Books to Look Forward to from Bonnier Zaffre

January 2017

How do you protect your family when you can't remember who's hunting them. A family in England is massacred, the father left holding the shotgun. PC Lucy Davies is convinced he's innocent A sleeper agent in Moscow requests an urgent meeting with Dan Forrester, referencing their shared past. His amnesia means he has no idea who he can trust. An aging oligarch in Siberia gathers his henchmen to discuss an English accountant. It's Dan's wife.  Tell Me a Lie is by CJ Carver.

Evil Games is by Angela Marsons.  The greater the Evil, the more deadly the game...When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work. With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment. Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time - it's personal. 

1936. Europe is in turmoil. The Nazis have marched into the Rhineland. In Russia, Stalin has unleashed his Great Terror. Spain has erupted in civil war. In Berlin, a young Englishwoman evades the Gestapo to deliver vital papers to a Jewish scientist. Within weeks, she is found dead in her Cambridge bedroom, a silver syringe clutched in her fingers. In a London club, three senior members of the British establishment light the touch paper on a conspiracy that will threaten the very heart of government. Even the ancient colleges of Cambridge are not immune to political division. Dons and students must choose a side: right or left, where do you stand? When a renowned member of the county set and his wife are found horribly murdered, a maverick history professor finds himself dragged into a world of espionage which, until now, he has only read about in books. But the deeper Thomas Wilde delves, the more he wonders whether the murders are linked to the death of the girl with the silver syringe - and, just as worryingly, to the scandal surrounding King Edward VIII and his mistress Wallis Simpson...  Corpus is by Rory Clements.

February 2017

Eyes Like Mine is by Sheena Kamal.  It's late. The phone rings. The man on the other end says his daughter is missing. Your daughter. The baby you gave away over fifteen years ago. What do you do? Nora Watts isn't sure that she wants to get involved. Troubled, messed up, and with more than enough problems of her own, Nora doesn't want to revisit the past. But then she sees the photograph. A girl, a teenager, with her eyes. How can she turn her back on her? But going in search of her daughter brings Nora into contact with a past that she would rather forget, a past that she has worked hard to put behind her, but which is always there, waiting for her ...

How do you solve a murder when you can't ask any questions? The gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of Stasi Child. East Germany, 1975. Karin Muller, sidelined from the murder squad in Berlin, jumps at the chance to be sent south to

Halle-Neustadt, where a pair of infant twins have gone missing. But Muller soon finds her problems have followed her. Halle-Neustadt is a new town - the pride of the communist state - and she and her team are forbidden by the Stasi from publicising the disappearances, lest they tarnish the town's flawless image. Meanwhile, in the eerily nameless streets and tower blocks, a child snatcher lurks, and the clock is ticking to rescue the twins alive …  Stasi Wolf is by David Young

Lie in Wait is by G J Minett.  A man is dead. A woman is missing. And the police have already found their prime suspect...Owen Hall drives into a petrol station to let his passenger use the facilities. She never comes back - and what's more, it seems she never even made it inside. When Owen raises a fuss, the police are called - and soon identify Owen himself as a possible culprit - not least because they already have him in the frame for another more sinister crime. Owen's always been a little different, and before long others in the community are baying for his blood. But this is a case where nothing is as it seems - least of all Owen Hall.

 

Following her successful representation of Sherman the Schnauzer, Sally Baynard is happy to go back to working with humans. That is until a probate judge asks her to look into the case of a cat who's the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar trust. Now representing Beatrice, Sally must use her wit, charm and brains to choose between the three potential new caregivers for the lovable feline, whilst dodging the angry and mysterious former owner's son. Whilst juggling the demands of the courtroom, an aging mother and a confusing romantic life, will Sally make the right decision for Beatrice? And, as she delves deeper into the case, will she uncover the truth behind the family's secrets?  Lawyer for the Cat is by Lee Robinson.

