Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction
Bedford Square Publishers Chez Max
Book SynopsisProvoked by the events of 9/11 and the US reaction, Jakob Arjouni's clever and satiric novel exposes the workings of mass hysteria. 2064 - Securely fenced off from the rest of the world, life in Euroasia, except for a handful of suicide bombings and border disputes, is constantly improving. On the other side of the fence, countries are being exploited and wracked by regression, dictatorship, and religious fanaticism. People live in poverty and misery. Max Schwartzwald is the owner of Chez Max, a smart Parisian restaurant, but he is also an Ashcroft agent, a member of a secret government organisation whose mission is to promptly identify and weed out anything that may threaten the political status quo. Schwartzwald's biggest problem is his Ashcroft partner, Chen Wu, a self-righteous loudmouth, who leaves no taboo unbroken, attacks every human weakness and takes liberties at will - all because of the spectacular successes he has achieved within the organisation. But is Chen a double agent who is bringing illegal immigrants into the Euroasian world and is this the opportunity for Max to get rid of his partner once and for all?Trade ReviewRemarkable... a timely oddity * Literary Review *Chez Max imagines a future that is dystopian and noir and altogether plausible -- Paul Kane * The Compulsive Reader *A futuristic urban thriller in the style of Chandler * The Bookseller *Interview with Jakob Arjouni in Easyjet Magazine -- Interviewer: Laura Latham * Easyjet Magazine *excellent -- S.W. * crimesquad.com *
£7.59
Bedford Square Publishers Death Row Breakout Stories
Book SynopsisDeath Row Breakout Stories brings together seven previously unseen short stories that draw fully on Edward Bunker's incomparable experience of the U.S. prison system. The title story Death Row Breakout details the routine of being on Death Row, before exploding into action when the plans for a breakout kick in. In L.A. Justice, a black man falls foul of the law after a minor traffic incident and once inside the prison system he finds it a labyrinth impossible to escape from... As James Ellroy says `by an ex-criminal, from the unregenerately criminal viewpoint...'Trade ReviewI don't know if any politicians read Bunker. But they should -- Cathi Unsworth * The Guardian *Brilliant... truly thrilling reading * Dazed and Confused *
£15.29
Bedford Square Publishers The Brothers' Lot
Book SynopsisA hilarious and satirical debut novel exploring religious hypocrisy in an Irish grade school. Combining the spirit of Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim with a bawdy evisceration of hypocrisy in old-school Catholic education, The Brothers' Lot is a comic satire that tells the story of the Brothers of Godly Coercion School for Young Boys of Meager Means, a dilapidated Dickensian institution run by an assemblage of eccentric, insane, and often nasty celibate Brothers. The school is in decline and the Brothers hunger for a miracle to move their founder, the Venerable Saorseach O'Rahilly, along the path to Sainthood. When a possible miracle presents itself, the Brothers fervently seize on it with the help of the ethically pliant Diocesan Investigator, himself hungry for a miracle to boost his career. The school simultaneously comes under threat from strange outside forces. The harder the Brothers try to defend the school, the worse things seem to get. It takes an outsider, Finbar Sullivan, a young student newly arrived at the school, to see that the source of the threat may in fact lie inside the school itself. As the miracle unravels, the Brothers' efforts to preserve it unleash a disastrous chain of events. Tackling a serious subject from the oblique viewpoint of satire, The Brothers' Lot explores the culture that allowed abuses within church-run institutions in Ireland to go unchecked for decades. The novel inhabits a space where Angela's Ashes meets the work of Flann O'Brien and Mervyn Peake, while providing a look at a regrettable era that still haunts many countries across the globe.Trade ReviewSubversive fun . . . but there is fury behind Holohan's satire -- Alfred Hickling * Guardian *The Brothers' Lot is unforgettable -- Linda L. Richards * January Magazine *a mordantly funny debut from Dublin native Holohan * Publishers Weekly *funny, fast-paced with one crisis after another, but always pulls at the heartstrings -- Connie Aitcheson * The Brooklyn Rail *a compelling and frightening story of what happens to both children and adults when the forms of religion replace the heart of it -- Susan Hedahl * Hedahl Book Look *
£7.59
Bedford Square Publishers The Killer Is Dying
Book SynopsisA hired killer on his final job; a burned-out detective whose wife is dying slowly and in agony; a young boy abandoned by his parents and living alone by his wits. Three people, solitary and disconnected from society. The detective is looking for the killer, Christian, though he doesn't know that. Christian is trying to find the man who stepped in and took down his target before he had the chance. And the boy, Jimmie, is having the killer's dreams. While they never meet, they are inextricably linked, and as their stories unfold, all find the solace of community. In what is at one and the same time a coming-of-age novel, a realistic crime novel and a novel of the contemporary Southwest, The Killer Is Dying is above all the story of three men of vastly different age and background, and of the shape their lives take against the unforgiving sunlight and sprawl of America's fifth largest city, Phoenix.Trade ReviewAtmospheric . . . Sallis develops an interesting kinship between cop and killer -- Susannah Meadows * New York Times *The Killer is Dying is beautifully written . . . read as an extended prose poem, it's well-nigh perfect -- Laura Wilson * The Guardian *Beautifully written and subtly brought together -- Peter Millar * The Times *Unlike those pretenders who play in dark alleys and think they're tough, James Sallis writes from an authentic noir sensibility, a state of mind that hovers between amoral indifference and profound existential despair -- Marilyn Stasio * New York Times *Wonderful writing that stitches a complex picture of America's south west, with the story of a killer and a cop as part of that tapestry * Crime Fiction Lover *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Take the A-Train
Book SynopsisThe Fourth Nick Sharman Thriller Nick Sharman is in traction, hospitalised for four months, and desperate for a distraction. Then Fiona arrives - a topless model for the tabloids who bullies him into convalescing in her flat in Camberwell... After his last disaster-ridden case, Sharman has promised himself a quiet life. What he gets - almost the minute his leg is out of the plaster - is more trouble. Emerald Watkins, king of a black south London 'firm', has received a tip-off that he's about to be arrested after a large stash of cocaine is found in one of his lock-ups. He wants Sharman to help his nephew Teddy find out who's stitched him up. As Sharman roams the urban mayhem of South London in search of his mystery man, he is in turn bribed, shot at and set up for a particularly gruesome murder... All in a night's work.
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers The Turnaround
Book SynopsisThe Fifth Nick Sharman Thriller Disliked by Old Bill and villains alike, South London private eye Nick Sharman attracts trouble like the proverbial magnet. When businessman James Webb asks Sharman to find out who murdered his sister, her husband and two young children, the trail's been cold for over a year; the original police investigators had found nothing - no clues, no witnesses, no motive. There isn't much to go on. Besides, Sharman has other things to occupy him - his relationship with topless model Fiona is rapidly souring, his best friend Wanda is dying and his ex-wife leaves him to babysit their eleven-vear-old daughter, Judith. While Sharman's back is turned things start to hot up - he is followed, attacked and threatened with a shotgun on a busy road in broad daylight and the murder victims start to multiply. Then Judith is kidnaped by a gang of very nasty thugs. And Sharman finally loses his temper...
