Blog Tour - Murder Tide by Stella Blómkvist tr. Quentin Bates

Welcome to the latest stop on the blog tour for Murder Tide by Stella Blómkvist translated by Quentin Bates. Murder Tide was published by Corylus Books on 4 July 2025 as an ebook with the paperback to follow on 1 August 2025.

Murder Tide is the third book from mysterious* Icelandic author Stella Blómkvist to be translated into English and I am very pleased today to be able to share a teaser extract:

One of the tough guys steps in front of me on the pavement.

‘You’re coming with us,’ he says.

‘Says who?’

‘Oddgeir wants to meet you.’

‘Our car’s right there,’ the other hardnut says, taking my arm.

I ask for names and numbers, but they pay no attention.

‘Get your hands off me,’ I tell him, ice-cold.

‘We don’t want any trouble.’

‘You refuse to show any identification and try to manhandle me,’ I snap back. ‘That’s an offence and I’ll have you in court.’

‘Oddgeir’s waiting for you.’

I get in the car with them.

They drive off and accompany me to Oddgeir’s office where he appears to be in a meeting with two of his subordinates.

‘Are you off your head?’ I demand.

‘You have a memory stick that I suspect contains information relating to a serious crime,’ he replies, looking down his nose at me.

‘Fucking bullshit.’

‘Give me the stick.’

‘Or what?’

‘Or I’ll have one of my men search through your pockets.’

‘You’re threatening me with being physically manhandled a second time by your men?’

‘As you should know better than anyone, it’s a punishable offence to obstruct the work of the police in investigating a serious crime.’

‘I haven’t obstructed your work,’ I reply. ‘But you have obstructed my legal work.’

‘Where’s the memory stick?’

I shrug.

Oddgeir nods to his muscular sidekicks. They dip their fingers into the pockets of my leather jacket – and they find the memory stick.

‘Gummi! Take a look at this right away!’ he orders one of his men.

The man snatches up the memory stick and rushes from the room.

‘You’re in serious trouble,’ Oddgeir says. ‘You could make it a lot better by handing over the encryption key.’

‘What key?’

‘I know Sævar wrote down the key for you.’

‘You’re telling me you know what was said in a confidential conversation between myself and my client at Litla Hraun? If that’s the case, then that’s another offence to add to the list.’

Gummi opens Oddgeir’s office door. He stands there in the doorway and looks awkwardly at his boss.

‘What?’

‘There are no encrypted files on this memory stick.’

‘What, then?’

‘Just ordinary video files.’

‘I don’t believe it.’

Gummi goes over to his boss’s desk, plugs in the memory stick and opens it.

Queen appear on the screen.

‘We are the champions,’ Freddie Mercury sings with all his heart, his voice filling the drug squad office.

Oddgeir turns pale. Then his face flushes deep red.

‘I knew all along that Sævar was messing with us,’ he says.

‘Not at all,’ I say coldly.

‘There’s no other explanation.’

‘Yes, there is and it’s very simple. I know your dirty tricks, and now I have evidence.’

I fish my phone from my pocket.

‘I’d best call the commissioner so he’s ready when my official complaint against you and your department lands on his desk.’

Oddgeir’s face swells with anger.

‘But you can keep the memory stick as a memento,’ I add as a parting shot.

---

*Enormously popular in Iceland where the Stella Blómkvist books have been a bestselling series since their appearance in the 1990s, the books have been published under a pseudonym – and the author’s identity remains a secret. Who is behind the mysterious Stella Blómkvist is a question that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…

-- -

Many thanks to Ewa, Quentin and Stella Blómkvist for this extract and do please check out the rest of the stops =>

Cover Theme - Keyholes

Further post on cover themes can be found here. 

These two recent covers are very similar but one is a UK cover and the other a US so they probably won't appear together in a bookshop:

CWA Dagger Awards 2025 - Winners

Here is the press release confirming the winners of the 2025 CWA Dagger Awards:

PRESS RELEASE

2025 CWA Dagger Awards Announced

The 2025 winners of the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger Awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, have been announced.

Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.

The awards were announced this evening [ 3 July] at the CWA gala dinner at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London.

The prestigious KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, which is awarded for the best crime novel of the year, went to Anna Mazzola for Book of Secrets.

Inspired by real events, prosecutor Stefano Bracchi investigates why men are dying in unnatural numbers months after the plague has ravaged Rome. Judges praised it as an expertly crafted ‘engrossing cat-and-mouse thriller’ set in 17^th century Rome.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year and was awarded to Lou Berney for his masterful thriller, Dark Ride, where an unlikely hero goes up against a deadly crime boss. Judges praised it as ‘sublime thriller full of heartache and humanity’ and a ‘moving yet nail-biting novel.’

