Books to Look Forward to from Allison & Busby

Black Lies, Red Blood is by Kjell Eriksson  and is due to be published in May 2014.  Inspector Ann Lindell hasn’t had much time to enjoy her new relationship with journalist Anders Brant before he disappears without a trace and a homeless man’s body is found with Anders phone number in his pocket.  Lindell must race to find Anders and clear his name as she reaches the highly charged and fraught conclusion.

You know when you have one of those days at the office?  You spill coffee on your keyboard, the finance director goes on an expenses rampage and then, before you know it, your favourite author is murdered.  Don't you just hate when that happens?  Introducing the much-anticipated debut novel by Judith Flanders, acclaimed author of the non-fiction bestsellers A Circle of Sisters and The Victorian House.  Drawing on her past experience as editor at prestigious publishing houses, this pitch-perfect crime caper offers a witty, intelligent and entertaining glimpse into the publishing world.  When Samantha Clair decides to publish journalist Kit Lovell's tell-all book on the death of fashion designer Rodrigo Aleman, she can scarcely imagine the dangers ahead.  Cue a rollercoaster ride into the dark realms of fashion, money laundering and murder, armed with nothing but her e-reader and her trusty stock of sarcasm.  Writers Block is by Judith Flanders and is due to be published in March 2014.

A Ticket to Oblivion is by Edward Marston and is due to be published in April 2014.  Young Imogen Burnhope and her maid Rhoda board a non-stop train to Oxford to visit her Aunt Cassandra, who waits on the platform at Oxford station where the train terminates, to greet them.  Only they never arrive.  The train is searched and the coachman swears he saw them board a first-class carriage, but they seem to have vanished into thin air.  When he learns his daughter is missing, Sir Marcus Burnhope contacts Scotland Yard for help and Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are assigned to the case.  Is it a merely a case of a runaway girl?  Or is there a more sinister, larger conspiracy at work?

1666. London is recovering from the Great Plague and mourning it's dead - The city is free at

last, like a great old bear, beaten to its knees, bloody but unbowed.  But the disease slithered out of London to wreak its evil upon other towns and cities.  The worst was over, the Pestilence gone, in search of new feeding grounds, bounteous and plentiful in the villages outside of the London.  Harry Lytle, who works for Lord Arlington's intelligence service, is sent to Essex where the plague is breeding to track down a traitor and bring him back alive.  But things get tricky when Lord Arlington's latest recruit for the mission is a man Lytle left dead.  Having learnt first-hand of Lord Arlington's barbaric cruelty, Lytle knows he can't refuse the job.  Travelling into a disease-ridden village with a murderer seems like a better option.  Hearts of Darkness is by Paul Lawrence and is due to be published in January 2014.

It is 1914 and while battles rage across Europe three empires – the Ottoman, the German and the British – fight for dominance in the Middle East.  Kingdom Lock works for the British Intelligence Service known as the White Tab and has a mission  in Persia.  He must stop a German spy from inciting jihad and rebellion among the population and from seizing control in the precious oilfields.  But to complete his task, the Australian-born Lock has not only to battle resentment and enemies on his own side, but to keep one-step ahead of the war raging around him.  Kingdom Lock is by I D Roberts and is due to be published in May 2014.

Trouble in the  Cotswolds is by Rebecca Tope and is due to be published in March 2014.  Thea Osborne hopes to spend a quiet Christmas housesitting in the picturesque village of Stanton.  Walks in the local countryside with the dogs are all the excitement she wants.  Her arrival at the village coincides with the funeral of Douglas Callender and the murder of his girlfriend the following day.  Thea finds herself thrust into the middle of another Police investigation as she unwraps motives and scandals across the village.  The arrival of Drew Slocombe is the best present Thea could receive.  Amid the bleak winter of Stanton and the murderous scandal, Thea is determined that she will survive the festive season.  Thea s interest is stirred but the onset of flu looks to prevent any sleuthing.  However, when two people show up brutally murdered the following afternoon, even when battling a fever Thea finds herself thrust into the middle of yet another Police investigation.  With the Callendar, family linked to most of the village Stanton is bursting with motives for the murders including jealousy, closures of footpaths and secret animal testing.  Thea turns to local resident Dennis Ireland for safety but Dennis, as with the other villagers, may not be as safe as first appears and Thea wonders who she can trust to help her survive the festive season.

The Venetian Venture is by Suzette Hill and is due to be published in May 2014.  Rosy Gilchrist is sent to Venice to find a rare, signed translation of Horace’s Odes by the late Dr Badger.  Rosy jumps at the change to fit some sightseeing around work, but holiday plans go on hold when she learns that there is a significant bounty prize for anyone who finds this valuable text.  Finding herself in the midst of a cat and mouse chase, Rosy’s rivals will stop at nothing, not even murder to get their hands on the book.

Fifth century of the Byzantium Empire.  Flavius Belisaurius is son of the Governor of Dorostorum City, and his father has two goals: to keep out the barbarians and to expose the deep roots of secular and ecclesiastical corruption.  Seeking to prevent a raid, the Governor enlists the help of the powerful magnate, Gaius Donatus.  Donatus's corruption is widespread but his support is crucial to win the battle.  But Donatus betrays this trust and Belisaurius Jnr witnesses the death of his father and the irretrievable tarnishing of his reputation.  With Belisaurius's life changed for good he swears vengeance on the man that betrayed his father and begins a journey from which there is no virtuous way back.  The Last Roman: Vengeance is by Jack Ludlow and is due to be published in June 2014.