£12.99
Bedford Square Publishers Zip Gun Boogie
Book SynopsisThe Sixth Nick Sharman Thriller For south London private detective Nick Sharman too many things have gone wrong lately. So when he's offered a job up west, with all the luxury of a posh Knightsbridge hotel chucked in, he doesn't refuse. Multi-million selling LA band Pandora's Box are in town to complete their latest album. A lot is riding on it being finished - their reputation and several million quid at least. But there have been a few strange accidents: some tapes got wiped, sending a whole lot of work down the drain, equipment's gone wrong or missing. And now one of the band is in hospital - spiked with something very deadly indeed. What Pandora's Box don't want is a bunch of London cops tramping around upsetting their creative flow, so they're relying on Sharman to stop the madman responsible who's proving more dangerous and imaginative with each attack. With the money he's offered and room service providing anything he orders, not to mention the allure of the mad, bad and beautiful lead singer Ninotchka, Sharman would be stupid to refuse the job - wouldn't he...?
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Robert B. Parker's Damned if You Do
Book SynopsisA Jesse Stone Mystery The woman on the bed was barely out of her teens. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she'd tried to make the most of her looks. Now, defiled and alone in a seedy beachfront motel, she was dead. And Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone doesn't know her name. Whoever she is, she didn't deserve to die. State police captain Healy's resources turn up nothing helpful, and Gino Fish, who knows his way around dark places, is characteristically uncooperative. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Jesse continues digging his own way, only to find himself caught in the crosshairs of a bitter turf war between two ruthless pimps, Thomas Walker and Fat Boy Nelly, and a beautiful woman to whom they both lay claim. Jesse tries for a diplomatic solution, but more blood will be spilt before it's over.
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers The Rules of Wolfe
Book SynopsisLonglisted for the 2015 CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger Award Eddie Gato Wolfe is a young, impetuous member of the Wolfe family of Texas gunrunners that goes back generations. Increasingly unfulfilled by his minor role in family operations and eager to set out on his own, Eddie crosses the border to work security for a major Mexican drug cartel led by the ruthless La Navaja. Eddie falls for a mysterious woman named Miranda, whom he learns too late is the property of an intimate member of La Navaja's organization. When they're discovered, the violent upshot forces Eddie and Miranda to run for their lives, fleeing into the deadly Sonora Desert in hope of crossing the border to safety. But La Navaja's reach is far and his lust for revenge insatiable. If La Navaja's men don't kill Eddie and Miranda, the brutal desert just may. Their only hope: help from the family that Eddie abandoned. At once a riveting thriller and an inside look at the blood-drenched Mexican drug trade, The Rules of Wolfe is another classic crime novel from a writer Entertainment Weekly calls 'one of the greatest chroniclers of the mythical American outlaw life.'Trade ReviewJames Carlos Blake writes with the muscularity of great pulp novels and the grace of a dancer - from the edge of an America that is forever frontier -- James SallisBlake's literary badlands are uniquely his own -- Stayton Bonner * GQ *For readers who can stomach all-too-realistic Tex-Mex noir that explores human nature at its worst -- Patrick Anderson * The Washington Post *Blake's customary zest for life and death makes his latest modern historical thriller violent, sexy and exciting * Kirkus Reviews *Blake's masterful action-driven narrative and his revealing look at the ultraviolent Mexican drug trade rival the best of Don Winslow and Kem Nunn * Publishers Weekly *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Dream Girl
Book SynopsisWhen a mature, beautiful and composed April Kyle strides into Spenser's office, the Boston PI barely hesitates before recognizing his once and future client. Now a well-established madam herself, April oversees an upscale call girl operation in Boston's Back Bay. Still looking for Spenser's approval, it takes her a moment before she can ask him, again, for his help. Her business is a success; what's more, it's an all-female enterprise. Now that some men are trying to take it away from her, she needs Spenser's help. April claims to be in the dark about who it is that's trying to shake her down, but with a bit of legwork and a bit more muscle, Spenser and Hawk find ties to organized crime and local kingpin Tony Marcus, as well as a scheme to franchise the operation across the country. As Spenser again plays the gallant knight, it becomes clear April's not as innocent as she seems. In fact, she may be her own worst enemy.Trade Review'The woman who came into my office on a bright January day was a knockout.' When a novel begins with a reassuring sentence like that you know exactly where you are... Pacy, punchy, and very readable -- Simon Shaw * Daily Mail *Robert B Parker is one of the greats of the American hard-boiled genre -- Peter Guttridge * The Guardian *Nobody does it better than Parker * The Sunday Times *Why Robert Parker's not better known in Britain is a mystery. His best series featuring Boston-based PI Spenser is a triumph of style and substance * Daily Mirror *Just read it for the best of all the reasons for reading Parker's novels: the dialogue - super-slick and impossibly witty, the kind of repartee the rest of us can only think of when it's too late -- Susannah Yager * Sunday Telegraph *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Falls the Shadow
Book SynopsisWorking in a bar has proved too dangerous for Nick Sharman, so he's back in the private investigation game. His first job, looking for a lost Highland terrier called Prince, shouldn't be too demanding; a quick visit to the owner's ex-husband and a mention in the local newspaper ought to trace it. But Sharman has reckoned without a skinhead nutter by the name of Eddie Cochran. Then there's the call from Sunset Radio. Late-night phone-in DJ Peter Day has managed to upset an unpleasant splinter group, not to mention a paranoid caller, John from Stockwell; and now his post contains more than the usual fanmail; nothing explosive however... so far. Sunset wants Sharman to mind Day - though he's rather concentrate on Sophia, the secretary with the habit of wearing dresses that cling to every curve of her body. But even Sharman couldn't ignore the grisly contents of the next package delivered to the station - or let the threat of further bloody killings go unanswered...
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Nothing Personal
Book SynopsisA hilariously dark thriller about two very different New York couples. The DePinos are miserable, living in a tiny rundown apartment above a deli on Tenth Avenue. The Sussmans live in a posh building on the Upper East Side. When Joey DePino loses his job and is threatened by his bookies and loan shark, he involves the Sussmans in a sick, desperate plan to pay off his gambling debts. But ad exec David Sussman has his own problems, trying to stop his suddenly psychopathic Asian mistress from ruining him, and won't go down without a fight. As the lives of the DePinos and the Sussmans become increasingly intertwined, Joey and David plunge their families into a moral-less world where anything is possible and nothing is personal.Trade ReviewOriginal modern noir tale reminiscent of Jim Thompson or David Goodis * The Irish Times *Diabolically well-plotted noir thriller...Gentle readers should take heed * Literary Review *Wholly satisfying. Nothing Personal is a fast, well-paced and well-plotted domestic crime thriller * The Barcelona Review *Every few years you read a crime novel that jars you so completely that you begin to doubt your entire approach to writing. These rare books show you a whole new way of doing things. In the past six years, I've read three crime novels that have had that effect on me: Blue Lonesome by Bill Pronzini, The Ax by Donald E. Westlake, and now Nothing Personal by Jason Starr -- Ed Gorman * Mystery Scene *The King of Noir is back. It doesn't get any darker or funnier than this...The best novel of the year * Bookends *
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers Fake I.D.
