The Tell-Tale Heart
After reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt we wanted to learn Latin and equally, after reading Matthew
Pearl's first novel The Dante Club we wanted to go out and learn all we could about Dante himself. So, as
you can imagine we were waiting with baited breath for Pearl's new book The Poe Shadow and
when we found out the subject this time round was Edgar Allan Poe we couldn't wait to read it. Poe died in
unexplained circumstances in Baltimore and Pearl has created a young lawyer named Quentin Clark who decides to
investigate what exactly happened. Clark finds that Poe's fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin, was actually
based on a real person and sets out to find him, in the hope that the real Dupin will solve Poe's murder. He
finds however, not one but two Frenchman claiming to be Dupin, and must turn detective himself to lead us to
discover the truth. The Poe Shadow with all its suspense is a must read for everyone. Pearl's detailed research
has produced a delightfully engrossing novel, one we're sure you'll enjoy it as much as we did.
But then a strange fear gripped me....
Detective Inspector Tom Thorne has been sent to help investigate the kidnapping of teenager
Luke Mullen - the son of former DCI Tony Mullen. With time against him and with people connected
to the case showing up dead, Thorne is in a race to discover who has taken Luke and why. He soon
realises that everyone has their secrets - some just keep theirs hidden better than others. Everyone
is a suspect and the twists and turns in the plot will keep you turning the page till the very end.
An explosive mix of murder, mystery and mahem, Buried is nothing short of Dynamite. It's the sixth
book in the Tom Thorne series, but don't be put off if you haven't already read the others. It's
fantastic as a stand alone novel and is (in our opinion anyway) the best one yet.
From the Cradle to the Grave
Brookmyre's new novel A TALE ETCHED IN BLOOD AND HARD BLACK PENCIL, is a slight departure from his usual
writing style, but fear not because it's just as good - if not better - than his previous ones. This one
centres itself around the lives of a group of people who are all, in varying degrees, mixed up in a multiple
homicide. Years earlier they were all children at school together and we follow their lives through to
adulthood. Apparently based on his real life experiences at school (although we're figuring not the murder),
Brookmyre give us a hilarious account of growing up, mixed in with a classic crime story. With suspense,
intrigue and quite a few belly laughs, you'll probably find yourself reading it all in one sitting as you won't
want to put it down. Already, we can't wait for the next one.
Raymond Chandler's creation Philip Marlowe is up there with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot as one of
the most famous detectives of all time. Chandler himself once said of his influential fictional character,
"He is the hero, he is everything". In The Big Sleep, Detective Marlowe is brought in to assist a dying
millionaire who is the target of a blackmailer. It soon turns out to be more than expected however, and
Marlowe finds himself caught up in a case that involves murder, sex and family scandal. Right from the start
Chandler mastered the Crime genre and set a standard to which other authors can only hope to aspire.
If you haven't already read this hardboiled detective classic then now is the time. If you have already
read it - read it again and you'll remember why you picked it up in the first place.
Jeffery Deaver's new book The Cold Moon sees the return of quadriplegic criminologist
Lincoln Rhyme along with his partner Amelia Sachs. In this, their seventh outing, they are pitted against
the calculating Watchmaker, a meticulous killer who is leaving a trail of victims across New York. We are
led on a journey with countless twists and turns and just when you think you know what's happening, the plot
thickens. Put a couple of hours aside and you'll read this cover to cover as Deaver once again delivers the
goods with this cunning psychological thriller.
In this, his first outing as a crime author, Jason Goodwin brings us a tale set in the Ottomon empire
of 1836. In The Janissary Tree he takes us through the streets of Istanbul with Yashim, an
investigator tinged with melancholy, as most good detectives should be and who must find the killer of a
young officer whose face has been sliced off. More go missing and Yashim begins to suspect the Janissaries,
a group of corrupt troops who were once protectors of the Sultan. Goodwin's engaging prose lends itself well
to the colourful array of characters, Yashim is a eunuch helped in solving the crime by a transvestite dancer
and a vodka drinking Polish mbassador. Keep an eye out for the rest of the series, as this is an exciting
debut filled with historical facts and an Istanbul described so well you can almost close your eyes and be there.
We "heart" Simon Kernick......and so should you!
