kernick

The Siege
Simon Kernick

Format: Hardback - Released: 19/01/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. One of Britain’s top writers has in Siege created a real edge-of-your-seat race against time thriller. Set in London, a top London hotel is being held hostage along with everyone in it by gunmen who are using ever more frightening methods to terrorise those inside. Will the hostages or the gunmen survive the night or will the hotel be blown apart? It’s non-stop action set over a very short time frame.

Tell No One - Harlan Coben

Tell No One
Harlan Coben

Format: Paperback - Released: 20/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

A Special Edition of Tell No One by Harlan Coben to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary. January 2011 Guest Editor Lisa Gardner on Harlan Coben... His breakout thriller Tell No One remains one of my favourite novels, and I consider Harlan the master of the so-called “domestic thriller”—books about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Harlan’s characters feel like our best friends and next door neighbours: You recognize them instantly. Then, the unthinkable happens, and now this husband/mother/child, must dig deep to save his family. I find the novels very emotionally satisfying, the perfect way to unwind at the end of a long day. Shortlisted for the Specsavers ITV3 Crime Thriller Bestseller Dagger 2009. The Lovereading view... Don't start this book if you only have half an hour to spare as once you start you will not want to put it down. A chilling mysterious plot and fast paced thriller, this is Harlan Coben at his best.

Black and Blue - Ian Rankin

Black and Blue
Ian Rankin

Format: Paperback - Released: 20/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

A Special Edition of Black and Blue by Ian Rankin to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary. Rebus has everything against him, an internal investigation, a possible miscarriage of justice and a pretty tough Glasgow gangster. Enough to try the patience of any cop, but when it’s the curmudgeon Rebus he really has to tread a fine line. Another excellent read. This book won a well-deserved Golden Dagger Award (Best Mystery as awarded by the Crime Writers Association of Britain).