March 2017

The Cleaner by Elisabeth Herrmann is a gripping thriller that will chill and intrigue as the sins of the past catch up with the secrets of the present. Pools of blood, scenes of carnage, signs of agonising death - who deals with the aftermath of violence once the bodies have been taken away? Judith Kepler has seen it all. She is a crime scene specialist. She turns crime scenes back into habitable spaces. She is a cleaner. It is at the home of a woman who has been brutally murdered that she is suddenly confronted with her own past. The murder victim knew Judith's secret: as a child Judith was sent to an orphanage under mysterious circumstances - parentage unknown. And the East German secret police were always there, in the background...When Judith begins to ask questions, she becomes the target of some powerful enemies. And nothing will ever be the same again. 

Judith Rashleigh has made it.  Living a life of luxury amidst the splendour of Venice.  She’s just starting to grow comfortable.  Which is when her past catches up with her.  Someone knows what she’s done.  Facing blackmail, Judith can only save herself by finding a priceless picture – unfortunately, one she’s convinced doesn’t exist.  And she isn’t the only one seeking it.  This time Judith isn’t in control.  Outflanked and out-thought, out run and outgunned she faces an enemy more powerful and more ruthless than she ever imagined. And if she doesn’t win she dies.  Domina is by L S Hilton

April 2017

Hope to Die is by David Jackson.  When the victim seems perfect, is it the perfect crime? On a bitterly cold winter's night, Liverpool is left stunned by a brutal murder in the grounds of the city's Anglican Cathedral. A killer is on the loose, driven by a chilling rage. Put on the case, DS Nathan Cody is quickly stumped. Wherever he digs, the victim seems to be almost angelic - no-one has a bad word to say, let alone a motive for such a violent murder. And Cody has other things on his mind too. The ghosts of his past are coming ever closer, and - still bearing the physical and mental scars - it's all he can do to hold onto his sanity. And then the killer strikes again.

The Body of Ice is by A J MacKenzie. Christmas Day, Kent, 1796. When an unidentifiable body is discovered in the ice-covered pond of the empty manor house, it soon becomes clear that foul play was involved and the villagers of St Mary fear a murderer amongst them. Local law enforcement is distracted by the on-going smuggling runs between Dover and Calais, and the victim's servant status doesn't warrant great attention so it falls to the Reverend Hardcastle in his new appointment as justice of the peace to investigate. But with the identity of the victim unknown, no murder weapon and no motive, this seems like an impossible mission. Employing the help of his trusted friend, Amelia Chaytor, Hardcastle begins the process - and soon discovers there's more to the mystery than he first thought.

May 2017

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS BASED ON LIES? When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she's supposed to be at work, he's intrigued enough to follow her in. And when he witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he knows he ought to intervene. But just as the confrontation between the two men turns violent, and Ben is knocked unconscious, Joe's young son has an asthma attack - and Joe must flee in order to help him. When he returns, desperate to make sure Ben is OK, Joe is horrified to find that Ben has disappeared. And that's when Joe receives the first message.  Lies is by T M Logan.

  

June 2017

A vicious Serbian gang whose profits come from fake nuclear weapons.  A disgraced Russian general, with access to the real thing.  A vengeful Somali warlord, with a cause for which he'd let the world burn.  A jaded government agency, without the information to stop him.  Only one man sees what's coming. And even he might not be able to prevent it . . .  Racing breathlessly from uncharted CIA prisons to the skyscrapers of Dubai, from storm beaten oil rigs off the African coast to the ancient caverns beneath the city of Naples, Marc Dane returns.  Exiled is by James Swallow.

