Forthcoming Books from Little Brown Publishing

 July 2026

Your body. Their Choice. The Hope Party's new laws have transformed Great Britain: the countryside rewilded, children's rights prioritised, and births on the rise. But freedom is fading. Karen has learned to navigate this new world, keeping her head down as her fertility is constantly monitored. As her husband's career thrives, while hers stalls. As her son is drawn into misogynist groups. Like everyone else, she's too frightened to speak up. Until her teenage daughter reveals a life-changing secret: she's pregnant. With abortion and contraception banned, her future has gone up in flames. But Karen won't let this happen - Charlotte is going to have the life she lost. Karen turns to her sister Isobel, a doctor who's initially reluctant to help. But when they learn Charlotte's pregnancy is ectopic and life-threatening, the stakes skyrocket. The three women go on the run, getting deeper into danger with every hour that passes. With powerful enemies on their tail, they will risk everything in a desperate fight for freedom, and for life. The Quickening is by Claire McGowan.

The Shadow Step is by Mark Billingham. One taken simultaneously by a pair of dancers facing the same direction, one of them behind and slightly shifted leftwards ('in the shadow') Typically, such a step perfectly demonstrates synchronised elegance. It showcases a couple in near telepathic harmony with one another. It does not normally end with someone stone-dead in a lake. DS Declan Miller is a magnet for strange cases, but how can he catch a killer when the man confessing to the crime is clearly innocent? Things rapidly escalate when the murder that isn't really a murder at all attracts the unwanted attention of a drugs Queenpin, a deranged ex-squaddie and a lovesick gangland enforcer. Then a student is kidnapped... Throw in a wobbly dog, a pair of ceramic leopards and the distracting smell from a local biscuit factory, and - if he wants to save a young man's life - Miller has little choice but to waltz all the way into the shadows.

Leeds 1982. As a city struggles to break free of the past, evil finds a new place to hide.DS Mick Hunniford, tired and tainted by the botched Yorkshire Ripper investigation, is yesterday's man, his career hanging by a thread.Maureen, owner of Leeds's leading brothel, struggles to recover from a horrendous attack three years before. When notorious escort Lynda Brown is killed in front of Maureen's eyes, she and Mick find themselves drawn together once more. The pair must face a new killer, with new appetites, one which dwells among the city's elites. Can they put the past behind them once and for all, even if this investigation proves to be their last? The Burning Fears by Katy Massey.

The Venetian Redemption is by Philip Gwynne Jones. The city of Venice is alive with celebrations for Redentore, the most spectacular festival of the year. The streets are lined with revellers eating and drinking, and boats travel along the canals into the bacino of San Marco in anticipation of the firework display. It's going to be a night to remember, and all the more so for Nathan Sutherland and his wife Federica, who have been invited to an exclusive party in the company of the British Ambassador. The festivities take a turn, however, when Nathan suddenly finds himself struggling for breath and is rushed to hospital. Tests show he has all the symptoms of aconite poisoning, a toxin derived from the deadly wolfsbane plant. An unfortunate accident? Or a deliberate attempt to poison him? As Nathan investigates, he discovers many guests might just have had a motive for murder . . .

The Recruit is by L.D.Sharpe. The spy game has a brand new player . . . Sarah Black is startlingly smart and super frustrated . . . while her fellow fresh graduates are signing away their souls to square mile internships, she is sabotaging civil service exams and beating any chess opponent who dares face her. Surely there has to be more to life? Enter, Michael. Enigmatic, suave, and looking for a new recruit to his band of elite spies. His offer is irresistible, and Sarah leaps into the world of international espionage without hesitation. But when Michael hears rumours of a catastrophic attack on an oil pipeline in the Caucasus, he whisks Sarah from London to Georgia with a new identity, a meagre brief and no backup. Thrown into a hostile environment where nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted, Sarah must learn the rules of the game quickly, just to survive. But is she really a player, or merely a pawn?

A yacht full of suspects, on a sea of red herrings... Rosalind King, Caro Hooper and Posy Starling may be famous for each playing fictional detective Dahlia Lively on screen, but their growing reputation for solving real murder cases has prompted an offer that they can't refuse . . . Property mogul and billionaire, Percy Pendleton, has invited them for a two-week trip on his mega yacht this summer to investigate a case of expected murder. Percy doesn't believe that his father's recent death was natural, despite what the police say. In fact, he thinks he's going to be murdered too - and soon. Not being one to sit around waiting for things to happen, he's gathered all the people he suspects of wanting him dead for a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean. He's giving the three Dahlias the length of the voyage to investigate his father's demise, figure out who wants him dead, and stop them. It's a challenge unlike any they've ever tackled before. But at least they get to enjoy the sun, sea and a Limoncello Spritz while they're interviewing the suspects . . . Death on a Lively Sea is by Katy Watson.

August 2026

The Millionaire Waltz is by Anthony Quinn. London in the 1920s: a young woman treads the path between danger and desire. Against a backdrop of thuggish blackmail, constricting high society and a London still fragile from the war, Edie Greenlaw is trying to decide what she wants from the world. The closer the prospect of marriage with her handsome war hero fiance becomes, the less fulfilling it seems. Defying caution she goes to the aid of a friend and entangles herself in a dangerous demi-monde of sexual extortion and violence.

South Devon is returning to its usual calm after the summer tourist season when DI Wesley Peterson and his team receive a disturbing call. A mummified body has been discovered, hidden behind a wall, during the renovation of nearby Sycamore House.The body is that of Dr Aleric Donnal, an academic with a special interest in Devon's medieval history. Donnal was last seen over a decade ago, around the time that Sycamore House belonged to a new age commune who believed that the house occupied an ancient sacred site. While Wesley is seeking potential suspects for Donnal's murder, Dr Neil Watson is investigating the ruins of an ancient chapel nearby; a building once decorated with grotesque carvings of mythical creatures.As Wesley's team work on one of their most baffling cases yet, a new murder occurs in a nearby village. Could the two crimes be linked? Wesley needs to separate truth from myth in order to solve this mystery. The Chapel of Bones is by Kate Ellis.

