Crime

Excerpt: THE UNDETECTABLES by Courtney Smyth (Titan Books)

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SmythC-MD1-UndetectablesThe Undetectables, the first novel in Courtney Smyth‘s new Magical Detectives series, is due to be published next week by Titan Books. To give readers a taste of the novel, the publisher has provided us with this extract. Here’s the synopsis:

A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?).

Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don’t ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task?

Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana is hitting up all her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore: deceased, dramatic, and also the agency’s first – unsolved – murder case.

With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magical society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer’s next victims?

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Excerpt: THINGS GET UGLY by Joe R. Lansdale (Tachyon)

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LansdaleJR-ThingsGetUglyUSHCToday we have an excerpt from Things Get Ugly, a collection of The Best Crime Stories by Joe R. Lansdale. Published this week by Tachyon Publications, this excerpt is from the story “The Projectionist”.

First, though, here’s the synopsis for the collection as a whole:

In the 1950s, a young small-town projectionist mixes it up with a violent gang. When Mr. Bear is not alerting us to the dangers of forest fires, he lives a life of debauchery and murder. A brother and sister travel to Oklahoma to recover the dead body of their uncle. Edgar Award winner and bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale (the Hap and Leonard series) returns to the piney, dangerous woods of East Texas to reveal the best of his award-winning crime fiction.

In this collection of nineteen unforgettable crime tales, Joe R. Lansdale brings his legendary mojo and witty grit to harrowing heists, revenge, homicide, and mayhem. No matter how they begin, things are bound to get ugly—and fast.

Now, read on for the excerpt…!

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Upcoming: THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey)

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BennettRJ-TaintedCupUSHCI stumbled across Robert Jackson Bennett‘s next novel, The Tainted Cup, while browsing NetGalley yesterday. As a long-time fan of the author’s work (going back to 2011’s The Company Man), I was immediately intrigued. If you haven’t tried Bennett’s work, yet, I strongly recommend you give it a try — either by diving into one of his fantasy trilogies (the Divine Cities and Founders trilogies), or, if you want a smaller commitment, his novella Vigilance is also excellent.

The author has described The Tainted Cup as “a murder mystery set in a fantasy empire”, and the premise suggests a Holmesian inspiration, too. Which all sounds very much like my cup of tea. Here’s the synopsis:

An eccentric detective and her long-suffering assistant untangle a web of magic, deceit, and murder in this sparkling fantasy reimagining of the classic crime novel…

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead — killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times — and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance.

Din finds himself at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior — but as the case unfolds and Ana’s mind leaps from one startling deduction to the next, he must grudgingly admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra — and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup is due to be published by Del Rey in North America and in the UK, on February 6th, 2024.

Also on CR: Interview with Robert Jackson Bennett (2012); Guest Post on “City of Stairs and the Super Tropey Fantasy Checklist”; Excerpts from City of Stairs and Locklands; Reviews of The Company Man, City of Stairs, and Vigilance

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Quick Review: THE KING OF THE SPOIL by Jonathan D. Beer (Black Library)

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BeerJD-WH40k-KingOfTheSpoilAn interesting and original look at life in an Imperial Megacity

Delve into the lawless underbelly of the vast city of Varangantua in this fantastic Warhammer Crime novel.

Within the vast sprawl of Varangantua lies the Spoil. It is a broken crossroads, forsaken by the Lex, abandoned by the city’s uncaring masters, where the only choice is a slow death in the manufactories, or a quick one on the street.

And it is in turmoil.

Andreti Sorokin, the gangster king whose vicious rule brought order to the Spoil, is dead, slain in the most brutal fashion.

Melita Voronova, skilled info-broker and reluctant agent of the imperious Valtteri cartel, is tasked with uncovering the mystery of who killed Sorokin, and preventing his fragile alliance of thugs and narco-pushers from collapsing into chaos.

As street-blades clash and gang leaders turn against one another, Melita’s instincts tell her there is a larger conspiracy at work. Someone has created this crisis not merely to disrupt the Spoil, but to overturn the foundations of Varangantua itself.

The latest novel in Black Library’s Warhammer Crime/WH40k series, which went up for pre-order yesterday. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of the book from the author. It’s my first full-length read from Black Library’s Warhammer Crime imprint, and it is very good. It did, however, leave me wondering about the “Crime” label. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this and it offers readers an interesting and pretty original perspective of life in the underbelly of an Imperial megacity. Continue reading →

Very Quick Review: CITY OF DREAMS by Don Winslow (William Morrow)

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WinslowD-C2-CityOfDreamsUSHCDanny Ryan et al dodge the law, the mafia, and their own demons; and take a quick turn through Hollywood…

Hollywood.

The city where dreams are made. 

On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life.

A quiet, peaceful existence.

But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him. 

And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire.

Then he falls in love.

With a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own.

As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born.

Or where they go to die.

From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.

Danny Ryan and crew return in the sequel to City on Fire, dodging the attentions of the feds, other organized crime families, and their own demons. An engaging continuation of the series. Continue reading →

Upcoming: SWEET THING by David Swinson (Mulholland)

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SwinsonD-SweetThingUSHCThis November, Mulholland Books are due to publish Sweet Thing, the latest crime novel by David Swinson. In this book, the author returns to Washington, D.C., the setting of his excellent Frank Marr trilogy — one of my favourite crime series — albeit with a new protagonist, and as a standalone novel. One of my most-anticipated reads of the year, here’s the synopsis:

In a red brick house on a tree-lined street, DC homicide detective Alex Blum stares at the bullet-pocked body of Chris Doyle. As he roots around for evidence, he finds an old polaroid: the decedent, arm in arm with Arthur Holland, Blum’s informant from years ago when he worked at the Narcotics branch.

