New Reviews: Arjouni, Hayes, Kasasian, Malliet, Muir, L Russell, M Russell, Smith, Staincliffe

This first set of reviews for 2014, added to the Euro Crime website today, is a mixture of new reviews and a catch-up of those posted directly on the blog in the last few weeks, so you may have read some of them before if you're a regular :).

Euro Crime took a break over the festive period in terms of reviews however the review team revealed their favourite discoveries of 2013 in a series of posts. Currently we are part-way through unveiling the review team's favourite reads of 2013. After the individual lists have been posted I will tally them all up and reveal the overall favourite Euro Crime authors, titles and translators of 2013.

NB. Keep up to date with Euro Crime by following the blog and/or liking the Euro Crime Facebook page.

New Reviews

Lynn Harvey reviews Jakob Arjouni's final book, the fifth in the Kayankaya series, Brother Kemal, tr. Anthea Bell and she recommends it to "to all lovers of mean streets and wily detectives";

Terry Halligan reviews one of the "big" books of 2013, I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes calling it an "absolutely tremendous book";

I review The Mangle Street Murders by M R C Kasasian which is my favourite discovery of the year;

Susan White reviews the seasonal A Fatal Winter by American author G M Malliet which is perhaps one more for cosy fans;

Michelle Peckham reviews T F Muir's Life for a Life the fourth in the St Andrews-set DI Andy Gilchrist series, saying it's a "great read";

Amanda Gillies reviews Leigh Russell's Cold Sacrifice which is the first in a spin-off series featuring DS Ian Peterson;

Geoff reviews The City of Strangers by Michael Russell, the second in the Stefan Gillespie series, set in 1939;

Terry also reviews Anna Smith's Screams in the Dark the third in the Rosie Gilmour series, set in 1999



and Rich Westwood reviews the second of the Scott & Bailey novelisations, Bleed Like Me by Cath Staincliffe.


Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year.

Favourite Discoveries 2013 (4)

Today's instalment of favourite discoveries of 2013 comes from reviewer Geoff Jones, who has two authors he wants to mention.

Geoff Jones' Favourite Discoveries of 2013

Michael Russell has written two books and it is the second one that I’ve read, THE CITY OF STRANGERS. Set in Ireland and New York just before the commencement of the Second World War. Very well-written, atmospheric, well researched including some real people such as a Catholic priest who preached against America joining the war. The hero is a Garda sergeant, Stefan Gillespie, who on an assignment to bring a murder suspect back to Ireland from America, gets involved in helping a beautiful Irish woman and her sister. I haven’t yet read the author's first novel THE CITY OF STRANGERS but will remedy that soon. He is married and living in West Wicklow, Ireland. Previous career highlights include writing scripts for Midsummer Murders and Emmerdale.

Read Geoff's whole review of THE CITY OF STRANGERS.

Elly Griffiths lives in Brighton with her husband, children and two cats; she was born in London but sets her books in the wild desolate Norfolk countryside. Her husband trained to be an Archaeologist and this lead her to writing books featuring the Ruth Galloway character. I initially picked the book for my Lincolnshire village book group. I wasn’t around when it was reviewed but as it seemed to be well received I eventually read THE CROSSING PLACES - a good and interesting read.

She has written a further five Ruth Galloway books and I’ve downloaded THE JANUS STONE to read next. She brings alive the haunting Norfolk coastline. 

Elly Griffiths's Euro Crime bibliography with reviews is here.

Review: The City of Strangers by Michael Russell

The City of Strangers by Michael Russell, November 2013, 432 pages, Avon, ISBN: 1847563473

Reviewed by Geoff Jones.
(Read more of Geoff's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

THE CITY OF STRANGERS is set in Ireland and New York in 1939. Stefan Gillespie is a Garda police sergeant. Once a prospective high flyer in Dublin, he has for a variety of reasons moved to a backwater to police the area around Baltinglass. Since his wife died he and his son Tom have lived with Stefan’s parents on their farm below Kilranelagh. The family are from German descent and are worried about the impending war.

Stefan is called to Dublin to undertake a journey to New York to bring back the actor Owen Harris who is suspected of having killed his mother. On the transatlantic flying boat he meets up with an American, Dominic Carroll, who is the leader of Clan na Gael supporting the IRA in their fight for a united country.

Once in the city Stefan is amazed at the size and vibrancy. The World’s Fair exhibition is opening and he meets up with Captain John Cavendish, ostensibly looking at security at the exhibition, but also part of Ireland’s special branch. John is helping Kate O’Donnell who is trying to get her sister Niamh out of an asylum and away from her American husband Dominic Carroll.

When John is killed, Stefan decides to help Kate and together with the aid of the Jewish leader of the local mob - Longie Zwillman, they embark on a dangerous plan. Will it succeed and will Stefan get his prisoner back to Ireland?

THE CITY OF STRANGERS is rich with characters like the black jazz musician and lover of Niamh, Jimmy Palmer; some are real characters like the IRA leader Sean Russell and the radical Roman Catholic preacher, father Charles Coughlin, who preached on his radio show, against America joining the war.

It is also very well researched. I didn’t realise the extent of the dislike of Britain by some Americans (particularly Irish immigrants). The conflicting emotions as the Nazis make their moves on Europe are tensely described. I will certainly purchase the author’s preceding book THE CITY OF SHADOWS. He read English at Oxford and besides working on a farm in Devon, worked in TV as a producer. He and his family now live in Ireland.

Very much recommended.

Geoff Jones, December 2013