Crime Chronicle
AUGUST 2017 • Selected Titles • Printable Version
Crime Chronicle - Modern Crime
abbeys.com.au
The List
Michael Brissenden
$29.99
Paperback • 368 pages
SIGNED COPIES SHIPPING NOW!
Sectarian war? Drugs? Retribution? For Sid, there's nothing unclear about a bullet to the head and a severed hand. Someone is sending a message. Deciphering that message reveals a much wider threat and Sid and the agency have to decide just how far they'll go to prevent a deadly attack. Time is running out ...for them and Australia.
From the brutal battlegrounds of Afghanistan, to the western Sydney suburbs and the halls of power in Canberra, THE LIST is a page-turning thriller where justice, revenge and the war on terror collide.
Michael at Abbey’s Hear more
More of the latest new releases
A Nest of Vipers (#21 Inspector Montalbano)
Andrea Camilleri , Stephen Sartarelli
$29.99
Paperback • 288 pages
A Nest of Vipers is the twenty-first novel in Andrea Camilleri's irresistible Inspector Montalbano series. Quite a family, you had to admit! A nest of vipers might be a better description . . . On what should be a quiet Sunday morning, Inspector Montalbano is called to a murder scene on the Sicilian coast. A man has discovered his father dead in his Vigatan beach house: his body slumped on the dining room floor, his morning coffee spilt across the table, and a single gunshot wound at the base of his skull. First appearances point to the son having the most to gain from his father's untimely death, a notion his sister can't help but reinforce. But when Montalbano delves deeper into the case, and learns of the dishonourable life the victim led, it soon becomes clear half of Vigata has a motive for his murder and this won't be as simple as the Inspector had once hoped...
The Twentieth Man
Tony Jones
$32.99
Paperback
He was the only one left alive; now it was his turn to die.In September 1972, journalist Anna Rosen takes an early morning phone call from her boss at the ABC, telling her about two bombings in Sydney's busy CBD. It's the worst terrorist attack in the country's history and Anna has no doubt which group is responsible for the carnage. She has been investigating the role of alleged war criminals in the globally active Ustasha movement.High in the Austrian Alps, Marin Katich is one of twenty would-be revolutionaries who slip stealthily over the border into Yugoslavia on a mission planned and funded in Australia. It will have devastating consequences for all involved.Soon the arrival in Australia of Yugoslavia's prime minister will trigger the next move in a deadly international struggle.Tony Jones, one of Australia's most admired journalists, has written a brilliantly compelling thriller, taking us from the savage mountains of Yugoslavia to Canberra's brutal yet covert power struggles in a novel that's intelligent, informed and utterly suspenseful.
House of Spies (#17 Gabriel Allon)
Daniel Silva
$32.99
Paperback • 464 pages
A heart-stopping tale of suspense, Daniel Silva's runaway bestseller, The Black Widow, was one of 2016's biggest novels. Now, in House of Spies, