Showing posts with label A J West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A J West. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

2024 Capital Crime Programme


 LEONARDO ST PAUL’S, LONDON

30 MAY - 1 JUNE 2024

WWW.CAPITALCRIME.ORG    

THURSDAY 30TH MAY

Registration for Capital Crime 2024 12:00 - 18:00

Goldsboro Bookshop open from 12:30 – 19:30

LONDON STAGE

    1. The Anatomy of a Crime: From Crime to Conviction. A factual, entertainment driven, account of the timeline from crime to conviction presented to you by specialists in their field live on stage. Experience crime scene briefings to bitesize trial and have your say in whether the accused is guilty or should walk free!

    Perfect for: Those writing crime novels looking for a factual representation of the events from crime to conviction; Those who want to see some of their favourite authors execute their day jobs including: Senior Investigating Officer, Detective, Crime Scene Investigator, Judge and Barristers. 

    With 

    Judge - Nicola Williams 

    Barrister - Helen Fields 

    Barrister - Nadine Matheson 

    Senior Investigating Officer - Graham Bartlett 

          Crime Scene Manager - Kate Bendelow 

          Detective Inspector - Kate London 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

2. Whose Crime is it Anyway? Capital Crime’s Debut Quiz Show Two teams (made up of five debut authors on each team) test their knowledge of each other’s books. The game show style event will be presented by actor Paul Clayton who will guide the teams through the rounds in the following format. The aim of our quiz is to stage an engaging, entertaining event for both audience and authors, and help welcome debut authors to the crime community with their peers. 

Team 'Moguls of Mystery' Katrin Juliusdottir, T. M. Payne, Suzy Aspley, Roxie Key and Claire Coughlan vs. 

Team 'Thoroughbreds of Thrillers' Claire Wilson, Liza North, Tom Baragwanath, Fiona McPhillips and Ellie Keel 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

3. Goldsboro Books’ 2024 Class of Debut Authors with Jennie Godfrey, Sarah Brooks and Samuel Burr moderated by David Headley 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

4. Rob Rinder’s SUSPECT Authors: A Game of Two Truths and A Lie where nothing is quite as it seems... with Claire McGowan, Joseph Knox and Louise Candlish 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 4 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

5. Breaking the Fourth Wall: Prolific Powerhouses Anthony Horowitz and Elly Griffiths talk about writing authors as fictional characters, creating impossible puzzles, and making improbable stories probable! 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

6. LEADING WOMEN: TENNISON AND VERA MEET Lynda La Plante and Ann Cleeves in conversation with Lisa Howells on shattering the glass ceiling in male dominated worlds, creating internationally-loved characters with longevity, and would Tennison and Vera work well together on a case? 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 


PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME 


12:00 – 13:45 DHH Pitch An Agent Session

19:30 – 21:00 The Annual Capital Crime Fingerprint Award Ceremony. Hosted by Paul Clayton. Taking place on the London Stage, Category finalists will be announced on 4 April 2024.

FRIDAY 31ST MAY 2024 

Registration for Capital Crime 2023 9:30 - 17:30 

Goldsboro Bookshop open from 10:00 - 19:30 


Time

LONDON STAGE

GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE



10:00-10:50

1. Classic Crime for the Modern Age with C. L. Miller, Tom Hindle and Paula Sutton in conversation with participating moderator Ian Moore

2. Sins of the Past: Historical Crime with L. C. Tyler, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Sally Smith with participating moderator S. J. Parris


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site bookshop

11:05 – 11:55

3. The Art of Revenge with Steve Cavanagh, Nilesha Chauvet, Saima Mir and participating moderator Araminta Hall 

4. The Following Books are Based on a True Story with Hallie Rubenhold, Linda Calvey, Eleni Kyriacou 

and participating moderator Matt Nixson 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

12:10 – 13:00

5. Finding A Balance: Combining Social Tensions, Morality and ‘Entertainment Factor’ in Crime Fiction with Kellye Garratt and Vaseem Khan in conversation with participating moderator Ed James 

