Christmas titles and novelty books are on offer as ‘that’ season approaches, but fortunately there is also a welcome abundance of crime and thrills with fully reliable authors like Michael Connelly, Antti Tuomainen and Sarah Ward to the fore, assorted domestic mysteries and, at long last, the UK release of a much-lauded and award-winning US spy thriller from the top ranks.
BOOK OF THE MONTH: I.S. Berry/THE PEACOCK AND THE SPARROW (No Exit Press)
Berry’s debut novel arrives already garlanded with every award and shortlisting the US mystery world can offer and immediately confirms her as a major talent in the espionage thriller field. Set in Bahrain during the Arab Spring, it is a gritty tale of geopolitical manipulation by all parties involved, mixed loyalties, corrupt monarchies, terrorism, cynicism and a testimony to the unreliability of human nature. In the vein of Graham Greene’s privileged white man floundering in a third world environment tradition, we are introduced to Shane Collins, an alcoholic CIA operative stumbling in overdrive towards the end of his patchy career in a Middle East in complicated turmoil. His immediate superior and Head of Station in Bahrain is generations younger, inexperienced and the likely product of nepotism, his only informer’s motives are uncertain and the information he provides goes against received knowledge as the US supports a repressive regime whose opposition might or might not be covertly supported by Iran. When Collins, against his better judgment, becomes involved with Almaisa, a beautiful mosaic artist of Syrian origin, the scene is set for a web of lies and intrigue to unfold which could ignominiously accelerate the end of his career, or even bring about his assassination. Duplicitous colleagues, local intelligence heavies and gun traders in Cambodia muddy the waters as Collins breathlessly tries to balance his loyalties and actions. The local atmosphere Berry conjures is enough to make you sweat (she was once herself a local CIA operative in the region) and the moral ambiguities raised only serve to remind the reader of the absolute mess the Middle East has become and some of the causes behind it. A most timely novel and a powerful new voice. (Disclaimer: the book was acquired by the publishers before my involvement with them).
The Peacock and the Sparrow I.S. Berry – (amazon.co.uk)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Michael Connelly/THE WAITING (Orion)
Reading a new Connelly novel is like settling down for a ride in a luxury car with a well-oiled engine purring away, a comfortable experience you would never tire of. How does the man sustain the quality so reliably? As Harry Bosch ages realistically, the baton of solving crimes and offering solace and justice in L.A. has principally been passed on to Renée Ballard and, in an interesting development, his daughter Maddie, now a rookie cop who volunteers to join Renée on the unsolved crimes unit. As ever, multiple plot threads emerge, many of which become related like a slow jigsaw being assembled and old cases still in need of answers are dragged to the surface, many of which come together in the most elegant way. Renée, an avid surfer, has her gun and badge stolen on the occasion of an early morning swim on the Pacific coast and her efforts to retrieve them before the incident can be used to destroy her career overlap with the notorious, historical Black Dahlia case, political chicanery hindering the police case and an assortment of initially unconnected felonies. Like Elmore Leonard years ago, Connelly makes it all so easy and gripping at the same time and delivers with masterful touches, familiar and much-loved characters, pathos, action, realism and inevitable plot overturning twists you don’t see coming, A master craftsman at work.
The Waiting Michael Connelly – (amazon.co.uk)
Benjamin Stevenson/EVERYONE THIS CHRISTMAS HAS A SECRET (Michael Joseph)
Call me Scrooge, but I’ve never been a great fan of Xmas-themed mysteries (or anthologies collecting the same old stories, too many of which are in the public domain, in new combinations) and normally steer well clear of such editorial opportunism, but Australian author Stevenson’s witty effort might well change my resolve. His hapless involuntary sleuth and writer Ernest Cunningham has previously survived a murderous outing in a mountain resort which decimated his family and a train journey through the outback with a posse of warring mystery authors and fans in a nod to MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Now, he is called on by a previous paramour to the Blue Mountains only to find her accused of murdering a magician and attempts in his own, idiosyncratic way to prove her innocence in time to return to the big city and his not always understanding new girlfriend. With all present suspects and 24 clues to the crime dispersed behind the metaphorical windows of an advent calendar, the ensuing investigation process is hilariously comic, devilishly ingenious and wonderfully tongue in cheek, alongside Ernest’s fumblings and amusing nods to the traditions of Golden Age crime writing. Delectable stuff and just the right novella-length, for a holiday treat.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret Benjamin Stevenson – (amazon.co.uk)
Nita Prose/THE MISTLETOE MYSTERY (HarperCollins)
As much as I greatly enjoyed and admired Nita Prose’s first novel THE MAID involving the endearing neuro-divergent hotel maid Molly Gray and her cohort of eccentric co-workers, I felt its sequel THE MYSTERY GUEST covered similar grounds and the initial charm of the characters and the awkward situations they were drawn into was a tad contrived. Sadly, this new mini-instalment, in the form of a Xmas novella, is a further disappointment and the news that the next instalment in Molly’s adventures will be the final volume in the series comes as a relief. As a matter of fact, this vignette of a book isn’t even a mystery, and surely no single reader will be surprised by the final outcome and resolution, as it’s telegraphed on numerous occasions with all the subtlety of a hammer to the cranium and does the lovely Molly a disservice, with an emphasis on her naivety bordering on stupidity. Molly is now living in bliss with boyfriend and co-worker Juan Manuel when in the midst of Xmas preparations with the other staff of the establishment, her suspicions about Juan Manuel’s activities and growing evasiveness make her frantically suspect the worst. Naturally, it will all end well with the hotel staff’s festive party and all is good in the world. And from this brief synopsis, I suspect the majority of this column’s readers will guess what the unnecessary fuss was all about. Spoilers not required!