Book SynopsisA New York bar bouncer with dreams of being more, Tommy Russo jumps at the chance to join a horse-owning syndicate. But to do so he'll have to pony up $10,000 - and that's money he hasn't got. So what's an ambitious young man to do? Anything he has to... In the tradition of The Killer Inside Me and The Talented Mr. Ripley, Jason Starr has created a horrifying, memorable protagonist who will go to any extent to achieve his "deserved" portion of the American dream. A chilling narrative of lies, mind games, and the forces that guide pure evil, Fake I.D. is destined to become a roman noir classic.Trade ReviewBang up-to-date, but reminiscent of David Goodis and Jim Thompson, Fake 'I.D.' is a powerful novel of the American Dream turning into the American Nightmare that marks Starr out as a writer to follow * Time Out *Starr expertly combines elements of hard-boiled crime novels with a dark view of human nature to create a one-of-a-kind, mesmerizing read * Publishers Weekly *A fine example of of the tough stuff... I loved it -- Ken Tucker * Entertainment Weekly *Fake I.D. is a welcome oddity. A chilling account of the disintegration of a loser, it assumes the voice of a killer with an icy conviction * The Herald, Glasgow *Starr's best book yet. Echoing the neo-noir feel of Cold Caller and Nothing Personal... up there with the best of Jim Thompson, Charles Willeford and David Goodis * Waterstones Online *
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers Hard Feelings
Book SynopsisRichie Segal's prospects are pretty miserable and, what's more humiliating, his wife's career is on the up. Richie knows he is a good salesman, but he just can't seem to land an account. He's starting to drink again and worry about whether Paula is seeing that old high school flame or maybe someone new. At thirty-four, he's a little young for a mid-life crisis, but that's what it feels like. And then there are those unwelcome memories of the neighbourhood bully, Michael Rudnick, and what he did to Richie when he was eleven. . . Just when Richie is about as low as he can get, he runs into Rudnick on the street and knows exactly what he needs to do. Suddenly things seem to be going much better. That is until they get much, much worse. In the classic tradition of Jim Thompson and Patricia Highsmith, Hard Feelings is a gripping, original novel of paranoia, obsession, and revenge.Trade Reviewa tale that reads like James M Cain modernised by Bret Easton Ellis. It will make you squirm -- Maxim Jakubowski * Guardian Unlimited *In his psychological thriller Hard Feelings...Starr has plumbed the shallows of his brittle characters and their selfish lives, depicting them in a hard-edged style that is clean, cold and extremely chilling * New York Times Book Review *Jason Starr is the first writer of his generation to convincingly update the modern crime novel by giving it provocative new spins and Hard Feelings is his most accomplished thriller yet. It might be new-school noir but like the classics of the genre it has a brutal escalation of tension, pungent dialogue, a hardboiled simplicity and grace, and a whopper of an ending. It's also darkly funny and a pure pleasure to read. As you race through it you realize that Jim Thompson has just moved to Manhattan -- Brett Easton EllisConvincing and entertaining . . . Hard Feelings dances a mesmerizing tango between reality and its menacing shadow * Time Out New York *a gripping novel of paranoia and obsession that's damn near impossible to put down -- Jim Driver * Time Out *
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers Tough Luck
Book SynopsisMickey Prada is a nice kid. Perhaps too nice. He works in a neighbourhood seafood market in Brooklyn putting fish on ice. He's got a nice girlfriend. He even delayed college a year, to look after his sick dad who's gradually losing his marbles and has a tendency to go walkabout. But Mickey's got a little problem. A customer at the fish store, Angelo Santoro, keeps asking Mickey to place bets for him and Angelo keeps losing. As Angelo gets further in the hole, his bad luck is turning out to be Mickey's too. Now Mickey's got his bookie after him and Angelo's showing him the butt of his pistol rather than paying him back. So when his best friend, Chris, asks Mickey to join him on a can't-lose caper, Mickey decides to go along. But, sure-fire schemes often have a way of backfiring, and this one is sending Mickey into an uncharted part of Brooklyn, where fish like Chris and Mickey have trouble...Trade Reviewa hard-knuckled writer -- Marilyn Stasio * New York Times Book Review *From the first page of this noir thriller, you know things are only going to get worse, but you can't stop reading * Newsweek *Jason Starr's Tough Luck [is] the kind of book you read with a wince, but you read it straight through because you can't put it down. Starr [is] a terrifically taut writer * The Baltimore Sun *Tough Luck, an enthralling character study, is perfect car-crash literature; spiritual sustenance for the "inner rubber-neck" in all of us -- Paul Kane * New Mystery Reader Magazine *Starr has total control of his plot, and he's so relentlessly clever that poor Mickey's life becomes a mesmerizing exercise in personal decline in which every piece smartly falls into place. An unsettling read, but hard to put down * Booklist *
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers Twisted City
Book SynopsisTimes are tough for David Miller, a journalist for a second rate financial magazine who hates his boss, is tired of supporting his girlfriend's partying lifestyle, and recently lost his sister to cancer. But things are about to get much worse. When he loses his wallet in a neighborhood bar, he finds himself being blackmailed by junkies, lying to his family and friends, and stumbling into a crime that may cost him his life.Trade ReviewJason Starr is terrific and Twisted City is one of his best. Starr knows what James M. Cain knew: that a whole world of evil lies right on the edge of the everyday world and you can cross the border in a city minute. His stuff is tough and real and brilliant -- Andrew KlavanJason Starr is one of the new voices of noir fiction, a writer capable of taking noir from what it has always been toward whatever it can become. He's got his own slant, his own slashing style, and the moral honesty true noir requires. I could go on, but just look at the proof, Twisted City -- Daniel WoodrellDemonic, demented and truly ferocious and a flat out joy to read. In other words, a total feast. Like it?...I plain worshipped it -- Ken BruenStreamline as a model's hips, dark as the inside of a dog's gut, Twisted City is a hip, white collar update on the James Cain, Jim Thompson style novel with a seasoning all its own. Jason Starr is a unique talent, and Twisted City is one unique book -- Joe R. LansdaleTo the obsessive emotionality of a Cornell Woolrich and the gleeful nihilism of a Charles Willeford, Jason Starr adds his own 21st-century urban weirdness. Funny, sick and harrowing, often all at once, Twisted City more than lives up to its title, and I enjoyed it tremendously -- Scott Phillips
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers The House of Wolfe
Book SynopsisOn a rainy winter night in Mexico City, a ten-member wedding party is kidnapped in front of the groom's family mansion. The perpetrator is a small-time gangster named El Galán, who wants nothing more than to make his crew part of a major cartel and hopes that this crime will be his big break. He sets the wedding party's ransom at five million US dollars, to be paid in cash within 24 hours. The only captive not related to either the bride or the groom is the young Jessica Juliet Wolfe, a bridesmaid and close friend of the bride. Jessie hails from a family of notorious outlaws that has branches on both sides of the border, and when the Wolfes learn of Jessie's abduction, they fear that the kidnappers will kill the captives after receiving the ransom-unless they rescue Jessie first. Gritty and exhilarating, James Carlos Blake's The House of Wolfe takes readers on a wild ride from Mexico City's opulent neighborhoods to its frenetic downtown streets and feral shantytowns, as El Galán proves how dangerous it is to underestimate an ambitious criminal, and Jessie's blood kin desperately try to find her before it's too late.Trade ReviewBlake has an unerring sense of control, and - though Elmore Leonard and Cormac McCarthy are lurking in the book's DNA - a distinctive voice to boot... a pungent and exhilarating read -- Barry Forshaw * Financial Times *Book Geek was completely engrossed in this hugely satisfying read! -- Book Geek * Book Geek *Blake delivers a thriller that hits all the right spots and hits them hard -- Robert C Hahn * Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine *an absorbing look at dire poverty, depravity and the all-too-successful business of kidnapping for profit * Kirkus Reviews *Blake's masterly third Border Noir * Publishers Weekly *
£8.54
Bedford Square Publishers The Hot Country
