This week sees the return of Laura Lippman and her novel Dream Girl is our lead book. It looks like the perfect pool-side read. Or you could read it somewhere else. Each to their own, right? The blurb reminds us a little of Stephen King’s Misery. Speaking of which, the reprint of Sara Gran’s Come Closer resembles a Stephen King novel too. Remember those typographic covers from the 80s with cutout photography worked into the design? New books from Michael Robotham and David Jackson are rounded off with a non fiction title from Michael Ridpath. If you’ve ever wanted to write a crime novel set in Iceland, he’s your go-to guy.
Dream Girl by Laura Lippman
Crime readers of a certain age will see the name Gerry Anderson and immediately think of Tracy Island and Joe 90, but this iteration of Gerry is a successful author and he’s the main character in Laura Lippman’s latest standalone psychological thriller, Dream Girl, out on 1 July in print and on 22 June for Kindle. From the off it’s like someone is pulling his strings though… because a bed-bound Gerry keeps getting calls from a woman claiming to be ‘the real’ Aubrey. But that just can’t be. Aubrey is a fictional character he made up in a book, years ago. Or is she? Deprived of sleep and deeply worried, a tormented Gerry must try to winkle out the truth from the fiction. Or the metafiction, perhaps.
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Come Closer by Sara Gran
Faber is reprinting Sara Gran‘s frightening 2003 novel Come Closer on 1 July. The cover looks 80s retro, like an old Stephen King novel, and inside terror reigns supreme, sprinkled with a bit of black humour, of course. It begins innocently enough but soon a woman’s frustrated desire is spiralling out of control. Is she imagining things? Why the noises, the dreams, the uncontrollable impulses. And the crimes that follow… Seriously psychological folks. We could be talking about possession here…
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When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham
The Australian crime fiction author Michael Robotham has won the CWA Gold Dagger twice and on 24 June he’s back with a new psychological thriller about obsession. It begins when London cop Philomena McCarthy rescues Tempe Brown, a victim of domestic abuse. Phil is the daughter of a gangster, Tempe is the daughter of a top Met detective. They strike up an unlikely friendship – but something about Tempe’s stories doesn’t add up for Phil, and strange things start happening…
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The Rule by David Jackson
Daniel’s birthday is coming up and he’s really excited. Chocolate cake, pie and chips and a comic featuring his favourite superhero – what more could a boy want? And if he’s good and sticks to The Rule, nothing bad will happen, right? Wrong. Daniel is actually 23 next week, and before the Big Day arrives he kills someone. His parents know he didn’t mean it – Daniel doesn’t know his own strength, bless him – and they cover up the crime. But as the police close in, it becomes clear that one death might not be enough… David Jackson’s darkly funny The Rule is out on 1 July.
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Writing in Ice by Michael Ridpath
Among other things, British author Michael Ridpath is the writer behind the Fire and Ice series, featuring Magnus Jonson. The character was born in Iceland, works for the PD in Boston, Massachusetts, but returns to Iceland where he solves crimes. Writing in Ice is Ridpath’s opportunity to break down what it’s like for a non-Icelandic author writing crime fiction set in the country. It talks about all his research into the land, the culture, the language and more. More, meaning the elves, of course. Watch for this non fiction work on 1 July, and watch for our review as well.
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