New books to look forward to from Faber and Faber

Andrew Martin whose “Jim Stringer” Railway Detective series has been shortlisted twice for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger returns with the seventh book in the series – The Somme Stations. Jim Stringer finds that death is still close to hand when a member of his unit has been found dead even before they have left the country to go to France as part of the Railway Pals. Clearly there is someone within the ranks at the bottom of this. However, Jim soon finds himself under suspicion when all the evidence points in his direction. The Somme Station is due to be published in March 2011.

The Red Coffin sees the return of Inspector Pekkala originally introduced to readers in the debut novel Eye of the Tsar. Pekkala is asked to investigate the murder of a secretive and eccentric architect who was designing “the Red Coffin”. The Red Coffin by Sam Eastland is due to be published in February 2011.

Adam Creed’s third book in the D.I. Staffe series Pain of Death is due to be published in April 2011. D.I. Will Waggstaffe finds himself amidst Whitehall’s clubland and Soho when burlesque singer Kerry Degg is found after being held captive whilst giving birth to a baby.

Sara Gran’s novel City of the Dead introduces readers to Claire DeWitt an unusual private investigator when she is asked to investigate the disappearance of New Orleans Assistant District Attorney who has been missing since Hurricane Katrina. City of the Dead is due for publication in June 2011.

Smokeheads by Doug Johnstone is a story of four friends, one weekend and gallons of whisky. Four friends find their weekend spiralling out of control when they become involved with a young divorcee and her young sister along with the ex-husband who is not only a control freak but also the local police. Smokeheads is due for release in March 2011

Tobias Jones returns with his bee-keeping private investigator Castagnetti who is asked by a client to find out who set fire to his car. His investigation takes him into the murky and seedy world of the construction industry in northern Italy. White Death the second book in the series featuring Castagnetti is due for publication in May 2011.

All He Saw Was the Girl by Peter Leonard is actually two narratives which come together in the backstreets of Italy’s oldest city. Firstly in Rome where two American exchange students become involved in a violent street gang and in Detroit where a secret service agent’s wife has an affair with a Mafia enforcer. All He Saw Was the Girl is due for publication in January 2011.

The St Petersburg novels by R N Morris featuring Magistrate Porfiry Petrovich returns with The Cleansing Flame, which sees the Magistrate looking into an investigation featuring radicals who are seeking to fan the flames of revolution. Furthermore a junior Magistrate finds his loyalties divided when he agrees to infiltrate a terrorist cell. The Cleansing Flame will be published in May 2011.

Christopher Wakling’s The Devil’s Mask is an historical crime novel set just after the abolition of the slave trade in Bristol. Inigo Bright a lawyer whilst dealing with a request from his boss to reconcile years of port fees and import duties finds himself caught up in a secret that will have a devastating effect not only on his family but also his work as well. The Devil’s Mask is published in June 2011.