The Assassin of Verona is by Benet Brandreth.  All is not well in Venice.  Threatened daily by Papal assassins, William Shakespeare and his close friends Oldcastle and Hemminges are increasingly isolated - the lies that have protected them so far beginning to wear thin.  His companions want desperately to leave, but Will is tied to the city - his lover, the beautiful Isabella, is growing ever more sick. As tensions reach breaking point, their company is forced to split…

The Mayfly is by James Hazel.  It's happening again.  A mutilated body discovered in the woods.  A murderous plan conceived in the past.  A reckoning seventy years in the making… Charlie Priest, ex-detective inspector turned London lawyer, is hired by influential entrepreneur Kenneth Ellinder to investigate the murder of his son. But Priest is no ordinary lawyer. Brilliant, yet flawed, this case will push him, and those closest to him, to the edge.  Priest traces the evidence back to the desperate last days of the Second World War. Buried in the ashes of the Holocaust is a secret so deadly its poison threatens to destroy the very heart of the establishment. With more victims going missing, Priest realises that not everyone should be trusted. As he races to uncover the truth, can he prevent history from repeating itself?

July 2017

First to Die is by Alex Caan.  A body is found covered in sores after an anonymous protest.  As the research team looking into the origins of the deadly virus narrow down the possibilities, first one then another pharmacist go missing.  Its up to DCI Kate Riley and Zain Harris and Unit 3 to find out what happened and why.

August 2017

From The Shadows by Neil White introduces Dan Grant – The lawyer you want in your corner.  The Lawyer - When defence lawyer Dan Grant inherits a murder case just weeks away from trial, he's just expected to babysit it and take his fee. But Dan's not that kind of lawyer. If he takes on a case then he investigates it his way - wherever the evidence takes him. The Investigator - Jayne Brett is Dan's investigator and a woman with a terrible secret in her past - one that still haunts her today. Needing the money, she takes on the task of investigating the case that Dan's inherited. But has she taken on more than she can handle?  The Case - Mary Kendricks was a pretty, smart, twenty-four-year-old teacher. Now Mary Kendricks is dead and Robert Carter is in the dock, accused of her brutal murder.   But as Dan and Jayne investigate, they discover that perhaps there is more to this case than meets the eye - but in order to do their jobs they need to push the limits of the system, even if it means putting themselves in danger . . . 

When Laura Bjely goes missing during a storm on the Cote d’Azur, the only thing her friend Jan finds is her smartphone – with a disturbing film in the memory. As Jan searches for answers about what happened to Laura he is thrown into a nightmare of madness and murder.  The Shock is by Marc Raab.

Splinter is by Mike Thomas.  A bomb explodes in a busy souk, causing massive devastation.  A gunman walks into a mosque and starts shooting.  But this isn’t the Middle East –this is Cardiff. 

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Forthcoming Books To Look Forward to from Little Brown

Salvation of a Saint is by Keigo Higashino and is due to be published in February 2013.  When a man is discovered dead by poisoning in his empty home his beautiful wife, Ayane, immediately falls under suspicion.  All clues point to Ayane being the logical suspect, but how could she have committed the crime when she was hundreds of miles away?  As Tokyo police detective Kusanagi tries to unpick a seemingly unrelated sequence of events, he finds himself falling for Ayane.  When his judgement becomes dangerously clouded, his assistant must call on an old friend for help; it will take a genius to unravel the most spectacular web of deceit they have ever faced...

Peter Diamond, head of Bath CID, takes a city break in Vienna, where his favourite film, The Third Man, was set, but everything goes wrong and his companion, Paloma, calls a halt to their relationship.  Meanwhile, strange things are happening to jobbing musician Mel Farran, who finds himself scouted by methods closer to the spy world than the concert platform.  The chance of joining a once-famous string quartet in a residency at Bath Spa University is too tempting for Mel to refuse.  Then a body is found in the city canal, and the only clue to the dead woman's identity is the tattoo of a music note on one of her teeth.  For Diamond, who wouldn't know a Stradivarius from a French horn, the investigation is his most demanding ever.  Three mysterious deaths need to be probed while his own personal life is in free fall…  The Tooth Tattoo is the thirteenth book in the Peter Diamond series by Peter Lovesey and it is due to be published in April 2013.

