Vaseem Khan first saw an elephant lumbering down the middle of the road in 1997 when he arrived in India to work as a consultant. It was the most unusual thing he'd ever encountered and served as the inspiration...
The Bells of Westminster (2024) Leonora Nattrass "The Bells of Westminster delivers everything you would want from a historical crime novel. A wonderfully rendered period setting, a cast of sympathetic characters, and a compelling puzzle, one with great historical resonance. All told using the most delicious prose. A delightfully immersive historical mystery."
Our Holiday (2024) Louise Candlish "Candlish excels in making even unlikeable characters compelling. A thrilling study of toxic one-upmanship amongst the suburban elite."
Dead Mile (2024) Jo Furniss "A new take on the locked-room mystery. The action is brisk, the characters are vividly drawn, and the plot snakes around the throat. A tense and ingenious 'locked-traffic' thriller."
Mrs Sidhu's Dead and Scone (2023) (Mrs Sidhu, book 1) Suk Pannu "Suk Pannu's first foray into the world of crime fiction, by way of Dead and Scone, features irrepressible caterer and purveyor of aubergine bhaji, Mrs Sidhu. When murder rears its head among the celebrity set of rural Berkshire, the formidable Mrs Sidhu decides to set aside her apron and hurl herself into a private investigation. Stuffed with warmth and wicked, cross-cultural observations, Dead and Scone is a dollop of cosy crime goodness."
Black Thorn (2023) Sarah Hilary "Exudes a tightly-controlled menace that ratchets up to full-blown claustrophobia as the pages turn. A book that oozes under your skin from the opening sentence."
All Of Us Are Broken (2023) (DS Saul Anguish, book 2) Fiona Cummins "All Of Us Are Broken is Fiona Cummins' modern retelling of the Bonnie and Clyde story, transplanted from the American heartland to the Scottish Highlands. Cummins uses her considerable skills to meditate on the pervasive nature of violence in our contemporary society. A dark and bloody ride."
The Square of Sevens (2023) Laura Shepherd-Robinson "Ever since her bestselling debut, Blood & Sugar, Laura Shepherd-Robinson has made the Georgian era her own. In her latest, The Square of Sevens, she revisits the period, this time following a young girl named Red as she navigates the dark mysteries of her own past and the convoluted - and murderous - machinations of two of the country's most prominent dynasties warring over a disputed inheritance. A big, meaty, meticulously researched and unashamedly ambitious historical novel."
Fearless (2023) (Ben Koenig, book 1) M W Craven "Adrenaline-fueled plotting, hard-charging characters, and small-town evil...this is a thriller with all the right ingredients. And yeah, Reacher fans, you're gonna love this too."
The Dog Sitter Detective (2023) (Dog Sitter Detective, book 1) Antony Johnston "A country house, a body in the library and a dog-loving sleuth...Simply delightful!."
Death Under a Little Sky (2023) (Jake Jackson, book 1) Stig Abell "Stig Abell's love of the genre shines through in his crime fiction debut, Death Under a Little Sky. The narrative follows a city detective who quits the force and moves to a rural idyll at the termination of a troubled marriage. But fate never leaves a good detective in peace, and he soon finds himself investigating a possible local murder. An atmospheric, often meditative, and beautifully written crime novel."
You Can Run (2023) Trevor Wood "Begins at the speed of a runaway train. A propulsive page-turner."
Needless Alley (2023) (William Garrett, book 1) Natalie Marlow "From its claustrophobic descriptions of Birmingham's darker corners to revelations of the seedier proclivities of the rich and powerful, Needless Alley offers a gripping portrait of 1930s England, a country where Blackshirts and fascism have entered the national psyche. William Garrett - dour, dark, and damaged - is a man of principle in an unprincipled vocation. A meditative and wonderfully written historical crime debut."
The Mystery of Four (2023) Sam Blake "Has all the hallmarks of a 'modern' golden age murder mystery: a fabulous country house setting, an eccentric cast, and a regular drip feed of dead bodies. Add in an old curse, a determined amateur sleuth, and an ill-omened play and you have an offering that will delight fans of the genre."