The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger which highlights the best debut novels of the year went to Katy Massey’s debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, All Us Sinners. Judges praised it as ‘vivid and brutally honest’ and an ‘important and bold take on the Yorkshire Ripper murders told with passion and respect from the point of view of the women who were never heard.’

The Historical Dagger, sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone, went to A.J. West with The Betrayal of Thomas True which is set in the excitement and squalor of London’s underworld in the year 1710.

Nadine Matheson, Chair of the CWA, said: "This has been another exemplary year, and our judges once again faced the exciting but difficult task of selecting from a truly impressive shortlist. The winners reflect the strength, diversity, and continuing legacy of crime writing today.

“I would also like to extend our congratulations to the winners of the Twisted Dagger and the Whodunnit Dagger, Tracy Sierra and Lisa Hall. The inclusion of these two new categories continues to highlight the evolution and innovation happening within the genre.”

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, was awarded to the debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani translated by Sam Bett – hot-on-the-heels from winning the 2025 CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Novel of the Year.

Judges said: “Like a manga cartoon, this savage depiction of Japanese yakuza life is relentlessly violent if only to highlight the deep humanity of its fish out of water characters. Mean and lean, this saga sparkles with originality and delivers a splendid if bizarre love story.” 

The Night of Baba Yaga pipped another Japanese bestseller to the post, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter translated by Polly Barton.

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction was awarded to Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place. It was praised as a ‘remarkable read, riveting without ever being salacious’ offering a fresh perspective on one of Britain’s most notorious cases.

The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story. This year Short Story Dagger went to the academic and expert on Agatha Christie, J.C Bernthal, for A Date on Yarmouth Pier, praised as a ‘mini-masterpiece with a killer twist.’

2025 saw the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards.

The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. 

It was awarded to Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, a slow-burning tale of a mother who will do anything to protect her children. The books unusual voice captured the judges, who praised it as, ‘horrific, compelling, nerve-shreddingly tense and cleverly twisted.’

The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries.

The inaugural winner is Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl. Judges admired its cleverly handled twist on a classic mystery featuring Hollywood icons: ‘A glamorous, evocative timeslip mystery that took us right back to sparkling Vegas in the fifties.’ 

The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists, sponsored by Fiction Feedback. The competition is open to unpublished authors, and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. Over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.

2025’s Emerging Author Dagger was awarded to Joe Eurell for Ashland. Judges compared it as Mare of Easttown meets We Begin at the End: “A beautifully written story evoking a powerful sense of place and conveying a rare energy. Rounded characters are portrayed in fascinating depth.” 

Richard Osman was awarded the 2025 Dagger in the Library award. The nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. 

Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, was awarded to Orenda Books. 

The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.

Mick Herron said: “I’ve spent the best part of my life – not the majority of it; just the best part – in the crime writers’ community, and to receive this accolade from these friends and colleagues is both a career highlight and a personal joy. I’m touched and thrilled beyond measure, and will try to live up to the honour.”

The 2025 Winners in Full:

The KAA GOLD DAGGER

Anna Mazzola: Book of Secrets (Orion)

THE IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Lou Berney: Dark Ride (Hemlock Press/ HarperCollins)

THE ILP JOHN CREASEY FIRST NOVEL DAGGER

Katy Massey: All Us Sinners (Little, Brown /Sphere)

THE TWISTED DAGGER

Tracy Sierra: Nightwatching (PRH/ Viking)

THE WHODUNNIT DAGGER

Lisa Hall, The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl (Hera)

THE HISTORICAL DAGGER (Sponsored in Honour of Dr. Marilyn Livingstone)

A.J. West, The Betrayal of Thomas True (Orenda Books)

 THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

Kate Summerscale: The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place (Bloomsbury Circus)   

THE CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER (Sponsored in Honour of Dolores Jakubowski)

Akira Otani: The Night of Baba Yaga (Faber) tr. Sam Bett

THE SHORT STORY DAGGER

J.C Bernthal: ‘A Date on Yarmouth Pier’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

THE DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Richard Osman

THE DAGGER FOR THE BEST CRIME AND MYSTERY PUBLISHERS

Orenda Books

THE EMERGING AUTHOR DAGGER (sponsored by Fiction Feedback)

 Joe Eurell, Ashland

 THE CWA DIAMOND DAGGER AWARD

 Mick Herron

New Releases - June 2025

I'm still a bit behind but this is what I have for June 2025 (140 titles) and I will soon be making a start on July.

Norfolk is a popular setting this month.

This is still the case though we are now waiting for an operation date - things have been a bit up in the air as my OH was knocked off his bike in early February. He is ok but not back at work yet and may need an operation. So our routines have been changed and I've not been reading as much etc. 

Please note that, unless specifically mentioned, when a book has differing print and ebook release date, I use the print release date. Translators' names are included where known.

Further to my post about writers of colour and the 2024 Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a ***.

 

Ackroyd, Claire - The Surfacing
Alexander, Magda - The Case of the Missing Dancer (ebook only) #4 Kitty Worthington Cozy Capers
Amphlett, Rachel - Murder in the Lakes #1 Melody Harper
Archer, C J - Murder at Hambledon Hall #10 Cleopatra Fox
Aubrey, Daniel - The Dying Light #2 Freya Sinclair, Reporter, Orkney
Belle, Kimberly - The Expat Affair
Belshaw, T A - Encore For Murder #6 Amy Rowlings, 1939
Billingham, Mark - What the Night Brings #19 DI Tom Thorne, London
Bishop, D V - Carnival of Lies #5 Cesare Aldo, Florence, 1536
Boyd, Damien - Blue Blood #15 DI Nick Dixon
Boydell, Natasha - The Widow's Husband
Bright, Verity - Death at a Paris Hotel #22 Lady Eleanor Swift, 1920s
Brittany, Amanda - Let Me Out
Brookes, Dawn - Cruise into Darkness #14 Rachel Prince
Brown, Benedict - Arsenic and Old Lies #5 Marius Quin, 1920s
Bryndza, Robert - Chasing Shadows #9 DCI Erika Foster
Burrows, Steve - A Deceit of Lapwings #9 Inspector Domenic Jejeune, Saltmarsh, Norfolk
Chaudhuri, A A - The School Gates ***
Clark, Natalie Jayne - The Malt Whisky Murders
Coles, Richard - A Death on Location #4 Canon Daniel Clement
Connor, Max - No Mercy
Cookman, Lesley - Murder Under the Cliff #27 Libby Sarjeant, middle aged actress/investigator, Kent
Corry, Jane - The Stranger in Room Six
Croft, Kathryn - Sophie Was Here
Cullen, R M - Death's Long Shadow #2 Richard Brinsley Sheridan, C18
Cummins, Fiona - Some of Us Are Liars
Dawson, Mark - The Inheritance #5 The Casebook of Atticus Priest
Deary, Terry - Actually, I'm A Murderer
Devlin, Cara - Courier of Death #3 Spencer & Reid
Dodd, Christina - Thus with a Kiss I Die #2 Daughter of Montague
Doherty, Paul - Immortal Murder #25 Hugh Corbett
Donovan, Kerry J - On the Trail #14 Ryan Kaine
Elliott, Anna & Veley, Charles - The Murders at Clarion Castle #5 The Homefront Sleuths
Ellis, Emmy - Raffia #41 Cardigan Estate
Ellis, Hannah - Dead in the Water #4 Lily Larkin
Ellory, R J - A Darker Side of Paradise
Enright, Robert - Never Enough #15 Sam Pope
Faulkner, Katherine - The Break-In
Field, David - The Long Delayed Revenge #10 Esther and Jack Enright

