Showing posts with label Imogen Robertson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Imogen Robertson. Show all posts

Friday, 16 December 2022

30th St Hilda's Crime Fiction Weekend

 

Booking for the 30th St Hilda's Crime Fiction Weekend is now open! Join us on 11-13 August 2023 for this extra-special anniversary event, where we can guarantee a weekend of fun and fascination for crime fiction fans around the world.

To mark the 30th anniversary, this year's theme is Celebrations: innocent parties, guilty pleasures.

From the ‘Wedding Killer’ in Val McDermid’s Insidious Intent to Agatha Christie’s Sparkling Cyanide where death stalks the guests at a fancy dinner in the West End, celebrated crime writers have made innocent parties the focus of dark deeds.

Come and spend the weekend with our award-winning group of crime writers from Robert Goddard to Richard Osman, Val McDermid to Nadifa Mohamed. They will explore the works and psychological insights of their favourite writers to find out just why it can all go so wrong, when we are bent on enjoying ourselves. We promise there won't be any nasty surprises at our own celebration! Or will there...?

Our Guest of Honour is the fantastic Robert Goddard, winner of the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger award (2018) and one of Britain’s most highly-respected crafters of intelligent, elegant crime novels.

He will be joined by a truly spectacular line-up of speakers, including: Chris Brookmyre, Jane Casey, Fiona Cummins, A A Dhand, Philip Gooden, Vaseem Khan, Winnie M Li, Val McDermid, Nadifa Mohamed, Richard Osman, Imogen Robertson, and Alex Wheatle. Not to be missed!

The event will take place both in person and online, so you can join us from anywhere in the world. Our early bird discount runs until the end of March, so don't delay! Book your conference ticket here.

Follow @HildasCrime for all the latest news.


Wednesday, 22 June 2016

History in the Court


It's very nearly time for the extremely well attended History in the Court that is hosted annually by Goldsboro Books.

The event will take place on June 30th from 6-9pm and you can purchase tickets here and they have some serious entertainment in store for you.
Already confirmed as attending on the evening they have an incredible list of authors.

It includes, but is not limited to:

Robyn Young, Antonia Hodgson, Emily Hauser, Hallie Rubenhold, Harry Sidebottom, Simon Tolkien, Barbara Erskine, SJ Parris, Andrew Taylor, Nick Brown, Elizabeth Buchan, S D Sykes, William Ryan, Paul Fraser Collard, Anna Mazzola, Anthony Riches, Michael Arnold, Elizabeth Fremantle, L C Tyler, David Gilman, Linda Porter, Robin Blake, Andrew Swanston, Imogen Robertson, Angus Donald, Sarah Dunant. Paul M.M. Cooper, Natasha Pulley, Giles Kristian, Tom Harper, Elizabeth Chadwick, Kate Riordan, Michael Ridpath.
There are more to be confirmed


Tickets cost £5 but this is redeemable on the night against any purchases of books so really you're just getting yourself some credit. Don't miss out on the opportunity to come and meet these wonderful authors in person and get your books signed.
That's not all...
There will be treats for those who join us in the form of goodie bags and we will also see the announcement of the HWA Goldsboro Debut Crown shortlist. Join us and see who is on the shortlist and meet many of the authors!
For those of you not already aware of these events, they are celebrations of their respective genres and an opportunity for fans to come and meet some of the best names being published today. They always get a wonderful crowd and you can see the brilliant line up of attending authors.
Come, join us, and celebrate historical fiction in one of London's most beautiful streets. It's an evening not to be missed.


Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Criminal Activity in Cambridge

Mike Ripley and Richard Reynolds (crime buyer at Heffers)
We're delighted to hear of some very interesting events coming up at Heffers Bookstore - hope to see you there

Cambridge, Heffers: An Evening with James Runcie
Thursday, June 26th at 18:30 

James Runcie is at Heffers to celebrate the third part of his Grantchester series: Sidney Chambers and the Problem of Evil, published in May 2014. It is the 1960s and Canon Sidney Chambers is enjoying his first year of married life with his German bride Hildegard. But life in Grantchester rarely stays quiet for long. Our favourite clerical detective soon attempts to stop a serial killer who has a grievance against the clergy; investigates the disappearance of a famous painting after a distracting display of nudity by a French girl in an art gallery; uncovers the fact that an 'accidental' drowning on a film shoot may not have been so accidental after all; and discovers the reasons behind the theft of a baby from a hospital in the run-up to Christmas, 1963. In the meantime, Sidney wrestles with the problem of evil, attempts to fulfil the demands of Dickens, his faithful Labrador, and contemplates, as always, the nature of love. Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death is being adapted for television and will run as Grantchester, a six part series in the autumn of 2014. The production company is Lovely Day, the writer is Daisy Coulam and filming will take place in Grantchester and London in April/May 2014. Tickets from: https://james-runcie.eventbrite.co.uk