6. A Violent Heart: Deadly Relationships with Lily Samson, Kristina Perez, David Fennell and participating moderator Fiona Cummins 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop


Lunch

Lunch

14:00 – 14:50

7. Bingeable Series: The beauty of falling in love with a series with Stig Abell, Will Dean, Erin Young and participating moderator Tariq Ashkanani 

8. Dissecting Science’s Impact on Crime Fiction with Jo Callaghan, Marie Tierney, Jack Anderson and participating moderator Dr Shahed Yousaf


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

15:05 – 15:55

9. Argylle: Authors of Mystery Tammy Cohen and Terry Hayes in conversation with Jake Kerridge 

10. Playing with Ghosts: Haunting pasts and not-so-hidden horrors with Natalie Marlow, Kaaron Warren, Syd Moore and participating moderator Anita Frank 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 & 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 & 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

16:10 -17:00

11. The Locked In Feast with Alex Michaelides and participating moderator Lucy Foley A succulent conversation that will quench your appetite for all things ‘locked in’ - from isolated islands to dinner parties gone wrong these bestselling authors spill the beans on creating the perfect cast of characters and that authors that have influenced them. 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 11 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

17:15 – 18:05

12.A Culture of Armchair Detectives: A J Finn & Lisa Jewell interviewed by Nadine Matheson Discussing the appeal of catching 'detective fever', and when the police get it wrong can only authors, podcasters and armchair detectives save us? 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 12 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

18:15 – 19:10

13. Compulsive Crime: Mass consuming your favourite books and TV shows is not a new phenomenon, but it is certainly more popular than ever before. These bestselling authors reveal their secret to creating compelling characters and stories that we just can't get enough of and what it's like keeping up with demand. With A. A. Dhand, M. W. Craven & Jane Casey and participating moderator S J Watson 




PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME 


LAUNCH PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON 

20:30 – 22:00

CRIME QUIZ hosted by A. J. West on the London Stage Are you ready to put your crime knowledge to the test in this hilarious quiz night? 


SATURDAY 1ST JUNE 2024 

Registration for Capital Crime 2023 

9:30 - 17:00 Goldsboro Bookshop open from 10:00 - 19:00 


Time

LONDON STAGE

GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE

10:00 – 10:50

1. Setting the Pace: A masterclass in adding fuel to high octane thrillers with Kim Sherwood, Sarah Pearse, Eva Björg Ægisdottir, T. M. Logan and participating moderator Abir Mukherjee 

2. Murderous Medicine with Christie Watson, Eleanor Barker-White, Ambrose Parry and participating moderator Suzie Edge 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

11:05 – 11:55

3. Funny Fiction: Crime and comedy, a match made in heaven! With Suk Pannu, Andrew Hunter Murray and Rev Richard Coles with participating moderator A. J. West 

4. From Space to the Psychological: The universal appeal of thrillers with Doug Johnstone , Luca Veste, Becca Day and participating moderator C. M. Ewan 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

12:10 – 13:00 

5. Tales That Bind: The art of creating multi-layered narratives, settings and characters that will rip your heart out with Chris Whitaker, Vanessa Walters & Erin Kelly moderated by Victoria Selman 

6. More Than Meets the Eye: Supernatural Sleuthing with Alice Bell and Kristen Perrin with participating moderator Stuart Neville 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

LUNCH

14:00 – 14:50

7. SPECIAL EVENT TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMING 


8. One Sitting Reads: What’s the secret to writing books that you just can’t put down? With Ruth Mancini, Greg Mosse, Emma Christie and participating moderator Robert Rutherford 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

15:05 – 15:55

9. John Connolly and Mark Billingham in conversation 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

16:10 -17:00

10. History in the Making with Val McDermid & Kate Mosse in conversation 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

17:15 – 18:05

11. The Scottish Masters: Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh interviewed by Harriet Tyce 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 11 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME 

18:30 – 19:30

The CWA Launch National Crime Writing Month at Capital Crime Lineup coming soon 

21:00 – 23:00

FUN LOVIN’ CRIME WRITERS Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville, Luca Veste and Doug Johnstone Rock the London Stage at Capital Crime 2024! (Individual event tickets on sale) 



Tuesday, 30 January 2024

Forthcoming books from Orenda Books

January 2024

A young couple are entangled in a nightmare spiral of lies when they pretend to be someone else … The Guests is an exquisitely dark psychological suspense by the bestselling author of The Bird Tribunal Agnes Ravatn.