Book SynopsisA Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller War correspondent Christopher Marlowe 'Kit' Cobb arrives in Vera Cruz, Mexico, to cover the country's civil war. A passionate believer in the power of a free press and the moral superiority of the United States, Kit is no mere observer. He assumes a false identity to pursue German diplomat Friedrich von Mensinger en route to a meeting with revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, and the correspondent soon finds himself up to his neck in political intrigue. Along the way he's nearly shot by a mysterious sniper, joins forces with a double agent and falls in love with a headstrong young Mexican woman who may be mixed up in the revolutionary plot.Trade ReviewThe Hot Country draws on many elements of the traditional adventure yarn, including disguises, fist fights and foot races, double agents and alluring young women who may be honey traps or spies... though in prose that has been written with serious attention... this first report makes you want to read on into the war correspondent's second edition -- Mark Lawson * Guardian *Lately, I find myself drawn to literary thrillers: stories powered by a full-throttle narrative, driven by sharply drawn characters whose every turn has been carefully plotted -- Steven Jay Griffel * Thirsty *combines a fast-moving plot with characters of a complexity that is not always found in such fiction -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *a genuine and exhilarating success -- Russel D. McLean * Times Literary Supplement *Exciting story... The Hot Country is a thinking person's thriller, the kind of exotic adventure that, in better days, would have been filmed by Sam Peckinpah -- Patrick Anderson * Washington Post *
£10.78
Bedford Square Publishers Ashes By Now
Book SynopsisWhen a police officer's daughter was found raped and murdered, Sailor Grant, the local nonce, was sent down. Sharman always had his doubts, but that part of his life is over. Now, Sailor is out of prison and keeps phoning Sharman to help him get justice, but Nick wants to be left alone. When Sailor is found dead and Sharman is half beaten to death by the local coppers, Nick realises that he must find the truth about the events from his past before those close to him are killed.
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Pretend We're Dead
Book SynopsisSharman's getting married, and down at the nick they're taking bets on how long it's going to last. His new wife, Dawn (the ex-stripper), isn't going to settle for little woman status - she's got her eye on those mean streets. And Sharman's going to need all the help he can get as he's faced with the little matter of a rock star twenty years dead who's back and wanting his royalties. . .
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Wireless
Book SynopsisThe scene is Quinsigamond, a decaying New England factory town, a model locale of turn-of-the-century chaos. An activist priest meets a grisly death in his own cathedral. The crime has all the hallmarks of a routine Bangkok Park gang killing. But the perp is no everyday low-life but a demented ex-FBI agent named Speer in search of the jammers, particularly the infamous O'Zebedee brothers who have been hijacking local radio airwaves with their singular brand of subversive diatribe. Detective Hannah Shaw, Bangkok Park's undisputed overseer, tracks Speer's enraged quest to Wireless, the funky retro-radio nightclub and epicentre of the diverse jammer subculture. Shaw and/or the Wireless crew must stop the defrocked Fed or fall prey to a campaign of censorship, violence and death.Trade Reviewhas a kind of hallucinatory fascination...amazing in its density, power, richness of detail, humour and irony...a dazzling piece of work. One of the year's 10 best! * L.A.Times *Unmissable stuff for the adventurous reader -- Brian Ritterspak * Crime Time Online *
£9.74
Bedford Square Publishers The Skin Palace
Book SynopsisA harrowing and ecstatic descent into a breathtaking netherworld aswirl with the real, the imagined and the absolutely unforgettable. Amid the post industrial decay of Quinsigamond glitters a fabulous jewel - Herzog's Erotic Palace - America's most lavish porn theatre and a gangland laundry for semi-sour cash. But most of all, Herzog's is the place where dreamers meet and seductive nightmares find their dazzling realisation. For the obsessed grunge auteur, the heartsick crime king, the apocalyptic tele-evangelist and the young woman intent on a capturing a shrouded past and an onrushing future within a camera's lens, The Skin Palace will reveal all secrets, in a script fraught with danger and feverish transformation.Trade ReviewOne of the best novels about film I have come across, a tortuous and tortured tale about Quinsigamond's surviving cinema -- Maxim Jakubowski * Guardian *Mesmerizing...light-years away from your garden-variety thriller. The Skin Palace may remind you of Blade Runner or the novels of William Gibson, but O'Connell has his own dazzling tale to tell...Wickedly clever * Seattle Times *It's a measure of O'Connell's immense talent that, while creating his absolutely original and hyperbolic world, he also paints a striking vision of the haunting ways in which life and art mirror each other * Publishers Weekly *the sheer chutzpah of his enterprise sweeps you in -- Michael Carlson * Crime Time *as original and microscopically etched as a thumbprint * Kirkus Reviews *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Word Made Flesh
Book SynopsisWhy would two Eastern European meatboys want to whack an innocent cab driver? That's the question that occurs to Gilrein as Raban and Blumfeld press the gun barrel into his mouth. Does it have something to do with the ritual death-by-flencing of Leo Tani? Or does the answer involve Gilrein's ex-lover, now working as a librarian for a bibliomaniac gangster. Or maybe the whole thing has something to do with the Inspector, inventor of the notorious Methodology? And how does Bobby Oster figure in the mix, with his crew of murder-for-hire rogue cops who call themselves The Magicians? To find the answers, Gilrein will drive the night streets of his hometown and face down more than one demon from his past. From the Vacuum, where child-artists are held captive in veal pens and forced to forge graphic novels, to the Houdini Lounge, where the second annual immigrant death-match is being marketed, Gilrein will wander the underworld, collecting stories and looking for absolution. In the end, he'll brush up against "Alicia's Tale" and learn new truths about the terrifying negotiations always taking place between the storyteller and the audience in the city of Quinsigamond.Trade ReviewHyper-real noir. A grotesque romance about genocide, language, bibliomania, doubt, obsession, worms, epidermis and sanctuary! -- James EllroyWord Made Flesh made the hair stand up on the back of my mind. Dark, cunning, and wickedly clever, it outsmarts you at just about every turn. Terrific stuff -- Jonathan CarrollIn other words, this novel is a brilliantly unique combination of a disturbing horror novel, a detailed cyberpunk dystopia (without the computers), a work of surrealist beat literature and a complex noir detective story -- Pekoeblaze * PekoeBlaze the official blog *
£9.74
Bedford Square Publishers The Resurrectionist
Book SynopsisYour only child is lost between this world and the next, and more than anything you want him back. A controversial doctor and a mysterious stranger claim they have the answer. Who do you trust? Are you willing to risk everything? Are you prepared to enter Limbo? Part classic noir thriller, part mind-bending fantasy, The Resurrectionist is a wild ride into a territory where nothing is as it appears. It is the story of Sweeney, a druggist by trade, and his son, Danny, the victim of an accident that has left him in a persistent coma. Hoping for a miracle, they have come to the forbidding, fortress-like Peck Clinic, whose doctors claim to have 'resurrected' other patients who were lost in the void. What Sweeney comes to realize, however, is that the real cure for his son's condition may lie in Limbo, a fantasy comic book world into which his son had been drawn at the time of his accident. Plunged into the intrigue that envelops the clinic, Sweeney's search for answers leads to sinister back alleys, brutal dead ends, and terrifying corners of darkness and mystery. With The Resurrectionist, Jack O'Connell has crafted a breakout thriller that's gripping, suspenseful, and all-out heart-pounding.Trade ReviewA brilliantly tuned, mesmerizing labyrinth of a quasi-real world as only a master artist could draw it -- James EllroyIt's a helter-skelter, a roller-coaster, a ride on a ghost train - if the fairground had been designed by Philip K Dick, Stan Lee and Edgar Allan Poe -- Brandon Robshaw * The Independent on Sunday *A feast of unsettling pleasures -- Barry Forshaw * The Independent *No one does the improbable like O'Connell -- Maxim Jakubowski * The Guardian booksblog *one of the most original American novels of the year -- Jeff VanderMeer * Omnivoracious *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Paint it Black
Book SynopsisNick Sharman - at last - is living a life of married bliss with his new partner (and ex-stripper) Dawn. The bad boy has settled down, and the booze and the drugs and the guns are but a happy memory - unlike his ex-wife Laura, now married to respectability. Laura's quite capable of shattering the idyll, but this time it's serious - their fifteen-year-old daughter Judith, the real love of Sharman's life, has gone missing. The police are looking, but have no leads. Laura fears the worst. Sharman still has his own skills. But Laura's call catapults him back into a world he should have left behind. And when he decides to right some wrongs in his own way, domestic bliss becomes a thing of the past - and Sharman, once again, finds himself playing for keeps.