Cambridge Heffers: What's Your Poison' Summer Crime party
Thursday July 17th 6.30pm 

Book a convivial evening to die for by joining us for Pimms, strawberries and poisonous quizzes and make murder your business in the company of crime authors: Stephen Booth, John Harvey, Jim Kelly, Mandy Morton, Peter Murphy, Christine Poulson, Kate Rhodes, Imogen Robertson, Nicola Upson and others. Tickets from: http://summer-crime-party.eventbrite.co.uk

Venue: Heffers Bookshop, 20 Trinity Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TY Tel 01223-463222.

Photo (c) 2012 A Karim


Saturday, 17 May 2014

CWA Dagger Short List

A number of the CWA Daggers were announced on Friday evening at a drinks reception that took place at CrimeFest.

They are as follows:-

Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh  - (Hodder & Stoughton)
Treachery by S J Parris (HarperCollins)
The City of Strangers by Michael Russell (Avon)
Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders by Kate Griffin (Faber)
Theft of Life by Imogen Robertson (Headline Review)
The Dead Can Wait by Robert Ryan (Simon & Schuster)
 
Did She Kill Him by Kate Colquhoun (Little, Brown)
Life After Death by Damien Echols (Atlantic Books)
Undercover by Rob Evans & Paul Lewis (Faber & Faber/Guardian Books)
The Girl by Samantha Geimer (Simon & Schuster)
Manson by Jeff Guinn (Simon & Schuster)
The Seige by Adrian Levy & Cathy Scott-Clark (Viking)

International Dagger
 
Strange Shores, by Arnaldur Indridason, (translated by. Victoria Crib) Harvill Secker 
Irène by Pierre Lemaître (Translated by Frank Wynne) Quercus/MacLehose
The Siege by Arturo Perez-Reverte (Translated by Frank Wynne) Weidenfeld
Forty Days without Shadow by Oliver Truc (Translated by Louise Rogers LaLaurie) Little, Brown
Plan D by Simon Urban (Translated by Katy Derbyshire) Harvilll Secker
Dog Will Have His Day by Fred Vargas (Translated by Siân Reynolds) Harvill Secker 

Short Story Dagger
 
Judge Surra by Andrea Camilleri in Judges (Maclehose Press)
Reconciliation by Jeffrey Deaver in Trouble in Mind (Hodder & Stoughton)
In Our Darkened House by Inger Frimansson in A Darker Shade (Head of Zeus)
Fedora by John Harvey in Deadly Pleasures (Severn House)
Night Nurse by Cath Staincliffe in Deadly Pleasures (Severn House)


 
Debut Dagger 
The Long Oblivion by Tim Baker
A Convenient Ignorance by Michael Baker  
Under the Hanging Tree by Barb Ettridge     
The Father by Tom Keenan     
Motherland by Garry Abson      
The Allegory of Art and Science by Graham Brack
Convict by Barb Ettridge  
The Dog of Erbill by Peter Hayes      
Burnt by Kristina Stanley
Deviant Acts by John J.White     
Seeds of a Demon by Anastasia Tyler 
Colours by Tim Emery          
The Movement by Jody Sabral        

Congratulations to all the nominees.  The winners of the awards will be announced on Monday 30th June at the CWA Dagger Awards Dinner

Saturday, 1 February 2014

Books to look forward to from Headline

Pirio Kasparov finds herself abandoned in the North Atlantic when the fishing boat she's on is rammed by a freighter. She somehow survives for nearly four hours in the freezing water before being rescued, but Pirio's friend, Ned, is not so lucky. He disappears without a trace. Pirio can't shake the suspicion that the boat's sinking was no accident, and begins to unravel a lethal plot that takes her to Northern Canada and the ice-cold waters of Baffin Bay. To survive, she must overcome a deadly betrayal from someone in her past, and, most importantly, learn to trust her own instincts above all else. Elisabeth Elo's mesmerising novel introduces a gutsy heroine with a rare ability to withstand the extreme, and follows a dark and treacherous quest that brings to light some horrifying truths.  North of Boston is by Elizabeth Elo and is due to be published in January 2014.

The Keeper is by John Lescroart and is due to be published in May 2014. Dismas Hardy
takes on a case that’s very close to home.  When Hal Chase’s wife, Katie, goes missing and he becomes the prime suspect for her murder, he wants Dismas Hardy as his lawyer.  Hardy calls on former homicide detective Abe Glitsky to look into the case. Chase certainly had strong motives but as Glitsky delves deeper, he identifies other possible suspects and he also uncovers an incident that might be related - the death of an inmate in the jail where Chase used to work. When Katie’s body is discovered, Chase is arrested and finds himself in his old jail, a place full of secrets he knows all too well. Against a backdrop of conspiracy and corruption, an obsessed Glitsky closes in on the elusive truth. But as other deaths begin to pile up he realises that the next victim might be himself.