A young woman relies on her wits to survive when she’s taken hostage on her first shift at an Edinburgh halfway house for violent offenders. And that is just the beginning. Halfway House is the shocking, darkly funny thriller by Helen FitzGerald.

February 2024

Cub reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of victims of Argentina’s Dirty War, when a headless torso has washed up on a city beach, thrusting him into a shocking investigation… Argentina. 1998. Human remains are found on a beach on the outskirts of Buenos Aires – a gruesome echo of when the tide brought home dozens of mutilated bodies thrown from planes during Argentina’s Dirty War. Flights of death, with passengers known as the Disappeared. International Tribunal reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of the missing, desperate to keep their memory alive, when the corpse turns up. His investigations with his companion, freelance photographer Paloma Glenn, have barely started when Argentina's simmering financial crisis explodes around them.  As the fabric of society starts to disintegrate and Argentine cities burn around them, Jonny and Paloma are suddenly thrust centre stage, fighting to secure both their jobs and their livelihoods. But Jonny is also fighting something else, an echo from his own past that he'll never shake, and as it catches up with him and Paloma, he must make choices that will endanger everything he knows. Death Flight is by Sarah Sultoon.

The Descent is by Paul E Hardisty. Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the planet on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, The Forcing. But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, and then stumbles across an account by someone close to the men who forced the globe into a climate catastrophe, he knows that it is time to find out for himself. Determined to learn what really happened during his mother's escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku's father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.

March 2024

The Collapsing Wave is by Doug Johnstone. Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens' visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland's west coast. Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities. Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history. When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…

When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed… Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back...When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha… Crow Moon is a debut novel by Suzy Aspley.

April 2024

Hamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues investigate the murders of men with a history of abuse towards women … as a startling, horrifying series of revelations emerge. When neatly packed male body parts wash up by the River Elbe, Hamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues begin a perplexing investigation. As the murdered men are identified, it becomes clear that they all had a history of abuse towards women, leading Riley to wonder if it would actually be in society’s best interests to catch the killers. But when her best friend Carla is attacked, and the police show little interest in tracking down the offenders, Chastity takes matters into her own hands. As a link between the two cases emerges, horrifying revelations threaten Chastity’s own moral compass, and put everyone at incalculable risk… The Kitchen is by Simone Buchholz.

Fresh from the scandal at Hampstead County PD, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray works a complex double-homicide that points to a killer on a murderous rampage and a shattering series of discoveries that could end her career … Hampstead County Police Department is embroiled in scandal after corruption at the top of the force was exposed. Cleared of involvement and returned to active duty, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray nonetheless finds herself at a crossroads when it becomes clear not everyone believes she’s innocent. Partnered with rookie Billy Drocker, Casey works a shocking daytime double-homicide in downtown Rockport with the two victims seemingly unknown to one another. And when a third victim is gunned down on her doorstep shortly after, it appears an abusive ex-boyfriend holds the key to the killings. With powerful figures demanding answers, Casey and Billy search for the suspect, fearing he’s on a murderous rampage. But when a key witness goes missing, and new evidence just won’t fit, the case begins to unravel. With her career in jeopardy, Casey makes a shattering discovery that threatens to expose the true darkness at the heart of the murders… with a killer still on the loose…Shatter Creek is by Rod Reynolds.

May 2024

Thirty Days of Darkness is by Jenny Lund Madsen. Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer’s block, Hannah has the feeling that she’s doing something wrong. When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to Húsafjöður – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration. But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman’s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…

June 2024

It is the year 1710, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost in the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.  Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love? Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is by A J West and is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal… 

Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions… Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn't grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father's quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’. Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name. Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts. But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening everything they know… Fascination is by Essie Fox.