Finney, Keith - A Dapper Murder #3 Rex and the Dowager  
Finney, Keith - A Record of Deceit (ebook only) #1 Norfolk Cozy Mysteries Novella
Freeman, Dianne - A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder #8 Countess of Harleigh, Victorian England
Gatland, Jack - Shadow Threat #9 Tom Marlowe
Gatward, David J - Death Springs #3 DI Gordy Haig
Gibney, Patricia - Hidden Daughters #15 Detective Lottie Parker
Giles, Stewart - The Professor #33 DS Jason Smith
Goddard, Robert - This is the Day They Dream of #2 Inspector Taleb
Golden, Helen - Murder Most Wilde #12 A Right Royal Cozy Investigation Mystery
Govett, S M - Believe
Gray, Claudia - The Rushworth Family Plot #4 Mr Darcy & Miss Tilney
Greenwood, Ross - Death at Fakenham Races #5 DS Ashley Knight, Norfolk
Hannah, Sophie - No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done
Harper, Izzie - Murder at the Wishing Well #9 The Wootton Windmill Mysteries
Higgins, G D - Echoes in the Attic #1 Detective Carrie Ashe
Higgs, Steve - Old Testament #4 Albert Smith
Holland, Sam - The Countdown Killer
Holtom, Robert - A Queer Case #1 Selby Bigge, London, 1920s
Hood, D K - Good Girls Don't Cry #26 Detectives Kane and Alton
Huber, Anna Lee - A Tarnished Canvas #13 Lady Darby, Scotland, 1830s
Hurley, Graham - Kane #10 Wars Within
Hurst, Daniel - You Started It (ebook only) - Short Story
James, Daisy - Retreats, Roulade & Revenge (ebook only) #2 Just Desserts Club Mysteries
James, Syrie - The Secrets of Thorndale Manor #2 Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire
Jennings, Luke - Killing Eve: Resurrection #4 Villanelle, Russian Assassin
Johnston, Anthony - Can You Solve the Murder?
Jónasson, Jón Atli - Broken tr. Quentin Bates
Jordan, G R - Save The King #45 Highlands and Islands
Kabler, Jackie - The Revenge Plot
Kemp, Martin - The Fall
Khavari, Kate - A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge #4 Saffron Everleigh, 1920s, London
King, Laurie R - Knave of Diamonds #19 Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes
Lagercrantz, David - False Note (ebook/audio only) tr. Elizabeth DeNoma - Novella
Lancaster, Mary - Petteril's Baby (ebook only) #8 Lord Petteril
Lawler, Liz - Nobody Saw Him
Lewis, Beth - The Rush
Lewis, David - A Beacon in the Night #2 The Secret Churchill Files
Lloyd, Sam - The Bodies
Lovesey, Peter - The Best of Peter Lovesey Stories - Short Stories
Lynn, H M - The Silent House
McCleave, Simon - Five Days in Provence
McDonagh, Michelle - Some of This is True
Manning, Nina - The Beach Holiday
Mark, David - Don't Say a Word #2 Sal Delaney, Traffic police
Marsay, H L - The Bordeaux Case #1 Emma King
Martin, Faith - Murder Under the Sun #22 DI Hillary Greene, Oxfordshire
Mason, Simon - The Woman Who Laughed #3 Finder
Menuhin, Karen Baugh & Zoe Markham - A Very Elegant Murder #4 Miss Busby investigates
Moore, Ian - Death and Boules #5 Follet Valley Mystery
Morris, M S - A Dying Echo #9 DCI Tom Raven
Morrison, Lynn & Radcliffe Anne - Shadows and Splendour #2 Diamond of the Ton
Mosse, Greg - Murder at the Wedding #6 Maisie Cooper
Nairn, A K - The Dance of Vipers #2 Antoine de Lissieu 16C
Nevin, E C - A Novel Murder
Norman, Sadie - Murder in the Lake #3 Detective Constable Anna McArthur
Obregon, Nicolas - The Sugar Man
O'Neill, Mark - The Kill List #1 Jack Maddox
Organ, Emily - Murder in the Gallery #10 Augusta Peel, 1920s
Parry, Ambrose - The Death of Shame #5 Will Raven & Sarah Fisher, 19C
Peck, Heather - Spinning into the Dark #8 DCI Greg Geldard, Norfolk
Penn, J F - Death Valley
Pennant, Mel - A Murder for Miss Hortense #1 Miss Hortense, Birmingham ***
Penney, Elizabeth - Bodies and Battlements #1 Ravensea Castle
Plant, Nigel - The Ripper's Legacy #3 Reed Hascombe
Probyn, Jack - Death's Scratch #9 DS Tomek Bowen
Rawlins, CM - Death in a Phone Box #3 Maeve Morgan, Scotland, 1920s
Reid, Eliza - Death of a Diplomat
Reid, TG - A Devil's Share #8 DCI Bone
Rhodes, GS - All That Remains #12 DI Benjamin Kidd
Rinder, Rob - The Protest #3 Adam Green
Robotham, Michael - The White Crow #2 PC Philomena McCarthy
Rowney, J E - Wish You Were Her
Russell, Leigh - Poppy Plays Fair
Ryan, Joanne - The Perfect Weekend
Seales, Julia -A Terribly Nasty Business #2 Beatrice Steele
Shapiro, Irina - Murder in Bloody Weald #16 Redmond and Haze
Simpson, Carla - Deadly Attraction #13 Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe, Victorian London
Sinclair, Rob - Dead Reckoning #1 Simon Peake
Skinner, P J - Lethal Secret #8 Seacastle Mystery

Smith, Alex - Cold Iron Kills #18 DCI Robert Kett, Norfolk  
Smith, Miranda - Smile for the Cameras
Tallon, Emma - A Family Betrayal #1 Capello Family
Taylor, Andrew - A Schooling in Murder
Taylor, C L - It's Always the Husband
Taylor, Marsali - An Imposter in Shetland #13 Shetland Sailing Mysteries
Taylor, Stephen - Enemy At the Door #12 Danny Pearson
Tope, Rebecca - The Dacre Dilemma #15 Persimmon Brown, Florist, Lake District
Tustin, Nupur - The Ghost in the Closet #1 Sister Margaret & Michel ***
Uketsu - Strange Houses tr. Jim Rion
Vincent, Yvonne - Cruisers Club #9 Losers Club, Scotland
Walker, Martin - An Enemy in the Village
Walsh, Bridget - The Spirit Guide #3 Variety Palace Mysteries
Ward, Sarah - Quiet Bones #2 Professor Carla James, New England
Watson, Sue - His First Wife
Williams, G J - The Cygnet Prince #3 The Tudor Rose Murders
Wolf, Inger - The Perfect Place to Die (ebook only) tr. Mark Kline #7 Inspector Daniel Trokic, Arhus
Woods, Karen - The Escape
Wright, Adam J - Bury the Maiden (ebook only) #2 Dark Peak Detectives
Wright, G D - Into the Fire #2 DS Sue Willmott
Yarwood, Mark - Track Down #1 Simon Doakes
Yarwood, Mark - Hunt Down #2 Simon Doakes