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Find My Way Home
Book SynopsisHarry Stonehouse had been a cop, a good one - and straight, unlike Nick Sharman. After taking early retirement he'd landed a job at a security firm. Now he's dead, and his wife wants Nick to find out who killed him and why. Nick's been taking a close look at hell recently and doesn't care too much about anything beyond the next Jack Daniel's. But Harry had been a friend, and Nick had screwed his wife and he feels sorry for her. Big mistake. In an unlikely partnership with ex-DI Robber, escaping from resentful retirement at his sister's, Sharman sets off in pursuit - and finds himself swept along in the deadly aftermath of a £20 million heist. And with that much money at stake, betrayal, double-crossing and murder are just for starters...
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Sharman and other Filth
Book SynopsisThey had so much on Sharman that he couldn't move without their say-so. Stuff he'd done for himself, and things he'd done for them, too. His name was ruined on both sides of the fence. So they came up with one more job, the big one. When he found out they'd snared him in a honey trap, he was ready to kill...
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Robert B. Parker's Kickback
Book SynopsisThe iconic, tough-but-tender Boston PI Spenser returns in an outstanding new addition to the New York Times-bestselling series from author Ace Atkins. What started out as a joke landed seventeen-year-old Dillon Yates in a lockdown juvenile facility in Boston Harbor. When he set up a prank twitter account for his vice principal, he never dreamed he could be brought up on criminal charges, but that's exactly what happened. This is Blackburn, Massachusetts, where zero tolerance for minors is a way of life. Leading the movement is hard-as-nails Judge Joe Scali, who gives speeches about getting tough on today's wild youth. But Dillon's mother, who knows other Blackburn kids who are doing hard time for minor infractions, isn't buying Scali's line. She hires Spenser to find the truth behind the Draconian sentencing. From the Harbor Islands to a gated Florida community, Spenser and trusted ally Hawk follow a trail through the Boston underworld with links to a shadowy corporation that runs New England's private prisons. They eventually uncover a culture of corruption and cover-ups in the old mill town, where hundreds of kids are sent off to for-profit juvie jails.
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Quick Before They Catch Us
Book SynopsisFamily trouble! Growing old quietly was never really an option for Nick Sharman. When he takes on a job for a prosperous Manchester businessman looking for his runaway teenage daughter, Meena, he should, perhaps, have known better. He finds himself in a race against time to save he girl from the kind of trouble that gives families a bad name. Trying to do the right thing, Nick swaps sides and ends up starring in his own version of a Straw Dogs shoot out with family and friends, where nobody comes out the winner.Trade Reviewa climax worthy of the Wild Bunch -- Mike Ripley * The Telegraph *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers All the Empty Places
Book SynopsisIt's the oldest story in the world: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. But when the boy is Nick Sharman, and the girl has a violent ex-jailbird as an old boyfriend, who promises extreme retribution on anyone who gets involved with her, it's never going to be that simple...and both Sharman...and the girl are looking at a lot of trouble. With a bent brief planning an audacious multi-million pound robbery with a bunch of heavy duty thugs in tow, a beautiful sister who's a fast track CID officer, and enough ordnance to stock the Woolwich Arsenal, the scene is set for a savage and bloody confrontation under the streets of the City of London which ends literally explosively, with only one man standing. And guess who that is. Sharman shows there is life in the old dog yet, if only just.Trade ReviewThe plot races along like a salsa dancer - a guilty pleasure * Guardian Unlimited *As British as a used condom in a fogbound London taxi * The Observer *It is possible that South London contains some law abiding citizens in conventional relationships but they make no appearance in Timlin's immoral, wildly enjoyable books * The Times *Full of cars, girls, guns, strung out along the high sierras of Brixton and Battersea, the Elephant and the North Peckham Estate, all those jewels in the crown they call Sarf London * Arena *All the Empty Places...definitely one of his best -- Jim Driver * Time Out *
£11.69
Bedford Square Publishers Stay Another Day
Book SynopsisCould it be the end for Sharman? For seven years, ex-cop Nick Sharman has lived in 'exile' on a Caribbean island with no UK extradition treaty - his life of luxury funded by the proceeds of a bank robbery where he was the last man standing. Then a phone call out of the blue from London changes everything. The voice from the past belongs to the only woman that he loves, his daughter Judith. Like father, like daughter, she's a police officer, but the family resemblance doesn't stop there - Judith is in big trouble with the law, and has no one to turn to except her father. Returning under an assumed name to a bleak mid-winter England, Nick finds things have changed, and so has he. He´s grown older, but perhaps no wiser and finds his once beloved London moving too fast for him. Vowing to clear his daughter's name by any means necessary, Sharman finds himself enmeshed with blackmailers, murderers, the security services, and Russian gangsters all baying for his blood - until he, Judith, and his old sparring partner Jack Robber, take on all-comers in a dramatic finale on the mean streets of the capital.Trade ReviewStay Another Day is nothing short of sheer brilliance. Read it -- G.S. * crimesquad.com *Timlin has lost none of his skills for portraying the mood and dialogue of the city's underbelly -- Marcel Berlins * The Times *hard-boiled story-telling with attitude -- Geoffrey Wansell * Daily Mail *The king of the British hard-boiled thriller * The Times *Nick Sharman is like black coffee at 4 o'clock in the morning: very black, very bitter -- Derek Raymond
£11.69
Rebellion Publishing Ltd. Necropath
Book SynopsisBengal Station: an exotic spaceport that dominates the ocean between India and Burma. Jaded telepath, Jeff Vaughan, is employed by the spaceport authorities to monitor incoming craft for refugees from other worlds.When he discovers a sinister cult that worships an mysterious alien god, he's drawn into an deadly investigation. Not only must he attempt to solve the murders, but he has to save himself from the psychopath out to kill him.Necropath is Eric Brown's triumphant return to hard SF.Trade Review"A gripping sci-fi noir tale" -- SciFi Now on Necropath
£7.59
Birlinn General Jeremiah's Bell: A D.C.I. Daley Thriller