 



 


Saturday, 27 January 2024

What did winning the HWA Debut Crown Award mean to me?

To explain what winning an award – any award – but particularly the HWA Debut Crown - means to me as an author, I probably need to tell you where I’m from. Not geographically (Milton Keynes) but more in relation to the way I used to see myself as a kid, and the limits I placed on myself as I grew up.

I was a very quiet kid in school and, while I got on pretty well with my studies, I struggled a lot with fitting in. There’s a line in my new novel The Betrayal of Thomas True that reads: ‘In spite of his love of nature and talent for artistic pursuits, boyhood was a skill Thomas could never master.’ I got a bit emotional when I wrote that because it somehow seemed to encapsulate, for the first time, how I still feel about my childhood. 

I wasn’t very good at being a boy. In fact, by the standards of other boys, I was hopeless at it. There wasn’t a football or fist that didn’t hit my face at play times, and there was a lot of wetting myself going on. I would run upstairs and hide at my own birthday parties. I was shy, studious, socially awkward, terrible at anything sporty, and camp as Butlins (though my family were too poor for Butlins so we had to make do with Pontins, which I actually remember enjoying. One of those ice creamy childhood memories filled with endless carefree sunshine. I can see it now: me on a beach in swimmers and a woolly jumper watching a man in a cloth cap killing jellyfish with a rake under the looming shadow of a nuclear power plant). I feel sad that I trained myself to be less camp over the years. There’s a video of me aged 10 and I honestly can’t believe how fabulously expressive my hands are. My eyerolls are magnificent (my mum messed up a pot on the wheel I’d received for my birthday, hopeless matriarch!) I watched the grainy footage of that boy in his fluorescent shell suit realising just how much I’d shut myself down as a teenager in an effort to be popular and safe. I’d cut myself up and rearranged the pieces to be a young man who would go on to look the part, but always feel disarranged.

Ah well, leave your violins where they are. I wouldn’t wish the bullying and homelife I endured on any child, but many had it worse and there was one lovely thing that came from my struggle: I read all the books I could find. I have a sneaking suspicion you were the same for your own reasons, so I’m not going to bore you with how that went but let’s just say it was a love affair that informs everything I do and without it I would honestly have died inside. I might have died outside, but I was an indoors cat. Instead, my books rescued me and showed me a bigger, happier world where fears were overcome and mistakes learned from. I devoured those stories, from The Wind in the Willows to Point Horror, Jeffrey Deaver, then on to the light stuff like Jude the Obscure and The Wasp Factory. I like to think those books made me the grate writer what I is today.

The difficulty, the isolation, the raw emotions in those stories gave me – how to put it? Let me think… well, did you ever get a huge pack of coloured pencils as a present? No, bigger than that; the ones the size of those massive chocolate bars they sell at Christmas where they’ve replaced Dairy Milk with Dave. I can still remember the smell. Not Dave, the pencils. I sometimes go into stationers and sniff their pencils. It is a fetish of the soul. Ochre, vermillion, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow, Prussian blue… I think my early years combined with my books gave me a pack of pencils like that, and when I sit down to write, I open them up and know instantly how I’d like to mix them together, and fill the book with as many shades and shadows as possible. Light strokes for the pale sky, then press so hard for the tragedy the paper goes shiny. If I find, on a hangover day, that I’m writing in basic blue and grungy green, I know I’m not drawing on my life properly and make a sandwich.

What is the point of all this? Well, I’m trying my best to explain how I came to be a passionate and confident reader and writer while at the same time suffering constant bouts of paranoia and self-doubt. Even when my debut novel The Spirit Engineer was nominated for an HWA award, I framed it in my mind as an opportunity to let myself down. I even considered asking to be removed, not through ingratitude you understand – nor a pang of false humility – but because I was exhausted after my first experience of publication, and worried the hope might get too much. That I might hide from the party, just as I used to.