The Mistletoe Mystery Nita Prose – (amazon.co.uk)
CRIMEBITS:100 OPENING GAMBITS FOR GREAT CRIME THRILLERS Judged and Introduced by Lee Child & Luca Veste (Black Spring)
No doubt commercially-inspired by the stunning success of the Murdle puzzle volumes, this is a strange hybrid of a book. Both established and aspiring crime writers were asked, in a competition, to submit one page or so openings for a mystery story, then judged by Luca Veste and the ever-generous Lee Child, which are presented to the reader and then followed by a tailored puzzle incorporating some of the elements of the story: crosswords, murder maps, word search grids, logic puzzles, etc… all set by a barely-credited Robin Stears. In addition, the reader is invited to mark each story beginning from 1 to a 100. I must confess I am in no way a puzzle fan and the number of crosswords I have attempted in my life barely reach a couple of handfuls, but I couldn’t see the point of the exercise. To amplify the mix, the reader is also presented with assorted crime trivia, his/her own writing challenges and tips from the editors. Arising from an open competition, the majority of the ersatz stories are from unknown writers although a few might be slightly familiar: Donna Moore, Fiona Quinn, Camilla Macpherson. To be honest, this is a volume marketed to a non-crime reading public in a bid to find a niche opened by Murdle and good luck to its creators in finding an audience, although the publishers are optimistic having already invited contributions to a future further volume. It’s no puzzle to discover it’s just not my kind of book.
Crimebits: 100 Opening Gambits for Great Crime Thrillers Lee Child & Luca Veste – (amazon.co.uk)
Antti Tuomainen/THE BURNING STONES (Orenda Books)
The Tuomainen bandwagon of absurd hilarity and incongruous settings continues at a merry pace in his new novel, following his trilogy of sometimes diminishing returns about the actuary who inherited an attraction park and slightly outstayed its welcome. Shorter length one offs fit the unpredictable Finnish author better and THE BURNING STONES recaptures some of the earlier glee his books demonstrated in abundance. Anni is a 50+ saleswoman for a leading company manufacturing high-quality stoves for saunas, hiding a big secret in her past and now content leaving a quiet, orderly life. Naturally, all her ill-assorted colleagues are suitably eccentric and when Errki, the company’s owner decides to retire, his anointed successor is found burned to a crisp in a sauna, leaving Anni as the next in line for the CEO throne but also the main suspect mostly due to the fact that the main policeman investigating the case bears a huge grudge against her family as her father killed an elk he felt he was entitled to some decades ago; the other policeman is Janne, with whom she was once engaged and broke up with in murky circumstances. Add a bucolic small-town setting full of forests, isolated lakes, mosquitoes and more than you’ll ever want to know about the functionality of saunas and the paraphernalia that surrounds them (have you ever heard of ‘bumlets’?), while Anni is soon faced with another murder and a failed attempt by collapsing giant stove on her own life, against the background of a failing marriage with a husband devoted to rewatching old F1 races and trading in famous drivers’ old socks, broken clutches and recycled associational material. A major builder customer whose order for dozens of stoves could save her rickety company but is too obsessed with true crime podcasts and you get the anarchic ride of a typical Tuomainen novel. Drags a bit on occasions but still eminently fun.
The Burning Stones Antti Tuomainen – (amazon.co.uk)
Sarah Ward/DEATH RITES (Canelo)
Sarah Ward flits effortlessly between genres and series and although I am a greater fan of her gothic vein, this opening gambit in a new series has much to wet the appetite for more. Professor Carla James, whom I suspect we will see more of in future books, is a British academic still affected by the death of her husband three years earlier who decides to take up a position at Jericho College in New England in the USA. Carla is an archaeologist with a knack for seeing through stones and relics to the emotional truth of past history and when a harmless, retired old teacher is found murdered in her own home, leaving the police baffled as to a motive, and Carla finds curious papers and anomalies in the office drawers left full by her academic predecessor who committed suicide, she is intrigued and unsettled, prompting a private investigation with the assistance of local pathologist Erin with whom she strikes up a friendship when they are confronted with a gruesome murder and a burned body. Are the two deaths linked? Strongly atmospheric, with the character’s archaeological background prompting instances of folklore, witchcraft and a ‘Wicker Man’ mood, this is a fast and moody read with a determined heroine and an evocative setting.
Death Rites Sarah Ward – (amazon.co.uk)
Sarah Lawton/A DROWNING TIDE (Black & White)
Merry is a social recluse living in a small cottage on the Isle of Wight, absorbed by solving cryptic crosswords and cold water swimming in this intriguing mystery that seeks to combine the psychological and emotional perils of the thriller genre with the meticulous, slow craft of detection popularised by Golden Age crime. Indeed, each chapter begins with a crossword puzzle clue which the reader can play along with. In the grander house next to hers live the fascinating Alison Manning her son Lucas. They have history: the husband is a criminal on the run and Lucas’s brother is currently in prison. When Lucas is reported missing by Alison, Merry vows to investigate and her path soon crosses that of Gareth, a private detective who has been employed to find Lucas by his erstwhile employer, as the young man has run off with valuable commercial information. Merry is a great character, both doughty and crotchety, flawed and courageous and the many twists thrown at her in her criminal travails prove challenging and often quirky, while her troubled past relationship with the Manning family is brought into the light. With a satisfactory blend of thrills and puzzle elements, and an atmospheric island setting, A DROWNING TIDE will prove satisfying to readers in both camps of the mystery divide.
A Drowning Tide Sarah Lawton – (amazon.co.uk)
Emma Curtis/THE COMMUTER (Corvus)
A reliably tense domestic thriller from a prolific British author, THE COMMUTER introduces Rachel, a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband, assisted in doing so by her assumed lover, Sean, a man she had met on her journey to work on the underground but who has since mysteriously disappeared from sight. However, Rachel has no memory of this, having been involved in a serious car crash on returning drunk from a party, which left her briefly in a coma. In the eyes of the investigators, she has an obvious motive as her husband, Anthony, was both older than her and rather wealthy. As Rachel struggles to prove her innocence, the reader follows the story with regular jumps back in time as her mind stumbles between reality and her imagination and she begins to doubt herself. Add Caroline, her stepdaughter, to the mix, an aspiring actress still living in the family home and whose role is increasingly murky when put under scrutiny. A curious blend of BRIEF ENCOUNTER tropes and a thriller with elements of emotional abuse featuring a woman caught between guilt and a fast-moving and perilous reality, this races along with the reader oscillating between belief in Rachel’s innocence or her culpability and delivers uneasy thrills along the way. Twisty and entertaining.
The Commuter Emma Curtis – (amazon.co.uk)
Jacqueline Bublitz/LEAVE THE GIRLS BEHIND (Sphere)
New Zealand-based author Bublitz’s debut psychological thriller novel BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME made quite an impression in 2021 and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Her follow-up demonstrates a similar intensity but however fails to convince, with too much of an emphasis on the female protagonist’s personal trauma and the way if affects her actions. Over a decade ago, Ruth-Ann’s best childhood friend was murdered by a serial killer who was later caught and died in prison, but she cannot get over it, still literally haunted by the case and becomes a morbidly obsessed true crime addict, as a way of bringing meaning into the failure of her life, a school drop-out now working as a bartender. When another young woman is found dead in ominously similar circumstances, Ruth-Ann comes to the conclusion that Ethan Oswald, the original culprit, could have initially worked with an accomplice who might now be acting as a copycat. Her quest for the truth sees her travelling extensively overseas and drags her into the orbit of three other women connected to the case, one of whom she is convinced does know the actual truth. With a deeply flawed central character whose thought processes are peppered with doubt, this halting thriller does hit some emotional chords but never reaches the right crescendo and might disappoint many of her initial thriller’s fans.