The Butcher Legacy is by Alaina Urquhart. Dr. Wren Muller is back! But has the Bayou Butcher returned, too? Two months after the life-changing events on the tail of a serial killer known as the 'Bayou Butcher', forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller is back in the place she knows best: the New Orleans morgue. She buries herself in routine, reuniting with her closest ally, Detective John Leroux, and tries to convince herself that normality can be rebuilt. But in the weeks leading up to Halloween, shadows begin to shift again as young girls vanish in both cities where Jeremy Rose, the unmasked Bayou Butcher, once ran rampant. When bodies are discovered with all the hallmarks of Bayou Butcher killings, Wren and Leroux must mobilise. Hundreds of miles away in Massachusetts, Philip Trudeau stands behind a pulpit. He is the revered pastor of a close-knit congregation, but beneath his calm composure lies something sinister - he has history with Jeremy Rose, and a hunger that did not fade when the Bayou Butcher was jailed . . . Is Jeremy pulling the most gruesome of strings from behind bars? And will Wren ever be free of the Bayou Butcher's legacy . . . or will it be her downfall?

The Killer's Mark is by M.W.Craven. A Monster. A Mother. A Murder? When Vice Admiral Boyer, RN (retd) died without leaving a will, his estranged daughter inherited his- not inconsiderable - estate. Called home to sort through his belongings, she found an AegisBox - a tamper proof safe within a safe designed to self-destruct if anyone without the code attempts to open it. Faced with the choice of walking away or opening it, she opted for knowledge over silence and uncovered something so horrifying it launched the biggest investigation in the National Crime Agency's history. Five years later, Washington Poe is unwittingly, and unwillingly, sucked into its gravity well... Finally able to escape the authority they once railed against, Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are enjoying their new jobs as private detectives or - as the sign on their door says - 'Gumshoes for Hire'. When a teenage girl walks into their office, looking for the mother she has long believed to be dead, they agree to take the case. As Poe and Tilly investigate the girl's claims, they find themselves drawn into a murky world of trafficking, pornography and prostitution. Will they be able to help the girl find her mother or will the dark forces at work, who will stop at nothing to protect themselves, get there first...

September 2026

The Big Cats Dance Party is by Alexander McCall Smith. "I am a fortunate woman to have such an eventful life," observes Mma Ramotswe of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Perhaps, but there are times when rather too much seems to be happening, and a quieter life might seem rather attractive. This latest despatch from Botswana is certainly full of events, even if it starts with a leisurely trip to buy a pair of shoes as a birthday present for Mr J.L.B. Matekoni. As often happens in Mma Ramotswe's world, one thing leads to another, and we are soon caught up in an ill-thought-out plan hatched by Charlie, junior mechanic and enthusiastic trainee detective. Charlie has met up with two rising stars of the local musical world - jazz players known to their public as Lion and Leopard. He is keen to plan a big event with them, even though Mma Makutsi sees nothing but disaster ahead. Mma Ramotswe would like to keep an eye on the situation, but she has to go up north, to the wilds of the Okavango Delta, where her friends at an elephant sanctuary are battling with a campaign being waged against them. Mma Ramotswe's help is needed, and, of course, is given with all the generosity of spirit that illuminates the character of this most beloved of lady detectives. A happy ending? Of course.

The Occidental Book of the Dead is by T Geronimo Johnson. An  audacious, darkly funny and dazzlingly innovative literary crime masterpiece about a black police officer in Atlanta, Georgia - and the fatal shooting of a suspect. George Washington Jonson has been in the Atlanta police force for a decade, patrolling the streets he grew up on and managing to build relationships within the force - especially with Tucker, the veteran police officer and self-described 'redneck' who taught Jonson the ropes. Now it's 2005 and Jonson himself is tasked with training hot-headed rookie recruits. One night out on patrol with his trainee, Utner, a split-second confrontation with a white teenager takes a violent turn and Utner shoots the teenager dead. As the resulting furore mounts to a fever pitch, it threatens to expose the complex nest of lies that seethes beneath the entire city, and order must be restored. So far, so Hollywood. But then a dizzying somersault in the novel's structure upends the narrative and begins an even darker, more complicated and provocative story about racism, power and corruption - building to an unforgettable portrait of a nation divided.

I look along the road and notice how many people are standing outside their houses or watching from doorways and windows. Staring. Studying. 'Do you think this town will ever forgive me?' I ask. 'Not in a million years.' Small towns are quick to anger and slow to forgive, but Arlo Hackett doesn't expect mercy when he emerges from a twelve-year prison sentence and makes his way back to Yulara, a waypoint on Australia's Great Southern Road. The last time Arlo was home, his brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime and Arlo was found guilty by association. His return to the former goldrush town is like cracking open a time capsule full of hatred and violence, along with memories of the people he loved - the ones he couldn't save. Yulara wants Arlo gone, or worse, but every insult and humiliation pushes him to confront what really happened all those years ago. The truth will shock you, surprise you, and break your heart. Tell Me Something True is by Michael Robotham.

Crash and Burn is by Alison Bruce. Two bodies. Two decades apart. One deadly connection. When an arson attack reveals a fresh corpse alongside remains from nearly twenty years ago, DS Ronnie Blake and Cambridge's special investigations unit, known as the DEAD team, must investigate both to find the connection. Their only lead is Mariel Quinn, who, as a child, survived her mother's abduction and presumed murder. Mariel remembers nothing, except a single, haunting phrase she repeated over and over. Now, as long-buried secrets resurface, the team must untangle a mystery long thought lost, before the killer strikes again.

Agatha Raisin's Cotswolds village of Carsely is in uproar when word spreads that The Red Lion pub is preparing to close. The aristocratic owner of the local brewery plans to develop the land into luxury apartments. Taking it upon herself to lead the petition against the closure, Agatha sees a perfect opportunity to confront redeveloper Lord Ancombe when she is invited to his annual Civil War re-enactment at Ancombe Manor. Watching men ride around on horses with replica guns is far from Agatha's favourite pastime, so she is relieved to hear there will at least be afternoon tea. But before the scones can be served, Lord Ancombe is discovered shot dead. Suddenly Agatha has not just a pub to save, but a murder to solve. It seems her investigations are not everyone's cup of tea . . . Agatha has the distinct impression that someone is trying to silence her, for good. Agatha Raisin:Dead Before Teatime is by MC Beaton with R W Green.