I felt my younger self watching. I had dreamed that one day I would leave all the worry and solitude behind and stand among authors with my own book in my hands. That little boy didn’t know very much about awards, but he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. And I didn’t want to let him down.

I had to tell myself to stop being such a self-indulgent idiot, and fully appreciate the fact that my peers were going to take a look at the merits of my writing with a kind eye. If I didn’t win, it was still a big compliment, and there were some truly fantastic debuts in 2022. 

Reader, I won – or rather my book did – and it has changed a lot for me. Booksellers and industry friends have a lot of respect for the HWA and rightly so. I like to think the award reflects the work I put in, research, writing and publishing something different. And when it was revealed that Ayo, Dan, and Susan had chosen The Spirit Engineer as their winner, I was reminded that the kid with no friends had been right to hope. Not because he needed an award to prove anything, but because one day, if he could just hold on long enough and keep trying, there would be people who’d value his imagination and hard work and wouldn’t judge him for writing about himself in third person. 

Love and thanks. Onwards!

The Betrayal of Thomas True by A J West (Orenda Books) Published 4 July 2024

It is the year 1710, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost in the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.  Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love? Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal… 

More information about A J West can be found on his website. He can also be found on X @AJWestAuthor, on instagram @A.J.West and on Facebook






Sunday, 18 December 2022

Favourite reads of 2022

My reading tastes have always been varied and as one can expect my favourite reads this year have been a mixed bunch. If you listened to the Crime Time Books of the Year which I took part in then you will have an inkling of a few of the books that made my favourite reads of the year list. I also mentioned three of them on DampPebbles #R3COMM3ND2022 where she invites various book bloggers and published authors etc to nominate three must read books each year. 

In alphabetical order my favourite reads of the year are as follows -

A History of Treason: The Bloody History of Britain through the Stories of its most Notorious Traitors by Chris Day, Daniel Gosling, Neil Johnson and Euan Roger (John Blake Publishing).

A History of Treason details British history from 1352 to 1946, covering major historical moments in a fascinating and innovative way, using the history of high treason and deception as its theme. Appealing to a range of audiences, it covers more than 650 years of momentous history through the use of both famous and lesser known events which shaped Britain. Using original documents and detailed research undertaken by The National Archives' record specialists, it will cover moments in history which led to fundamental changes in eras. It will also include unique discoveries from these archives, uncovering mysteries and stories of how dealing with treason have brought about the changes which have influenced and shaped Britain throughout the centuries. Among these are: the trial and execution of Anne Boleyn on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII several major acts of sedition, including the Gunpowder Plot and the revolution plotted in the Cato Street conspiracy the evidence brought against Sir Roger Casement, executed at Pentonville and his remains later exhumed and given a state funeral in Ireland the trial and execution of the William Joyce who, as 'Lord Haw-Haw', broadcast Nazi propaganda from Berlin during the Second World War. The book covers many stories that explore the nature of treason and how the crown and state reacted to it - from the introduction of the Treason Act in 1352 right through to the twentieth century. Written by experts from among the historians at the National Archives, the book is copiously illustrated with images from the unrivalled collections of The National Archives.

Last year one of my favourite reads was Murder: The Biography by Kate Morgan. This year it is a History of Treason. Like The Life of Crime by Martin Edwards (see below) it appeals to my interest in history and anything that tangentially deals with crime. You don't have to have an interest in the Treason Act to enjoy dipping in and out of this book. It is incredibly fascinating, full of interesting historical information and starts with the 1932 Treason Act which surprisingly is still inforce. If you want to know more about such luminaries as Anne Boleyn, uy Fawkes and Lord Haw-Haw (amongst others) all of whom were accused of treason then this is the book to read. 

The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators. by Martin Edwards. (Harper Collins Publishers)

In the first major history of crime fiction in fifty years, The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators traces the evolution of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present, offering brand-new perspective on the world's most popular form of fiction. With crime fiction being read more widely than ever around the world, and with individual authors increasingly the subject of extensive academic study, his expert distillation of more than two centuries of extraordinary books and authors from the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann to the novels of Patricia Cornwell - into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for compelling reading.