Someone Else’s Skin is by Sarah Hillary and is due to be published in February 2014.  Some secrets keep you safe, others will destroy you...Detective Inspector Marnie Rome. Dependable; fierce; brilliant at her job; a rising star in the ranks. Everyone knows how Marnie fought to come back from the murder of her parents, but very few know what is going on below the surface. Because Marnie has secrets she won't share with anyone. But then so does everyone. Certainly those in the women's shelter Marnie and Detective Sergeant Noah Jake visit on that fateful day. The day when they arrive to interview a resident, only to find one of the women's husbands, who shouldn't have been there, lying stabbed on the floor. As Marnie and Noah investigate the crime further, events begin to spiral and the violence escalates. Everyone is keeping secrets, some for survival and some, they suspect, to disguise who they really are under their skin. Now, if Marnie is going to find the truth she will have to face her own demons head on. Because the time has come for secrets to be revealed...

After a summer fighting wildfire, park ranger Anna Pigeon is enjoying a weekend away camping in Minnesota's National Park with her girlfriends. Leah Hendricks is the genius behind a high-end sports gear manufacturer and Heath Jarrod has volunteered to test out some of the equipment. But when they encounter a band of violent kidnappers little do they realise that their ultimate challenge will be to stay alive.  Destroyer Angel is by Nevada Barr and is due to be published in April 2014.

Fear Nothing is by Lisa Gardner and is due to be published in January 2014. My name is Dr
Adeline Glen. Due to a genetic condition I can't feel pain. All Boston Detective D.D. Warren remembers is walking the crime scene. Next, a creaking floorboard, a voice in her ear...Now D.D. is seriously injured and unable to return to work. My sister is Shana Day, a notorious child murderer. She has killed more people in prison than as a free woman. Then a second victim is found with the same calling cards left at the scene: champagne and a single red rose. Only D.D. may have seen the killer, but she recalls nothing from the night that may have cost her everything. Our father was Harry Day, an infamous serial killer dead for over forty years. The Rose Killer knows things about my father he shouldn't. All I know is my family still has the power to hurt me. Now D.D. is back on the hunt. Because the Rose Killer isn't just targeting lone women, he is targeting D.D. And D.D. knows there is only one way to take him down: Fear nothing.

When a predatory serial killer known as the Hangman escapes incarceration, throwing the city of Buffalo into a fearful panic, homicide detective Absalom Kearney is tasked with finding him. Still reeling from her encounter with a twisted killer whose dark past entwined closely with her own, Abbie tracks the Hangman to within miles of the city limits, just as a teenage girl goes missing there. The Buffalo P.D. is on high alert, and as more girls disappear, Abbie begins to suspect someone else may be helping the killer. Unsure of who to trust in a city of secrets, she turns to the Network, a shady consortium of Buffalo old boys and ex-cops. But as Abbie draws closer to the truth, the Hangman ratchets up the stakes, kidnapping a girl from a prestigious local school and leaving the clear message that Abbie has just hours to find her - or live forever with the guilt of her death...  Hangman is by Stephen Talty and is due to be published in May 2014.

`I don't want to know your reasons. I don't care. Think of me as a bullet. Just point.'
Spademan used to be a garbage man. That was before the dirty bomb hit Times Square, before his wife was killed, before New York became a burnt-out shell. Now the wealthy spend their days tapped into virtual reality; the rest have to fend for themselves in the streets. Now there's nothing but garbage. So he became a hit man. He doesn't ask questions, he works quickly, and he's handy with a box-cutter. When he's hired to kill the daughter of a high-profile evangelist, Spademan's life is upended. He will have to navigate two worlds - both the slick fantasy and the wasteland reality - to finish the job, clear his conscience, and make sure he's not the one who winds up in the ground.  Shovel Ready is by Adam Sternbergh and is due to be published in January 2014.

A stolen baby. A murdered woman. A decades-old atrocity. Something connects them all...A month before Christmas, and Ballyterrin on the Irish border lies under a thick pall of snow. When a newborn baby goes missing from hospital, it's all too close to home for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, who's wrestling with the hardest decision of her life. Then a woman is found in a stone circle with her stomach cut open and it's clear a brutal killer is on the loose. As another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula is caught up in the hunt for a killer no one can trace, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. The Dead Ground will leave you gasping for breath as Paula discovers every decision she makes really is a matter of life and death...  The Dead Ground is by Claire McGowan and is due to be published in April 2014.