Rogue Agency is by L D Sharpe. Agent Sarah Black is back, and she's done asking permission. Scarred by the events of her first official assignment, new recruit Sarah has cut all ties with the special liaison unit known as The Pelicans. Abandoning enigmatic leader Michael on the banks of the Thames and defying all orders, she vows to finish the mission he set her . . . alone. Her dogged pursuit of the mastermind who eluded her in Georgia takes her to searing heat and civil unrest in west Africa, to a lawless land rife with war profiteering. When she hears that her mark is bankrolling a ruthless rebel leader, the only surprise is that it's her one ally, Elias, who delivers the news. How did he earn his place in the inner circle? Can she trust the intelligence he shares, that the endgame is more deadly than she could ever have imagined? With doubt thrown on Elias and no backup from the Pelicans, Sarah must rely on raw instinct to neutralise the operation and burn the network to the ground. She needs to think three moves ahead to outmanoeuvre her ruthless opponent, and in a game without rules, every move counts. But when the game is being played on a global stage with catastrophically high stakes for peace, for democracy, and for everything Sarah believes in, how far will she go to win?

 Lt. Eve Dallas journeys into the darkness where murder is born... NYSPD homicide detective Eve Dallas has seen a lot in her time but even she is shocked by the savagery of a beating which leaves a wealthy biotech executive dead in his home office. The victim's corpse is so mangled and damaged it's hard to believe a lone assailant would be capable of this. The killer is clearly unnaturally strong. Or very, very angry. While the excessive violence leads Dallas to conclude that this was a deeply personal act, she can't ignore the suspicious bank account in the Cayman Islands, or the shadowy, profit-hungry company Chu worked for. The mystery only grows when it turns out Chu isn't the only victim of this furious killer. Dallas will need to tear through one layer of secrecy after another to reveal the terrible truth behind this series of rage-fuelled murders... Fury In Death is by J D Robb.

November 2026

No Good Deed is by Tom Wood. Victor's entire existence is dependent on caution and control. Every move is carefully considered. He avoids risks. He manages consequence. He is an assassin-for-hire, and yet staying alive is a full-time profession. Although not one for doing favours, he takes his debts seriously. So when the person who recently saved his life asks for help, he drops everything to pay what he owes. But delaying his current contract puts him on a blacklist with a client who tolerates no mistakes. If Victor doesn't deliver on his commitment, he's going to be next in the firing line. As the supposedly simple task spirals out of control, Victor must decide what's more important: the target on his back or repaying the favour. Worse still, his personal mission threatens to unearth a part of himself he buried long ago...

Faithful is by Roberta Kray. Kellston, East London When crime boss Terry Street is buried, his empire is buried with him. With his heir dead and his son unwilling, the borough is up for grabs. Gangs circle. Old loyalties crack. Violence is inevitable. Marianne Day knows this world well. She's lived on its edges for years, hiding in plain sight, waiting. Because the man who destroyed her life all those years ago, is now back in London. Connor Bond stole her son and vanished. Now, as Kellston teeters on the brink of war, Marianne sees her chance. She's waited eleven years. And she'll stop at nothing to get her child back...

Burning Season is by Martin Griffin. She left him to die.  Now, he's back from the ashes. Twelve years ago, firefighter Jade Bowyer watched a man burn. Curtis Hoole was a criminal - a killer - and although Jade didn't start the fire, she let it finish him. Now Jade has built a new life as a wildfire lookout in British Columbia, thousands of miles from the memories that haunt her. She has finally escaped her past. Until a plane crashes in the forest. As fire rages and a bear circles the dead, one survivor clings to life in the wreckage. Curtis Hoole. Jade's orders are simple: guard the wreck and protect the bodies. Until she knows the truth, she must keep him alive - because she can't kill the same man twice. No matter what secrets he carries . . .

Murder on the Mistletoe Express is by Katy Watson. Rosalind, Caro and Posy are planning to take a much-needed break from investigating murder cases this Christmas for a winter getaway with their partners in the Swiss Alps. They've been invited to spend three days on a glamorous new luxury sleeper train, the Mistletoe Express, which Posy's boyfriend Kit is planning to invest in. Travelling with them for the festivities are several other investors in the company. But the morning they depart, the company's administrative assistant, Olivia, is missing - just hours after warning Posy of a problem with the Mistletoe Express's accounts.  The three Dahlias' investigative minds are already whirring when, at their first destination, Olivia is discovered dead, despite never boarding the train . . . It seems that the Mistletoe Express is brimming with secrets, and murder suspects. Can the Dahlias catch a killer - and in time for Christmas?

Forthcoming books from Little Brown Books

 January 2026

Two girls went into the Hanging Woods. Only one returned. Twenty years ago Caitlin vowed never to return to her small Irish hometown. Now she drifts from temporary jobs to temporary men, trying to escape memories of the Hanging Woods. Of what happened to Roisin there. But with news of her estranged mother's sudden death, Caitlin is forced to return home, back to the town where everyone knows each other's business and old resentments run deep. Roisin's sister Deedee, now a Garda, has never given up on finding the truth of what happened in those woods. And Caitlin's return makes old wounds fresh, threatening to exhume secrets that have lain buried for two decades - while the Hanging Woods begin their siren call to Caitlin and Deedee once more . . . Darkrooms is by Rebecca Hannigan.

Killing in the Shadows is by Kate Ellis. The quaint Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe was a sanctuary for famous TV personality, Lexi Verity, away from prying eyes and camera flashes. But a life led in the spotlight can create envy in its shadows. When Lexi is found dead in her swimming pool, DI Joe Plantagenet and DCI Emily Thwaite are called to investigate. The murder of the celebrity is front-page news and the pressure is on the Eborby CID to find the killer. As Joe and Emily unravel the last moments of Lexi's life, they discover various motives for murder - as well as events in Lexi's distant past that would horrify the public if the facts were ever revealed. Sinister secrets are also haunting the residents of the ancient cathedral city of Eborby nearby. 

