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Find out moreEnter the criminal underworld and solve a complex case all from the comfort of your favourite reading nook. Have a look at our Crime/Mystery selection to get your hands on the latest and greatest case and get mystery solving! You might also be interested in our Thriller and Suspense categories.
A captivating, intricate and thoroughly satisfying thriller. Reporter Rebecca Connolly returns to investigate the murders of two men, one found at the site of the Battle of Culloden in Highland dress, the other in a graveyard in Redcoat uniform. If you haven’t yet read the first in the Rebecca Connolly Thriller series Thunder Bay, please do, as it fully sets the scene for Rebecca. More characters are introduced, most noticeable among them a prominent Inverness crime family and a far-right group, adding to the intrigue and creating some seriously fascinating layers. Douglas Skelton set my mind ticking over in the background as the story weaved its magic and gathered me in. An unknown child speaks on occasion, the voice creating a discordant and unsettling note that grows in intensity. Looking back after finishing, it felt as though the ending was inevitable, and yet I had absolutely no idea where it was heading as I read and that is down to the skill of the writer. With an artful plot and crammed full of captivating characters, The Blood Is Still is a compelling and cracking read.
A striking and compelling debut set after the murder of 18 month old Lexi Hunter sends a shockwave through the local community. Lexi’s family are deaf, and British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter Paige Northwood assists the police as they investigate. Paige can’t help herself though, and begins to review the case herself in a bid to discover the truth. Author Nell Pattison became a teacher specialising in Deaf education working with students who use BSL. Her knowledge and awareness is clear to see as communication within the novel is skilfully written, piercing and penetrating awareness. I have to admit that Paige sometimes frustrated me, ‘Noooooo, don’t!’ escaped my lips on a number of occasions. Isn’t it fabulous when a character engages you in that way! With so many suspects to sift through and choose from, Paige really does have her work cut out. The Silent House is a different and thought-provoking crime mystery and sits as one of our debut books of the month.
Raw, honest, punchy and smirky, Containment, the third Sam Shephard book, continues the series in fabulous style. When a container ship spills its cargo on a New Zealand beach it sets in motion a series of events that puts Sam right in the middle of a whole heap of trouble. To have an understanding of Sam and what makes her just that little bit different, you really do need to start with Overkill and The Ringmaster. Vanda Symon has written a bold, gutsy protagonist who fights her way through life. Sam’s thoughts and feelings stamp her way all over this book, ready to kick and squabble just to keep her head above water. There is a relationship in the background, and that is where we see Sam’s vulnerable side (have to say that I wanted to settle her down for a good old chat on occasion). If you enjoy a quick-firing, fast-moving tale with a tight storyline then Containment could just be the very book for you.
Just that little bit different (in fact strikingly different), Mexico Street challenges preconceptions and society issues, ensuring a full-on fabulous read. German public prosecutor Chastity is back, this time investigating a series of arson attacks that lead to the death of a man linked to criminal gangs. One thing to note straightaway is that I really feel you do need to have read the others in the Chastity Riley series to fully enjoy this one, otherwise too much would be unexplained and you would have to sprint like heck to keep up. Start with Blue Night, followed by Beton Rouge, both equally readable and also translated with surety by Rachel Ward. As usual Simone Buchholz snared my attention from the get-go. The words stormed my senses, falling like a sword and I found myself on full alert. Short, sharp, shocks of chapters hit, with the chapter headings almost creating their own story. Mexico Street, full of sparks and quirks, is 227 pages of wonderful. Adding to the series beautifully, I just had to include it as one of my Liz picks of the month.
Five, successful but seemingly unconnected people around the world die suddenly. Although all are ruled as natural deaths an intelligence analyst and his journalist girlfriend think something else is happening and strive to uncover the truth. Fatal longevity is an interesting concept. The idea that the search for a long life could end with an early demise is an entertaining dichotomy. A crime mystery with a medical almost sci-fi twist set in a range of locations around the world. An interesting plot with a lot of thought behind it and at 277 pages, it’s a relatively quick, entertaining read with an intriguing plot.
Longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award 2020 Douglas Rigby, attorney-at-law, is bankrupt. He's just sunk his last Ù200,000 - a clandestine 'loan' from his last remaining client, former bigshot TV exec Glenn Haskill - into a cocaine deal gone wrong. The lesson? Never trust anyone else with the dirty work. Desperate to get back on top, Rigby formulates an art forgery scheme involving one of Glenn's priceless paintings, a victimless crime. But for Rigby to pull this one off, he'll need to negotiate a whole cast of players with their own agendas, including his wife, his girlfriend, an embittered art forger, Glenn's resentful nurse, and the man's money-hungry nephew. One misstep, and it all falls apart - will he be able to save his skin? Written with hard-knock sensibility and wicked humour, Scott Phillips's newest novel will cement him as one of the great crime writers of the 21st century.