But Arthur has been missing for days. Blum’s only source: Arthur’s girl, Celeste — beautiful, seductive, and tragic — whom he can’t get out of his head. Blum is drawn to her and feels compelled to save her from Arthur’s underworld. As the investigation ticks on and dead bodies domino, Blum, unearths clues with damning implications for Celeste. Swallowed by desire, Blum’s single misstep sends him tunnelling down a rabbit hole of transgression. He may soon find the only way out is down below.

Set in 1999, Swinson, a former DC cop, offers a look back at a rougher, grittier, bygone DC replete with seedy strip clubs, pagers beeping, and Y2K anxiety. It’s here we’re taken inside sting operations, fluorescent-tinged interrogation chambers, and rooms that have seen irreversible mistakes. At once authentic, gritty, tragic, and profound, SWEET THING asks how far can you fall when the world teeters on the edge?

David Swinson’s Sweet Things is due to be published by Mulholland Books in North America and in the UK, on November 7th.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Second Girl, Crime Song, and Trigger

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter

Excerpt: NOT THE ONES DEAD by Dana Stabenow (Aries/Head of Zeus)

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StabenowD-KS23-NotTheOnesDeadUKHCToday, we have an excerpt from Not the Ones Dead by Dana Stabenow. The 23rd novel in the author’s Kate Shugak series, it is published today by Aries/Head of Zeus. Before we get to the excerpt, here’s the synopsis:

What seems a tragic accident soon becomes a murder investigation as Kate is drawn into a case of political intrigue.

A mid-air collision in the Alaskan wilderness between two small aircraft leaves ten people dead. Was it a bird strike, pilot error… or premeditated murder?

Then an eleventh body is found in the wreckage: a man shot gangland style, twice in the chest and once in the head.

In an investigation that reaches to the highest levels of government, justice may not be served, but Kate Shugak is determined that the truth will out, even at the risk of her life and the lives of those she loves most.

Now, on with the excerpt…

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Quick Review: BEFORE SHE FINDS ME by Heather Chavez (Mulholland)

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ChavezH-BeforeSheFindsMeUSHCTwo mothers race to uncover the truth behind a horrific attack, placing them on a potentially deadly collision course…

Julia Bennett has worked hard to create a stable life for her daughter, Cora, in Southern California. So when Cora leaves for college, the worst thing Julia expects on move-in day is an argument with her ex-husband and his new wife. But a sudden attack leaves the campus stunned — and only Julia’s quick actions save Cora’s life. Shaken in the aftermath, and haunted by a dark secret, Julia starts to wonder: What if the attack wasn’t as random as everyone believes?

Newly pregnant Ren Petrovic has an unusual career — she’s a trained assassin, operating under a strict moral code. Ren wasn’t on campus that day, but she knows who was: her husband, Nolan. What she doesn’t know is why Nolan has broken their rules by not telling her about the job in advance. The more Ren looks into the attack, the more she begins to question: Who really hired Nolan? And why did one woman in the crowd respond so differently from all the rest?

Julia and Ren each want answers, but their searches quickly pit them against each other. One woman is a hired killer, but the other is a determined survivor. And both mothers will defend their families to the bitter end.

This is Heather Chavez’s third novel, but the first that I’ve read. Based on Before She Finds Me, though, this will not be my last. An interesting story of two women whose lives become entwined against their wills, I enjoyed this. Continue reading →

Quick Review: DARK ANGEL by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

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SandfordJ-Letty2-DarkAngelUSHCLetty Davenport returns, investigating a hacker collective

Letty Davenport, the tough-as-nails adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport, takes on an undercover assignment that brings her across the country and into the crosshairs of a dangerous group of hackers.

Letty Davenport’s days working a desk job at are behind her. Her previous actions at a gunfight in Texas — and her incredible skills with firearms — draw the attention of several branches of the US government, and make her a perfect fit for even more dangerous work. The Department of Homeland Security and the NSA have tasked her with infiltrating a hacker group, known only as Ordinary People, that is intent on wreaking havoc. Letty and her reluctant partner from the NSA pose as free-spirited programmers for hire and embark on a cross country road trip to the group’s California headquarters.

While the two work to make inroads with Ordinary People and uncover their plans, they begin to suspect that the hackers are not their only enemy. Someone within their own circle may have betrayed them, and has ulterior motives that place their mission—and their lives — in grave danger.

An excellent second novel starring Letty Davenport. Sandford continues to show his gift for characterization and fast-moving plots in Dark Angel. The novel shows this spin-off series definitely has legs and can stand on its own, as the character continue to develop and navigate the new role and world she’s been thrust into. I enjoyed this a lot. Continue reading →

Excerpt: THE ONLY CHILD by Kayte Nunn (Orion)

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NunnK-OnlyChildUKPBToday we have a short excerpt taken from Kayte Nunn‘s latest thriller, The Only Child. Published in paperback today in the UK, here’s the synopsis:

1949 It is the coldest winter Orcades Island has ever known, when a pregnant sixteen-year-old arrives at Fairmile, a home for ‘fallen women’ run by the Catholic Church. She and her baby will disappear before the snow melts.

2013 Frankie Gray has come to the island for the summer, hoping for one last shot at reconnecting with her teenage daughter, Izzy, before starting a job as a deputy sheriff. They are staying with her mother, Diana, at The Fairmile Inn, soon to be a boutique hotel, but when an elderly nun is found dead in suspicious circumstances, and then a tiny skeleton is discovered in the grounds of the house, Frankie is desperate for answers.

Read on from an excerpt taken from the novel’s prologue…

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