  

Five years after Charles II's triumphant return to London there is growing mistrust of his extravagant court and of corruption among his officials - and when a cart laden with gunpowder explodes outside the General Letter Office, it is immediately clear that such an act is more than an expression of outrage at the inefficiency of the postal service.  As intelligencer to the Lord Chamberlain, Thomas Chaloner cannot understand why a man of known incompetence is put in charge of investigating the attack while he is diverted to make enquiries about the poisoning of birds in the King's aviary in St James's Park.  He becomes even more suspicious of his employer's motives when he discovers that the witnesses he needs to interview have close links to the business conducted in the General Letter Office, activities more firmly centred on intercepting people's mail than delivering it.  Then human rather than avian victims are poisoned, and Chaloner knows he has to ignore his master's instructions and use his own considerable wits to defeat an enemy whose deadly tentacles reach into the very heart of the government.  An enemy who has the power and expertise to destroy anyone who stands in the way … Death in St James’s Park is by Susanna Gregory and is due to be published in January 2013.

David Parker is Manchester's most ingenious criminal defence lawyer. Mike Parker is Manchester's most tenacious homicide detective.  Both bear the burden of the unsolved murder of their sister fifteen years earlier.  And both have a stake in a new series of murders that has shaken their city to its core.  Ronnie Bagley is awaiting trial for the murder of his girlfriend and baby.  Two weeks before he's due in court, he suddenly fires his defence team, claiming that there's only one lawyer he wants to defend him: David Parker.  Despite his misgivings about taking on the case in such strange circumstances, David decides to represent Bagley.  Little does he know that Bagley is smarter than anyone has given him credit for, and soon David will find himself pitched against his own brother, Mike, in a race to outwit the most terrifying serial killer the city has ever seen.  It isn't long before David and Mike's shared past comes crashing into the present in a pulse-pounding race to find out who is next to die...  Next To Die is the first in a new series by Neil White and is due to be published in June 2013.

Transferred to Naples after a tangle with the Sicilian Mafia, Detective Inspector Giuseppe Lojacono feels that he's marking time, waiting out an awkward scandal.  But when the bloodied bodies of teenagers start appearing around the city, victims of a strange and sinister killer whom police and locals take to calling The Crocodile, it soon becomes clear to Lojacono that the killings are more than simple Mafia hits, and that the labyrinthine streets of Naples are more deadly than he'd dared imagine.  Can he catch the assassin in time to save the city's innocents?  A bestseller in Italy, The Crocodile by Maurizio de Giovanni is a dark, bloody story of murder and revenge and is due to be published in June 2013.

Blind Faith is by C J Lyons and is due to be published in January 2013.  When her husband and son are murdered, she thought she'd lost it all.  But for Sarah Durandt the nightmare is just beginning ...Sarah has just witnessed the execution of the man who confessed to killing her husband and son, among others.  Returning home to the small town of Hopewell, Sarah vows to search for the graves of her murdered family - something the killer would never reveal.  But her hunt leads to shocking revelations and in a race to save everything she holds dear, Sarah is forced to swallow the ultimate betrayal and the cruellest of lies.

Victor the assassin is leading a solitary, peaceful life in Iceland when he’s drawn into a job for an unidentified Swiss broker.  Having passed the test, he’s introduced to a group of mercenaries and killers who are tasked to perform the ultimate assassination.  In this group Victor meets someone from his past, someone who recruited him to the life he now knows – someone he thought was dead.  And when he wants out, it’s too late – his former mentor has plans for him…. The Game is the third book in the series by Tom Wood to feature the assassin Victor and is due to be published in June 2013.