Tom Meron is having the worst day of his life. He's heard his best friend being murdered, has been
attacked by a masked man, been arrested the murder of a woman and his wife is missing - and we're only up
to chapter four. Meron needs to discover why all of this is happening to him and quickly in order to save
not only his own life but those around him. This book really is Relentless (but in a good way) and the action
doesn't stop until the very last page. With a great plot, fabulous cover and an even better price (you don't
find many hardbacks for a tenner these days) it's well worth picking up. Trust us - you're going to love it!
Sometimes I love a book that draws me in slowly, gently gathering pace throughout, hooking me completely by the last page,
then again, sometimes I enjoy nothing more than opening a book and being hooked from the first, reading the whole lot in a matter of
hours. Kernick falls into the latter and splendidly takes up his place there. I know that if I want an intriguing, fast-paced read,
filled with action and suspense, he will deliver and deliver he does with Deadline.
Kernick starts out with as ordinary an evening as we all have, finish work late, get back home, step through the door to the sound of the
phone ringing. Only when you answer the phone in a Kernick novel you are not going to be sitting with your feet up chatting to your girlfriends
for the rest of the evening, that we know for certain. Your daughter is missing, your husband may be involved and you havent got long to get her
back alive. Page turning finger at the ready, let the drama unfold. I am hooked!
Husbands beware! Desperate housewives are fighting back
How far would you go to help a colleague?
This is the dilemma posed by Natsuo Kirino's OUT - a violent and disturbing novel showing the darker side of
Japanese society. Masako, Yoshie, Kuniko and Yayoi work together in dead end jobs at a box-lunch factory in
Tokyo. When Yayoi snaps and strangles her abusive husband, she enlists the help of her friends, who slice up
the body with kitchen knives and dispose of him in trash cans all over the city. The perfect crime soon starts
to unravel, the effects of which, change the characters lives forever.
OUT is an extraordinary novel and shows us exactly why Kirino is Japan's most successful crime writer.
It's been said in the past that Manuel Vazquez Montalban does for Barcelona what Chandler did for Los
Angeles and in crime classic The Man of my Life he doesn't disappoint. Pepe Carvalho
is a Catalonian detective who likes his cooking, his women and his crime in equal measures, he shares his
inermost thoughts with us and in doing so makes for an intriguing character. He sets about the task of solving
the murder of a boy from a wealthy family. The boys best friend is involved somehow and as the investigation
progresses we are drawn into both Spanish politics and religion. Something the author feels very passionate
about as he himself was a member of the Spanish Communist Party and spent time in prison. If you have ever
been or wanted to go to Barcelona then pick this up and enjoy.
After reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt we wanted to learn Latin and equally, after reading Matthew
Pearl's first novel The Dante Club we wanted to go out and learn all we could about Dante himself. So, as
you can imagine we were waiting with baited breath for Pearl's new book The Poe Shadow and
when we found out the subject this time round was Edgar Allan Poe we couldn't wait to read it. Poe died in
unexplained circumstances in Baltimore and Pearl has created a young lawyer named Quentin Clark who decides to
investigate what exactly happened. Clark finds that Poe's fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin, was actually
based on a real person and sets out to find him, in the hope that the real Dupin will solve Poe'smurder. He
finds however, not one but two Frenchman claiming to be Dupin, and must turn detective himself to lead us to
discover the truth. The Poe Shadow with all its suspense is a must read for everyone, Pearl's detailed research
has produced a delightfully engrossing novel, one we're sure you'll enjoy as much as we did.
Pernille Rygg's intricate novel 'The Butterfly Effect' is set against a Wintry Oslo backdrop.When Igi
Heitman's Father (a Private Investigator) dies, she comes across a butterfly pendant in his office which leads
to the discovery of a woman's body. Igi turns detective and must follow a path through the cities
underground to uncover the truth behind her Fathers death. Pernelle gives us an unconventional supporting
cast of characters including Igi's transvestite husband,which is something not often seen in a crime novel,
but which is a warm addition. Kept us gripped to the very end.
Set in Finland, Jan Costin Wagner's Ice Moon is not your usual crime novel in that from
the outset we are inside the minds of both Detective Kimmo Joentaa and the killer. Traumatised by the death
of his young wife, Joentaa returns to work in CID and finds himself dealing with the murder of a young woman,
smothered while sleeping. Throwing himself into the search, the young
policeman finds a strange sense of empathy with the killer because of the way in which he is giving his victims
a 'peaceful' death. This is a dark, yet touching tale that will keep you intrigued. Fans of Mankell will
love it.