Book SynopsisVoted Culture NL's Book of the Year for 2020 Teenager Alison Doig disappeared from Kinloch over thirty years ago under mysterious circumstances. Her reclusive family still live in a remote part of the Kintyre peninsula, amidst rumours of wrecking, smuggling and barbaric cruelty. Now rich American hotelier Alice Wenger has arrived in town, determined to punish those who made her suffer in the past. But someone has vowed to keep hidden sins concealed for ever. Daley’s team must race against time to expose long-held secrets and shameful lies before there are any more victims.Trade Review'Absorbing ... no run-of-the-mill tartan noir' * The Times *'in high demand across the globe ... A runaway hit. Readers instantly warm to Daley' * Daily Mail *'A unique, atmospheric and all-consuming thriller ... DS Scott is "pure dead brilliant”, at times laugh out loud. Meyrick brings his usual skilful storytelling and gives us another engrossing page-turner' * Journal of the Law Society of Scotland *'With Meyrick it's visceral and this one is no exception from its chillingly atmospheric prologue to the epilogue's final, deadpan line. Will chime with crime connoisseurs' * Sunday Post *'Tragic incidents and mysterious goings-on keep us eagerly turning the pages. And of course there’s a dose of irreverent humour…the historical scenes are beautifully realised from the weather through to the visceral horrors that unfold. … You will be horrified and fascinated in equal measure. There’s no escaping the past, and no escaping family ties. Secrets will always out….Deftly done' -- Louis Fairbairn * CrimeBookGirl.com *'Absorbing… Meyrick’s humorous dialogue set this book apart – he has an ability to inject wit into police proceedings' * Scottish Field *'An absolute delight, full of dark humour and packed with warmly drawn and well-developed characters. …an absorbing mystery' * Irish Independent *'I discovered the most amazing series during lockdown #DCIDaley by Denzil Meyrick ... I cannot recommend them enough. Having devoured all the crime series in the shop & wanting something meaty but funny this just hit the spot. Read them you will love them. Eight in series' -- Waterstones bookseller, Horsham'A character-driven yarn with plenty of intrigue, but also humour and warmth amidst the murky goings-on. Meyrick proves once again that rural policing can be every bit as captivating, and gritty, as its urban equivalent’ * Herald *'The new novel is a rich broth... a fine example of tartan noir, superior to most of the genre... moments of chilling horror... with a fine twist in the tail' -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *'As an ex detective, ex procurator fiscal depute and now an advocate, I was reluctant to buy another Scottish crime series. I was tired of the plastic and sanitised fictional detectives portrayed in crime novels set in Scotland, where clearly the author had no idea of the workings of the Scottish police or legal system. I should have had no such fears with regards to Mr Meyrick's DCI Daley novels. I have now read all the books in the series and love the characters. I feel I have even worked with some of them. I am always sad when I come to the end of his books. It’s like being separated from friends. I am looking forward to meeting up with them again in his next novel Jeremiah's Bell' -- Joe Cahill, Advocate'A corker! More twists and turns than a Kintyre road' -- Douglas Skelton'Slipping back into Meyrick's world is a criminal joy ... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!' -- Michael J Malone'Crime, humour, intrigue and atmosphere, and that was just the first page!' -- Gordon Brown'What a cracking series! As a crime writer, the highest complement I can give is to say I've yet to work out an ending ...' -- Lin Anderson'Dark, gutsy, and smirky Tartan Noir… wonderful storytelling, Jeremiah’s Bell continues the series in fine style' * LoveReading.co.uk *'Denzil Meyrick’s DCI Daley series covers the named detective in the fictional town of Kinloch…The novels are suitably dark and unfold slowly' * CityWire - Wealth Management Magazine *'Spellbinding ... one of the UK's most loved crime writers' * Sunday Post *'A compelling lead ... a satisfyingly twisted plot' * Publisher's Weekly *‘Dripping with mystery, full of moments that will have the nerves jangling, and, if you are anything like me, your face screwing up in the odd wince or too as well… Another absolute winner that really kept me glued to the book whilst completely making my skin crawl. Loved it.’ * JenMed's Book Reviews *
£8.54
Birlinn General Thirty-One Bones
Book Synopsis'A hugely entertaining, deftly told crime caper' – Irish Independent A CRIME READERS ASSOCIATION Read of the Month When Daniella Coulstoun’s estranged mother Effie dies in Spain under suspicious circumstances, she feels it’s her duty to fly out for the funeral. On arrival, Daniella is confronted by a dangerous group of expat misfits who claim that Effie stole huge sums of cash from them in a multi-million property scam. They want the money back and Daniella is on the hook for it. When a suspicious Spanish detective begins to probe Effie’s death and a London gangster hears about the missing money, Daniella faces threats on every front. With no idea where the cash is and facing a seemingly impossible deadline, she quickly finds herself out of her depth and fighting for survival in a strange and terrifying world.Trade Review'A hugely entertaining, deftly told crime caper' * Irish Independent *'A thoroughly enjoyable romp that draws you in and keeps you turning the page – builds steadily but unpredictably towards its conclusion. As the going gets increasingly tough, you find yourself really rooting for Daniella' * Undiscovered Scotland *'Brown may have left behind the dark alleyways of tartan noir for the hot streets of Spain, but he proves that it can be just as dangerous out in the sun, and that he can still make his readers sweat' * The Scotsman *'A real roller coaster of a ride' * The Library Door *'Thirty-One Bones is a joy to read' * GrabThisBook.net *'Thirty One Bones starts with a bang and just keeps on shooting all the way through' * ChapterInMyLife *'It's full of humour and offers lots of great, grinning moments as well as being a super thrilling read' * LiveandDeadly.net *'Readers who like clever, sun-drenched crime capers will find much to enjoy' * Publishers Weekly *'His books, I can guarantee, will keep you absorbed through every page' * JaveaConnect.co.uk *'A character-driven crime caper that steers clear of grit and sadism without ever feeling lightweight' * Herald *'A thoroughly entertaining, fast-moving and smirky crime caper. …A crime-laden romp, it is pure escapism' * LoveReading *'Morgan Cry takes us on a journey into a seedy ex-pat world in Spain … Riveting!' * Sunday Post *'Sweaty, seedy fun' -- Ian Rankin'Fast, furious, and infinitely entertaining' -- Lin Anderson'Pacy, pulsating, and unputdownable' * Denzil Meyrick *'A fast-moving, smirky crime caper. It is pure escapism from start to finish' * Waterstones Stirling *'If you are looking for crime novels to get you in the mood for summer holidays, I would recommend Morgan Cry's Thirty-One Bones and Six Wounds. Set in an expatriate community in Spain, these thrillers have a great female lead character, Daniella, a really quirky set of ex-pat misfits, lots of humour and are fast-paced and great fun!' * The Book Nook, Stewarton *
£8.54
Birlinn General Six Wounds
Book Synopsis'A gripping high-octane masterpiece' – Andrew Child To make the perfect Spanish whodunnit cocktail, take one dead gangster, mix in six shifty expats, add one ruthless baddie and garnish with a suspicious police officer . . . Daniella Coulstoun has recently moved to the Costa Blanca. When the dead body of a prominent London gangster is discovered in the cellar of her bar she quickly becomes the number one suspect. With the police closing in, the local expats turning on her and a psychotic rival to the dead gangster in the background, Daniella knows she needs to nail the real killer, and fast.Trade Review'Morgan Cry has come up with the perfect summer novel… strikes the perfect balance between seriousness and light-heartedness, and there are some moments of real genius thrown in the narrative' * Dundee Courier *'Told with trademark wit and flair, Six Wounds is a brilliant, pacey, riveting read. A roller coaster of a Euro-thriller, it’s Morgan Cry (Gordon Brown) at his best. I’m already looking forward to the next one!' -- Abir Mukherjee'From its explosive opening to its bone-crunching finale, Six Wounds is a gripping high-octane masterpiece' -- Andrew Child, (Lee’s brother and Jack Reacher co-author)'It’s murder on the Costa del