There have been whispers on the north wind that Swedish author Tove Alsterdal’s novel We Know You Remember is one to look out for – especially for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction. So that’s where we start this week’s new books report, before working our way to New York and London for two very different crime novels, and then a trip back in time to World War II with Stephen Hunter. We round it all off with a debut from Eastern Canada that looks very interesting too.
The authors Tove Alsterdal, Emilya Naymark, Scott Shepherd, Stephen Hunter and CS Porter are all new to our site, which is exciting in itself.
We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal
Award-winning Swedish crime writer Tove Alsterdal’s We Know You Remember is the second of her novels to be translated – on this occasion by Alice Menzies – and it’s out on 3 February. It’s a police procedural, the first of a series, and set in the small town of Aladen where over 20 years ago Lina Stavred went missing. The case soon ground to a halt – there was no body, no crime scene, no murder weapon and eventually the records were sealed until a teenage local boy later confessed. It’s taken decades for the community to heal, but now a mysterious death is about to open old wounds and reveal long hidden secrets to police detective Eira Sjödin.
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Behind the Lie by Emilya Naymark
Private eye Laney Bird was hoping for a quiet life when she moved to the appropriately named Sylvan in Upstate New York with her son. No such luck – when her neighbourhood summer block party explodes in shocking violence and ends with the disappearance of her friend and another woman, Laney will need all her skills as a PI to solve a mystery that reaches far beyond her small town. And with even her teenage son Alfie acting as if he has something to hide, she isn’t sure who she can trust. Behind the Lie by Emilya Naymark is out on 8 February.
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The Last Commandment by Scott Shepherd
It’s described as “a Transatlantic thriller with a twist of Biblical proportions” and we can find out why when The Last Commandment by Scott Shepherd is released on 3 February. What do we know so far? Three dead bodies turn up in London as Christmas approaches, each with a number carved into the forehead. It looks like the killer is meting out their own twist on Biblical justice, punishing those who break the Ten Commandments. With seven commandments left, the heat is on for Metropolitan Police Commander Austin Grant – then a fourth body turns up in New York and the investigation gets even more tricky…
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Basil’s War by Stephen Hunter
There’s a hero called Basil in this espionage thriller by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, essayist and bestselling novelist Stephen Hunter. And while this isn’t Basil Fawlty, it’s a book that definitely mentions the war. World War II to be precise, where accomplished British Army agent Basil St Florian is tasked with going undercover in Nazi-occupied France in a bid to find an ecclesiastic manuscript that doesn’t officially exist. Genius professor Alan Turing believes it may hold the key to a code that could prevent the death of millions and possibly even end the war. No pressure then for the swashbuckling, whisky drinking thrill-seeker who has a way with women. Basil’s War is out on 3 February.
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Beneath Her Skin by CS Porter
Big city homicide detective Kes Morris is a protagonist with her own unique selling point – she has been trained by her detective father to get deep inside a killer’s mind and put on their skin. It’s a skill that’s about to come in useful as a small town on Canada’s East Coast falls prey to a series of shocking murders. Kes immerses herself in the crimes and slowly a picture emerges of a killer seeking brutal retribution, someone who takes sadistic pleasure in death and wants their work seen. How is she going to stop them? An atmospheric thriller from debut author CS Porter, Beneath Her Skin is out on 1 February.
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