Leo Maxwell is a criminal defense attorney on the lookout for the big case that will make his reputation. When a mysterious woman hires him to defend her brother on a murder charge he thinks he may have found it. But things are not what they seem - he's been set up to become the number one enemy of both a vicious gangland boss and the police. Hounded by threats from all sides, he finds himself with a price on his head and framed for murder. Leo's a marked man unless he can somehow turn the tables. But as the bodies pile up and Leo closes in on the truth, he discovers that it is far more sinister than he imagined and forces him question everything that he holds dear...  Lions Play Rough is by Lachlan Smith and is due to be published in February 2014.

When Dr Lou Welcome has to fill in for his boss at the Physical Wellness Office, giving a speech at a national conference in Atlanta, he takes advantage of the opportunity to have an exclusive tour of the Center for Disease Control. As he watches scientists talk about antibacterial resistance and biological weaponry before disappearing into mysterious restricted labs, Lou can't help but wonder about the development of weapons of mass destruction. Little does he know that a scientist working a top-secret project will be kidnapped, and Lou will become enmeshed in a case that could have fatal consequences across the country...  Resistant is by Michael Palmer and is due to be published in May 2014.

Season to Taste is by Natalie Young and is due to be published in January 2014.  Always let the meat rest under foil for at least ten minutes before carving...Meet Lizzie Prain. Ordinary housewife. Fifty-something. Lives in a cottage in the woods, with her dog Rita. Likes cooking, avoids the neighbours. Runs a little business making cakes. No one has seen Lizzie's husband, Jacob, for a few days. That's because last Monday, on impulse, Lizzie caved in the back of his head with a spade. And if she's going to embark on the new life she feels she deserves after thirty years in Jacob's shadow, she needs to dispose of his body. Her method appeals to all her practical instincts, though it's not for the faint-hearted. Will Lizzie have the strength to follow it through? Dark, funny and achingly human, Season to Taste is a deliciously subversive treat.

Hour of Darkness sees Bob Skinner the Edinburgh cop faced with a case that calls every part of his life into question. The body of a murdered woman is found washed up on Cramond Island near the mouth of the River Forth. Days later detectives are called to a flat in Edinburgh; the kitchen is covered in blood, and the occupier is missing. When the name of the woman from Cramond Island is revealed, it stirs unwelcome memories for those who knew her, Chief Constable Bob Skinner most of all. Now based in Glasgow, he has no reason to become involved in the case. Yet he does, unwittingly setting in motion a course that leads him to the toughest choice of his life, putting him in the midst of a personal nightmare, both life-threatening and career changing.  Hour of Darkness is by Quintin Jardine and is due to be published in May 2014.

Spree is by Michael Morley and is due to be published in March 2014.  A madman is on the
rampage in the Los Angeles streets. The City of Angels has become The City of Fear. And everyone from the Oval Office down wants a quick result. The heat is on Jake Mottram, head of the FBI's new Spree Killer Unit, and psychological profiler Angie Holmes to find the madman responsible. Until now, they've been great together. Both at work and in bed. But a killer is about to come between them, in ways that could cost them far more than their careers. Will they survive the spree about to come? SPREE: Life and death in LA - like you've never seen it before.

The Hunters is by Chris Kuzneski and is due to be published in April 2014. If you seek, they will find... The treasure: For over two thousand years, the legendary tomb of Alexander the Great - and the riches concealed within – has evaded discovery. Now, after centuries of searching, an ancient map has come to light that could hold the key to finding the fabled vault. Only one team has the skill and the expertise to solve the mystery once and for all.  The mission:  It’s up to The Hunters - an elite group assembled to track down the world’s greatest treasures - to find the tomb.  But on arriving in Alexandria, it quickly becomes clear that hostile forces are on their trail. And when one of the team is captured in cisterns deep below the city, what began as a treasure hunt becomes a deadly rescue mission. For there are some who will use any means possible to destroy The Hunters’ efforts, and now there is more at stake than they ever could have imagined.

The ultimate duo - Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase - return in their ninth action-packed adventure. Secrets from the past emerge to threaten archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, former SAS soldier Eddie Chase, when a Viking runestone is stolen by a murderous gang of raiders. The stone holds the key to an ancient evil concealed in one of Norse mythology's holiest places: Valhalla. Travelling to Sweden, Eddie and Nina find themselves in a race against time to locate the legendary hall of the Viking warriors - before rival powers claim its deadly contents for themselves. It is a quest that will force Eddie to revisit a dark chapter from his mercenary days that he has kept hidden from everyone...including his wife. Only Nina and Eddie can prevent the unleashing of a primordial terror from the depths of the earth. But even if they succeed, will the cost be greater than either of them could have ever imagined...  The Valhalla Prophecy is by Andy McDermott and is due to be published in January 2014.