As a college English professor, Elizabeth looks forward to the start of each new semester teaching her creative writing seminar. At least until she reads chapter one of The Reckoning, a tale about a high school senior who has an affair with her teacher. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but to Elizabeth it is the beginning of the end. She knows this story. It's all familiar because she lived it. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end-with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him. Someone knows what Elizabeth did twenty years ago and her secret is about to be exposed, but who is the mystery student submitting the chapters? In an effort to find out, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown where it soon becomes clear that no matter how many years have gone by, she can't escape her past. Someone Knows is by Vi Keeland.

February 2026

It's Not Her is by Mary Kubica. A stunning discovery. Courtney Gray's tranquil family vacation is shattered when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cottage next door. There she finds the lifeless bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her teenage niece Reese is nowhere to be found, while her nephew Wyatt lies asleep upstairs, unharmed. A shocking investigation. As the police descend on the quiet resort town, disturbing secrets about Courtney's family start to emerge. When she learns that the town has secrets of its own, it makes her wonder if Reese is another victim in a brutal crime or if she's the killer. A truth no one could have imagined . . As Courtney begins to unravel the terrible mystery, she realizes that everyone around her has something to hide. And the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to see . . .

Twenty years ago, Eddie's career as a journalist was destroyed by the Juliet Fox case. Juliet was young and beautiful, born into the privileged world of the Manhattan elite. Pulled into their orbit by her investigation, Eddie discovered how far the rich and powerful are prepared to go when their way of life is threatened . . . Eddie has always known that the wrong man was made the scapegoat for Juliet's murder. So when a new luxury sky-rise is opened by Juliet's father, just metres from where her body was discovered two decades before, Eddie can't resist finding her way in, back into a world where dangerous people operate in the shadows, and anyone might kill to keep a secret safe. In Glass Houses is by Edel Coffey.

I'm Not The Only Murderer in my Retirement Home is by Fergus Craig. Retirement will have to wait. When former serial killer Carol takes her place in a luxury retirement home, she begins to find her feet with a small new group of friends. If she can only keep her past hidden, maybe she has a chance at happiness. That's when she discovers that, absurdly, every other one of Sheldon Oaks' residents was involved in the law somehow. It's not long before her true identity is leaked, and when a former police commissioner resident is murdered, naturally all eyes turn to her... Now she must solve the case to prove her innocence - just as her new friends start their own investigations into whether there is more than one killer at Sheldon Oaks.

For a man who works in the shadows, a family is not just a luxury - it's a weakness. When an unknown enemy uses threats against Zack Hightower's estranged daughter to blackmail the injured operative into taking on a dangerous mission, his friend, Court Gentry, aka the Gray Man, volunteers to take Zack's place. But Court has problems of his own. He's already got a expert assassin on his trail for no apparent reason. And now his quest to protect Zack's family may drag his own family into the maelstrom. There's one lesson that Court has found undeniable: There's a reason superheroes have secret identities. The Hard Line is by Mark Greaney. 

Stolen in Death is by J D Robb. A violent death and a vault of stolen treasures has Eve Dallas struggling to solve crimes old and new  A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead. Meanwhile, a nearby vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures and yet only one item seems to be missing. Is this a simple case of a burglar caught in the act or does Eve have a much bigger, bloodier mystery to solve....? 

March 2026

The Shark is by Emma Styles. Every monster has a weakness. At the height of Australian summer, a serial killer known as The Shark stalks a coastal suburb, hunting young female swimmers. Afraid and furious at the failure of the police to protect them, two women fight back. Raych is grieving someone she'd have died to save, while Carmen hides her own disturbing connection to the murders. In desperation, they form an uneasy alliance. And when another girl vanishes, they take matters into their own hands - by kidnapping the prime suspect. But as their interrogation spirals, horrifying truths surface on both sides of the table. The clock is ticking to save the missing girl. And in their quest for justice, Raych and Carmen must face the darkest question of all: have they caught a monster - or become one?

The wildest places often conceal the darkest secrets... DSI William Lorimer never expected that the next time he'd visit the Isle of Mull - where he and his wife, Maggie, have often wandered its windswept coasts and picturesque lochs - it would be for the funeral of an old friend. Mary Grant's sudden heart attack was a shock to the small community on the island, but Lorimer has no reason to suspect foul play, until he is approached at the funeral by one of Mary's closest friends. She is convinced there was more to Mary's death than meets the eye. And when she, too, dies in a sudden accident, Lorimer finds himself investigating a double murder. Mull is a place of spectacular beauty and characterful towns, but Lorimer knows that even here old secrets can resurface, resentments can run deep, and evil can lurk undetected. Blood on Old Stones is by Alex Gray.

Guilt is by Keigo Higashino. A body has been found on a Central Tokyo riverbank, and Homicide Detective Godai of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is assigned to investigate. The victim is identified as a lawyer, Kensuke Shiraishi, and Godai's investigations lead him to one Tatsuro Kuraki, who ends up confessing to not only to the lawyer's murder, but also another one from thirty years ago - for which another man was arrested and died in custody before trial. Kuraki's confession neatly resolves two cases, but there is just one problem: Detective Godai doesn't believe him. What's more, there are two other people who can't accept Kuraki's confession. One is the son of Kuraki, the professed murderer; the other is the daughter of Shiraishi, the victim. As they get closer to the truth it becomes clear that the link between the two murders is murkier and more complicated than they could possibly have imagined - and so is the line between innocence and guilt. 

In a house built on lies, the truth will get you killed. London, 1953. One foggy night, in the dead of February, a diffident young man arrives unannounced at 42 Tregunter Road in Chelsea. Self-styled Bohemian Mrs Honor Wilson, who runs a minor literary journal and lodgings from this timeworn Victorian house, introduces him to her 'dear house guests': Robbie, the writer; Mina, the aspiring socialite; George, the debutante; and Saul, the refugee poet. Jimmy Sullivan is a family friend, Honor says - yet clearly, something is very amiss. Despite everyone's suspicions, she lets the stranger move into the attic. As they each try to disprove Jimmy's dubious account of himself, secrets, jealousies, and disturbing schemes come to light, fracturing the household's delicate allegiances and setting in motion, unstoppably, a tale of perilous self-invention, complicated love, and murderous revenge. The Kindness of Strangers is by Emma Garman.

