On the Radar — Harlan Coben can usually be counted upon for a novel with a unique concept, and his latest heads up our On the Radar Column because it looks like a doozy. It features a deep woods man who becomes key in the search for a missing child. From New Jersey, we’ll then take you on a crime fiction tour that takes in Poland, Florida, Scotland and Louisiana. Cold, hot, cold hot, you could say… Read on and pick your next crime fiction novel.
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The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben
The Netflix series of his book The Stranger is currently getting people talking, now the king of the twisty-turny thriller, Harlan Coben, is back with another story that will keep you guessing, out 19 March. It’s 30 years since a near-feral young boy was found eking out a life in the New Jersey backwoods. Now ex-soldier and security expert Wilde is living off the grid again and generally shunned by society. Until a child goes missing and his help is needed – but even Wilde’s exceptional skills can’t find her. Then things take a sinister turn and a finger arrives in the post…
Pre-order now on Amazon
Blinded by the Lights by Jakub Zulczyk
Hailed in the marketing materials for this book as the Polish James Ellroy, Jakub Zulczyk’s Blinded by the Lights was a hit in his own country and now finds its way into English translation. It follows the trail of Kuba, a Warsaw cocaine dealer who normally doesn’t sample the product. One day when collecting his fees from a local nightclub owner, Kuba loses his cool and so does his client. Kuba is swept along in the consequences, putting his life at risk. Zulczyk is also a screenwriter and with its success Blinded by the Lights has already been made into an HBO Europe TV series. The book lands 16 March.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Swamp Killers
Also out on 16 March is The Swamp Killers, a collection of stories edited by Sarah M Chen and EA Aymar and set in Jacksonville, Florida. Each of the 16 participating authors has been given a short synopsis of a crime and been asked to write their version of what happened, and it should make for fascinating reading. What we know is that small-time criminal Timmy Milici has run off with Melody Dulpass, heiress to an Atlanta crime family. Her mother has put a price on his head, alongside the return of her daughter. A great chance to try the work of Aymar, Chen, Hilary Davidson, Alex Dolan, Wendy Tyson and more, in a hot and sweaty setting.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Blood is Still by Douglas Skelton
We first met local reporter Rebecca Connolly in Thunder Bay, now she’s back for a second instalment. The body of a man in full Highland dress is found with a sword through his chest on the historical site of the Battle of Culloden. No one knows who he is, but Rebecca senses a story and is determined to get it. Meanwhile, the imminent rehousing of a known paedophile on an Inverness estate triggers protests and sets tempers to boiling point – but why does a member of a well known criminal gang want to get Rebecca on side? This one is out now.
Buy now on Amazon
No Truth Left to Tell by Michael McAuliffe
This debut legal thriller from former federal civil rights prosecutor Michael McAuliffe is out now. It’s set in Louisiana in the mid-1990s, where a renegade bunch of Ku Klux Klan members are burning crosses and terrorising the residents of a small town. The hate crimes summon up horrific memories for one of the victims, elderly Nettie Wynn, who as a child witnessed white townspeople lynch a black man. Federal civil rights prosecutor Adrien Rush and Lee Mercer, a seasoned local FBI special agent work together on the case, but their investigation styles are worlds apart – and that clash of ideologies could lead to guilty men walking free.
Buy now on Amazon