New Releases - May 2024

Here's a snapshot of what I think was published for the first time in May 2024 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). 113 titles this month. If I've missed anything or got the date wrong, do please leave a comment. 

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 Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a ***.

Allan, Claire - The Affair
Arlidge, M J & Julia Crouch - The Wrong Child
Baldwin, Jackie - Murder at Whiteadder House #3 Detective Grace McKenna, Edinburgh
Bell, Alice - Displeasure Island #2 Claire Hendricks
Belshaw, T A - Murder on the Medway #4 Amy Rowlings, 1939
Blómkvist, Stella - Murder Under the Midnight Sun tr. Quentin Bates #8 Stella Blómkvist, Lawyer
Bond, Martha - Murder in the Bay #4 Lottie Sprigg Country House
Brody, Frances - Six Motives for Murder #2 Nell Lewis, Prison Governor, Yorkshire, 1960s
Brook, Lee - The Stalker's Twisted Game #16 West Yorkshire Crime
Buckley, Fiona - To Seize a Queen #23 Ursula Blanchard, an Elizabethan lady
Burrowes, Grace - A Gentleman in Search of a Wife #5 The Lord Julian Mysteries
Calvey, Linda - Faith
Campbell, AJ - Did I Kill My Husband?
Cartwright, Jack - A Secret To Die For #2 DCI Cook, Lincolnshire
Christer, Sam - Jasmine, Rose Petals and Murder (ebook only)
Connolly, John - The Instruments of Darkness #21 Charlie Parker, PI, Maine
Cooksley, Jody - The Small Museum
Creed, Ben - Man of Bones #3 Revol Rossel
Cress, Penelope & Higgs, Steve - Death by Dickens #1 Mike Atwell
Dawson, Mark - Dead of Winter (ebook only) #4 Charlie Cooper
Dixon Helena Murder on the French Riviera 16 Miss Underhay
Ellis, Emmy - Grabbed #4 DI Tracy Collier
Ellis, Emmy - Sunk #5 DI Tracy Collier
Ellis, Emmy - Rhombus #28 Cardigan Estate
Field, David - Unhallowed Ground #1 DCI Mike Saxby
Field, David - The Slaughtered Widow #3 Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mysteries
Flatland, Helga - Toxic tr. Matt Bagguley
Ford, P F - Death in a Skip #8 Slater and Norman
Ford, P F - Death of a Pensioner #9 Slater and Norman
Fraine, A L - An Ill Wind #6 Detective Loxley, Nottinghamshire
Galloway, K T - Vanishing Act #9 O'Malley & Swift
Gardner, Ashley - A Darkness in Seven Dials #17 Captain Lacey, Regency Era
Gardner, Frank - Invasion #4 Luke Carlton, Ex-Special Boat Service commando
Gatland, Jack - Broad Sword #6 Tom Marlowe
Grant, Tracy - The O'Roarke Affair #29 Rannoch Fraser
Greene, Morgan - The Trade
Greenwood, Ross - Death in Bacton Wood #3 DS Ashley Knight, Norfolk
Harris, Theo - Born to Kill #7 DC Kendra March
Harrow, Ruth - The Guilty Girl
Hawkswood, Sarah - Litany of Lies #12 Bradecote and Catchpoll, Worcestershire, C12
Hayder, Mo - Bonehead
Hedgecock, Liz & Harmon, Paula - Murder at Work #5 Booker & Fitch
Holland, Sam - The Puppet Master #3 Major Crimes
Hood, D K - Eyes Tight Shut #22 Detectives Kane and Alton
Hunter, Alice - Bad Apple
Hunter, Evie - The Takedown
Hurst, Daniel - The Family Trip
James, P C - Ramsay and the Smuggling Ring #2 One Man and His Dog, 1960s
James, Peter - They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story #20 Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, Brighton
Jordan, G R - The Esoteric Tear #32 Highlands and Islands
Kabler, Jackie - The Life Sentence
Kinsey, T E - An Assassination on the Agenda #11 Lady Emily Hardcastle, 1908
Kovach, Carla - Her Last Goodbye #15 Detective Gina Harte
Lackberg, Camilla - The Cuckoo tr. Ian Giles #11 Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck, Fjallbacka
Lane, Anna Sayburn - Death at Chelsea #3 Marjorie, 1920s
Louth, Nick - The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle #1 DI Jan Talantire, Devon
Lynch, Rachel - Shared Remains #12 DI Kelly Porter, Lake District
McCleave, Simon - The Llangollen Killings #19 DI Ruth Hunter
McGowan, Claire - Truth Truth Lie
MacIntyre, Colin - When the Needle Drops #1 Mull Mysteries
McLean, Rachel (with Joel Hames) - The Cairn #3 Cumbria Crime
McLean, Rachel (with Millie Ravensworth) - Death at St Paul's Cathedral #5 Diana Bakewell
MacNeal, Susan Elia - The Last Hope #11 Maggie Hope
McPherson, Catriona - The Witching Hour #16 Dandy Gilver, Society Sleuth, 1920s Scotland
McPhillips, Fiona - When We Were Silent
Mackenzie, M R - The Reckoning #5 Anna Scavolini
Madeley, Richard - Father's Day
Manning, Nina - Her Last Summer
Mariani, Scott - The Golden Library #29 Ben Hope, Ex-SAS
Markin, Wes - The Secret Diary of Lacey Ray #8 DCI Yorke
Marsons, Angela - Guilty Mothers #20 DI Kim Stone
Martin, Faith - Murder On the Train #21 DI Hillary Greene, Oxfordshire
Maslen, Andy - The Unseen Sister #2 Detective Kat Ballantyne
Mason, Kelly - A Mystery at Moor House #3 Lady Ellen Investigates, 1920s
Masters, S R - How to Kill with Kindness
Matheson, Nadine -The Kill List #3 DI Henley, London ***
Menuhin, Karen Baugh - The Twelve Saints of Christmas #12 Heathcliff Lennox Investigates
Meyrick, Denzil - The Estate
Mistry, Liz - The Blood Promise #1 Solanki and McQueen, Scotland
Morgan, Phoebe - The Trip
Morrison, Lynn & Radcliffe, Anne - The Missing Diamond #1 The Crown Jewels Regency Mysteries
Morton, Mandy - The Suspicions of Mr Whisker #13 The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency
Mukherjee, Abir - Hunted ***
Myers, Amy - Murder at Tanton Towers #1 Cara Shelly, café owner
Nadel, Barbara - The Darkest Night #26 Cetin Ikmen, Policeman, Istanbul
Nagendra, Harini - A Nest of Vipers #3 The Bangalore Detectives Club, 1920s ***
Nixon, Keith - A Deadly Truth #10 Solomon Gray
Norek, Olivier - Between Two Worlds tr. Nick Caistor
O'Sullivan, Darren - The Night They Stole My Baby
Pastor, Ben - The Venus of Salo #8 Wehrmacht Captain Martin Bora, 1939
Penrose, Andrea - The Thunder of Stones #8 Lady Arianna Hadley, Regency England
Phifer, Helen - The Girls on Floor 13 #3 Detective Maria Miller
Reynolds, Amanda - Her Husband's Lie
Rhodes, Tyler - A Comedy of Terrors #7 Max's Campervan Case Files
Robards, Karen - Some Murders in Berlin
Ross, L J - Death Rocks #21 DCI Ryan
Rowson, Pauline - Death on Board #5 Inspector Alun Ryga, Dorset
Ryan, Chris - Traitor
Shaw, William - The Wild Swimmers #5 DS Alexandra Cupidi
Siciliano, Sam - The Gentleman Burglar #9 Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Smith, Nikki - The Guests
Spencer, Tom - The Mystery of the Crooked Man
Staincliffe, Cath - The Fells #1 Detectives Donovan & Young
Stratmann, Linda - Sherlock Holmes and the Mycroft Incident #7 Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
Tay, Tania - The Other Woman ***
Taylor, Marsali - Death at a Shetland Festival #12 Shetland Sailing Mysteries
Torrance, Gaynor - The Boy in the Reeds #7 DI Jemima Huxley, Cardiff
Walker, Fiona - The Village Detectives and the Art of Murder #1 Village Detectives
Walker, Rosie - My Husband's Ex
Wassmer, Julie - Murder at the Allotment #10 Pearl Nolan, Whitstable
Watson, Sue - You, Me, Her
Weston, Kate - You May Now Kill the Bride
Williams, T A - Murder on the Italian Riviera #7 Armstrong and Oscar