May 2026

An Atlantic voyage. A family at war. A secret worth killing over. Reporter Jack Parlabane thrives on chasing stories in unlikely places, and where could be less likely than a fan convention on a cruise liner celebrating a contentious Sixties TV series? But unlike the media family exploiting their show's renewed relevance, he's not there to stoke controversy: he's there to solve a murder. Already in deep water with his employer, Jack desperately needs a win, and solving this decades-old mystery could be it. Problem is, he's in the middle of the Atlantic, and someone onboard has already killed once to keep their secret. And that's not even the tricky part. No, the tricky part is definitely the dead body locked in a stateroom with him, covered in his blood. Now Jack has to solve two murders, otherwise the only way he's getting off this ship is in handcuffs - or in a body bag. Quite Ugly One Evening is by Chris Brookmyre and is a zeitgesty locked-room mystery that sees the return of rogue journalist Jack Parlabane thirty years after his first appearance in Quite Ugly One Morning.

Tom Clancy's Rules of Engagement is by Ward Larsen. The White House is stunned when the Secretary of Commerce is killed in a plane crash in Turkey. President Jack Ryan isn't ready to write this off as a simple accident. Not only has he lost a good friend, but the Secretary was on an important mission: on the surface he was making an appearance at an economic conference, but the CIA was also using the flight as cover to extract an important asset from the Middle East. Soon, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan and her team are working with the investigators to find the cause of the tragedy, but one shocking revelation changes everything. There were supposed to be 16 people on the plane, but there are only 15 bodies. The quest for answers will lead the team deeper and deeper into a quagmire of lies and deception that will force President Ryan to face an unprincipled enemy with global ambitions.

True Crime: A Memoir is by Patricia Cornwell where she finally tells the story that rivals all of the works that precede it: her own. Patricia Cornwell is best known for her international bestselling thriller series about forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta. Every story comes from somewhere, and Scarpetta's began when Patricia Cornwell embedded herself in a morgue. In this achingly honest memoir, Cornwell excavates her own life, detailing her traumatic childhood being raised by neglectful parents, her father abandoning the young family on Christmas day, her mother being institutionalised twice, an abusive foster family, and developing a parental relationship with evangelist Billy Graham's wife Ruth. Cornwell depicts a harrowing hospitalisation and near-death car accident. She unflinchingly shares overcoming obstacles that later gave her the ambition to become an award-winning police reporter. From there it was research in a medical examiner's office that would turn into a full-time job. She would become a forensic expert and worldwide publishing phenomenon. Cornwell leaves no stone unturned in this deeply candid account of her life, offering inspiring insight into what made her into the international sensation she is today.

It's high summer in Slovenia. The charming resort town of Portorož is swarming with holidaymakers, and Inšpektorica Petra Vidmar is losing her cool. Fresh from her success solving the baffling murder of a beloved colleague, Petra's been enjoying sunshine, ice cream and very little crime in her new home on the stunning Slovenian coast. Life is blissful... until a super yacht drifts into the harbour with a body sprawled on deck. Steffi de Vries was a star on the social media scene, but her glittering career and picture-perfect life were brutally cut short. It seems that among her millions of followers, were many enemies: jealous boyfriends; ambitious rivals; illicit lovers and vengeful business partners. But who took their dislike beyond their phone screen and into real life? Petra and her assistant Policist Aleš Koren soon find themselves deep in the world of wealth, glamour, luxury and 'likes'. But not all is at it seems... can they prise off the filter of perfection to reveal the murderous truth? Death Under The Slovenian Sun is by Georgina Stewart.

June 2026

Backstabbers is by Eliza Jabore. Never turn your back on a friend. Jade, Stef and Zoe are hiking Washington's Bones Hollow Trail, braving cougars, snakes and the storms that roll in without warning. The friends' paranoia isn't helped by listening to a true crime podcast about the serial killer whose hunting ground they're hiking through. Then when Stef twists her ankle - badly - there's no one to hear them scream for help. The only sign of life for miles is a cabin that looks straight out of a horror movie, with an owner who's a little too eager to invite them in. The friends must soon find a way to survive as things spiral out of control. After all, who can you trust when your back's against the wall? But unfortunately for them, the only thing more twisted than this nightmare is their friendship...

1973. Hours after a mysterious phone call is made to the police, a train pulls into Sunderland station with a dead body on board. Cause of death: strangulation. Victim: unknown. Witnesses: none. Undeterred by this baffling set of circumstances, newly promoted Police Sergeant Aline James vows to crack the case and prove her critics wrong. But when her famously ruthless investigation tactics yield no results, she is forced to seek help from two unlikely allies: unassuming assassin John Brown and calamitous actor Tony Davies. As bodies pile up, can this unusual trio thwart a devilishly complex plot, before one of them, actually, becomes a corpse? Actually I'm a Corpse is by Terry Deary.

Murder at St Alfred's is by Julie Wassmer. Clues for a murder are rather like ingredients for a recipe. Put them together in the right way and the results can be very satisfying...' For almost two centuries, St Alfred's Church in Whitstable, Kent, has held special significance in the lives of its parishioners - including for private detective, Pearl Nolan, owner of the Whitstable Pearl restaurant. Pearl's son, Charlie, was christened in the church and her oyster fisherman father, Tommy Nolan, is buried in the old churchyard. Now, St Alfred's is about to play another part in Pearl's life as the setting for her wedding to Canterbury police detective, DCI Mike McGuire. But two fateful events are about to threaten this happy occasion - the discovery of a body on hallowed ground and the return of a ghost from Pearl's own past...

CrimeFest ’25 to Feature Exclusive le Carré Event

 

Le Carré’s sons feature in event in honour of their father.

CrimeFest, one of the UK’s leading crime fiction conventions, will feature an exclusive John le Carré event featuring the author’s two sons.

Considered one of the greatest novelists of the postwar era, the ‘Ghost of Honour’ panel sees le Carré’s son, Nick Harkaway, discuss his latest novel, Karla’s Choice. In the book, Nick brought back one of his father’s most famous literary creations – George Smiley.