In the Blink of an Eye (2023) (Kat and Lock, book 1) Jo Callaghan "Jo Callaghan makes her entry into the crowded police procedural genre with a fresh take on the buddy-buddy cop trope. In the Blink of an Eye predicts the near future when police officers and their AI counterparts will work hand-in-holographic-hand. The human-AI interactions between the lead protagonists as they pursue their quarry are illuminating and, at times, hilarious. Provocative and compelling. A TV series seems a certainty."
Better the Blood (2022) (Hana Westerman, book 1) Michael Bennett "Better the Blood touches on themes that have become increasingly urgent in recent years including the far-reaching impacts of colonialism and the often uneasy integration of identity and heritage into modern multicultural society. A tensely plotted, gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our relationship with the past."
Dead Rich (2022) G W Shaw "Set on a luxury yacht, Dead Rich charts a twisty course between murder, lies, and the dark deeds of oligarchs. A fresh, high-octane take on the ever-popular adventure thriller genre."
The Blood Divide (2021) A A Dhand "Opens with a bang and continues with a thrill-a-minute adventure . . . A. A. Dhand knows how to keep me up into the early hours."
The Waiter (2021) (Detective Kamil Rahman, book 1) Ajay Chowdhury "The Waiter is a heady mix of murder, intrigue and all things Indian. Weaving together a dual narrative with aplomb, Ajay Chowdhury's neatly-drawn detective Kamil Rahman relives his failure to solve the murder of a Bollywood A-lister in Kolkata whilst trying to solve the killing of an Indian industrialist in London. Could the two murders be connected? An accomplished crime debut that offers something a little different."
The Khan (2021) (Khan, book 1) Saima Mir "Saima Mir’s debut, The Khan, traces its lineage to such classics as Mario Puzo’s seminal work The Godfather: it is the story of a British Asian woman hailing from an organised crime family, the daughter of a first generation immigrant, who rejects the family business but is ultimately pulled into the vacuum left by her father’s death. Mir’s novel pulls no punches, taking aim at cultural stereotypes, sacred cows, and the attitudes and morality of the community within which the story is based. The book operates on various levels: crime family saga, character study, and an exploration of clan-run organised crime. A sterling debut."
Eleanor Ray "A gently absorbing entry into the mystery-uplit canon."
City of Ghosts (2020) (Revol Rossel, book 1) Ben Creed "Gripping ... with historical heft, plenty of twists along the way, and a uniquely ingenious code left behind by our murderer. An excellent start to a new historical crime series."
End of Summer (2020) (Seasons Quartet , book 1) Anders De La Motte "A Swedish-set crime thriller for fans of the hugely successful CWA Gold Dagger-winning The Dry by Jane Harper . . . A gripping crime novel that moves between two narratives at a terrific clip, populated by vivid characters, with more twists along the way than you can shake a stick at. Crime fiction at its best."
The Family Tree (2020) Sairish Hussain "A multi-generational story crafted with warmth and an insider's understanding of its environment. Hussain evokes the trials and tribulations of life in an Asian family growing up in a changing and sometimes hostile Britain with a surefooted ease and a keen sense of dramatic tension. An engaging debut."
The Death Knock (2018) Elodie Harper "Elodie Harper employs her journalistic background to great effect by breathing life into her gritty news reporter protagonist as she pursues a terrifying serial killer in East Anglia. Frankie's investigations lead her into increasing levels of danger including the menacing attentions of a rabidly misogynistic blogger, a warped advocate of the so-called men's rights movement. A highly-charged and topical thriller."
In Strangers' Houses (2018) (Lena Szarka mystery, book 1) Elizabeth Mundy "A warmly-crafted crime debut, perfect for our multicultural age."
Arrowood (2017) (Arrowood Mystery, book 1) Mick Finlay "A book with enough warmth, charm, humour, and intrigue to signal the start of an excellent new series."
