We’re back with more new crime novel releases including two books set in Scotland and one in Iceland, which makes me think that perhaps Tartan noir and Scandinavian crime fiction are back on the up – particularly with The Dark looking so good on ITV right now and set in the Highlands. There are also two very different crazy cosies and some property noir… if that’s a thing?
Broken Ranks by Andrew Raymond
Atten-shun! Broken Ranks, the seventh book in Andrew Raymond‘s series featuring DCI John Lomond, arrives on 30 July – and the Glasgow detective is about to face a formidable adversary… the British military. The death of a troubled young soldier whose body is found in the Clyde, under the Erskine Bridge, is thought to be a suicide, but one of Lomond’s Major Investigations Team thinks differently. Time to get to the truth – not a simple task as Lomond and his team find themselves obstructed from all sides by a hostile Royal Military Police, and Army officials looking to avoid a scandal. They need some inside help, but is anyone brave (or should that be stupid?) enough to get involved?
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The Hotel Manager’s Guide to Murder by Erlendur Arason
Ahead of the publication of The Hotel Manager’s Guide to Murder on 25 July, we’ve interviewed Icelandic author Erlendur Arason on the site. The book is part one of a trilogy and set in Reykjavik, where Torfi finds himself in charge of the smart Hotel Bristol – and in a bit of a pickle when a body turns up in one of the rooms. Mismatched police officers Haukur and Dagný don’t like each other much, but they’re forced to work together on a case that poses more questions than answers. Meanwhile, Torfi is out of his depth as his family are threatened and his problems spiral far out of his control in this dark thriller.
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The High Island by Lin Anderson
Fans of Tartan noir in general, and Lin Anderson in particular, will be delighted to hear that her new series begins on 30 July, with the arrival of The High Island. We’re on the rugged Isle of Hoy, where a wealthy couple’s dream home turns into a waking nightmare when the remains of a young mother and her baby are revealed during construction. The discovery is enough to bring DI Erling Flett back to the Orkneys – islands haunted by the ghosts of his past. Can he forget what went before, break through the silence of this close-knit community and identify the nameless dead, or is another death on the horizon?
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When Squirrels Fly by DE Carr
Allie Caldwell has a problem. Just days after her eccentric aunt Mel called in the middle of the night, Allie’s relative has vanished. Time to head to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and work out what the heck has happened. It’s there that the strange dreams about angry flying squirrels start, but Allie sets their warnings aside to focus on the hunt for her lost relative, with the assistance of her aunt’s handsome, enigmatic neighbour George Bennet. They have plenty of tangles to unravel – including the leads of their two pet dogs. Fans of cosy crime take note, When Squirrels Fly by DE Carr is out on 28 July.
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The Mortal Enemy Murder Club by Gloria Chao
The award for most striking cover of the week must go to The Mortal Enemy Murder Club by Gloria Chao, hitting the shelves on 28 July in the US, and Kindle on the same date in the UK. It’s the follow-up to The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club, and this time Kathryn Hu is planning on getting back to a normal, murder-free life. Instead, Kat and her friends Olivia and Elle are called back into action when podcaster Mandy Thorne asks for help. She believes someone is trying to kill her – and the girls are the only ones who can save her. They may not like Mandy, but will the trio be able to resist the thrill of another investigation?
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Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard
A house with a dark and disturbing past is at the heart of Irish author Catherine Ryan Howard‘s latest stand alone, Buyer Beware, which comes to market on 28 July. The property in question is 1 Delaney Row, Ellie’s new home. She arrives with a suitcase and a head filled with secrets, in the hope that life is about to become less complicated. But how wrong can Ellie be? Because her place of sanctuary has a history – and people determined to keep it quiet are watching her. As she sets out to find out more about the house’s past, Ellie unwittingly puts herself on a deadly collision course…
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