The panel also welcomes Le Carre’s older son, the film producer Simon Cornwell, who is the CEO and co-founder of the independent studio, The Ink Factory. He is currently executive producing the much-anticipated second season of The Night Manager for Amazon and the BBC, starring Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman.

Further guests for the panel are to be announced.

Director and co-founder of CrimeFest, Adrian Muller, said: “As a genre, crime fiction dominates our TV and film screens, and John le Carré is undoubtedly a seminal influence. It’s a huge honour to welcome his sons. We’re excited to discuss Nick’s acclaimed novel, and to get an exclusive look into the upcoming adaptations of le Carré’s iconic novels with Simon.”

CrimeFest, sponsored by Specsavers, is hosted from 15 to 18 May 2025 at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, when up to 150 authors are expected to descend on Bristol appearing in over 50 panels. It attracts regular delegates from as far as Australia, the Far East, Canada, the United States, and mainland Europe.

Also confirmed for 2025 is the Canadian mystery writer, Cathy Ace. Cathy's Cait Morgan Mysteries have been optioned for TV by the production company, Free@Last TV, which is behind the hit series, Agatha Raisin.

Vaseem Khan, chair of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), has also been confirmed as 2025’s Gala Dinner’s 'Leader of Toasts' for the 2025 CrimeFest awards. Vaseem is author of the Malabar House historical crime series set in Bombay. His first psychological thriller, The Girl in Cell A is out in May 2025.

Considered as one of the most democratic of crime fiction events, CrimeFest is open to all published authors and known for its inclusive approach. To appear on a panel, authors – or their publishers - simply sign up as a delegate to take part. Authors have until the end of November to sign up to be featured in the 2025 convention.

The convention began in 2008 and attracts readers, fans, editors, publishers, and reviewers.

Other confirmed names for ’25 include: Andrew Child, who has taken over writing the Jack Reacher novels from his brother Lee; veteran novelist and Diamond Dagger recipient John Harvey, who has written over 100 books, including his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels, and Kate Ellis, winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library award.

First introduced in 2022, the CrimeFest bursary for a crime fiction author of colour returns for a fourth year. The bursary covers the costs of a weekend pass to the convention, with a night’s accommodation and panel appearance. Previous recipients include Saima Mir and Elizabeth Chakrabarty. Entries for 2025 are now open.

The convention also continues its Community Outreach Programme. In partnership with the independent Max Minerva’s Bookshop and participating publishers, CrimeFest gifts thousands of pounds of crime fiction books for children and young adults to school libraries.

With thanks to Specsavers, librarians, students, and those on benefits are offered significantly discounted tickets.

To find out more, or to book your spot as a delegate, go to: https://www.crimefest.com/

 

Forthcoming Books from Little Brown (Incl Constable and Robinson, Piatkus and Abacus Books)

August 2024

The Last Visitor is by Martin Griffin. The island was abandoned for fifty years. So how did the body get there? Five-hundred kilometres from land in the middle of Atlantic Ocean lies Navigaceo. A tiny island that was hastily abandoned fifty years ago and has been uninhabited ever since. Until now. Tess Macfarlane is a documentary filmmaker tasked with capturing the wild beauty of Navigaceo. Accompanied by a small team of researchers, her job is to film everything she sees. But Tess sees too much: a body. It's clearly recent. It shouldn't be there. And the victim is wearing the same expedition uniform as her colleagues. Someone has been here already and everyone on the team is a suspect. More than one of them could be a murderer. With five days until they are returned to the mainland, Tess must be careful, or hers might be the next body found on the shore.

Una has always been more comfortable working with numbers than people. As an actuary for an insurance company, her job is to spot patterns that other people might miss. When the data for her latest project - into the predicted number of deaths in seaside resorts - shows a blip in her forecasts, Una's untarnished reputation at work is at risk. That is, unless she can work out why there's been an unusual spate of accidental deaths by the coast. Death by Hanging Basket? She's not seen that before. Where better to begin than her mother's hometown of Eastbourne, where strange fatalities are befalling her mother's bingo crowd. But as Una puts her spreadsheets aside and begins to investigate, a sinister pattern begins to emerge and she realises that there is nothing accidental about these casualties . . .Can Una stop the killer in this small seaside town, before she becomes a not-so-vital statistic? Death by Numbers is by Jo Cunningham.

The Weekend Guests is by Liza North. Five old friends. A reunion to die for… A weekend on the wild, beautiful Dorset coast. Seven adults, six kids. A nanny: the ultimate special treat. It should be perfect: old friends, a stunning house, champagne and windswept beaches. But it isn't. Past grudges won't rest. Secrets won't stay put. And by the end of the weekend, at least one of them will be dead.

Despite many years living in South Devon, DI Wesley Peterson has never visited the tiny island of St Rumon's. That is until erosion from a storm reveals three bodies buried outside the local churchyard. Two are ancient skeletons, but one is far more recent, and Wesley realises he has uncovered a case of murder. But whose remains are they? And who killed them? The island has only a small number of inhabitants. Yet one resident keeps cropping up in Wesley's investigation: the author and self-styled academic, Quentin Search. Meanwhile Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, becomes fascinated by the remains of the island's old priory. His discovery of a journal, written by a sixteenth century cleric, reveals an eerie tale of strange rituals and disturbing deaths. As Wesley begins to wonder whether the past might be repeating itself, another murder occurs . . . There is a calculated killer on the island - one whose grip is as deadly as the rising tide. Coffin Island is by Kate Ellis.

September 2024

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel is by Alexander McCall Smooth. A chance meeting with the manager of The Great Hippopotamus Hotel leads the much-admired and traditionally built Precious Ramotswe to investigate what is going wrong with this previously successful country hotel. Guests have been unwell, clothing has disappeared from the washing line, and scorpions have found their way into the guest bedrooms. Mma Ramotswe drives out to the hotel with her irrepressible colleague, Grace Makutsi (97 per cent in the final examinations of the Botswana Secretarial College). What they find there are family conflicts that only the investigators of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be able to resolve. Meanwhile, at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, Mma Ramotswe's husband, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, gets a visit from a middle-aged client who wants to purchase a fast Italian sports car. What should the conscientious garagiste do in such circumstances? Should the client's wife be told? Mma Ramotswe is used to wrestling with such tricky questions, but it is harder for Mr J.L.B. Matekoni.