The Directive is by Matthew Quirk and is due to be published in May 2014. What if the only way to go straight is to break the law? Michael Ford has finally escaped his chequered past to lead the respectable life he's always dreamed of, preparing to settle down with his fiancee Annie. But the quiet is shattered when his brother, Jack, comes back into his life. Jack is a world-class con man who has finally overplayed his hand. He's in way over his head in a conspiracy to steal a billion-dollar secret from the heart of the financial system. And in an effort to help his brother, Mike soon finds himself trapped by the dangerous men in charge - and responsible for pulling off the heist himself. With Annie's safety on the line, Mike tries to figure out who's behind the job - and realises the only way to keep the honest life is to return to his criminal past. But will he get in too deep to save Annie's life?

Well-used to elevated emotions, psychologist Alex Delaware shrugs off a joking death threat from beautiful Beverly Hills physician Constance Sykes, whose attempt to secure legal custody of her baby niece is thwarted by Alex’s forthright report to the court. Alex plays down the threat until LAPD’s Milo Sturgis rushes to his side with the shocking word on the street that a hit’s been taken out on him.  But while Alex may be in grave danger, it won’t be from the Beverley Hills doctor, for Connie is soon discovered brutally slain. When her sister Cherie and the baby disappear, apparently on the run, Alex’s search for answers leads him to aged rockers, charming homeboys and even Machiavellian judges.  As the darkest of secrets are peel away, and a cruel system churns through family lives, Alex seeks to stop a vicious killer and save a child from a life of nightmares... or worse.  Killer is by Jonathan Kellerman and is due to be published in February 2014.

That Dark Day Remembered  is by Tom Vowler and is due to be published in March 2014. One family, one town, devastated by one tragic event. Can you ever know what those closest to you are really capable of? When Stephen gets a phone call to say his mother isn't well, he knows he must go to her straight away. But he dreads going back there. He has never been able to understand why his mother chose to stay in the town he grew up in, after everything that happened. One day's tragic events years before had left no one living there untouched. Stephen's own dark memories are still poisoning his life, as well as his marriage. Perhaps now is the time to go back and confront the place and the people of his shattered childhood. But will he ever be able to understand the crime that punctured their lives so brutally? How can a community move on from such a terrible legacy

Sometimes the past is best left buried.  Twelve years after fighting in Mesopotamia in the  Great War, Harry Ward returns to the land where he lost his faith, his mind and almost his life.  Haunted by bloody visions of bayonets, shrapnel and shells, he takes up the offer of a simple job, working as a photographer on an archaeological dig outside of Mosul.  As the dig progresses, Ward begins to realise that what they have uncovered is no ordinary temple; it holds a terrible secret.  Now flashbacks are the least of his problems ... and he must face a new kind of terror.  The Devil’s Ark is by Stephen Bywater and is due to be published in April 2014.

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, authors of The Heist, return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O'Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line. Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, Special Agent Kate O'Hare. Together they'll go undercover to swindle and catch the world's most wanted - and untouchable - criminals. Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the
ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artefact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar - and against the clock - to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove's elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate's dad. A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it'll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty's priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O'Hare.  The Chase is due to be published in February 2014.

Theft of Life is by Imogen Robertson and is due to be published in May 2014.  London, 1785. When the body of a West Indies planter is found pegged out in the grounds of St Paul's, suspicion falls on one of the victim's former slaves, who was found with his watch on the London streets. As Harriet and Crowther begin investigate, however, they find the answer is not that simple. Together, they negotiate the interests of the British government, the secrets of the plantation owners, and a network of alliances stretching across the Atlantic. And they must confront the uncomfortable truth that some people are willing to do great evil when they believe their cause to be just.

Saturday, 15 December 2012

Books to look forward to from Headline



 The Hunters is the first in a brand new series from the international bestseller Chris Kuzneski - "If you seek, they will find" The Hunters: a team of renegades - an ex-military leader, a historian, a computer whiz, a weapons expert and a thief - financed by a billionaire philanthropist are tasked with finding the world's most legendary treasures.  The Mission: recover a vast Romanian treasure that was stolen by the Russians nearly a century ago.  Fearing a Germany victory in World War 1, the Romanian government signed a deal to guarantee the safety of the country's most valuable artefacts until after the war.  In 1916 two treasure trains full of gold and the most precious objects of the Romanian state - paintings, jewellery from the Royal family, ancient Dacien artefacts - were sent to the underground vaults in the Kremlin only to be lost to the Romanian people forever as Russia severed all diplomatic relations with the country and scattered the treasure to its outlying regions.  With a haul valued at over $3.5 billion dollars, everyone wants to claim the vast treasure but its location has remained a mystery, until now.  Can the Hunters succeed where all others have failed?  The Hunters is due to be published in January 2013.