This book pandered to the nerd in me and my love of crime fiction criticism and the history of crime fiction. Anything that can be used for crime fiction research and reference is a book that will always pique my interest. It is certainly a book that can be read by anyone, but will no doubt be appreciated a lo more by lovers of the genre. Look at it as a sequel to Julian Symons seminal book Bloody Murder. It is the type of reference book that will be around for a long time and will no doubt become a classic in due course. And so it should. 

Bad Actors by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)

Intelligence has a new home. A governmental think-tank, whose remit is to curb the independence of the intelligence service, has lost one of its key members, and Claude Whelan-one-time head of MI5's Regent's Park-is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to the Park itself, with Diana Taverner as chief suspect. Has Diana overplayed her hand at last? What's her counterpart, Moscow's First Desk, doing in London? And does Jackson Lamb know more than he's telling? Over at Slough House, with Shirley Dander in rehab, Roddy Ho in dress rehearsal, and new recruit Ashley Khan turning up the heat, the slow horses are doing what they do best, and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation... There are bad actors everywhere, and they usually get their comeuppance before the credits roll. But politics is a dirty business, and in a world where lying, cheating and backstabbing are the norm, sometimes the good guys can find themselves outgunned.

What more can be said about Mick Herron's excellent Slough House series? Satire at its best along with him being one of the best spy thriller writers around at the moment. They are in the current light of day pitch perfect, fantastically written and I'm dying to know how he constantly manages to be spot on in writing about the situations that arise. Those in politics must dread reading each book that is published but for fans of the series Mick Herron can do no wrong. Bad Actors is a welcome addition to the series and the odious, unpleasant genius that is Jackson Lamb is a character that one can never forget or ignore. 

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias (Headline Publishers)

It was never just a job. Becoming a hitman was the only way Mario could cover his young daughter's medical expenses. But before long his family is left in pieces, and he's barely even put a dent in the stack of bills. Then he's presented with an offer: one last score that will either pull him out of poverty forever or put a bullet in the back of his skull. A man named Juanca needs help stealing $2 million dollars from a drug cartel. Together, they begin a journey to an underworld where unspeakable horrors happen every day. He's a man with nothing to lose, but the Devil is waiting for him.

For someone who is not horror fan this mixture of horror and crime was brilliant and not a book that I initially expected to enjoy as much a I did. Neo Noir and a fascinating story of a hitman who is trying to stay on top of things and will do anything to do so. In some ways a nightmare of a read but also a dark disturbing and a hell of a read. Brutal bloody and also full of rage and sorrow. Don't let the Spanish put you off from devouring this fascinating book as it is a gripping thriller to be sure but it is also a powerful reckoning with fait, and with the evils of this world in its many forms.  The Devil Takes You Home is a visceral, gritty, horrific but downright beautiful reading experience. 

Three Assassins by Kotaro Isaka (Vintage Publishing) Trans: Sam Malissa

Their mission is murder. His is revenge. Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and joins them, looking for a chance to take his revenge. What he doesn't realise is that he's about to get drawn into a web of unusual professional assassins, each with their own agenda.The Whale convinces his victims to take their own lives using just his words. The Cicada is a talkative and deadly knife expert. The elusive Pusher dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents. Suzuki must take each of them on, in order to try to find justice and keep his innocence in a world of killers.

If you read Bullet Train then you will already have some idea of the way in which this will proceed. In this case it explores the murky and immoral world of the Japanese criminal underworld. Three Assassins is a mesmerising story about how life itself is not only cheap and precious but also the way in which the past can catch up with all of us with dreaded repercussions. Again set in the world of assassins it is replete with a sense of black humour, colourful characters that are both varied and morally despicable. This is quite a quirky book that is contrasted by the somewhat pretty stark and somewhat gritter parts of the story. There is no doubt that this is a violent book but it is a violent book with a dark sense of humour which is as dark as the subject matter the author is writing about. The warped sense of thinking throughout is one of the endearing features of his book and one of the reasons why as a reader I continued to turn the pages. Translated Japanese crime fiction just keeps on getting better and better.