The Serial Killer Next Door is by Emma Kenny. Would you know if you lived next door to a serial killer? Based on her smash hit tour, Emma Kenny - psychologist and true crime expert - reveals the chilling true stories of killers who hide in plain sight. Taking readers on a journey into the dark side of humanity, Emma Kenny explores the ingredient list of experiences that turns regular people into murderous monsters, looking at crimes that shook the world. From Ted Bundy to Joanna Dennehy, Richard Trenton Chase to Aileen Wuornos and many more besides, Emma explores the crime scenes and criminal minds of some of the most notorious serial killers of our time. She also unveils shocking stories of lesser-known killers that even the most dedicated true crime fan will be surprised by. What unites all of these killers is the ability to slip into society. They look just like you and me. Some were married or parents, conscientious neighbours, teachers or fixtures of their community. Join Emma in this compelling exposé of their depraved world to understand what motivates them and what they look for in a victim. Then maybe you'll be able to spot the serial killer next door...

Welcome to Aberfal Boys High School. Independent jewel of academic and sporting excellence in the South-west -- until the headmaster is murdered in his study. And now the Year Seven School Mums' WhatsApp Group really do have something to talk about...

Clare Withoutani: OMG have you heard about Newhall?!!!

Becky Rupertsmum: Helen-Louise just texted. Can't believe it.

Asha: Not heard anything. What's happened?

Pam Geoffreysmum: What's he done this time? They're going co-ed, aren't they? I knew this would happen.

Clare Withoutani: Can't believe it, Becky. I'm in shock.

Pam Geoffreysmum: Are we going co-ed?

Becky Rupertsmum: No, Pam. Newhall died.

Pam Geoffreysmum: Oh GOD. Seriously??!! Can't believe it. So sad. He'll be such a loss to the school. The boys will be devastated. Will the school be offering grief counselling?

Rose Oliversmum: Anyone know what pages they're meant to do for chemistry

Ollie's homework diary says 'do questions 1-4' but no page numbers!

As the resulting police investigation reveals more and more of Aberfal's long-hidden secrets the list of suspects who wanted the headmaster dead grows by the day. And far from being a glittering jewel of exclusivity and excellence, it would appear Aberfal Boys High School is rotten to its core… One Bad Apple is by Jo Jakeman

Because She Looked Away is by Alison Bruce. After the sudden death of her sister, devastated detective DS Ronnie Blake relocates to Cambridge to help her brother Alex raise their sister's young son, Noah. She reports for her first day but instead finds herself being questioned by a special investigations unit, nicknamed the DEAD Team. With a small group of six, led by DI Fenton, the once-successful DEAD team has a single outstanding case, Operation Byron, and the failure to resolve it threatens the unit's existence. Their most promising lead is an anonymous note linking three seemingly unconnected people: a convicted fraudster, a dead academic... and Ronnie's sister Jodie. When Ronnie is denied information about Operation Byron, she follows a lead slipped to her by Malachi, the youngest member of the team, and makes a discovery which links Operation Byron to a disturbing unsolved murder. She is rapidly drawn into an intricate web of deceit, buried secrets and tragedy and the discovery that her connection to Cambridge is far darker than she could ever have guessed.

Passion in Death is by J D Robb. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer On a hot August night, Lt. Eve Dallas is called to a downtown club, where a joint bachelorette party full of love, friendship and laughter has taken a darker turn and ended in a crime scene. One of the brides has been garrotted in a private room and lies dead in a pool of blood. Shauna and Erin are celebrating their joint bachelorette party, living their best lives with a group of their girlfriends, drinking and dancing. Erin is planning a surprise honeymoon for Shauna to Maui – her dream holiday destination – but Erin will never have the chance to tell her fiancée about the surprise because on this – the best night of their lives – a killer lies in wait . . . The brutal murder scene was just seconds from the packed dance floor but despite the dozens of people present, useful witnesses prove hard to come by. Someone must know something, but no one is talking. On the surface the two brides had a supportive, tightknit group of friends but when Eve starts to dig below the surface, she discovers that everything may not be quite as it seems....

 October 2024

Summoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had a love affair with acclaimed astrophysicist Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship. The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano's skin is strangely red. Scarpetta's niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead's secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue. As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of Giordano himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil . . . Identity Unknown is by Patricia Cornwell.

The Last One at the Wedding is by Jason Rekulak. The guests are arriving, and the celebrations are starting. But there's something strange about this wedding... Frank Szatowski hasn't seen his daughter Maggie in years, and it breaks his heart every day. So when she calls him out of the blue, to tell him that she's getting married and he's invited, Frank is overjoyed. Maggie is marrying into one of the richest families in the country, and Frank finds himself overwhelmed by the social circle she now moves in. He'll do anything to reconnect, though, and arrives at their New Hampshire estate ready to bond however he can with Maggie's in-laws. But as the wedding weekend gets underway, it becomes clear to Frank that although they have spared no expense, there's something strange about Maggie's fiancé. And maybe he shouldn't be celebrating just yet...

Agatha Raisin: Killing Time is by M C Beaton with R W Green Life is never, ever dull in Agatha Raisin's sleepy Cotswolds village! Agatha Raisin's private detective agency is working flat out on a series of burglaries which take a violent turn when a friend of Agatha's is murdered during a raid on his antiques shop. Although determined to nail the villains, Agatha still makes time to help Sir Charles Fraith prepare to stage a massive, hugely glamorous event in the grounds of his ancestral home, Barfield House. When Agatha begins to receive death threats and narrowly avoids being abducted by kidnappers, she takes advantage of a previously arranged trip to Majorca to lie low for a while. There she meets her partner, former police officer John Glass, who is now working as a dance instructor on a cruise liner. Their relationship founders over John's apparent closeness to his stage dance partner, Louise. Putting her love life on hold, Agatha heads home, having worked out who has been threatening her life. Can Agatha track down the would-be killer, nail her friend's murderers and rescue her romance with John? Everything comes to a climax at the Barfield Extravaganza when on top of everything else, Agatha also manages to solve a 400-year-old Cotswold murder mystery!