Peg always felt a little blurred, a little lacking in definition.  Her mother died when she was six, her father simply disappeared, and she was brought up by her grandparents and her obese, bedridden aunt.  But, despite all this, she never developed the habit of asking questions.  At least, not until she met Loz, her straight-talking, psychotherapeutically literate girlfriend, who urges her to confront her demons.  But as the skeletons come tumbling out of the family closet and the full horror of the past begins to reveal itself, Peg starts to wonder whether her youthful lack of curiosity might not have been a good thing.  A very good thing indeed…. Tarnished is by Julia Crouch and is due to be published in March 2013.

When Inspector Cetin Ikmen is invited to a murder mystery evening at Istanbul's famous Pera Palas Hotel he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of life imitating art.  Halfway through the evening, one of the actors is found actually dead in the room where Agatha Christie used to stay when she was in Istanbul.  Walking in the steps of the great, Ikmen experiences fear and hatred, which have echoes deep in his own and his country's past.  Deadline is by Barbara Nadel and is due to be published in January 2013.

 Black Irish is by Stephan Talty and is due to be published in February 2013.  Harvard-educated Detective Absalom 'Abbie' Kearney has returned to 'The County' - an Irish enclave in Buffalo, NY - to take care of her ageing father, legendary former cop John Kearney.  In one of America's most deprived and dilapidated cities, tensions run high and Abbie's day job is never easy.  However, when it becomes apparent that a relentless and merciless killer has set to work, it's about to get a lot harder.  Faced with scenes of inconceivable violence, Abbie's investigation takes her to the heart of this fiercely closed community.  And the darkness she finds there will affect her life in ways she could never have imagined...

Deadly Business is by Quintin Jardine and is due to be published in January 2013.  It is the Fiesta de San Juan in Spain, the national celebration of the Summer Solstice, and there's much excitement about a huge firework display in the village of St Marti.  But Primavera Blackstone is more inflamed by the appearance of a mysterious writer, Duncan Culshaw, who is determined to rake through the ashes of her past.  Moreover, when extortion and blackmail are mentioned, Primavera realises the heat is on.  Duncan has his fingers burned, playing fast and loose with the fiercely protective Prim, but when he marries a dying woman for her money, threatening the inheritance of Prim's son Tom, things are going to get explosive... but happily, there is a new guardian angel in town.

What Lies Within  is a tightly spun, atmospheric and powerful psychological suspense novel by Tom Vowler that is due to be published in April 2013.  Living in a remote Devon farmhouse, Anna and her family have always been close to nature, surrounded by the haunting beauty of the moor.  But when a convict escapes from nearby Dartmoor prison, their isolation suddenly begins to feel more claustrophobic than free.  Fearing for her children's safety, Anna's behaviour becomes increasingly irrational.  But why is she so distant from her kind husband Robert, and why does she suspect something sinister of her son Paul?  All teenagers have their difficult phases...Meanwhile, a young idealistic teacher has just started her first job, determined to 'make a difference'.  But when she is brutally attacked by one of her students, her version of events is doubted by even those closest to her.  Struggling to deal with the terrible consequences, she does what she can to move on and start afresh.  As the two narratives converge, the tension builds to a devastating denouement, shattering everything you thought you believed about nature, nurture and the true meaning of family.

When a family of three are kidnapped from their exclusive Boston home, private investigator Tess Leoni must find out why they have been taken and if she is going to get them back alive.  Justin and Libby Denbe have it all: a beautiful daughter; a gorgeous house; a great marriage, admired by all.  Arriving at the crime scene of their home, investigator Tessa Leoni finds no witnesses, no ransom demands or motive - just a perfect little family, gone.  However, Tessa knows that flawless fronts can hide the darkest secrets.  Now, she must race against the clock to uncover the truth.  Who would want to kidnap such a family?  Moreover, how far would they be willing to go?  Touch & Go is by Lisa Gardner and is due to be published in February 2013.

Things are getting better for Jess Harris.  Newly appointed as Deputy Chief of Birmingham, Alabama’s major crime division, she’s hoping to leave the troubles of her past behind.  The only problem is that her ex-lover, Police Chief Dan Burnett, is now her boss.  Evil will follow you...When a celebrated ballet instructor is found dead, the court rules that it was a tragic accident.  But new Deputy Police Chief, Jess Harris, isn't convinced, and she can't rest easy until she's discovered the truth, however horrifying it may be.  Wherever you go.  Jess has not long been appointed to her new role and she was hoping to leave the troubles of her haunted past behind.  But with the possibility of a killer on the loose, she has no choice but to risk everything.  Can you find a way to hide?  As she delves deeper into the seedy underworld of Birmingham's gangs and their powerful allies, Jess finds herself targeted.  With so much at stake, does she already know too much?  Power is by Debra Webb and is due to be published in March 2013.

