No Plan B is a great title for a Jack Reacher book because, as crime fiction lovers know, Lee Child’s awe-inspiring rogue crime buster knows only one way forward. He doesn’t need a backup plan… or does he? Either way, this force of nature is back in the third collaboration between Lee Child and his brother Andrew, and it’s our lead book this week.
For something completely different, there is the latest from Finnish author Antti Tuomainen, plus big hitter James Patterson has a new Alex Cross novel for us. Both The Dark Room by Lisa Gray and Unfinished Business by Leye Adenle look fascinating, for entirely different reasons, as well. Proceed to discover your next crime read…
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No Plan B by Lee and Andrew Child
It’s two years since Lee Child announced he would be handing over much of the Jack Reacher writing duties to his younger brother, Andrew — a move which has divided fans of the no-nonsense hero. No Plan B is the third in the series of collaborations after The Sentinel and Better Off Dead, and it’s out on 25 October. This time, Reacher is in Colorado when he sees a woman killed under the wheels of a bus. Suicide? Not according to Reacher, who saw a man in a grey hoodie push the woman, grab her bag and saunter away. Justice must be done, and we all know that Jack won’t rest until he has got to the bottom of who killed the woman, and why.
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The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
The Rabbit Factor was one of the funniest crime novels of 2022, and certainly the most poignant as well. Now it’s time to meet its hero, insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen, once more, and this time moose are involved! Henri has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns. However, when someone from his past makes a reappearance, Henri is turned upside down again. Much like the riders on his much anticipated new attraction The Moose Chute… but why do Toy of Finland Ltd seem reluctant to come up with the goods? Translated by David Hackston, The Moose Paradox is out on 27 October.
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Triple Cross by James Patterson
It’s jaw dropping to realise that the first Alex Cross book, Along Came a Spider, was published almost 30 years ago. Out on 27 October, Triple Cross is book 30 in the hugely popular series by prolific author and serial collaborator James Patterson, and it finds the detective hunting a killer who is targeting families around Washington, DC. But Cross isn’t the only person on the killer’s trail – also on the case is a charismatic true crime author, who has spotted patterns in the actions of ‘The Family Man’ that others have missed. Are the writer’s theories rooted in fact, or a complete fiction? It’s up to Cross to decide.
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The Dark Room by Lisa Gray
Leonard Blaylock was once a crime reporter but these days he spends his time developing forgotten and discarded rolls of film for strangers. In the digital era, Leonard loves the small mysteries traditional photographs reveal to him – until, one day, the film he develops shows the murder of a young woman. It can’t be so – because the woman is already dead, and Leonard should know; he was there when it happened five years earlier. That night cost him his career, his fiancée and his future. But what if the woman didn’t actually die? Psychological thriller fans will be happy to know that The Dark Room by Lisa Gray is out on 25 October.
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Unfinished Business by Leye Adenle
Out on 18 October, Unfinished Business by Leye Adenle is the third in a series featuring Amaka Mbadiwe, self-appointed saviour of Lagos’ sex workers. Amaka is settling into her new life in London when word comes through that a renowned pastor has been assassinated in his hotel room while one of her girls, Funke, hid naked and terrified inside a sofa. Time to head back to Nigeria, where Amaka finds herself caught up in an unfamiliar world of private jets, money laundering and mega-churches. With her trusted ally Police Inspector Ibrahim out of the country, and the hostile Inspector Musa breathing down her neck, can she rescue Funke?
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Click here to read about last week’s new crime novels.