Books to look forward to from Little, Brown

Alexander McCall Smith returns with a new Mma Ramotswe novel entitled The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party. Mma Ramotswe finds herself untangling a mess which could not only put pay to the forthcoming wedding of Mma Makutsi but also have an effect on the whole of Botswana. Meanwhile Precious helps Charlie the motor apprentice face up to his responsibilities and the consequences when he gets himself involved with a young woman. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is due for publication in March 2011.

McCall Smith also returns with Vol 6 of the 44 Scotland Street Series, which is due to be published in May 2011.

Dennis Lehane returns with a long awaited Kenzie and Gennaro novel. Kenzie once againfinds himself involved in the disappearance of Amanda McCready. As he reluctantly investigates her disappearance once again he finds that the case leads him down some of Boston’s darkest and most dangerous streets which threaten the lives of all those around him. Moonlight Mile is due for publication in March 2011.

In Where the Bodies are Buried Detective Catherine McLeod is investigating the death of a drug dealer. Meanwhile would-be actress Jasmine Sharp finds herself working for her uncle Jim in his detective agency. When he goes missing, she realises that she has to turn investigator in order to find out what happened. Soon she finds herself mixed up in an unholy mess that could bring down a whole police force. Where the Bodies are Buried is by Christopher Brookmyre and is due for publication in June 2011.

In The Stonehenge Legacy, a man is murdered at the ancient site of Stonehenge. Within hours, a well-renowned Cambridge archaeologist has committed suicide leaving only a cryptic letter to his estranged son archaeologist Gideon Chase. What is the connection? The Stonehenge Legacy is by Sam Christer and is due to be published in January 2011.

Detective Inspector Leo Caldas finds himself in attendance at the nearby city of Vigo when the body of a sailor is found washed up in the harbour. What first looks like a suicide is in fact a murder because of violence, blackmail, and revenge. Death on a Galician Shore by Domingo Villar will be published in April 2011.

DA Alexandra Cooper returns in Silent Mercy by Linda Fairstein. When the mutilated bodies of two women are found the first on the steps of a Baptist Church in Harlem and the second on the steps of a Catholic Church in Little Italy, Cooper along with her colleague NYPD cop Mike Chapman realise that they have a zealous serial killer to contend with. The two of them must act quickly to apprehend the killer before any more women are killed. Silent Mercy is due for publication in March 2011.

Jeff Abbott’s The Last Minute sees ex-CIA agent and devoted father Sam Capra whose son has been kidnapped by an international intelligence agency who are using his son as leverage to get Capra to undertake a high profile assassination. Along with an equally desperate woman, he finds himself attempting to unravel a deadly conspiracy whilst at the same time trying to keep himself alive for his son. The Last Minute will be published in June 2011.

Star Island sees pop star Cherry Pye trying to resurrect her career after her latest drug and alcohol binge. One evening her double is kidnapped by a fixated paparazzo and it is soon down to Cherry’s minders to rescue the double before she comes to any harm and before the secret of her double is out. Cherry also has to mend her ways so that she can not only undertake her concert but also promote her new album. However, where will it all end? Star Island is by Carl Hiaasen and will be published in March 2011.

Voodoo Eyes by Nick Stone sees the return of Max Mingus from the award winning novels Mr Clarinet and King of Swords. Mingus is not in great shape, he is bitter, broke, and his past still haunts him. When his former boss is murdered there are many who are not sorry about his death. Nevertheless, as Max investigates, all signs point to a former female Black Panther activist as the culprit now living in Cuba. However, nothing is, as it seems. Voodoo Eyes will be published in May 2011.

Author Tom Wood’s debut novel is The Hunter and it is due to be published in May 2011. Victor is an assassin with no name or past, but when a job goes wrong in Paris, he finds himself on the run for his life across four continents with a woman whom he cannot trust in tow. The Hunter is due for publication in May 2011.

You’re Next is the latest novel by Greg Hurwitz. When a crippled stranger approaches Mike Wingate and claims to know him, his life begins to fall to pieces. The stranger certainly knows all there is to know about Mike but who is he and what does he want? As the treats become attacks, Wingate realises that he and his family are no longer safe not even in their own home. You’re Next is due to be published in March 2011 and is a Richard and Judy book choice.

Broken Home is by Roberta Kray. When Hope is told that she has a half-sister called Connie who is in deep trouble, she cannot ignore the cry for help. She soon finds herself in a world that she knows nothing about but one where she is determined to find and help her half sister at all costs. Broken Home will be published in June 2011.

Detective Ben Cooper and Detective Sergeant Diane Fry return in Stephen Booth’s Peak District series. Cooper and Fry investigate a number of deadly home invasions but when a member of Cooper’s family shoots, an intruder he is taken off the case and it is up to Fry to get to the bottom of the case even as Cooper finds evidence linking the crimes to Sheffield. The Devil’s Edge will be published in April 2011.

In Watch Me Die Mira Gailler thought, her husband was dead but could she be mistaken? She is certain that he is still alive although he was thought to have been swept away by the floods of Katrina. When her business partner is found murdered and with overwhelming evidence stacked against her it is up to Mira to prove that she is not a murderer and to stay out of the hands of the psychopath who is determined to have her. Watch Me Die is by Erica Spindler and is due to be published in March 2011.

Jon Trace’s ex-priest Tom Shaman returns in Rome Prophecy and finds himself teaming up with a string willed policewoman after a young woman is arrested covered in blood. The woman claims to be on the run from a mighty power from long ago. As they investigate, it is clear that within Rome’s Churches and corridors of power there are those who are determined to stop them. Rome Prophecy will be published in February 2011.

Bury Your Dead is the latest book by award winning author Louise Penny. Chief Inspector Gamache is in Quebec City and finds himself involved in dealing with the murder of a man whose body has been found in the city’s oldest buildings. However, it appears that is a mystery from the past that has to be solved so that a killer in the present may be captured. Bury Your Dead will be published in February 2011.

In 14^th Century Italy, where the inquisition rules, Mondino a university anatomist finds himself with the corpse of a Templar Knight on his hands. The problem is that his heart has been transformed into a block of iron. But how did this happen? Mondino with the help of his student (who has his own secrets) must out wit the Templars who have sworn revenge and the ruthless inquisitors to get to the bottom of this strange case. Inquisition is by Alfredo Colitto and will be published in May 2011.

In Alex Gray’s Sleep like the Dead, DCI Lorimer finds herself investigating a number of unexplained professional assassinations. She also has to do this with out the help of criminal psychologist Solly Brightman due to budget cuts. But who is this hit man and does he have anything to do with whoever is stalking Marianne? Sleep Like the Dead will be published in February 2011.

SBS Stratton returns in Duncan Falconer’s Pirate. When Stratton is mistakenly kidnapped after a “rehearsal goes wrong he has to quickly get himself out of the situation before his kidnappers realise who they have taken. Pirate is due to be published in June 2011.

The Body in the Thames is the sixth book n the Thomas Chaloner series set in Restoration London. A delegation from Holland has arrived in a last ditch attempt to procure peace between the Republic of Holland and Britain. Amongst those in attendance is Thomas Chaloner’s former brother-in-law. However, when he is found dead in the Thames the only thing that Chaloner has to go on is the cryptic clues left by his brother-in-law, but will this be enough. The Body in the Thames is by Susanna Gregory and will be published in January 2011.

CWA Diamond Dagger Winner Peter Lovesey returns with his Bath detective Peter Diamond. When leading actress and former pop star Clarion is injured with severe facial burns it is up to Diamond to get to the bottom of the case. Who had it in for Clarion and could murder be far behind? Before Diamond can solve the case he must first get over his own phobia in relation to the theatre where the incident took place. Stagestruck is due to be published in April 2011.

Treachery in Death by JD Robb is due to be published in February 2011. This time around Peabody is in charge as primary on a case. When she over hears two police officers arguing she realises that they are not only dirty but also guilty of murder. It is up to Peabody along with Eve and her husband Roarke to find the evidence against the two officers who will stop at nothing to conceal their guilt including murder.

Author of the Exorcist William Peter Blatty returns with his first full-length book in over twenty-six years entitled The Redemption. The Redemption is a story of murder, revenge and suspense along interspersed with the premise of faith, love, vengeance, compassion and sin. The Redemption is due to be published in February 2011.

Book 4 in the Inspector Singh Investigates series by Shamini Flint is due to be published in April 2011. Inspector Singh Investigates: A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree is in Cambodia where he has been sent to observe the International War Crimes Tribunal. When a member of the Tribunal is murdered the authorities claim the incident a random act. However, Inspector Singh thinks otherwise and he is soon caught up in a case that harks back to the killing fields of Cambodia.

Murder in the Ashram is the debut novel by Kathleen McCaul. International journalist Ruby Jones puts her investigative instincts to good use when her flatmate and good friend Stephen Newby’s body is pulled from the Yamuna River. As she tries to get to the bottom of what happened to Stephen she becomes involved in Indian policing and yoga Ashram where not all is what it seems. Murder in the Ashram is due to be published in March 2011.

The Jackal Man is book 15 in the series featuring D.I. Wesley Peterson. When a young girl is attacked the description that she gives fits that of Anubis the jackal headed Egyptian god of death and mummification. Then a body is found wrapped in linen. Meanwhile archaeologist Neil Watson believes that Peterson’s case is similar to four murders committed back in 1903. As they seek to identify the Jackal Man’s identity he has another victim in mind, this time someone close to Peterson. The Jackal Man is by Kate Ellis and is due to be published in February 2011.

In An Aegean Prophecy Chief Inspector Kaldis is called in to investigate when a revered monk is killed during Easter Week. Soon he comes face to face with a scandal haunting the world’s oldest monastic community. An Aegean Prophecy is due for publication in January 2011 and is by Jeffery Siger.

The Serpent’s Daughter is book 3 in the Jade del Cameron series by Suzanne Arruda. Not long after being joined by her daughter Jade in the port City of Tangier, Dona Del Cameron goes missing and Jade is accused of murder. Jade finds herself travelling across deadly territory as she tracks down her mother and those really guilty of the kidnapping. The Serpent’s Daughter is due to be published in January 2011.