Cover Theme - Beds

It's been a surprisingly long while since I've done one of these cover theme posts. Earlier themes can be found here.

(Apologies for the slightly odd formatting.)

New Releases - May 2025

I'm still behind so this is what I have for May 2025 (133 titles) and I will make a start on June and so on...

This is still the case though we are now waiting for an operation date - things have been a bit up in the air as my OH was knocked off his bike in early February. He is ok but not back at work yet and may need an operation. So our routines have been changed and I've not been reading as much etc. 

Please note that, unless specifically mentioned, when a book has differing print and ebook release date, I use the print release date. Translators' names are included where known.

Further to my post about writers of colour and the 2024 Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a ***.

 

Alexander, Magda - A Murder in Mayfair #1 Lady Rosalynd and Wynterbourne
Alexander, Magda - Murder at the British Museum #12 Kitty Worthington
Allingham, Merryn - The Venice Murders #11 Flora Steele, Sussex, 1955
Arlidge M J & Lisa Hall - The Mistake
Atkinson, Heather - Savage Blood #5 The Savage Sisters
Barrington, C F - When We Were Killers
Bassett, Isabella - A Case by the Seaside #9 Lady Caroline, 1920s
Batchelor, Penny - The Woman Next Door
Beckerman, Hannah - Three Mothers
Beckham, Bruce - Murder at Blind Beck #25 Detective Inspector Skelgill
Beevis, Keri - The House Sitter
Bennett, Jenna - Peril in Piccadilly #7 Pippa Darling, 1920s
Boland, Shalini - The Birthday Party
Broadfoot, Neil - Exit Wounds #7 Connor Fraser, Stirling
Brolly, Matt - Dead End #5 DCI Michael Lambert
Brown, Benedict - Murder in an Italian Castle #1 Lord Edgington Investigates Abroad
Burrowes, Grace - A Gentleman of Questionable Judgment #9 The Lord Julian Mysteries
Byrne, Ciar - A Lethal Cocktail #2 Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell
Cameron, Will - The Birdman of Sauchiehall Street
Carter, A J - The Missing Child
Chase, Clare - Mystery at Hideaway House #14 Eve Mallow, Saxford St Peter
Churston, B D - Murder at Five Oaks Stables #5 Lady Jane & Mrs Forbes Mystery
Comley, M A - To Hurt Them #17 DI Sam Cobbs
Comley, M A - Garden of Bones #17 DI Sally Parker
Connolly, John - Children of Eve #22 Charlie Parker, PI, Maine
Cooksley, Jody - The Surgeon's House
Cooper, Glenn - The Last Conclave
Cornwell, Steve - Copy, Kill, Repeat
Dalgliesh, J M - When Death Calls #16 Tom Janssen, Norfolk
Dawson, Mark - Leverage (ebook only) #8 Charlie Cooper
Dhand, A A - The Chemist ***
Dixon, Helena - Murder at the English Manor #20 Miss Underhay
Dounaeva, Lorna - The Wedding Party
Dranfield, Wendy - Please Don't Find Me
Durrant, Helen H - The Funeral
Eccles, Marjorie - A Fatal Necessity #6 Detective Inspector Herbert Reardon, 1928
Ellis, Emmy - Roost #40 Cardigan Estate
Ellis, Mark - Death of an Officer #6 Frank Merlin
Evans, Julie - Savage Truth (ebook only) #6 Cornish Crime
Finch, Paul - No Quarter #9 Detective Mark 'Heck' Heckenberg
Ford, Jack - Beyond This Place of Wrath and Tears
Fowler, Deborah - Secrets in St Ives #2 St Ives Mysteries
Fraine, A L - Just a Game #7 Detective Loxley, Nottinghamshire
Frankland, Maria - Ties That Bind
Freud, Emily - The Cliffhanger
Garratt, Charlie - The Thief-Taker's Apprentice #1 Meg Valentine
Golding, Julia - The Wordsworth Key #3 Regency Secrets
Gray, Lisa - Dead of Night
Greene, Morgan - The Fury #2 Solomon Church
Hamdy, Adam & James Patterson - Private Dublin #20 Private series
Hanley, C B - A Pale Horse #9 Edwin Weaver, C13
Harte, Stephanie - Double Cross #3 The Kennedy Twins
Haywood, R R - Murder Crime On Gallymay
Heley, Veronica - False Gold #18 Bea Abbott, Sixty-something owner of The Abbott (Domestic) Agency
High, Kate - Small Acts of Deceit
Howell, Lis - Killer By Candlelight #6 The Norbridge Chronicles
Hunter, Alice - The Perfect Psychopath
Huntley, Jessica - Room 21
James, Daisy - Parties, Pavlova & Poison #1 Just Desserts Club Mysteries
James, Evelyn - For King and Country #35 Clara Fitzgerald
Jenkins, Victoria - The Woman in Our Marriage
Jordan, G R - None Too Precious #44 Highlands and Islands
Kane, Alex - The Second Wife
Khan, Vaseem - The Girl In Cell A ***
Kidd, Michelle - No Red Lines #7 DI Jack MacIntosh
Kinsey, T E - The Beast of Littleton Woods #12 Lady Emily Hardcastle, 1908
Kitson, Bill - Dead or Alive #18 Detective Mike Nash, Yorkshire
Klein, Brian - The Spider Covenant
Kone, Remi - Innocent Guilt #1 DI Leah Hutch, London ***
Koning, Christina - Murder in Oxford #9 The Blind Detective, 1920s
Kyriacou, Eleni - A Beautiful Way to Die
Lawton, John - Smoke and Embers #8 Chief Inspector Frederick Troy, post WW2
Leadbeater, David - The Sacred Mask #13 Relic Hunters
Lee, M J - The Bones of Chester (ebook only) #3 DI Emma Christie
Leitch, Fiona - The Cornish Castle Murder #8 Jodie 'Nosey' Parker, Chef
Lucarelli, Carlo - The Darkest Winter tr. Joseph Farrell #1 Inspector De Luca, Italy in 1944 Prequel
MacBride, Stuart - This House of Burning Bones #13 DS Logan McRae, Aberdeen
McGilloway, Brian - The One You Least Suspect
McLean, Rachel & Joel Hames - The Pool #1 Cumbria Crime Novella
McLean, Rachel & Joel Hames - The Wood #6 Cumbria Crime
McTiernan, Dervla - The Unquiet Grave #4 Cormac Reilly
Mackenzie, M R - The Secrets We Keep #6 Anna Scavolini
Mara, Andrea - It Should Have Been You
Meyrick, Denzil - Last Orders #12 DCI Daley
Miller, Venezia - Painter #1 The Stockholm Killings
Moore, Donna - The Devil's Draper