Private investigator Armand Arnolfini springs back into action as he engages a new array of baffling art mysteries in this second instalment in the Arnolfini Art Mysteries series. Continuing chronologically from his previous escapades, Armand teams up with his new wife, Andrea, to confront sly art forgers, black market racketeers, and ruthless killers, while seeking to recover great works of art and solve old mysteries surrounding famous architecture. Join the Arnolfinis as they hunt down Leonardo’s lost Leda and the Swan, works by the sculptor Jean Carpeaux, famous architects, engage in a double murder at the Poe Cottage Museum, and track down an unknown work by the shunned female Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia receives special attention in a chapter that brings personal meaning to the Arnolfinis’ own lives. Especially in today’s world of the #MeToo movement, Artemisia’s own rape and determination to win respect and equal treatment offers readers a poignant and powerful tale. Meanwhile, DiSilvio’s rich narratives and colorful characters bring together five linked cases to form one sweeping novel of Arnolfini’s perpetual quest to save great works of art from falling into oblivion. Entertaining and enlightening, Arnolfini Art Mysteries 2 is handsomely accompanied by photos of famous paintings and illustrations by the author/artist, making this series a visual feast as well as a riveting collection of art mysteries. (TopShelf Winner for Best Cover Art)
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER Betty is running for her life. When Betty's husband returns from the war broken and haunted, she knows her marriage is doomed. Taking a fleeting chance to escape, she goes on the run armed with a new identity. Yet penniless and alone, Betty quickly finds that starting again is much harder than she thought. And she never imagined it could end in murder . . . But sometimes you have to keep running if you want to survive.
I was intrigued by the plot of this book. It was a pleasantly surprising read that I would recommend. Two people who are complete opposites and are from different worlds manage to meet and fall in love. I love how Sue has managed to bring all the characters to life, she has done it really well. The twists really help with setting up the story. A story not too be missed. Hannah Ward, A LoveReading Ambassador
The chilling sequel to no. 1 bestseller Invisible FBI analyst Emmy Dockery's unique ability to uncover the patterns that others miss has brought her an impressive string of arrests. But a new case - unfolding across the country - has left her looking for something which may not exist. The victims all appear to have died by accident, and seemingly have nothing in common. But this many deaths can't be a coincidence. Can they? Emmy's instincts tell her this is the work of a terrifyingly intelligent serial killer - and she's determined to prove it. When her obsession with the crimes raises flags within the FBI, she's in danger of becoming a suspect herself. But someone else is watching Dockery. Studying, learning, waiting. Until it's the perfect time to strike.
THE LATEST SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB THRILLER PICK FROM THE AUTHOR OF YOU WERE GONE Nine neighbours gather for a dinner party. But by the next morning, they had disappeared without a trace. No bodies. No evidence. No clues. Two and a half years later, it remains a mystery. Desperate for answers, the families of the missing turn to investigator David Raker. How did an entire village vanish overnight? And is he looking for nine missing people, or nine dead bodies?
Lisa needs to disappear. And her friend's rambling old home in the wilds of Yorkshire seems like the perfect place. It's miles away from the closest town, and no one there knows her or her little boy, Joe. But when Lisa meets some of the locals, and hears some disturbing rumours about the house, she realises it might not be the sanctuary she thought. What secret has Rowan Isle House - and her friend - kept hidden all these years? And what will Lisa have to do to survive, when her own past finally catches up with her?
From the suave to the sleazy, the saint to the sinner; from the sensitive to the sanguine, the sexy to the squalid, we just can’t resist a good sleuth. Here you’ll find immersive crime stories to feed your fascination for conspiracy, your love for psychological sorcery, to make your hairs stand up on the back of your neck, to make your blood run cold and adrenaline fill your nervous system. Whether you’re after a classic like; Poirot (Agatha Christie), Rebus (Rankin) or Morse (Colin Dexter); or a more contemporary crime confrontation from the likes of, Michael Connelly, Gillian Flynn or J.A Lance, there’s something here to float the most demanding of boats. Have a look at our Books of the Month from this and previous months for a head start to a great next read.