On the Radar returns after a one-week hiatus with a hot line-up of new crime novels for you to check out. We’ve got six in total this week, including the latest from top British author Steve Cavanagh, and top American author Megan Abbott. As well as courtroom drama care of Cavanagh, it looks like there are a lot of psychological thrills going around this week as well.
Read on and discover your next crime pick.
The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh
Eddie Flynn is back, and the hotshot New York lawyer is way out of his comfort zone with a case that takes him to Alabama in Steve Cavanagh‘s The Devil’s Advocate, out on 5 August. Eddie is an ex conman, and he’s going to need all his tricks if he is to keep an innocent young black man from the electric chair. He’s up against Randall Korn, known as the King of Death Row, who holds the dubious record of sending more men to their deaths than any other district attorney in US history. Eddie and his team are seen as the enemy by virtually everyone in Buckstown, where Skylar Edwards was brutally murdered. Can he prove Andy Dubois’ innocence and get out of town alive? Also see our review of Thirteen by the same author.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
From the dangerous Deep South to a ballet school – who says crime fiction isn’t eclectic? The establishment in question is the Durant School of Dance, run by sisters Dara and Marie Durant since the tragic death of their parents more than a decade ago. Along with Dara’s husband Charlie, the siblings have created a successful business and even perfected a dance that keeps the studio thriving. But their equilibrium takes a wobble when a suspicious accident occurs at the school’s annual performance of The Nutcracker, and an interloper arrives to set their world even further off kilter. The Turnout by thriller queen Megan Abbott is out on 3 August.
Pre-order now on Amazon
Loser Baby by Jason Bovberg
If you’re after a shot of noir, then look no further than Loser Baby by Jason Bovberg, out on 2 August. Jordan Frank is worried when his twin sister Jasmine disappears without trace but, suffering the after-effects of last night’s epic party, Jordan’s brain really isn’t up to the task. Meanwhile, Jasmine is in big trouble after unwittingly stealing something from Tommy Strafe – a man you really don’t want to cross. She’s on the run in Southern California, and battling to stay a step ahead of her pursuers. Get ready for “a breakneck dark-comic neo-noir ride, populated by misfits and malefactors, criminals and innocents, down-and-outers and spun-out dreamers,” according to the blurb.
Pre-order now on Amazon
A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris
Joanne Harris’s Malbry trilogy has a new addition, although this Gothic psychological thriller can be read as a standalone. St Oswald’s School has a new head – and as the school makes history by admitting girls for the first time, in another first the new principal is female. Rebecca Buckfast is a woman to be reckoned with, a woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She’s already spilled blood to get to where she is today, but as the new regime butts heads with the old guard, things are about to get nasty. Then, the remains of a body are found and Rebecca is forced to show her true mettle… The Narrow Door is out on 4 August.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Heights by Louise Candlish
Award-winning author Louise Candlish is back with another psychological thriller destined to keep you reading into the wee small hours, arriving on 5 August. Never spy on your neighbours… you might not like what you see. Interior designer Ellen Saint is in Shad Thames in London for work, and is standing in a plush fifth-floor apartment in Jacob’s Wharf when she spots a man in the block opposite. The Heights is the tallest building in Shad Thames and a striking sight – but that isn’t what grabs Ellen’s attention. It’s the man. She recognises him as Kieran Watts, someone who has been dead for two years. And Ellen should know, because she killed him. Get ready to be engulfed by a read filled with Candlish’s trademark twists and sucker punches.
Pre-order now on Amazon
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
There’s a distinctly Stepford Wives vibe to Chandler Baker’s latest thriller with a feminist twist. Nora loves her husband, Hayden, but why is it that she seems to be the one putting all the effort into creating their perfect life? Then a spot of house-hunting in an affluent suburban neighbourhood opens Nora’s eyes. Here, the husbands and wives are on an equal footing, sharing the jobs and getting along famously. But when Nora becomes involved in a wrongful death case involving one of the local residents, she begins to see a whole different side to this seemingly perfect world. The Husbands is out on 3 August.
Pre-order now on Amazon