Morton, Mandy - Death of a Sandscratcher #14 The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency
Murray, Jack - The Maypole Murders #4 Kit and Mary Aston
Nadel, Barbara - The Wooden Library #27 Cetin Ikmen, Policeman, Istanbul
Noel, Sarah F - An Enigmatic Woman #10 Tabitha & Wolf
Norman, Sadie - Murder in Norfolk (apa Catfish (2024) #1 Detective Constable Anna McArthur

North, Alex - The Man Made of Smoke 
North, Ely - Wicker Girl #10 DCI Finnegan, Yorkshire
North, Lauren - For Better, For Worse
Nunn, Kayte - The Palazzo
Oldham, Nick - Death on Wolf Fell #2 Jessica Raker
Parris, S J - Traitor's Legacy #1 Sophia de Wolfe, Elizabethan era
Parry, Ambrose - The Apple Falls Not Far (audio/ebook only) - Raven and Fisher world - Novella
Pavii, Jurica - Red Water tr. Matt Robinson
Pearce, Biba - The Putney Bridge Killer #8 Rob Miller, Police, London
Pettinger, Mark - Desperate Silence #1 Detective Inspector Paul Calvert
Phifer, Helen - Twisted Bones #15 Detective Morgan Brookes
Rawlins, CM - Death in a Prison Cell #2 Maeve Morgan, Scotland, 1920s
Reeves, S A - A Legacy of Lies #3 The Bookshop Mysteries
Reynolds, Rod - Shatter Creek #2 Detective Casey Wray, USA
Rhodes, Tyler - Campfires and Dead Liars #14 Max's Campervan Case Files
Rigby, Sally - Question of Guilt #7 Sebastian Clifford
Robotham, M J - Mrs Spy
Russell, Leigh - Cold Justice #23 DI Geraldine Steel
Ryan, Chris - Second Strike
Salisbury, Emma - One Good Reason #1 DS Chris Ashcroft, Manchester
Sampson, Freya - The Busybody Book Club
Sherratt, Mel - Safe at Home
Sinclair, J R - Shadows of the Mind #6 DI Joseph Stone
Smith, Alex - A Long-Dead Thing #1 DI Harrison Baird, Suffolk
Smith, Nikki - They Had It Coming
Smith, Wilbur & David Churchill - Crossfire #25 Courtney
Spargo, B D - Witch Hunt #2 DCI Liam Doyle
Staincliffe, Cath - Fire on the Fells #2 Detectives Donovan & Young
Stephens, D B - The Serial Killer Support Group
Stonex, Emma - The Sunshine Man
Tait, Victoria - An Auction of Secrets #1 Cotswold Antique Mystery
Thynne, Jane - The Judgement of Stars #6 Clara Vine
Toyne, Simon - Dead Water #3 Laughton Rees
Travers, Lydia - Death at the Highland Loch #1 Lady Poppy Proudfoot
Turner, M K - Close To Home #18 Meredith & Hodge
Waller, Anita - The Missing Ones
Wells, Kate - Killer at the County Show #5 Jude Gray
Wilkinson, Kerry - Your Husband's Fault
Williams, T A - Murder at the Ponte Vecchio #11 Armstrong and Oscar
Wishart, David - Dead in the Water #22 Marcus Corvinus, Ancient Rome
Wolf, Rachel - Sun Trap
Wray, C J - Bad Influence