Eighteen-year-old Kirsty Wilson can't believe her luck when she lands a room in a luxury Glasgow flat owned by the beautiful Eva Magnusson, a wealthy fellow student from Stockholm.  But her initial delight turns to terror when Kirsty finds the Swedish girl lying dead in their home and their male flatmate accused of her murder.  Kirsty refuses to accept that he is guilty and, inspired by family friend Detective Superintendent Lorimer, sets out to clear his name.  Meanwhile, Lorimer calls on his trusted colleague, psychologist Solly Brightman, to help unravel the truth behind the enigmatic Eva's life and death.  But it is not long until another woman, bearing a marked resemblance to Eva, is brutally murdered in Glasgow.  Horrified, Lorimer and his team realise that Kirsty could be right.  Is it possible that Glasgow's finest detective has put the wrong man behind bars?  And is there a cold-blooded killer out there orchestrating the death of their next innocent victim?  In this absolutely gripping read, Alex Gray sends her dynamic Scottish detective from the gritty heart of Glasgow to the snowy streets of Stockholm in his toughest case yet?  The Swedish Girl is the tenth book in the DC Lorimer series by Alex Gray and is due to be published in March 2013.

It's 1959 and Lynsey Quinn has done the unthinkable.  She's got herself pregnant by a cop.  Rejected by her criminal family, she will pay the price for her betrayal, and so too will her daughter.  At the age of eleven, Helen is returned to the clan.  Hated by her grandfather, loved only by her uncle, she struggles to fit into a world she doesn't understand.  As warring factions battle for control of the East End, tragedy is about to strike again.  How can she survive?  And who can she trust as the murderous past comes back to haunt her?  Bad Girl is by Roberta Kray and is due to be published in April 2013.

The Cuckoo’s Calling is by Robert Galbraith and is due to be published in April 2013.  When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide.  However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.  A war veteran wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's life is in disarray.  The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger ...A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London - from the hushed streets of Mayfair, to the backstreet pubs of the East End, to the bustle of Soho - The Cuckoo's Calling is a remarkable debut.  Introducing Cormoran Strike, in a classic crime novel.

Already Dead is by Stephen Booth and is due to be published in June 2013.  It’s a wet summer in the Peak District, and the officers of Derbyshire CID have a problem.  A body is discovered lying in shallow water after torrential rain has swollen the rivers and flooded the roads, making travel difficult and forensic examination impossible.  And that’s not their only problem.  The absence of DS Ben Cooper, on extended leave after an arson attack, has left a serious gap.  DS Diane Fry is a reluctant temporary replacement, but now their makeshift team is about to be tested to the limit.  The fatal events of one damp August night are likely to stay shrouded in mystery if they can’t track down a car glimpsed only as a dark outline in the rain by a passer-by.  And then there’s the victim: is there really nothing in his life to suggest a motive for murder?  Did he have no wife, no partner, and no close relationships at all, as his elderly mother insists?  As the rain turns into a deluge, loyalties among the officers will be put under intolerable strain as they try to solve their toughest case yet.  And that is before it emerges that Ben Cooper is not at home, but has vanished into thin air.

The price of betrayal is more than thirty pieces of silver.  Two days after Jesus Christ's crucifixion, Judas Iscariot receives an anonymous note stating, I know what you did.  Wrapped with it is an eye, complete with trailing optic nerve, and a splintered tooth - trophies ripped from two recently butchered friends.  Someone, it seems, knows what Judas did on that fateful night following the Last Supper.  And that someone is intent on exacting a bloody and gruesome revenge.  As more acquaintances and family members die in increasingly brutal ways, Judas finds himself in a desperate race against time to make amends for his act of treachery, and to uncover the identity of the mysterious hooded killer.  A relentlessly paced, gripping thriller, which further explores one of the darkest bargains in human history.  You might just find yourself engaged in the unthinkable: rooting for the man who betrayed Christ.  I Know What You Did Last Supper is by Wayne Williams and Darren Allan and is due to be published in March 2013.