He will hurt those she loves... until she is his.  Special Agent Jess Harris is the only person to have come close to The Player, a terrifying serial killer.  And now, as she tries to rebuild her life in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama - with the offer of promotion and the prospect of love - The Player has other ideas...Until she is his.  He is fixated on Jess, on how close she came to catching him and on the terrifying revenge he plans to enact when he finds her.  As it becomes clear that he is targeting those closest to her, Jess realises that the only way to save them is to sacrifice herself.  But can he be stopped?  Jess is determined to protect those she loves and defend her way of life.  But will she be strong enough?  And how high a price might she have to pay?  Impulse is by Debra Webb and is due to be published in February 2013.

The Persona Protocol  is by Andy McDermott and is due to be published in March 2013.  Adam Gray is the ultimate spy...As the lead agent of the US government's top-secret Persona project, he is its most valuable weapon in the War on Terror.  Experimental technology enables him to take on the personality - and memories - of anyone; be it a Russian arms dealer, a high-stakes gambler or a nuclear scientist.  Whatever secrets they know, he knows.  But the most dangerous secrets of all...are his own.  When Adam hunts a terrorist plotting to murder millions, he begins to realise that, although he can delve into the minds of others, his own memories are a mystery.  Hidden in his past is the key to a deadly conspiracy - and its masterminds will stop at nothing to conceal their crimes...
  
Bear is Broken is the debut novel by Lachlan Smith and is due to be published in February 2013.  Leo Maxwell grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Teddy, a successful yet reviled criminal defense attorney who racked up enemies as quickly as he racked up acquittals.  As children, their father was jailed for the murder of their mother, and Teddy was left to care for Leo who tried to emulate his older brother, even following him into the legal profession.  The two are at lunch one day when Teddy, supposed to give the closing argument of his current trial that afternoon, is shot: in public, in cold blood, the shooter escaping without Leo being able to identify him.  As Teddy lies in a coma, Leo comes to the conclusion that the search for his brother's shooter falls upon him and him alone, as his brother's enemies were not merely the scum on the street but embedded within the police department as well.  As he begins to examine the life of a brother, he realizes he barely knew, Leo quickly realizes that the list of possible suspects is much larger than he could have imagined.  The deeper Leo digs into Teddy's life, the more questions arise: questions about Teddy and his ex-wife, questions about the history of the Maxwell family, even questions about the murder that tore their family apart all those years ago.  And somewhere, the person who shot his brother is still on the loose, and there are many who would happily kill Leo in order to keep it that way.

Guilt is the latest novel by Jonathan Kellerman and is due to be published in February 2013.  When a young couple take possession of their dream home, they make a gruesome discovery of a metal strongbox containing two rotting leather doctor’s bags.  And inside, swaddled in sheets of sixty-year-old newspaper, lies a tiny human skeleton.  The most likely culprit is a mysterious woman, employed as a private nurse to wealthy L A families during World War Two.  Lt Milo Sturgis consults Alex Delaware for insight into the perpetrator’s motives.

It started with an anonymous text: How did your mother die?  Private Investigator Wyatt Hunt has never been interested in finding his birth parents, but the discovery that his mother was murdered and the main suspect was his father leaves him with no choice but to take on a case he never knew existed.  With the trail of the forty-year-old case long gone cold, Hunt's first priority is to find out who the mysterious texter is and that person's connection to him.  But in confronting his past, could Hunt find himself up against a killer who's still very much alive and very dangerous?  From the dark streets of San Francisco to the Jonestown massacre in the remote jungles of Guyana, thriller-master John Lescroart weaves a shocking tale about the skeletons inside family closets and the mortal danger outside the front door.  The Hunter is due to be published in March 2013

Paris, 1909: a city of contrasts and of ambition, of beauty and of treachery Maud Heighton came to Lieberman's famous Academie to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town.  It took all her courage to escape, but Paris eats money.  While her fellow students enjoy the dazzling joys of the Belle Époque, Maud slips into poverty.  Quietly starving, and dreading another cold winter, she finds a job as companion to young, beautiful Sylvie Morel.  But Sylvie has a secret: an addiction to opium.  As Maud is drawn into the Morels' world of elegant luxury, their secrets become hers.  Before the New Year arrives, a greater deception will take her to the very edge of the darkness beneath this glittering city of light.  The Paris Winter is by Imogen Robertson and is due to be published in March 2013.