New Releases - April 2024

Here's a snapshot of what I think was published for the first time in April 2024 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). 120 titles this month. If I've missed anything or got the date wrong, do please leave a comment. 

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 Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a ***.

Abell, Stig - Death in a Lonely Place #2 Jake Jackson
Adams, Jane A - The Nail #5 DI Mike Croft
Alexander, Magda - Murder at a Funeral #9 Kitty Worthington
Amsinck, Heidi - Back From the Dead #3 Jensen
Aubrey, Daniel - Dark Island #1 Freya Sinclair, Reporter, Orkney
Bagshawe, Tilly - The Secret Keepers
Bailey, Murray - Singapore Rain (ebook only) #1 Ash Carter Novella
Black, Ricky - Street Deeds #5 Dunn Family
Bowen, Rhys (with Clare Broyles) - In Sunshine or in Shadow #20 Molly Murphy, PI, 1900s New York
Bradley, Rebecca - Shattered Silence (ebook only) #10 DI Hannah Robbins
Brolly, Matt - The Alliance
Brook, Lee - Beneath the Surface #15 West Yorkshire Crime
Brown, Benedict - The Puzzle of Parham House #13 Lord Edgington Investigates
Buchholz, Simone - The Kitchen tr. Rachel Ward #2 Chastity Riley reloaded
Bugler, Sheila - Dark Road Home
Cambridge, Colleen - A Murder Most French #2 An American In Paris Mystery
Campbell, AJ - My Perfect Marriage
Campling, Michael - Lawful Duty #1 Detective Constable Spiller, 1990s
Carroll, B M - One of Us is Missing (ebook only)
Cartwright, Jack - Into Death's Arms #12 Wild Fens Murder Mystery
Chapman, Julia - Date with Justice #9 The Dales Detective Series
Chase, Clare - Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove #12 Eve Mallow, Saxford St Peter
Chester, Fliss - Death in the Crypt #5 Cressida Fawcett, 1920s
Chowdhury, Ajay - The Spy #4 Kamil Rahman ***
Coombs, Alex - Death in Nonna's Kitchen #2 Old Forge Cafe Mystery
Dahl, Alex - Girl Friends
Davis, Lindsey - Death on the Tiber #12 Flavia Albia, the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco
Dawson, Mark - Bloodlands #23 John Milton
Dean, John - To Catch a Lie #11 Detective Chief Inspector Jack Harris
Dranfield, Wendy - Grave Mountain #7 Detective Madison Harper, Colorado
Dylan, Rhys - A Matter of Evidence #12 DCI Evan Warlow
Edwards, Mark - The Darkest Water
Ellis, Emmy - Crushed #2 DI Tracy Collier
Ellis, Emmy - Skinned #3 DI Tracy Collier
Ellis, J R - The Canal Murders #10 Detective Chief Inspector Oldroyd, Yorkshire
Fields, Helen - Profile K
Ford, P F - Death in Wild Boar Woods #6 Slater and Norman
Ford, P F - Death in the River #7 Slater and Norman
Frear, Caz - Five Bad Deeds
Freud, Emily - Her Last Summer
Gallagher, Charlie - The Girls Upstairs #9 Detective Maddie Ives
Gauntlett, A E - The Stranger at the Wedding
Giles, Stewart - The Loner #27 DS Jason Smith
Golden, Kelly - The Perfect Teacher
Golding, Julia - The Persephone Code
Grace, Fiona - A Mystery in Bloom: Murder in the Marigolds #1 Alice Bloom
Grace, Fiona - An Impossible Heist #5 The Maid and the Mansion
Hall, J M - A Clock Stopped Dead #3 Retired schoolteachers Liz, Pat and Thelma
Halsall, Rona - Bride and Groom
Hamdy, Adam (with James Patterson) - Private Monaco #19 Private series
Harris, C S - What Cannot Be Said #19 Sebastian St. Cyr, Regency England
Harte, Stephanie - Double Trouble #1 The Kennedy Twins
Heald, Ruth - My Husband's Affair
Hedges, Carol - Pride & Pestilence #11 Victorian Detectives
Hewitt, J M - The Perfect Village
Hollingdrake, Malcolm - Edge of the Land #3 Merseyside Crime Series
Horowitz, Anthony - Close to Death #5 Detective Daniel Hawthorne
Hurst, Daniel - The Doctor's Child #4 The Doctor's Wife
Hurst, Mark - My Partner's Friend
James, Ed - With Soul So Dead (ebook only) #5 DI Rob Marshall
January, Ava - The Mayfair Dagger
Jensen, Louise - The Intruders
Kara, Lesley - The Other Tenant
Kasasian, M R C - The Montford Maniac #2 Violet Thorn
Keel, Ellie - The Four
Kelly, Erin - The House of Mirrors
Kirk, JD - Where the Pieces Lie #19 DCI Logan
Lancaster, Mary - Petteril's Wife #5 Lord Petteril
Lee, M J - The Coffin in the Wall #1 DI Emma Christie
Leigh, Judy - Bloodshed on the Boards #2 Morwenna Mutton, Librarian, Cornwall
Lewis, Susan - A Sicilian Affair
Lindsay, Douglas - The Last Great Detective #6 DI Buchan
Lowe, Andrew - Tender is the North #9 DI Jake Sawyer
McDine, A J - The Baby
Mackay, N J - The Sweetheart Killer #2 DI Sebastian Locke
Maitland, K J - A Plague of Serpents #4 Daniel Pursglove
Mitchell, Caroline - The Last Guest House
Morgan, Anna-Marie - The Powys Murders #22 DI Yvonne Giles
Morrison, Lynn - The Cryptic Cold Case #7 Dora and Rex, 1920s
Mosse, Greg - The Coming Storm #2 Alexandre Lamarque
Mosse, Greg - Murder at the Theatre #3 Maisie Cooper
Murray, Andrew Hunter - A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering
Nadal, Jay - Stakes Are High #11 DI Karen Heath
Negus, Trevor - The First Cut #12 DI Danny Flint
New, Jacqueline - Hand of the Wolf #3 DCI McNeill, Edinburgh
Noel, Sarah F - A Discerning Woman #6 Tabitha & Wolf
Nore, Aslak - The Sea Cemetery tr. Deborah Dawkin
North, L C - Clickbait
Organ, Emily - The Baker Street Murders #7 Augusta Peel, 1920s
Parker, Kate - Deadly Gamble #11 Olivia Denis, 1930s London
Piazza, Jo - The Sicilian Inheritance
Probyn, Jack - Death's Taste #5 DS Tomek Bowen
Puleston, Stephen - Looking Good Dead #12 Inspector Drake
Reich, Christopher - Matterhorn #1 Mac Dekker
Rutherford, Robert - Seven Days
Samuel, Peter - A Love to Remember #1 Inspector Rupert
Sargeant, Rachel - Her Deadly Friend #1 DI Steph Lewis, Gloucestershire
Sellers, Daniel - Murder on the Clyde #3 Detective Lola Harris, Glasgow
Shenjé, Kuchenga - The Library Thief ***
Sherwood, Kim - A Spy Like Me #2 Double O Trilogy (world of James Bond)
Silva, Jo - Death Comes to St Ives #3 The Edge of the World Detective Agency
Simms, Chris - Midnight Rambler
Smith, Alex - Truly Madly Deadly #15 DCI Robert Kett, Norfolk
Smith, Miranda - The Writer
Spain, Jo - The Trial
Stacey, L H - Buried Secrets
Stewart, Laura - Death at the Hunting Lodge #3 Amelia Adams, Scotland
Stockham, Alison - The New Girl
Stone, Dan - Hidden Enemy #3 Jack Kane
Sutton, Paula - The Potting Shed Murder #1 Hill House Vintage Murder Mysteries ***
Thomas, Russ - Sleeping Dogs #4 Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler, South Yorkshire
Thomas, Scarlett - The Sleepwalkers
Tyce, Harriet - A Lesson in Cruelty
Waller, Anita - The Girls Next Door
Walsh, Bridget - The Innocents #2 Variety Palace Mysteries
Whitehouse, Lucie - Last Witness #3 Ex-DI Robin Osborne, Birmingham
Whitelaw, Jonathan - The Concert Hall Killer #3 Bingo Hall Detectives
Wilkinson, Kerry - The Call
Williams, Jen - The Hungry Dark
Wingate, Marty - A Body at the Dance Hall #3 London Ladies' Murder Club

What I'm Reading...

 

I'm currently reading Petrona entry You Will Never Be Found by Tove Alsterdal translated by Alice Menzies. This is the second in the High Coast series set in Sweden, three titles are available so far.

I would strongly recommend reading the first, first (!) - We Know You Remember - as there are significant spoilers for it in You Will Never Be Found. 

I am enjoying this series with its somewhat remote rural setting and a lead character who is at home with it and knows all the local information. She also has a mother with early onset Alzheimer's which she has to manage and a brother who has gone off the rails.