Sol as a fearless Daniella unearths just how far the Expats will go to cover their murky pasts – highly recommended' -- Lin Anderson'Dark, disreputable and hugely entertaining. I loved it!' -- Marion Todd'A tight, taut and totally terrific read from Morgan Cry. Smart characters, smart dialogue and a smart plot' -- Douglas Skelton'Six Wounds by Morgan Cry is just brilliant. Sunshine, a body, a bar, a kick-ass but funny protagonist, and the action never stops. I romped through it and loved every page. Highly recommended. All the stars' -- Helen Fields'Morgan Cry possesses that rare magic of being able to tell a dark tale with light humour. So great to be back with Daniella - a woman who just can’t seem to shake trouble. A breakneck speed read that explodes on to the first page - literally - and doesn’t let up' -- Deborah Masson'Six Wounds from Morgan Cry, deliciously dark laced with Scottish humour on the Costa del Crime - do NOT miss this one!' -- Sharon Bairden'A cracking, pacey whodunit with villainous villains, dodgy expats and a whip smart protagonist in Daniella Coulstoun... Loads of fun in the sun' -- Neil Lancaster'Really enjoyable and exciting read. Loved reading a crime story set in the sun with some wonderful, relatable characters’ * FIVE STARS, GoodReads *'A brilliant addition to the series that will have you willing Daniella to come out on to top’ * FOUR STARS, GoodReads *‘Sun, sea and suspicious murders in a gripping, high octane plot set against the backdrop of Costa Blanca.’ * The Scots Magazine *‘The first in Cry’s Costa Blanca crime thriller series, Thirty One Bones, left readers begging for more. And the second, Six Wounds, certainly delivers… riveting.’ * The Sunday Post *‘The storyline is spot on, the pacing is perfect, the rising tension occasionally lightened by sunshine and humour.' * SimplySuzeReviews *‘From that opening scene to the very end had me gripped!’ * Gemz Books *'Gripping and pacy, a real roller-coaster of a read.' * Random Things *'It's edgy, fast-paced, engaging and serves you with the right kind of suspense and thrill that won't disappoint.' * Surjit's Book Blog *'Six Wounds is an action-packed, entertaining mixture of pacy thriller and gritty whodunnit. An ideal summer read.' * LoveReading *
£8.99
Birlinn General Terms of Restitution: A stand-alone thriller from
Book SynopsisGANGLAND BOSS ZANDER FINN DISAPPEARED AFTER THE BRUTAL MURDER OF HIS SON. He fled to London, seeking salvation by walking away from his money, his career and his legacy. But when his old second-in-command Malky Maloney tracks him down, Finn knows he must return. Both his real family and his crime family face an existential threat from Albanian mobsters hellbent on taking control of the Scottish underworld and the forces of law and order determined to inflict their own retribution. Finn’s fight for survival is a rollercoaster ride of brutality, misplaced loyalties and the utterly unexpected. The road to redemption is perilous – and paved with blood. Trade Review‘A rollicking rollercoaster of violence, misplaced loyalties and some very unexpected interventions that combine to produce one of the most satisfying gangland thrillers of the year' * Irish Independent *'an engrossing read… crackling with tension and the inevitability of violence' * The Herald paperback review *'Meyrick’s breaking the mould with the latest offering straight out of the underworld of Paisley and the gritty streets of London' * Sunday Post *'A winning combination of fisticuffs and philosophy' -- Mark Sanderson * Times and Sunday Times Crime Club *'This gritty, gripping gangland stand-alone crime thriller from the author of the bestselling DCI Daley series, is a wild ride you won’t want to miss' * LoveReading eBook of the month, staff pick and expert review *'Dark humour has helped to make his thrillers world famous' -- Magnus Linklater * Times interview *'This Glasgow and Paisley-set gangland thriller would make a great TV series' -- Joyce Macmillan * Scotland on Sunday *'An enjoyable and fast paced thriller/crime novel that leaves its readers almost as breathless as it leaves many of its characters, though in a rather different way' * Undiscovered Scotland *'This one isn't to be missed… it’s brilliant!' * Waterstones Falkirk *'I loved this. It’s addictive, beautifully constructed, and a wild and sometimes surprising ride through a gangland that is both believable and utterly gripping' * LiveAndDeadly *'Another corker from Mr Meyrick… oooh, this author gets better and better. A brilliant, at times terrifying, story of ganglands, revenge, and how hard it is to escape the life of crime. As ever superb characters and believable plots make this a must read' -- Waterstones bookseller, Horsham branch'Powerful, plausible and utterly gripping' * FIVE STAR REVIEW, Waterstones and Amazon customer *‘Fast paced, brutal and brilliant… Crime writing at its best’ -- Amazon customer'The author has produced a first class thriller that is as much character driven as its content of action and violence' * Good Reads FIVE STAR REVIEW *
£8.54
Quercus Publishing Stranger in Paradise
Book SynopsisJesse Stone is an ex LA cop who has taken the job of police chief in Paradise, Massachusetts. His drinking and his damaged relationship with his wife, define him as much as his supreme skill at policing his patch. When Crow, an Apache hitman, turns up in Jesse Stone's office, he is intrigued and very much on his guard. Ten years before, Crow was part of a gang that had taken a woman in the town hostage when a bank raid went wrong. The hostages were released unharmed, thanks to Crow's moral view that you didn't kill women, but he also got away with enough money not to have to work again. So why is Crow back in town? Why has he come to see Jesse? And why has he taken a job of kidnapping a young girl and her mother? All questions to which Jesse has to find answers as things start to go badly wrong in Paradise.Trade ReviewIf Spencer is the invincible knight, the timeless hero of American detective fiction, then Jesse Stone is the flawed hero of the moment, a man whose deficiencies define his humanity * New York Times *Tougher, stronger, better educated, and far more amusing than Sam Spade, Phil Marlowe or Lewis Archer * Boston Globe *When it comes to detective novels, 90 per cent of us admit he's an influence, and the rest of us lie about it * Harlen Coben *One of the great series in the history of the detective story * New York Times Book Review *Reading Parker is like swimming downstream in a river of adrenalin * Boston Observer *The legitimate heir to the Hammett-Chandler-Macdonald tradition * Cincinnati Post *Nobody does it better * Publishers Weekly *'If Spencer is the invincible knight, the timeless hero of American detective fiction, then Jess Stone is the flawed hero of the moment, a man whose deficiencies define his humanity' New York Times Book Review. * New York Times *'… deftly sketched characters … his use of genre material is always fresh. He demonstrates his continued ability to write well-constructed and literate works of detective fiction' Times Literary Supplement. * Times Literary Supplement *
£9.49
Canongate Books Black Hammock
Book SynopsisWe had set out from Atlanta to kill my mother and her husband. A slow kill.Oren has returned to the family home he last saw when he was eight years old. Eighteen years later, he is bent on an elaborate scheme of revenge.Homicide detective Daniel Turner was never able to forget the unsolved case, the disappearance of Amon Jakobsen all those years ago. Convinced the man was murdered, he was never able to prove it. Now he has returned to the isolated house on Black Hammock Island following reports of a disturbance. Is this his chance to find out what really happened to Amon eighteen years before? And will he be in time to prevent history repeating itself?