On the steps outside an empty office in New York's financial district, a woman lies dead.  It's a bitterly cold winter and her coat and other items are missing, which initially seems to point to a mugging gone wrong, but Lt Eve Dallas soon discovers that the body was dumped at the newly renovated property.  Now she has to find out why.  Marta Dickenson was an auditor, so Eve has a host of suspects among those who were under her scrutiny, not ruling out the fact Marta's sister-in-law is a famous judge.  With the financial wizardry of Eve's husband Roarke at her disposal and the faithful Peabody by her side - when not distracted by the upcoming premiere they're all to attend - Eve starts the process of shifting through the motives of some powerful people to catch a killer... Calculated in Death is the thirty-sixth book in the In Death series by J D Robb and is due to be published in February 2013.

Newsy Stuff!

CWA Gold Dagger winning author Robert Wilson is set to publish his next novel Capital Punishment with Orion Publishers according to his agents Aitken Alexander

In a locked room, a kidnapped girl shivers: meet London’s dark side. Alyshia D’Cruz, daughter of Indian tycoon Francisco ‘Frank’ D’Cruz, has grown up in London and Mumbai wanting for nothing. But one night, after a boozy evening out, she gets in the wrong cab home…
Charles Boxer, ex-army, ex-police, has found his niche in private security. His speciality: kidnap and recovery. But it’s a rootless life that doesn’t impress his teenage daughter, Amy, or her mother, DS Mercy Danqah.

When D’Cruz hires Boxer to find Alyshia, Boxer knows Frank’s crooked business empire has made him plenty of enemies. Despite the vast D’Cruz fortune, the kidnappers don’t want cash – instead favouring a cruel and lethal game. But the UK government don’t want their big new investor to lose his daughter in the heart of the capital. MI6 officers in India follow Boxer’s leads and soon it seems more lives than Alyshia’s are at stake, as the trail crosses paths with a terrorist plot on British soil.

To save Alyshia, Boxer must dodge religious fanatics, Indian mobsters and London’s homegrown crime lords. Capital Punishment is a thrilling journey to the dark side of people and places that lie just out of view, waiting for the moment to tear a life apart. Capital Punishment is due to be published in January 2013.

Robert Wilson won the Gold Dagger with his novel A Small Death in Lisbon.

A number of crime novels are among the 147 titles that have been nominated by libraries worldwide for the €100,000 international IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
The books are – Bandit Love by Massimo Carlotto, The Reversal by Michael Connelly, Faithful Place by Tana French, Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist, The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, Heartstone by C J Sansom, and The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva.


Spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has been nominated for seven awards at the British Independent Film Awards. Gary Oldman has been nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of George Smiley. More information can be found here. The awards will be handed out at a ceremony in London on 4 December.


According to the Bookseller, crime writer Neil White has moved from Avon to Sphere. The author is set to write a new series, which will make use of his expertise as a criminal prosecutor. The first book in the series will be published in the summer of 2013. The bookseller also report that William Heinemann have acquired a debut crime novel, the first in a series to feature civilian investigator Catherine Berlin, written by Annie Hauxwell. The debut novel entitled In Her Blood will be published in trade paperback and eBook in May 2012.

Hot on the announcement of the title of the new James Bond film there is an excellent article in the Daily Telegraph about the longevity of James Bond and why the brand remains popular by Allan Massie.

Author Lynda La Plante is known for being forthright and she again does not mince her words when she talks in the Daily Telegraph about the BBC and them declaring not to want anymore crime drama’s.

P D James is interviewed in the Guardian by Sarah Crown where she talks about revisiting the characters in Pride and Prejudice and creating a credible crime novel at the same time.

Not one to play against type, actor Jason Statham has landed the lead role in the gangland thriller Hummingbird. According to the Guardian, Hummingbird, will mark the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated British screenwriter Steven Knight.

And if you haven’t heard already, firstly Patricia Cornwell has been confirmed for a one-off special event at next year’s Harrogate Crime Festival. Tickets can be obtained on 01423 562303 and secondly there has been confirmation that Åsa Larsson will be attending Crimefest Bristol that is due to take place between 24 to 27 May 2012.