 

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Longlist - Authors of Colour

When the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Longlist was announced there was some backlash, most noticeably about the "entirely white longlist" [The Guardian]. Since then there has been further clarification on the judging process and an invitation for underrepresented parts of society to get in touch:

"We are always interested to hear from potential members within the industries listed above to join the Awards Academy. We are particularly keen to hear from those who feel they would bring a different perspective to our existing Academy and who can help us achieve our aim of being truly representative of all sections of society – including those who may be underrepresented in the UK crime writing scene – this includes, but is not limited to, individuals of colour, those with disabilities, individuals from the LGBT+ communities or from working class backgrounds. Please contact info@harrogate-festival.org.uk for further information."

The following information on the judging process is excerpted from their FAQ (the underlining is mine):

Submissions for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year are open to all publishers, who are invited to submit up to three titles per imprint. Novels written by UK and Irish passport holders are eligible and titles must be published in paperback for the first time from 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2024.  There is no fee at point of entry. The longlist of 18 titles is selected by the Awards Academy.

The Awards Academy is made up of over 30 journalists, reviewers, booksellers, bloggers & podcasters and representatives from within the industry. It includes members from a number of minority communities. The Festival Programming Committee and representatives from all Awards sponsors and partners are also included in the Academy. From 2025, Awards Academy members will be offered a fee for their contribution on the Academy.

All titles are available digitally to all members of the Academy. The Awards Academy members are all avid readers of crime fiction, so we expect they will already have read a significant number of the books that are submitted for longlisting over the course of the previous year. The longlist provides a snapshot in time of the genre, and with the Academy being large and reflecting a range of tastes and viewpoints, we do not expect every member to have read every book that is submitted.

For the Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Awards Academy chooses a longlist of 18 titles from the titles submitted by the publishers. Each individual member of the Academy is asked to rank their top 18 books and the titles with the highest overall scores go though.

What's not mentioned is that though the Award is free to enter, I understand that there is a significant fee to pay should you be longlisted and again if shortlisted. I've also heard that there is a very short judging period.

Here are some authors of colour who might have been eligible for the 2024 Award. These books have been published in the UK in paperback, in the time-frame (May 23-Apr 24), however I do not know the authors' passport status!

Kia Abdullah - Those People Next Door (b. England) HQ

Amen Alonge - A Good Night to Kill (b. Nigeria) Quercus

A A Chaudhuri - The Final Party (b. England) Canelo Hera

Ajay Chowdhury - The Detective (b. India) Vintage

Louise Hare - Harlem After Midnight (b. England) HQ

Alex Khan - Until Death (b. England) Canelo Hera

Alex Khan - The Scorned (b. England) Canelo Hera

Vaseem Khan - Death of a Lesser God (b. England) Hodder Paperbacks

Sujata Massey - The Mistress of Bhatia House (b. England) Soho Crime

Christie J Newport - The Ordinary Man (b. England) Joffe Books

RV Raman - The Last Resort (b. India) Pushkin Vertigo

Nilanjana Roy - Black River (b. India) Pushkin Vertigo

Meeti Shroff-Shah - A Matrimonial Murder (b. India) Joffe Books

Sunny Singh - Hotel Arcadia (b. India) Magpie 

NB. A number of these authors are appearing at this year's Festival.

The 2024 Award submissions period is gone but is there anything to be done about 2025?  It appears that with this current system it all starts with the publishers:

If they don't publish authors of colour then they're not going to get on the longlist.

If they don't submit books by authors of colour then they're not going to get on the longlist. If the books are submitted but don't get sent to the Academy members during the preceding months then they're less likely to get on the longlist given the time constraints.

What can we readers do? Read and review the eligible books, blog about them, ask your library to buy them, tell the publishers how great they are so that when they come to choose their 3 titles per imprint they'll remember these books. Maybe apply to be an Academy member?

Here are some possible entries for the 2025 Award, using the same criteria as above:

A A Chaudhuri -  Under Her Roof (b. England) Canelo Hera

Ajay Chowdhury - The Spy (b. India) Vintage

Dorothy Koomson - Every Smile You Fake (b. England) Headline Review

Nadine Matheson - The Kill List (b. England) HQ

Dreda Say Mitchell & Ryan Carter - Girl, Missing (b. England) Thomas & Mercer

Abir Mukherjee - Hunted (b. England) Vintage

Harini Nagendra - A Nest of Vipers (b. India) Constable

Suk Pannu - Mrs Sidhu's Dead and Scone (b.?) Hemlock Press

Kuchenga Shenjé - The Library Thief (b.?) Sphere

Paula Sutton - The Potting Shed Murder (b. England) Renegade Books 

Tania Tay - The Other Woman (b?) Headline Accent

Nicola Williams - Until Proven Innocent (b. England) Penguin

My database though extensive is not comprehensive so please do leave comments about authors I may have missed, and of course any errors. 

A couple of Scandi Kindle bargains

At the time of writing, Stigma by Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst translated by Megan Turney is  99p on UK Kindle, as is The Wolf by by Samuel Bjørk translated by Charlotte Barslund.

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024 - Longlist

Apologies for the delay in posting this. I will have a follow-up post shortly regarding the #theakstonssowhite controversy.

In the meantime, please find below the official press release announcing the longlist for the Theakston (Harrogate) Crime Novel of the Year. Eighteen authors have been listed (9 Female, 9 Male).

Until the 16 May you can vote for your favourite book on the longlist here.

Harrogate International Festivals announced ...the 18 titles longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award now in its twentieth year.

The longlist, voted for by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers and members of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee, features stories that transport readers from the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert to the chill of nineties Berlin, from down-at-heel Blackpool to the splendour of Georgian London. Crime fiction fans are now invited to vote for their favourite novels to reach the shortlist, with the winner of the coveted Award announced on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 18 July.

Six former winners are vying for top honours, including 2023 champion MW Craven, who is longlisted for his high-octane US-set thriller Fearless, alongside Queen of Crime Val McDermid for cold case mystery Past Lying, and Mick Herron, the author behind Apple TV’s smash-hit series ‘Slow Horses,’ for his elegant stand-alone spy novel The Secret Hours. Also nominated are Chris Brookmyre’s edgy thriller about a murderous hen party on a remote Scottish island, The Cliff House, two times winner Mark Billingham’s The Last Dance, the first novel in his captivating new Blackpool-set detective series and Clare Mackintosh’s reality TV set thriller A Game of Lies. Ann Cleeves, who was awarded the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award in 2023 adds to this illustrious list, nominated for her atmospheric detective novel The Raging Storm.

Among the five hugely talented rising stars longlisted for the first time are Jo Callaghan, nominated for her stunningly original debut In the Blink of An Eye, which introduces intriguing detective duo DCS Kat Frank and her AI colleague Lock, and William Hussey for serial-killer thriller Killing Jericho featuring crime fiction’s first Traveller detective. They are up against Jack Jordan’s addictive legal thriller Conviction, missing persons investigation The Last Goodbye by Tim Weaver, and Oxford-set detective novel The Broken Afternoon by Simon Mason.

Showcasing the range of crime fiction subgenres, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s atmospheric Georgian-set historical crime novel The Square of Sevens, Lisa Jewell’s tantalising domestic noir None of This is True, propulsive thriller You Can Run by New Blood 2020 alumni Trevor Wood and The Last Remains, Elly Griffiths’ final Dr Ruth Gallow mystery, join the 2024 longlist.

Completing the line-up are two phenomenally talented Irish crime writers: Jane Casey for her gripping DS Maeve Kerrigan novel The Close and four-times Irish Book Award winner Liz Nugent for her unnerving thriller Strange Sally Diamond.

The full Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024 longlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is:

• The Last Dance by Mark Billingham (Sphere; Little, Brown Book Group)

• The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre (Abacus; Little, Brown Book Group)

• In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster UK)

• The Close by Jane Casey (Harper Fiction; Harper Collins)

• The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves (Pan Macmillan)

• Fearless by M W Craven (Constable; Little, Brown Book Group)

• The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)

• The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (Baskerville; John Murray Press)

• Killing Jericho by William Hussey (Zaffre, Bonnier)

• None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Century; Cornerstone)

• Conviction by Jack Jordan (Simon & Schuster)

• A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh (Sphere; Little, Brown Book Group)

• The Broken Afternoon by Simon Mason (riverrun; Quercus)

• Past Lying by Val McDermid (Sphere; Little, Brown Book Group)

• Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent (Sandycove; Penguin Ireland)

• The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan)

• The Last Goodbye by Tim Weaver (Michael Joseph; Penguin Random House)

• You Can Run by Trevor Wood (Quercus)

Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston, said: 

“We are delighted to announce the 2024 longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, which truly showcases the depth and breadth of the UK and Ireland’s best crime fiction novels from the past year. The Award is an exciting part of the Festival, and with so many talented writers nominated – both new and established - we’re excited to find out who the public vote for this year.”

The Award is presented by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with Waterstones and Daily Express, and is open to full-length crime novels published in paperback between 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2024. The public are invited to vote to help create a shortlist of six titles from 8am on Thursday 25 April at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com

What I've been listening to...

If you're a long-time follower of this blog, you will know I like crime books featuring the British Royal Family.

I've just finished listening to Murder Most Royal, the third in the 'Her Majesty the Queen Investigates' series by S J Bennett.

These books are narrated by Samantha Bond who does a wonderful job and this entry is set at Sandringham and its environs, an area I know reasonably well, which added to my enjoyment.

These first three books are set in the mid to late 2010s whereas the fourth book, which I'm in the queue for, A Death in Diamonds, goes back to 1957.

I've just spotted that a fifth book, The Queen Who Came in from the Cold, is out next February, and is set in 1961.

CrimeFest Awards 2024 - Winners

 Please find below the official press release from CrimeFest for their 2024 Awards.

Winners of 2024 CRIMEFEST Awards Announced

 

CrimeFest, one of Europe’s leading crime fiction conventions, has announced the winners of its annual awards.

 

Now in their 16th year, the awards, which honour the best crime books released in the UK last year, were announced at a gala dinner event during CrimeFest in Bristol [Saturday 11 May].

 

The winner of the highly anticipated Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award, and £1,000 prize, is Stig Abell for Death Under a Little Sky published by Hemlock Press (HarperCollins).

 

The gripping crime debut from the Times Radio journalist features London detective Jake Jackson, who discovers that murder lurks even in the most idyllic English locations when a village treasure hunt turns deadly.

 

Bestselling crime authors have heaped praise on the debut including Lee Child, who described it as “truly excellent,” Ann Cleeves who found it “totally immersive” and Vaseem Khan who described it as “beautifully written.”

 

Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers who sponsors the award, said: “It was an incredibly strong shortlist for the judging panel this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all nominated titles. Stig Abell’s debut clinched the top spot. It offers a different slant to the usual detective mysteries, and I was compelled to finish the book and get to the end, which I didn’t guess. His mesmerising prose and deft plot made Death Under a Little Sky unputdownable.”

 

The eDunnit Award for the best e-book goes to Laura Lippman for Prom Mom, published by Faber & Faber. The acclaimed Baltimore author is a two-time CrimeFest eDunnit Award winner for Wild Lake (2017) and Sunburn (2019) and has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Edgar awards.

 

Prom Mom tells the story of Amber Glass, desperately trying to get away from her tabloid past but compulsively drawn back to the prom date who destroyed everything. The LA Times described it as “one of Lippman’s most seductively mesmerising novels.”

 

Winner of the H.R.F Keating Award for best biographical or critical book on crime fiction is The Secret Life of John Le Carré by Adam Sisman, published by Profile Books.

 

A Financial Times and Spectator Book of the Year, it’s been praised for providing new insights into the author who created George Smiley, revealing a hidden perspective on the life and work of the spy-turned-author.

 

The Last Laugh Award goes to Mick Herron for The Secret Hours, published by Baskerville. Herron is a multiple CrimeFest Award winner; he received the 2023 CrimeFest Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama for Slow Horses; the 2022 CrimeFest Last Laugh Award for Slough House; and the 2018 CrimeFest Last Laugh Award for Spook Street.

 

Praised as ‘pure class,’ by Ian Rankin, The Secret Hours was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. The mesmerising espionage thriller is dripping in wry wit and unexpected twists, as a parliamentary inquiry into the intelligence services turns lethal.

 

Best Crime Novel for Young Adults, aged 12-16, is awarded to Elizabeth Wein for Stateless, which features a group of young pilots who face intrigue and sabotage in a race around Europe in this thrilling murder mystery, from the bestselling author of Code Name Verity. Stateless was praised by the Guardian for its, “intriguing, page-turning plot.”

 

Best Crime Novel for Children, aged 8-12, goes to J.T. Williams for The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison published by Farshore. It’s the second book in the middle grade mystery series that’s inspired by real Black British historical figures, which sees two resourceful amateur sleuths become embroiled in a deadly conspiracy stalking the streets of eighteenth-century London.

 

Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, praised the series as a “must read” and The Observer praised its “atmospheric setting.”

 

The Thalia Proctor Memorial Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama goes for the second year running to Slow Horses (season 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron. Produced by See-Saw, shown on Apple TV+, the drama, which follows a dysfunctional and disgraced team of MI5 agents, stars Gary Oldman.

 

The award is named in honour of Thalia, a CrimeFest team member and a much-loved figure in the world of crime fiction, and is decided by public vote.

 

Adrian Muller, Co-host of CrimeFest, said: “Crime fiction is recognised as the biggest selling and most influential genre in publishing. As ever, this year’s nominees reflect the genre’s power, reach and popularity, and it was a hotly contested shortlist. We congratulate all 2024 winners, and would especially like to thank Specsavers for their on-going support in celebrating new talent, with the Debut Award. We’re especially proud too to be one of the few genre awards that recognise children’s and Young Adult authors. They do a vital job in enticing children and young people into reading, offering much-needed escapism, connection, and adventure.”

 

Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is the biggest crime fiction convention in the UK, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors attending over four days [9-12 May].

 

2024 featured guests include the author behind the international hit Murdle - G.T. Karber; Diamond Dagger winners James Lee Burke and Lynda La Plante; the acclaimed American author Laura Lippman; and the seminal Scottish author, Denise Mina.

 

The line up also features Ajay Chowdhury, Cathy Ace, Janice Hallett, Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan, Holly Jackson, Kate Ellis, Ruth Dudley Edwards, and Martin Edwards.

 

CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. Established in 2008, it follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

 

All category winners will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

 

The 2024 CrimeFest Award Winners in full:

 

SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD

 

In association with headline sponsor, the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is for debut authors first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The winning author receives a £1,000 prize.

 

- Stig Abell Death Under a Little Sky (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)

 

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD

 

The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The award is named after H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating, one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, crime reviewers and writer of books about crime fiction.

 

- Adam Sisman The Secret Life of John Le Carré (Profile Books)

LAST LAUGH AWARD

 

The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- Mick Herron The Secret Hours (Baskerville)

 

eDUNNIT AWARD

 

For the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

-Laura Lippman Prom Mom (Faber & Faber)

 

BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR CHILDREN

 

This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- J.T. Williams The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison illustrated by Simone Douglas (Farshore)

 

BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS

 

This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- Elizabeth Wein Stateless (Bloomsbury YA)

 

THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA

 

This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2023. 

 

- Slow Horses (series 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple)

--

 

The 2024 CrimeFest Award Shortlists in full:

 

SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD

 

In association with headline sponsor, the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is for debut authors first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The winning author receives a £1,000 prize.

 

- Stig Abell Death Under a Little Sky (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)

- Jo Callaghan In The Blink Of An Eye (Simon & Schuster)

- Megan Davis The Messenger (Zaffre)

- Jenny Lund Madsen Thirty Days of Darkness translated by Megan Turney (Orenda Books)

- Natalie Marlow Needless Alley (Baskerville)

- Alice Slater Death of a Bookseller (Hodder & Stoughton)

 

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD

 

The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The award is named after H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating, one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, crime reviewers and writer of books about crime fiction.

 

- M, J, F & A Dall'Asta, Migozzi, Pagello & Pepper Contemporary European Crime Fiction: Representing History and Politics (Palgrave)

- Lisa Hopkins Ocular Proof and the Spectacled Detective in British Crime Fiction (Palgrave)

- Kate Jackson How To Survive a Classic Crime Novel (British Library Publishing)

- Steven Powell Love Me Fierce In Danger: The Life of James Ellroy (Bloomsbury Academic)

- Nicholas Shakespeare Ian Fleming: The Complete Man (Harvill Secker)

- Adam Sisman The Secret Life of John Le Carré (Profile Books)

LAST LAUGH AWARD

 

The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- Mark Billingham The Last Dance (Sphere)

- Elly Griffiths The Great Deceiver (Quercus)

- Mick Herron The Secret Hours (Baskerville)

- Mike Ripley Mr Campion's Memory (Severn House)

- Jesse Sutanto Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (HQ)

- Antti Tuomianen The Beaver Theory (Orenda Books)

 

eDUNNIT AWARD

 

For the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- Rachel Abbott Don't Look Away (Wildfire)

-Jane Casey The Close (HarperCollins)

-Martin Edwards Sepulchre Street (Head of Zeus)

-Christina Koning Murder at Bletchley Park (Allison & Busby)

-Laura Lippman Prom Mom (Faber & Faber)

-Craig Russell The Devil's Playground (Constable)

 

BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR CHILDREN

 

This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- A.M. Howell Mysteries At Sea: Peril On The Atlantic (Usborne Publishing)

- Lis Jardine The Detention Detectives (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

- Beth Lincoln The Swifts (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

- Marcus Rashford (with Alex Falase-Koya) The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School (Macmillan Children's Books)

- Robin Stevens The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 2: The Body in the Blitz (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

- J.T. Williams The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison illustrated by Simone Douglas (Farshore)

 

BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS

 

This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

 

- Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Brothers Hawthorne (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

- Nick Brooks Promise Boys (Macmillan Children's Books)

- Ravena Guron This Book Kills (Usborne Publishing)

- Ravena Guron Catch Your Death (Usborne Publishing)

- Karen M. McManus One of Us is Back (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

- Elizabeth Wein Stateless (Bloomsbury YA)

 

THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA

 

This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2023. 

 

- Dalgliesh (series 2), based on the Inspector Dalgliesh books by P.D. James (Channel 5)

- Reacher (series 2), based on the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child (Amazon Prime)

- Shetland (series 8), based on the Shetland books by Ann Cleeves (BBC)

- Slow Horses (series 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple)

- The Serial Killer's Wife, based on the Serial Killer books by Alice Hunter (Paramount+)

- Vera (series 12), based on the Vera Stanhope books by Ann Cleeves (ITV)

 

CWA Dagger Awards 2024 - Shortlist for the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger

The CWA Dagger Shortlists were announced recently at CrimeFest including the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, formerly the International Dagger.

The shortlist is below and you can check out my list of eligible titles here. 

All the shortlists can be found by clicking on each category on the CWA website and the winners will be announced on 4 July at the CWA Awards Night.

Shortlist:

Juan Gomez-Jurado - Red Queen tr. Nick Caistor (Spain, M, Macmillan)

Asa Larsson - The Sins of our Fathers tr. Frank Perry (Sweden, F, MacLehose Press)

Cloé Mehdi - Nothing is Lost tr. Howard Curtis (France, F, Europa Editions)

Im Seong-Sun - The Consultant tr. An Seon Jae (Korea, M, Raven Books)

Yrsa Sigurdardottir - The Prey tr. Victoria Cribb (Iceland, F, Hodder & Stoughton)

Maud Ventura - My Husband tr. Emma Ramadan (France, F, Hutchinson Heinemann)

[The longlisted - Kotaro Isaka - The Mantis tr. Sam Malissa (Japan, M, Harvill Secker) - has been shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.]

New Releases - March 2024

Here's a snapshot of what I think was published for the first time in March 2024 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). 124 titles this month. If I've missed anything or got the date wrong, do please leave a comment. 

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.

Ace, Cathy - The Case of the Bereaved Butler #9 A Wise Enquiries Agency Mystery
Amphlett, Rachel - Three Ways to Die - Case Files
Amphlett, Rachel - A Burning Question #2 Detective Kay Hunter Novella
Ashley, Jennifer - Speculations in Sin #7 Kat Holloway, Victorian Era
Atkinson, Heather - Legacy (ebook only) #17 Dividing Line
Bartlett, Graham - City on Fire #3 Detective Superintendent Jo Howe, Brighton
Black, Cara - Murder at la Villette #21 Aimee Leduc, Paris
Blake, David - Swanton Morley #11 DCI Tanner, Norfolk
Brady, Ric - Cold Case on the Moor #5 ex DCI Henry Ward, Yorkshire
Bright, Verity - A Death in Venice #17 Lady Eleanor Swift, 1920s
Brook, Lee - The Bone Saw Ripper #2 West Yorkshire Crime
Brook, Lee - The Blonde Delilah #3 West Yorkshire Crime
Brook, Lee - The New Forest Village Book Club #8 West Yorkshire Crime
Brook, Lee - Beneath the Surface #15 West Yorkshire Crime
Brown, Benedict - A Novel Way to Kill #1 Lord Edgington Investigates Novella
Bruen, Ken - Galway Confidential #17 Jack Taylor
Burton, Sarah & Poster, Jem - Eliza Mace
Callaghan, Jo - Leave No Trace #2 Kat and Lock
Carlsson, Christoffer - Under the Storm tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles
Carson, John - Ice Into Ashes #1 DCI James Craig
Cartmel, Andrew - Noise Floor #7 Vinyl Detective Mysteries
Casey, Jane - A Stranger in the Family #11 DC Maeve Kerrigan
Chambers, Kimberley - The Brothers #2 The Bonds
Charlton, Karen - The Resurrection Mystery #7 Detective Lavender and Constable Woods
Clarke, Wendy - The Garden Party
Coffey, Edel - In Her Place
Daykin, Judi - The Wild Thyme Farm Murder #6 Detective Sara Hirst, Norfolk
Dean, Abigail - Day One
Devlin, Cara - Taken to the Grave #7 Bow Street Duchess
Douglas, Claire - The Wrong Sister
Dounaeva, Lorna - The Perfect Housemate
Durrant, Helen H - Dig Two Graves #1 DS Hedley Sharpe
Dylan, Michael - Talking of the Dead 3 DI Simon Wise
Edvinsson, Anki - The Mermaid tr. Paul Norlen #2 Detectives von Klint and Berg
Ellory, R J - The Bell Tower
Emerson, T J - The Last Resort
Engman, Pascal - The Widows tr. Neil Smith #3 Detective Vanessa Frank, Stockholm
Field, David - The Assassination Players #2 Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mysteries
Fletcher, Tom - The Assassin #2 Ambassador Ed Barnes
Ford, P F - Death by Kitchen Sink #4 Slater and Norman
Ford, P F - Death by Telephone Box #5 Slater and Norman
Frankland, Maria - I Let Her In
French, Tana - The Hunter #2 Cal Hooper
Gatland, Jack - Harvest For The Reaper #18 DI Declan Walsh
Gatward, D J - See No Evil #17 DCI Harry Grimm
Gayle, Katie - A Country Wedding Murder #5 Julia Bird, Cotswolds
George, Nicholas - A Deadly Walk in Devon #1 A Walk Through England Mystery
Giolito, Malin Persson - Deliver Me tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles
Giuliani, C P - A Deadly Complot #4 Tom Walsingham
Glyn, Eva - The Dubrovnik Book Club
Gold, Robert - Ten Seconds #3 Ben Harper
Gomez-Jurado, Juan - Black Wolf tr. Nick Caistor & Lorenza Garcia #2 Antonia Scott
Gray, Alex - Out of Darkness #21 DCI Lorimer & psychologist Solomon Brightman, Glasgow
Greene, Morgan - Savage Ridge
Griffee, Andy - Tulip Murders #4 Johnson & Wilde
Hall, Emylia - The Rockpool Murder #3 Shell House Detectives, Cornwall
Hanson, Liam - All That Remains #6 Murder Squad, Cardiff
Harper, Izzie - Murder in the Hare Meadow #5 The Wootton Windmill Mysteries
Hastings, Anastasia - Of Hoaxes and Homicide #2 Dear Miss Hermione, London, 1885
Hathaway, L B - Murder and the Scent of Nutmeg #16 Posie Parker, 1920s
Hayes, Samantha - Mother of the Bride
Hepburn, Holly - The Missing Maid #1 The Baker Street Mysteries
Hillman, Paula - Chapel Field
Hilton, Matt - The Due Season #1 Joe Hunter Short Story
Hodges, David - Diamonds on the Levels #13 DC Kate Hamblin
Hunter, M A - Every Step You Take
Hurst, Daniel - The Wife's Baby
Jackson, Douglas - Blood Roses #1 Warsaw Quartet
James, Jane E - The Godmother
Janet, C L - The Lies Beneath Us #3 Chrissy Ferguson
Johnson, Alan - Death on the Thames #3 Louise Mangan, Met Police
Jones, Conrad - Cuckoos on the Mersey 3 #3 Cuckoos on the Mersey
Jones, Sandie - The Trade Off
Jordan, G R - Scrambled Eggs (ebook only) #31 Highlands and Islands
Kane, Alex - Two Sisters
Kaukonen, Martta - Follow the Butterfly tr. David Hackston
Keogh, Valerie - The Mistress Kildare, Kitty - Death at the Drunken Duck #2 Veronica Vale, 1920s
Kinder, Gomery - Assassin of London #2 Justin Martello
Kurkov, Andrey - The Silver Bone tr. Boris Dralyuk
Lancaster, Mary - Petteril's Portrait #4 Lord Petteril
Lancaster, Neil - The Devil You Know #5 DS Max Craigie, Scotland
Lindsay, Douglas - The Vikstrom Papers: Restoration Man #1 Sam Vikström, PI, New England
Luther, Max - On the Run #2 Alex Drayce
Lynes, S E - The Split
Mahmood, Imran - Finding Sophie
Maloney, Catherine - Crime in the Salon #21 Detective Markham
Marlow, Natalie - The Red Hollow #2 William Garrett, Birmingham
Marsh, Katie - Murder on the Dancefloor #2 Bad Girls Detective Agency
McCleave, Simon - The Chester Killings #18 DI Ruth Hunter
McTiernan, Dervla - What Happened to Nina?
Moray, Keith - The Minstrel's Malady #5 Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers
Morris, M S - Vigil for the Dead #6 DCI Tom Raven
Mount, Toni - The Colour of Sin #12 Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery
Murphy, Peter - With the Passage of Time #9 Ben Schroeder, Lawyer, 1960s
Neill, Fiona - The Haven
Neubauer, Erica Ruth - Secrets of a Scottish Isle #5 Jane Wunderly, 1920s Europe
Oliver, Kelly - Murder in Moscow #5 Fiona Figg
Perrin, Kristen - How to Solve Your Own Murder #1 Castle Knoll Files
Ramsay, Danielle - The Other Wife
Raybourn, Deanna - A Grave Robbery #9 Veronica Speedwell, adventuress and butterfly hunter, Victorian London
Raymond, Andrew - The Last Albion #3 Duncan Grant
Russell, Leigh - Revenge Killing #21 DI Geraldine Steel
Sampson, Freya - Nosy Neighbours
Scarrow, Alex - A Monster Among Us #10 DCI Boyd
Sharp, Zoe - The Girl in the Dark #2 Blake and Byron
Simpson, Carla - A Deadly Deception #7 Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe, Victorian London
Steel, Harriet - Retreat from Nuala #14 Inspector de Silva, Ceylon, 1930s
Steen, Jane - Lady Ambition's Dilemma #3 Scott-De Quincy Mysteries
Sutton, Ann - Village Fetes Can Be Murder #1 Saffron Weald Mysteries
Sweet, Jonny - The Kellerby Code
Taylor, C L - Every Move You Make
Todd, Marion - Bridges to Burn #8 DI Clare Mackay
Tremayne, Peter - Made for Murders - Short Stories
Trinchieri, Camilla - The Road to Murder #4 Nico Doyle, Chianti, Italy
Turner, M K - An Ill Wind #1 JJ Jenson
Watson, Christie - Moral Injuries
White, S R - White Ash Ridge #4 Detective Dana Russo, Australia
Wood, Michael - The Mind of a Murderer #1 Dr Olivia Winter
Woodbury, Sarah - The Admirable Physician #16 Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mystery
Yarwood-Lovett, Sarah - A Trace of Hares #5 Nell Ward
Zander-Howell, Peter - The Amateur Detective #9 Chief Inspector Bryce Murder, 1950s
Zander-Howell, Peter - Demands with Menaces #10 Chief Inspector Bryce Murder, 1950s
Zander-Howell, Peter - Death of a Safebreaker #11 Chief Inspector Bryce Murder, 1950s