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly (Hodder & Stoughton)

The reunion will tear a family apart... Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried - gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.

The Skeleton Key surprised me. I am not a keen reader of psychological thrillers but quite easily made an exception in this case. A mystery within a mystery and full of an undulating tension alongside characters that are not always likeable (and why should they be?) or forgiving, The Skeleton Key draws you in from the start and makes you appreciate a well-written tale that has an inherent toxicity thread throughout the story and which also gives you a great sense of foreboding.

Confidence by Denise Mina (Vintage Publishing)

Deception. Theft. Murder. All you need is confidence. When amateur film-maker Lisa Lee vanishes from a Scottish seaside town, journalists Anna and Fin find themselves at the centre of an internet frenzy to find her. But she may not be the hapless victim everyone thinks she is. The last film she made showed her breaking into an abandoned French chateau and stumbling across a priceless Roman silver casket. The day after Lisa vanishes the casket is listed for auction in Paris, reserve price fifty million euros, with a catalogue entry that challenges the beliefs of a major world religion. On a thrilling chase across Europe to discover what happened to Lisa, Anna and Fin are caught up in a world of international art smuggling, billionaire con artists and religious zealotry. But someone doesn't want them to find the missing girl... and will do anything to stop them.

Whether she is writing a series or a standalone one of the things that stands out with Denise Mina is her great sense of place, how atmospheric her writing is and the immediacy of what she is writing about. In this case it is podcasts and blogs.  Confidence is an intricate story following a tale of intrigue and betrayal that is played out across Scotland, Italy and France against a backdrop of immense wealth, fine art, private planes and swanky hotels. There is black humour, wit and various delightful turns of phrases that fans of Denise Mina will relish.

Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass (Profile Books)

This is the secret report of Laurence Jago. Ex-clerk. Unwilling spy. Reluctant sailor. Accidental detective. New Year 1795, and Laurence Jago is aboard the Tankerville mail ship, en route to Philadelphia. Ostensibly travelling as assistant to the irrepressible journalist William Philpott, Laurence's real mission is to aid the civil servant carrying a vital treaty to Congress. A treaty that will prevent the Americans from joining with the French in the war against Britain. However, when the civil servant meets an unfortunate - and supposedly accidental - end and the treaty disappears, Laurence realises only he can now prevent war with the US. Trapped on the ship with travellers including two penniless French aristocrats, an Irish actress and a dancing bear, Laurence must hunt down both the lost treaty and the murderer, before he has a tragic 'accident' himself.

This is the second book in the series and unsurprisingly Back Drop the first book in the series (and at the time her debut novel) also made my favourite reads list. We are once again drawn to the superbly written characters, the great sense of place and atmosphere. Think Agatha Christie and Patrick O'Brien all rolled into one. Blue Water will satisfy not only those who enjoy reading about adventures but also those who love historical fiction and classic mysteries. 

Breaking Point by Olivier Norek (Quercus Publishing) Trans: Nick Caistor

When a routine kidnapping case goes badly wrong, Capitaine Vincent Coste breaks his golden rule: he starts to take things personally. And with his career hanging by a thread - his resignation letter parked in his superior's desk draw - he is plunged into his most testing ordeal yet. A raid on the vault at the Bobigny law courts. Five vital pieces of evidence swiped. Four men who can no longer be held: an armed robber, a foreign legionnaire, a kidnapper and a paedophile. But what is the connection between them? With Coste and his team at a loss, it's the moral outrage of another criminal that will throw up a lead: one they'll follow to their breaking point - and beyond.