New Releases - April 2025

I'm still behind so this is what I have for April 2025 (102 titles) and I will make a start on May and now June! 

This is still the case - things have been a bit up in the air as my OH was knocked off his bike in early February. He is ok but not back at work yet and may need an operation. So our routines have been changed and I've not been reading as much etc. 

Please note that, unless specifically mentioned, when a book has differing print and ebook release date, I use the print release date. Translators' names are included where known.

Further to my post about writers of colour and the 2024 Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a ***.

 

Allen, Jo - Death on the Small Screen #12 DCI Jude Satterthwaite, Lake District
Amsinck, Heidi - Out of the Dark #4 Jensen
Ashkanani, Tariq - The Midnight King ***
Bailey, Anna - Our Last Wild Days
Baker, J A - The Good Daughter
Barnes, Kerry - Mercy Denied #4 Carrie Verne
Bettany, Jane - Murder on Bluebell Hill #4 Violet Brewster
Blackhurst, Jenny - The Final Wife
Brett, Simon - Death in the Dressing Room #22 Carole and Jude, Fethering, Southern coast of England
Brett, Simon - Major Bricket and the Circus Corpse #1 Major Bricket
Browne, Sheryl - My Loving Husband
Callaghan, Jo - Human Remains #3 Kat and Lock
Carson, John - Always the Quiet Ones #6 DCI James Craig
Cartmel, Andrew - Underscore #8 Vinyl Detective Mysteries
Cartwright, Jack - The Devil Inside Her #4 Deadly Wolds Murder Mystery
Casey, Jane - The Secret Room #12 DC Maeve Kerrigan
Cercas, Javier - Fortress of Evil tr. Anne McLean #3 A Terra Alta Investigation
Chester, Fliss - Death in an English Village #7 Cressida Fawcett, 1920s
Child, Andrew - You Shook Me All Night Long (ebook only) - Jack Reacher short story
Clarke, Georgina - Viper in the Nest #3 Lizzie Hardwicke
Comley, M A - Shadows of Deception #27 DI Sara Ramsey
Conroy, Vivian - Death on the Rhine #5 Miss Ashford
Coombs, Alex - Death of a Mystery Guest #4 Old Forge Cafe Mystery
Cry, Morgan - The Cost #1 Blake Glover
Cummins, Fiona - A Boy Called Saul (Quick Reads)
Dapunt, Veronika - Death and Other Occupational Hazards
Davis, Lindsey - There Will Be Bodies #13 Flavia Albia, the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco
Dean, Abigail - The Death of Us
Dennison, Hannah - A Fatal Feast at Honeychurch Hall #11 Kat Stanford
Dixon, Helena - The Seaside Murders #2 Miss Jane Treen, London, 1940s
Dodd, Christina - What Dreams May Come (ebook only) - Daughter of Montague - Novella
Douglas, Stuart - Death at the Playhouses #2 Lowe and Le Breton, 1970s
Dylan, Rhys - One Less Snake #16 DCI Evan Warlow
Eldridge, Jim - Murder at St Paul's Cathedral #7 Detective Chief Inspector Coburg & Sergeant Lampson
Elliott, Anna & Veley, Charles - The Judas Monk Murders #4 The Homefront Sleuths
Flynn, Sophie - The Other Miss Jones
Galloway, K T - The Ghost Portrait #12 O'Malley & Swift
Gatland, Jack - Stand and Deliver #22 DI Declan Walsh
Giles, Stewart - Fury on the Island #15 DI Liam O'Reilly, Guernsey
Gold, Robert - Nine Hidden Lives #4 Ben Harper
Greene, Morgan - The First Snow of Winter #12 DI Jamie Johansson
Hall, Emylia - The Arts Trail Killer #5 Shell House Detectives, Cornwall
Harman, Sarah - All the Other Mothers Hate Me