The Lost  is by Claire McGowan and is due to be published in March 2013. Not everyone who's missing is lost.  When two teenage girls go missing along the Irish border, forensic psychologist Paula Maguire has to return to the hometown she left years before.  Swirling with rumour and secrets, the town is gripped by fear of a serial killer.  But the truth could be even darker.  Not everyone who's lost wants to be found Surrounded by people and places she tried to forget, Paula digs into the cases as the truth twists further away.  What's the link with two other disappearances from 1985?  And why does everything lead back to the town's dark past- including the reasons her own mother went missing years before?  Nothing is what it seems.  As the shocking truth is revealed, Paula learns that sometimes, it's better not to find what you've lost.

It has been twenty-five years since the four friends left school, burdened with the dark secret of a game that ended in tragedy.  Now, driven by love, loss and loyalty, they meet to play Tony's game once more.  Tony, the mastermind, has planned the moves that will take each player across continents.  The rules are the same, but they have grown up, and the stakes are much, much higher.  They will be forced to open a forgotten page of history: the Crimea conference of 1945, where three world leaders divided up the world and created a new map of Europe after the Second World War.  How are the secret talks of those leaders connected with this dangerous new game?  And why has Tony decided to play again?  The Game is by A V Shevchenko and is due to be published in February 2013.

Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Circles of Shadows and the Holy Roman Empire


Today’s guest blog is by Imogen Robertson who talks about the background to her latest novel Circle of Shadows.  Imogen Robertson is the author of the Westerman and Crowther series.  Island of Bones the fifth book in the series was shortlisted for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award in 2011.  She has also been long-listed for the 2012 Dagger in the Library for her body of work.  Circle of Shadows is the sixth book in the series

Every novel comes about through a mix of accident and design.  Circle of Shadows was born out of a very selfish desire to find out more about the Holy Roman Empire in the 18th century, a book on an alchemist who set up his own version of Freemasonry, a silver swan and a carnival mask. 

I read German at university, and while I loved the literature it was not until I picked up a short biography of Goethe recently that I realised how little I knew about the context in which his work was written.  This was also about the time that Simon Winder’s wonderful Germania came out and his colourful accounts of some of the eccentricities of the small Courts of the 18th century sharpened my appetite even more.  When the time came to start thinking of the next Westerman and Crowther mystery I knew where I wanted to set it.  The states of the Empire that make up modern Germany were packed with the sort of colours and contrasts that make research of the period such a pleasure.  I sucked in stories of cabinets of curiosity, the subtleties of social hierarchy, the forward looking rulers who aimed to be philosopher kings and those whose energy and wealth were spent purely in the pursuit of pleasure.  The accounts of British travellers of the period are wonderful - fascinated, bemused impressed and uncomprehending in turn.  What, I thought, would Harriet and Crowther make of this?  

I cannot remember how I came across Iain McCalman’s book The Seven Trials of Cagliostro, but I’m very glad that I did.  This shaman or charlatan, depending on your perspective.  He had a colourful and varied career that took him across Europe, healing the sick, growing diamonds for the Cardinal de Rohan and setting up his own version of Freemasonry on the way.  Through him I found myself tumbling into the history of Freemasonry and its many offshoots which spread across Europe in the 1700s; some mystical, some philanthropic and some political.  He also sent me off looking for the philosopher’s stone.  Most people know that Newton was a dedicated alchemist, but I admit I was surprised to discover to what degree alchemy as a practical and spiritual practice was still being pursued long after his death. 

The silver swan automaton in Bowes has been entertaining visitors to that gorgeous museum for generations.  I remember it vividly from when I was a child, and I filmed it in my previous incarnation as a children’s TV director.  I knew I wanted to have someone in the Court who was an outsider like Harriet and Crowther.  A skilled craftsman, a foreigner who shared some common ground with them would be ideal, and so Adnan and Sami brothers who design and build automata were born. 

Then finally the carnival mask.  My partner and I headed off to Germany and spent a couple of weeks travelling in and around what is now Baden-Württemberg in the South West of the country.  We fell in love with the region.  The history of this part of Germany is complex and runs deep.  We saw the plain crowns of 11th century Kings, Roman bath houses and basilicas and the great baroque palaces built in imitation of Versailles.  We also went walking in the Black Forest and found, in a beautiful town called Gengenbach, the Museum of Fools.  It celebrates the customs of carnival where people dress in the masks of witches and party through the night to prepare for the arrival of Lent.  The masks worn in this and similar festivals across the area fascinated me and I thought of a man, drugged and confused, in the midst of those celebrations believing he was surrounded by monsters, then waking under guard accused of murder and with no memory of his innocence or guilt.  I had my opening scene.  So, accident and design.  It’s like a good stew; you gather up the ingredients and simmer.

For more information about Imogen Robertson and her work see her blog and her website.