Forthcoming Books to Look forward to from Headline

Denver PD Homicide Detective Jake Hunter stands at the gates of the County Jail and watches as Chase Black, the man he is certain is guilty of the brutal serial murder of five families, walks free on a technicality.  Ignoring the directions of his superiors, and with the help of contacts at the FBI in Quantico, Hunter embarks on an investigation that leads him to the sleepy Colorado town of Dillon and the killing of a prominent local family.  The killer's methods bear an uncanny resemblance to the murders Black was accused of.  But Black is in London promoting the book he wrote while in prison.  So who is the copycat killer that Hunter and the local cops are chasing in Dillon?  After an assault at a book signing, Black's lawyer hires the UK's best bodyguards - Alex Cahill and Logan Finch.  Yet the more time Logan spends on the security detail with the charismatic Black, the less convinced he becomes of his guilt.  As the net closes on the killer in Dillon, it becomes clear that a violent psychopath is hunting Black and Logan finds himself caught between his duty to a client who may be a notorious serial killer and the instinct to survive the increasingly deranged individual that wants him dead.  Protection is by G J Moffat and is due to be published in July 2012.

Bestselling author Simon Scarrow brings the Great Siege of Malta to vivid and unforgettable life in this gripping standalone novel.  1565; In its hour of greatest need, Malta must rely upon the ancient Knights of the Order of St John for survival.  Bound by the strongest ties: of valour, of courage and of passion, the Knights must defend their island against ferocious and deadly Ottoman attack.  For Sir Thomas Barrett, summoned by the Order and compelled by loyalty - to the Knights, to his honour and to his Queen - returning to the besieged island means revisiting a past he had long since lain to rest.  As the beleaguered Knights grapple to retain control, decade-old feuds will be reawakened, intense passions rekindled and deadly secrets revealed. Sword and the Scimitar is due to be published in October 2012.

  

It began with A Discovery of Witches.  Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures.  When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew.  Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.  Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590.  But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven.  Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night.  Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.  Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers...Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew once more in this stunning, richly imagined, epic tale.  Shadow of Night is by Deborah Harkness and is due to be published in July 2012.

A Killing in the Hills is Pulitzer-prize winner, Julia Keller's first crime novel.  The first in a new series featuring prosecuting attorney Bell Elkins set in the beautiful crime-ridden town of Acker's Gap.  Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, visitors see only its stunning natural beauty.  But for those living there it's a different story.  The mountain roads harbour secret places, perfect for making the prescription drugs that tempt its desperately poor.  Bell Elkins left a broken teenager, savaged by a past she couldn't forget.  But, as prosecuting attorney for Raythune County, Bell is back and determined to help clean up the only home she has ever known.  As winter sets in and her daughter is witness to a shocking triple murder, Bell finds her family in danger.  Can she uncover the truth before her world is destroyed again?  A Killing in the Hills is due to be published in August 2012.

When notorious gangster 'Fat Sam' Mahood is murdered, the chief suspect is arrested nearby.  But he seems to have suffered a breakdown.  Incarcerated in a mental institution, he's known only as the Man in the White Suit.  The suspect remains an enigma until Nurse Brenda calls on Mystery Man, former patient and owner of No Alibis, Belfast's finest mystery bookshop, to bring his powers of investigation to bear...However, before our hero can even begin, the Man in the White Suit is arrested for the murder of a fellow patient.  But is he a double murderer or a helpless scapegoat?  Intrigue, conspiracy, and ancient Latin curses all combine to give the Small Bookseller with No Name his most difficult case to date.  The Prisoner of Brenda is by Colin Bateman and is due to be published in October 2012.

Keye Street, ex-FBI profiler and private detective, always looks out for those closest to her.  But sometimes looking after herself is quite enough to handle.  She's teetering on the brink, not quite sure if she's winning or losing in her battle with herself.  But when her cousin, Miki Ashton, sees a stranger inside her house, it's time for Keye to lend a hand.  Meanwhile, Keye's mentor, Lieutenant Aaron Rauser, is embroiled in a disturbing case.  When a dog returns alone from its walk, the hunt is on for the missing boy.  As the mystery deepens and the bodies pile up, Rauser needs Keye's expert profiling skills to unravel the killer's bizarre signature - tears.  Battling her demons takes up a lot of Keye's time.  But on top of that she's battling the bad guys.  If she can ignore the voice from her past, that is... Stranger in the Room is by Amanda Kyle Williams and is due to be published in August 2012.

Of course there is also the new Martina Cole to look forward to as well in September and the new Stephanie Plum book Notorious Nineteen  by Janet Evanovich in November 2012.

Held Up is by Christopher Radmann and is due to be published in July 2012.  How far do you go to rescue your child? Paul van Niekirk, a successful white South African is held up at gun-point when driving his new BMW. He's dragged out and his abductor drives off in his car. It's an everyday car jacking. Except his nine-month old daughter is in the back seat. As a pacifist, Paul is reluctant to carry a gun, but he descends into the heart of darkness of his country determined to find his child. He uncovers a criminal gang involved in people trafficking and discovers in himself a capacity for violence. When the trail goes cold, he is on the verge of losing everything but finds redemption in the most unlikely circumstances. Moving from the enclaves of Johannesburg's northern suburbs to the throbbing heart of Soweto's informal settlements, Paul is forced to confront the changing political and social landscape of the new South Africa, questioning his own values as his perfect life crumbles around him.

Origin is the debut novel by J T Brannan and is due to be published in October 2012.  The secret of humanity's origin has lain buried for millennia.  Now it threatens to destroy us all.  Scientist Evelyn Edwards and her team are researching ice caps in the Antarctic when they discover a body that must have been buried 40,000 years ago.  But it looks like nothing they've ever seen before - it's not a primal man, but something else.  While transporting the body back to America the entire team are killed but Evelyn manages to escape.  On the run and alone she turns to her ex-husband Matt Adams, a former member of an elite government unit, and together they find themselves caught up in a race against time that takes them from Area 51 to the Hadron Collider in Geneva where they uncover the biggest conspiracy of all time.

Karen Rose is back with her fourteenth pulse-pounding thriller.  Best be nimble, best be quick, I'm right here and you're my pick...The last thing Ford Elkhart remembers is walking his girlfriend back to her university dormitory.  Now he's lying tied and gagged on a cold, dark floor, with only one chance to escape before he ends up like the bones surrounding him...Assistant State's Attorney Daphne Montgomery is devastated by her son's disappearance, and is immediately convinced that his kidnapping is connected to the white supremacist she's just had jailed for murder.  FBI Special Agent Joseph Carter isn't so sure - especially when he learns that Ford's girlfriend is also missing.  Is Ford's abduction payback for Daphne's courtroom victory?  Or is he a pawn in an even more dangerous game? Did You Miss Me is due to be published in November 2012.