This is the final book in the The Banlieues Trilogy and what a rush. It is a testament to how great I think this author is that The Lost and The Damned (2020) and Turf Wars (2021) the first two books in the trilogy also made my favourite reads of the year lists as well. Fans of Spiral the French Police Procedural will recognise the name as he was a script writer on the French TV series. This is more than just a police procedural. It shows the life of a police man that is not only dark and nasty but one that is forever teetering on the edge. This isn't beautiful France that you see in so many novels. It is very realistic, grimy and at times soul destroying and packs a punch. Written with very intimate knowledge of the French police system one is left with the view that this is not only one of the best police procedurals currently around but also one of the gloomiest. You read Breaking Point and take a deep breath. The audacity of what happens and the sense of betrayal leaves the reader wanting more. What next for Mr Norek? Enquiring minds wish to know.

Secret Identity by Alex Segura (Flatiron Books)

It's 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn't care. She's an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn't have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn't matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book. That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call "The Lethal Lynx," Triumph's first female hero. But her colleague is acting strangely and asking to keep her involvement a secret. And then he's found dead, with all of their scripts turned into the publisher without her name. Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him, to hang on to her piece of the Lynx, which turns out to be a runaway hit. But that's complicated by a surprise visitor from her home in Miami, a tenacious cop who is piecing everything together too quickly for Carmen, and the tangled web of secrets and resentments among the passionate eccentrics who write comics for a living.

An utter shame that this has not got a UK publisher. This is a clever reinvention of 1970s private eye fiction set in the world of comics. It is also a playful literary mystery. It is clear that the author has a love of not only noir fiction but also comics and mysteries as the love of all three shines throughout. It is not easy to create such a one of a kind novel that is on the one hand hard edged but also on the other gritty, absorbing and dangerous. If you are looking for a love letter to not only comics but also noir fiction then Secret Identity fits the bill.

The Spirit Engineer by A J West (Duckworth Books)

Belfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism, attending séances in the hope they might reach their departed loved ones. William Jackson Crawford is a man of science and a sceptic, but one night with everyone sitting around the circle, voices come to him – seemingly from beyond the veil – placing doubt in his heart and a seed of obsession in his mind. Could the spirits truly be communicating with him or is this one of Kathleen’s parlour tricks gone too far? Based on the true story of Professor William Jackson Crawford and famed medium Kathleen Goligher, and with a cast of characters including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, The Spirit Engineer conjures a haunted, twisted tale of power, paranoia and one ultimate, inescapable truth...

I have never been of the view that you have to like the major protagonist in any book and in the case of William Crawford in The Spirit Engineer you will either love him or loathe him. Whichever side you fall down on it should not stop you from enjoying what is a cleverly told story. It is a story of the afterlife, death and how life after death is perceived by people. Not only is it dark, macabre and shows the spooky side of Edwardian gothic fiction but the reader is left not knowing what is real and what is not. Ingeniously written and a delight.

City on Fire by Don Winslow (Harper Collins Publishers)

Providence, RI, 1986.Twenty-nine-year-old Danny Ryan is a hard-working longshoreman, loving husband, loyal friend, and occasional "muscle" for the Irish crime syndicate that oversees much of the city. He yearns for something more and dreams of starting over fresh, someplace far away. But when a modern-day Helen of Troy triggers a war between rival mob factions, Danny is embroiled in a conflict he can't escape. Now it is up to him to step into the breach to protect his family, the friends who are closer to him than brothers, and the only home he's ever known.

This is in my opinion a gritty, moody immersive and humane tale of fate, free will, loyalty and betrayal. Think also of greed, lust and violent retribution. It reminds me of Mario Puzo's The Godfather and The Sopranos and whilst I was not a big fan of The Sopranos (oh no you say!) I can appreciate the connection. Incredibly well written and the family and crime themes whilst obvious it is the realism and the immediacy that draws you in. He has incorporated in the events of the novel modern reflections from the classic accounts of the Trojan War. I'm looking forward to reading the last two books in the trilogy especially since Don Winslow has already announced that he will no longer be writing. 

Honourable mentions also go to Desert Storm by Michael Connelly, The Furies by John Connolly, Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett, Shifty's Boys by Chris Offutt, A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny and A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin.