CrimeSquad.com
2018 Summer Top Ten

1. The Chosen Ones - Howard Linskey Penguin £7.99 "Eva Dunbar wakes in a large metal box. She has no idea who has taken her. She has no way out. She isn't the first young woman to disappear. And with no leads Detective Ian Bradshaw has precious little time. This fourth in the Bradshaw, Carney and Norton series has been a great success and a brilliant series from the word go. Even if you haven’t read the previous three, you can read this – and I bet you will immediately go back and buy the first three! Superb and gripping."
2. Resurrection Bay - Emma Viskic Pushkin Press £8.99 "His childhood friend has been brutally murdered - fingers broken, throat slit - at his home in Melbourne. Tortured by guilt, Caleb vows to track down the killer. But he's profoundly deaf; missed words and misread lips can lead to confusion, and trouble. Sensing that his ex-wife may also be in danger, Caleb insists they return to their hometown of Resurrection Bay. But here he learns that everyone - including his murdered friend - is hiding something. And the deeper he digs, the darker the secrets... I highlighted this Australian author on our Fresh Blood page last September. This debut won this author a plethora of awards. Now the paperback is out and this is definitely worth reading. Introducing Caleb Zelic, profoundly deaf since childhood, he is caught up in all kinds of trouble when his friend, Gary is found at home with his throat slit. Caleb is an onlooker of life and this debut hits crime fiction from a totally different vantage point. Viskic is soon to be on the U.K. shores and her second novel featuring Caleb will be on sale from the 30th August. Click on the link for Emma Viskic Fresh Blood Review and Q&A"
3. He Said/She Said - Erin Kelly Hodder £7.99 "In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack. She and her boyfriend Kit call the police, and in that moment, four lives change forever. Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear and while Laura knows she was right to speak out, she also knows that you can never see the whole picture: something is always hidden… something she never could have guessed. This title caused a sensation last year when it came out in hardback. Now in paperback I am sure this is will be a popular book people will throw in their suitcase when jetting off on their holidays."
4. The Arsenal Stadium Mystery - Leonard Gribble British Library £8.99 "The 1939 Arsenal side is firing on all cylinders and celebrating a string of victories. They appear unstoppable, but the Trojans - a side of amateurs who are on a winning streak of their own - may be about to silence the Gunners. Moments into the second half the whistle blows, but not for a goal or penalty. One of the Trojans has collapsed on the pitch. By the end of the day, he is dead. Gribble's unique mystery, featuring the actual Arsenal squad of 1939, sends Inspector Anthony Slade into the world of professional football to investigate a case of deadly foul play on and off the pitch. With football hysteria reaching fever pitch (pun totally intended!), this is the perfect book for any footie lover in your life, whether they are an Arsenal fan or not. Never having heard of Leonard Gribble myself, it is great that the British Library and Martin Edwards continue to surprise us with golden oldies like this one that have been left forgotten for too long. Click on the link for the Review of The Arsenal Stadium Mystery"
5. Maigret Travels - Georges Simenon Penguin £7.99 "A waiter is summoned to Room 332 at the Hôtel George-V at 3 am, and discovers Countess Palmieri, the 'Little Countess', in distress. She has taken an overdose, and is now saying she doesn't want to die. She is taken to hospital, and the police are informed. When Lucas reports for duty in the morning, he sees a report about the attempted suicide, and decides that he need not bother Maigret about it. However, at 10 am, the body of billionaire David Ward is discovered in the bath in his room in the hotel. He has obviously been murdered. Maigret takes command, and discovers that Ward and the Countess had been having a 'relationship'. So had the Countess murdered him? If she didn't do it, then who did? Before Maigret's investigations can get fully under way, the Countess quits the hospital. Maigret follows her, and this takes him to the Riviera and Switzerland. He uncovers more suspects. Besides the fact it has the word 'travels' in the title, (hence why we thought it good to have in our Summer Top Ten), our intrepid Crimesquad reviewer, James Gracie is a huge lover of Simenon and said about this book in his review... 'And the ending to this book is immaculate. The cunning plan is unexpected, daring, and yet believable. It is a fitting ending to another Simenon tour de force. Click on the link for Georges Simenon – Maigret Travels review"
