The Lazarus Solution (April 27, 2023)

Summer, 1943. When a courier for Sweden’s Press and Military Office is killed on his final mission, the Norwegian government-in-exile appoints a writer to find the missing documents in this breathtaking WW2 thriller.

Daniel BerkÅk works as a courier for the Press and Military Office in Stockholm. On his last cross-border mission to Norway, he carries a rucksack full of coded documents and newspapers, but before he has a chance to deliver anything he is shot and killed and the contents of his rucksack are missing. The Norwegian government, currently exiled in London, wants to know what happened, and the job goes to writer Jomar Kraby,whose first suspect is a Norwegian refugee living in Sweden, whose past that is as horrifying as the events still to come…

Both classic crime and a stunning exposÉ of Norwegian agents in Stockholm during the Second World War, The Lazarus Solution is a compulsive, complex, richly authentic historical thriller from one of the godfathers of Nordic Noir

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Maidens in the Vale (April 28, 2023)

The Master Submariner has finally surfaced. Patrick Robinson, who wrote a dazzling series of best sellers about submarine warfare (guided by ex-Royal Navy Underwater Chief and Falklands War Battle Group Commander, Admiral Sir Sandy Woodward) has written his first book in five years, Maidens In The Vale.
It’s a page-turning thriller about revenge, murder on an international scale, posing the electrifying modern question – can a young woman be so shockingly abused, that any action she subsequently takes is justified? She’s beautiful, young, expensively educated in England, although Russian by birth and heritage. But her uncle, her mum’s brother, is an ex-KGB assassin. He’s a ‘diplomat’ now, based in London. He and his niece make a fire-proof and vengeful combination – driving international Police Forces almost crazy with frustration.
Robinson’s areas of some expertise include horseracing, boxing, rowing, Special Forces, and military thrillers, including residents of the Lubyanka, Uncle Rudy’s home base in Moscow. He also knows a thing or two about London’s aristocracy (he was once a much-feared writer on the legendary William Hickey Society Column, Daily Express), It’s all woven into this complex story, and it’s marginally held in place by the most unlikely romance – when the Scotland Yard Superintendent is utterly captivated by his possible prime suspect. Meanwhile, his own mother, the daughter of a Scottish Duke, nearly steals the show, as a droll and irreverent matriarch, like Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey. The book will keep you guessing to the very last page, as it deals with a devastating High Court ‘crime’ which dare not speak its name.

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Murder With Manners by Blythe Baker (April 30, 2023)

A visit to relatives in Newport is supposed to give Sylvia time to rest and consider the latest revelation about Miles’ past. But when a picnic hosted by the local yacht club ends with a mysterious death, Sylvia is drawn into a dangerous investigation.

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Murder at the Beauty Pageant (May 2, 2023)

Spring, 1935. Newlywed Kitty Underhay has been enlisted by her old nemesis Mrs Craven to help organise the Miss Dartmouth Jubilee pageant at the Dolphin Hotel. Being bossed around by her arch enemy is not quite what Kitty had in mind for the start of her married life, but she’s excited to launch the glamorous show. Sparkling smiles are quickly replaced by audible gasps however, when one of the girls goes missing during the interval…

When pretty Peggy Blaine is discovered dead, Kitty can’t help but notice that none of the other contestants seem particularly shocked. Can jealousy over a sash and a diamante tiara be a motive for murder?

But when she discovers the threatening notes the young women have received, Kitty enlists her husband Matt to figure out who’s scaring the competitors. However, before Matt can speak to them, another entrant turns up dead after an apparently accidental overdose. Taking part in a beauty pageant seems to have turned into a fatal occupation!

The daring duo are sure that someone close to the girls is responsible. But can they sort the harmless face powders from the fatal poisons before it’s too late? Or will Kitty and Matt find they are next to be crowned… with death?

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Obelists at Sea by C. Daly King (May 2, 2023)

C. Daly King’s debut mystery is a tale of murder, travel, and psychiatry set aboard a luxury transatlantic liner

The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity ― but it’s less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens; in the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when the light is restored, a man is found dead. The situation becomes all the more curious when it’s discovered that the deceased had apparently ingested cyanide just seconds before being penetrated by the bullet. 

Luckily, for the other passengers, there are two detectives aboard the Meganaut, ready to leap into action. There are also four psychiatrists, and those psychiatrists convince the captain to let them take a stab at solving the crime, using their professional understanding of the human psyche to determine who could have been capable of such a crime ― and why. But will they be able to deduce the puzzle’s solution before the killer strikes again?

The first of seven novels by psychologist C. Daly King, Obelists at Sea is intelligent and enjoyable Golden Age mystery fare, featuring an atmospheric setting, carefully placed clues, and a complex whodunnit plot explained with sharp-witted ratiocination.

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The Edinburgh Mystery: And Other Tales of Scottish Crime, Edited by Martin Edwards (May 2, 2023)

From the Highlands to the borders, the bustling cities to the remote isles in cold seas, the unique landscapes and locales of Scotland have long inspired writers of the very best Golden Age mysteries. Beginning with the adventures of Sherlock Holmes from Edinburgh-born Arthur Conan Doyle, this new collection includes the ingenious scientific mysteries of Anthony Wynne, the dark and sardonic work of Margot Bennett and contributions from neglected yet brilliant authors such as Scobie Mackenzie and R. T. Campbell.

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The Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (May 2, 2023)

A hugely enjoyable, page-turning classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time

Don’t miss this beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery–its propulsive plot makes for a compelling, page-turning read.

As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.

This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders.

The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?

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Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River by Emily J. Edwards (May 2nd, 2023)

Author Emily J. Edwards takes Viviana Valentine to new heights—and new lows—in this “firecracker of a series” (Allison Epstein), perfect for fans of Ashley Weaver and Rhys Bowen.

1950, New York. Viviana Valentine–Girl Friday turned partner to New York’s top investigator, Tommy Fortuna–is drawn into a sordid new case when Buster Beacon, a wealthy man of science, beckons them to a party at his mansion north of the city. There, Buster entertains blue-blooded friends as well as investors keen to make a dollar on the many advancements made in his home laboratory, but he’s been hearing strange noises in the night coming from his expansive estate, and he doesn’t know who to trust.

Once Viviana and Tommy arrive, the party is snowed in. And suddenly, there is a dead body and nowhere to hide. Who killed the disguised federal agent in their midst? And how have details from the top-secret lab become public? Once chomping at the bit to be brought into this mysterious life, Viviana wonders if she’s ready for the risks that come with the territory—risks that rise treacherously high as the killer targets the next victim.

Set in the gritty, noir world of 1950 New York City, Emily J. Edwards’s Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River packs all the elements mystery fans love: an irresistibly clever protagonist, a posh cast of heroes and villains, and a murder case that could defy even the most seasoned investigator.

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I am so excited to add The Mill House Murders to my collection after reading The Decagon House Murders and loving it. Are any of the new releases going onto your bookshelves?