Harper, Bradley - The Exchange Principle (ebook only) - Margaret Harkness and Arthur Conan Doyle - Novella
Harris, C S - Who Will Remember #20 Sebastian St. Cyr, Regency England
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia - Easeful Death #25 Bill Slider, Shepherd's Bush CID
Hayes, Samantha - The Marriage Rules
Hegarty, Louise - Fair Play
Hicks, Andrea - The Diplomat Who Vanished #1 Ottilie Divine
Hooton, Richard - The Margaret Code
Horowitz, Anthony - Marble Hall Murders #3 Susan Ryland
Hunt, Rosie - Murder by the Thames #8 Lady Felicity Quick, 1920s
Hunter, Evie - Dirty Business
Hurst, Daniel - My Secret Ex
Hussey, William - Burying Jericho #3 Killing Jericho
Jensen, Louise - The Liar
Jones, Conrad - Cuckoos on the Mersey 4 #4 Cuckoos on the Mersey
Kirk, JD - My Daughter Is Missing
Koff, Clea - Deadly Evidence #2 Jayne and Steelie, Forensic Anthropologists, USA
La Plante, Lynda - Crucified #5 DC Jack Warr
Lackberg, Camilla & Fexeus, Henrik - Mirage tr. Ian Giles #3 Detective Mina Dabiri & Mentalist Vincent Walter
Lewis, Susan - Don't Believe a Word #2 Cristy Ward
Louth, Nick - The Dark Edge #3 DI Jan Talantire, Devon
McCleave, Simon - Deadly Care #3 Frank Marshal
McLean, Rachel & Ravensworth, Millie - The Dorset Cream Tea Mystery - The Lyme Regis Women's Swimming Club - Novella
McLean, Rachel & Ravensworth, Millie - The Lyme Regis Women's Swimming Club #1 The Lyme Regis Women's Swimming Club
McLean, Rachel & Ravensworth, Millie - Murderous Mystery Tours - Short Stories
McPherson, Catriona - The Edinburgh Murders #17 Dandy Gilver, Society Sleuth, 1920s Scotland
Mariani, Scott - The Pilgrim's Revenge #1 Will Bowman, 12C
Marlowe, Deb - Betrayal from Beyond #6 Kier and Levett, Victorian Era
Maslen, Andy - The Lying Man #4 Detective Kat Ballantyne
Miller, Zoe - The Girls' Trip
Mitchell, Dreda and Carter, Ryan - Gone ***
Morgan, Anna-Marie - The Scaffold Murders #5 DI Grant McKenzie
Nadal, Jay - A Matter of Justice #14 DI Karen Heath
Nicholl, John - The Boyfriend
Nickson, Chris - No Precious Truth #1 Sergeant Cathy Marsden, Leeds, 1940s
Nixon, Keith - What the Dead Know #15 Solomon Gray
Nore, Aslak - The Heirs of the Arctic tr. Sean Kinsella #2 The Falck Saga
O'Sullivan, Darren - Win or Die
Paton, Maureen - The Mystery at Rake Hall #1 C S Lewis Investigates
Rawlins, CM - Death in a Classroom #1 Maeve Morgan, Scotland, 1920s
Riches, Marnie - The Gardeners' Club #1 Gill Swanley
Russell, Michael - The Dead City #9 Garda Detective Stefan Gillespie
Rutherford, Robert - The Missing Hour
Samuel, Peter - The Blood-Red Fountain #2 Inspector Rupert
Sarginson, Saskia - One Dark Summer
Scarrow, Alex - The Fool #12 DCI Boyd
Seymour, Gerald - A Duty of Care #5 Jonas Merrick
Skelly, April J - A Lethal Engagement #1 Cora Beaumont, 1890s
Smith, Fiona Veitch - The Penford Manor Murders #4 Miss Clara Vale, 1929
Smith, Miranda - Did You See Evie?
Sullivan, Emily - A Death on Corfu #1 Minnie Harper
Sutherland, John - The Castle
Thomas, Will - Season of Death #16 Barker and Llewelyn, Victorian London
Trow, M J - Maxwell's Reality #22 Peter Maxwell, Teacher
Vine, Jeremy - Murder on Line One
Watkin, Sean - Black Water Rising #1 DCI de Silva
Wood, Michael - The Devil's Code #2 Dr Olivia Winter
Zander-Howell, Peter - Death in Piccadilly #3 David Adair
Zander-Howell, Peter - The Devon Murders #14 Chief Inspector Bryce Murder, 1950s