£16.29
Canongate Books Tagged for Murder
Book SynopsisWhen he''s offered an exorbitant fee to photograph a murder scene, PI Dek Elstrom doesn''t ask too many questions. But his photos reveal something surprising: there''s a witness to the murder, a tagger who''s returned to the scene to paint what he saw. What is it the mysterious graffiti artist wants Elstrom to notice?
£13.29
Canongate Books The Long Silence
Book Synopsis1922. When a leading Hollywood film director is found shot dead, Irish-American investigator Tom Collins is called in by studio boss Mack Sennett, whose troubled star, Mabel Normand, is rumoured to be involved. But Normand has gone missing, and Collins'' search will lead him to a secret so explosive it must be kept silent at any cost.
£13.29
Canongate Books Icepick
Book SynopsisFoggy Moscowitz is shocked when ID found on a body in the bay suggests it''s his close Brooklyn friend, Pan Pan Washington, and the car involved belongs to one of their old associates, Sammy ''Icepick'' Franks. What message is Icepick trying to send Foggy, and why?The children who found the body were looking for their mother - one of twenty-seven women missing from John Horse''s Seminole tribe, and Foggy immediately takes the pair under his wing as they follow a disturbing trail. Is John right about there being a connection between the car in the bay and the missing women? Could Foggy''s old associates in New York be involved? Hit men, crooked police officers, and even oil-rich Oklahomans can''t stop Foggy on his mission to uncover the truth.
£12.99
Canongate Books Night Watch
Book SynopsisNew York, 1956. A couple walking through Central Park on a fall evening are confronted by a hansom cab driver, only to kill him and casually walk away. Who are the couple and did they know the man?A man commits suicide by throwing himself through a hotel window. His colleagues claim he was depressed - but is there more to it than that?Before Detective Michael Cassidy even begins investigating these cases, he is threatened by an unknown man - the reasons for which are unclear.Are all three incidents connected? If so, how, and will Cassidy live long enough to find out before his would-be assassin claims his life?
£12.99
Quercus Publishing Split Image: A Jesse Stone Mystery
Book SynopsisA body has been found in the trunk of a Cadillac. Jesse's investigation takes him to the neighboring homes of two 'retired' gangsters. But it isn't the mobsters who fascinate Jesse - it's their wives: two completely identical twin sisters, who not even their husbands can tell apart. And when one of the mobsters is found with a bullet in his skull, Jesse is forced to start digging into the twins' past...Trade Review'If Spenser is the invincible knight, the timeless hero of American detective fiction, then Jesse Stone is the flawed hero of the moment, a man whose deficiencies define his humanity' New York Times Book Review. * New York Times *
£9.49
Cinebook Ltd Route 66 List, The Vol. 1: Illinois
Book Synopsis1961, Illinois. Alex Poliac buries his wife Alice. That evening, he and his son flee their home. Not because he is a suspect in Alice's death, but because a serial killer - The Clown - is prowling the state, and Alex knows how he picks his victims. A meeting with Laura, a friend of his wife, brings more questions: was Alice hiding something, with her mysterious phone calls and unexplained absences? Was her death really an accident?
£6.99
Puncture Publications Amaze Your Friends
Book SynopsisThe fourth in Peter Doyle's acclaimed noir fiction series set in Sydney in the 1950s and 60s.
£13.49
Charivari Press The Aching Lust for Crime
Book Synopsis
£10.00
Luath Press Ltd Blood City
Book SynopsisMeet Davie McCall – not your average henchman. Abused and tormented by his father for fifteen years, there is a darkness in him searching for a way out. Under the wing of Glasgow’s Godfather, Joe ‘the Tailor’ Klein, he flourishes. Joe the Tailor may be a killer, but there are some lines he won’t cross, and Davie agrees with his strict moral code. He doesn’t like drugs. He won’t condone foul language. He abhors violence against women. When the Tailor refuses to be part of Glasgow’s new drug trade, the hits start rolling. It’s every man for himself as the entire criminal underworld turns on itself, and Davie is well and truly caught up in the action. But an attractive young reporter makes him wonder if he can leave his life of crime behind and Davie must learn the hard way that you cannot change what you are. Blood City is a novel set in Glasgow’s underworld at a time when it was undergoing a seismic shift. A tale of violence, corruption and betrayal, loyalties will be tested and friendships torn apart.Trade Review...positively delights in the city's dark underbelly complete with knives, razors, guns and gangs... Fierce, all too believable, and with a clear ear for the Glasgow dialect. --Daily MailBlood City signals the arrival of a new and sophisticated voice in Scotland's crime fiction community. --Glasgow Now[Skelton has] taken well to fiction, skilfully building up the atmosphere, developing the characters and keeping the unexpected twists coming along. --Alastair Mabbot, The HeraldJump in and you ll quickly be caught up in the atmosphere. Effortless prose, Glasgow banter and the wearing down of shoe leather as you charge through the streets of Douglas Skelton s vision of the mean city. --Michael J Malone, crimesquad.com
£7.59
Luath Press Ltd Crow Bait
Book SynopsisThey’ll all be crow bait by the time I’m finished...Jail was hell for Davie McCall. Ten years down the line, freedom’s no picnic either. It’s 1990, there are new kings in the West of Scotland underworld, and Glasgow is awash with drugs. Davie can handle himself. What he can’t handle is the memory of his mother’s death at the hand of his sadistic father. Or the darkness his father implanted deep in his own psyche. Or the nightmares… Now his father is back in town and after blood, ready to waste anyone who stops him hacking out a piece of the action. There are people in his way. And Davie is one of them. PRAISE for Blood CityThe city’s dark underbelly complete with knives, razors, guns and gangs...DAILY MAILYou follow the plot like an eager dog, nose turning this way and that, not catching every single clue but quivering as you lunge towards a blood-splattered denouement. DAILY EXPRESSThe Glasgow of this period is a great, gritty setting for a crime story, and Skelton’s non-fiction work stands him in good stead… he’s taken well to fiction… the unexpected twists keep coming.THE HERALDTrade ReviewA gory and razor-sharp crime novel from the start, Douglas Skelton’s Crow Bait moves at breakneck speed like a getaway car on the dark streets of Glasgow, the city where this story takes place. - Tabatha Glancy, The Skinny
£7.59