The man who can't feel fear is back, in a race against time to find the woman who knows a secret that could take down the world as we know it. When a shocking murder and abduction on the streets of London leads investigators to him, Ben Koenig has no idea at first why the highest echelons of the CIA would need his help. But then he realises he knows the woman who carried out the killings. Ten years earlier, without being told why, he was tasked with helping her disappear. Far from being a deranged killer, she is the gatekeeper of a secret that could take down the West, so for years she has been in hiding. Until now. And if she has resurfaced, the danger may be closer and more terrifying than anyone can imagine. So Ben Koenig has to find her before it's too late. But Ben suffers from a syndrome which means he can't feel fear. He doesn't always know when he should walk away, or when he's leading others into danger . . . Nobody’s Hero is by M W Craven

November 2024

Mercy has a cost. Time for Victor to pay. Assassin-for-hire Victor is in Bucharest, Romania, to kill two targets meeting to exchange stolen intelligence his client wants back. It should be a simple task - until he realises the second of his targets is a former ally. Even for a man of Victor's twisted morality, he's not prepared to kill someone to whom he owes his life. To atone for not completing the job, Victor agrees to take on the kind of dangerous assignment he would otherwise avoid. At a conference on international relations, he must identify and assassinate a killer just like him and remain unseen, despite a guest list of spies, dignitaries, and security experts. Even for an elite professional, the job is a tall order - which is why he looks for help from the person whose life he spared in Romania. Yet unbeknownst to Victor, the Bucharest contract stepped on the toes of powerful enemies from his past; enemies who now know exactly where to find him . . . Fire Fight is by Tom Wood.

Traitor is by Roberta Kray. She sold him out. Now he's out for revenge . . . After her murderous ex-boyfriend who she turned into the police was released from prison, Jem Byrne fled to London, desperate to hide herself in the hustle of the big city. Now she spends every day watching her back, waiting for him to catch up with her. But The Mansfield estate is far from a safe place to hide, and Jem soon learns she's only ever one wrong move away from being found out - and sold out. Private Investigator Harry Lind makes a living out of other people's secrets. When he meets Jem, he can tell she's hiding something big and he's desperate to find out what. But his talents have already been enlisted by another: an aging mother hoping to discover the truth about her daughter's disappearance fifty years earlier. There's also the two kids from The Mansfield pestering him to find their missing dad. Could Jem be the key to cracking both cases?

Against the Grain is by Peter Lovesey. When his former deputy, Julie, invites Detective Peter Diamond and his partner Paloma to spend a week at her home in the depths of rural Somerset, Diamond is horrified. What could be worse than seven days in the back end of nowhere with nothing to do? But it turns out that Julie has an ulterior motive. A local woman is doing time for manslaughter after a wild party ended in a tragic accident: a man suffocated in a silo of grain. Nobody in the village has much sympathy for Claudia, the unruly daughter of a wealthy local farmer. Nobody that is, except Julie, who is convinced there's more to this case than there appears and wants her former boss to investigate. And as Diamond tests his skills as an amateur sleuth, he soon discovers that the countryside isn't quite so dull as he'd anticipated. And then there's Philip, The Mansfield Estate's newest resident. He's lurking in the shadows, watching it all unfold. Or is he doing more than just watching?

One murder mystery movie. Three Dahlias. And a whole cast of suspects... Ex child star Posy Starling is finally filming her dream role - Dahlia Lively in The Lady Detective movie. But things take a nightmare turn when a prop weapon is replaced with the real thing - with almost fatal consequences for her fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King. There's something very wrong on the set of The Lady Detective - which means it's time to call in Caro Hooper, so the three Dahlias can investigate. In between filming scenes, signing autographs for locals, photoshoots on set and jetting off to France for an impromptu party, the three Dahlias do what they do best - surreptitiously sleuth. And very soon the evidence starts to point towards one particular co-star... But before they can prove it, a murder rocks the production. And this time, with a storm raging, the river flooded, and the bridge washed out, there are no police to rely on so it's up to the three Dahlias to stop a murderer in their tracks... before another victim is claimed. A Lively Midwinter Murder is by Katy Watson.

Dead Cold is by T F Muir. St Andrews, Scotland: When a woman's eviscerated body is found on the golf course close to the Fairmont Hotel, DCI Andy Gilchrist and his associate DS Jessie Janes are assigned the investigation. But the postmortem examination uncovers a shocking detail that must be kept from the public. Who could carry out such a brutal murder? And what is the significance of the gruesome trophy? But DNA uncovers links to a murder committed thirty years earlier and has Gilchrist fearing a killer of old has resurfaced, or worse, a debut serial killer setting out to learn his murderous trade. The hunt for the killer forces Gilchrist down a dangerous path that puts his and Jessie's life in danger, and ultimately leads them to a mind-playing madman who will kill again rather than go to prison. As Gilchrist homes in on the murderer, he finds himself relentlessly drawn into the killer's mind games, and a desperate fight for his life, in which there can only be one winner. Has Gilchrist finally met his match?

A Fatal Feast at Honeychurch Hall is by Hannah Dennison. When Eric Pugsley, who runs the unsightly scrapyard on the Honeychurch Hall estate, brings home his Turkish fiancée, everyone is delighted -- even if the marriage does seem to include her feisty mother who is never without a Terkel cigarette dangling from her lips. A Safari Supper at the Hall is held in their honour, but trouble begins when somewhere between the first course and dessert, one of the villagers goes missing and is later found drowned in the estate's ornamental lake. Rumours of foul play abound, given that competition is fierce to clinch the Honeychurch Challenge Cup at the upcoming Flower Festival, where sabotage has already come into play - earlier in the week someone released a herd of goats into the village allotments, where of the planned entries were eaten. But things take a sinister turn when Eric asks Kat to value the bride-to-be's 19th century Etruscan engagement ring only to be told that historically it is used for poison - hardly an appropriate choice for love but Eric is adamant it's what his fiancée wants. And then a second body is found... unearthing a hotbed of sabotage, blackmail, and old grudges.