6. The Other Woman - Laura Wilson Quercus £7.99 "Shortly after Christmas, a message arrives at Sophie's house, scrawled across her own round robin newsletter: HE'S GOING TO LEAVE YOU. LET'S SEE HOW SMUG YOU ARE THEN, YOU STUPID BITCH. Perhaps she should ignore it, but she ignored the last one. And the one before that. Now it's time to take action. But when a simple plan to identify and confront the other woman goes drastically and violently wrong, Sophie must go to extreme lengths to keep her life and her family together - while never letting on her devastating secret. This is a different avenue from Wilson’s previous output. Here she presents us with a comedy of errors filled with dark humour and murder. This is an entertaining read and one that will get you grinning as Sophie lurches from one disaster to possibly discovery. How far would you go to keep all you hold dear in the world? Currently 99p on Kindle. Click on the link for Laura Wilson’s ‘The Other Woman’ Review"
7. Thirteen - Steve Cavanagh Orion £7.99 "THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL. HE'S ON THE JURY... Well, the above says it all, really. Both Steve Cavanagh and Eddie Flynn are taking crime fiction by storm and this latest, the fourth in the series is flying off the shelves… and for good reasons. We loved this and it had to be included in our Summer Top Ten. Just read it… ‘nuff said. Click on the link for Steve Cavanagh – Th1rt3en review"
8. Blood on the Tracks - Ed. by Martin Edwards British Library £8.99 "A signalman is found dead by a railway tunnel. A man identifies his wife as a victim of murder on the underground. Two passengers mysteriously disappear between stations, leaving behind a dead body. Trains have been a favourite setting of many crime writers, providing the mobile equivalent of the "locked-room" scenario. Their enclosed carriages with a limited number of suspects lend themselves to seemingly impossible crimes. For those of you who enjoy short, sharp bursts on holiday, then a short story collection is perfect for you, especially if your holiday involves a train. Authors included here are Conan Doyle, Sayers, Freeman Wills Crofts, R. Austin Freeman and Baroness Orczy and many others. As with every collection, some are stronger than others, but this is a fine addition to the growing and impressive British Library Crime Classics series spearheaded by Martin Edwards."
9. Widows - Lynda La Plante Zaffre £7.99 "A security van heist goes disastrously wrong and three women are left widowed. When Dolly Rawlins discovers her gang boss husband's plans for the failed hijack, an idea starts to form… Could she and the other wives finish the job their husbands started? As the women rehearse the raid, it becomes clear that someone else must have been involved. But only three bodies were found in the wreckage. Who was the fourth man? And where is he now? Hands up who remembers watching this TV series when it first came out? This was the series that really bought women to the fore and opened up a brand new genre where women had brains and held all the cards, rather than being simply eye candy. Dolly Rawlins, played by the magnificent Ann Mitchell (to whom this new version is dedicated) was sublime and a marvellous creation. Now, in time for the new Steve McQueen movie out later this year, La Plante has re-written and updated this new version of her ground-breaking series."
10. The Old You - Louise Voss Orenda Books £8.99 "Lynn Naismith gave up the job she loved when she married Ed, the love of her life, but it was worth it for the happy years they enjoyed together. Now, ten years on, Ed has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and things start to happen; things more sinister than missing keys and lost words. As some memories are forgotten, others, long buried, begin to surface … and Lynn’s perfect world begins to crumble. But is it Ed’s mind playing tricks, or hers…? I loved Voss’ book to the point that the last 100 pages were read standing up as I couldn’t put it down! This is a very clever story about identity. Do you really know your husband? Do you really know yourself? The twists and turns just keep on coming with this fantastic read. Currently 99p on Kindle. A great one for the beach! Click on the link for Louise Voss – The Old You review"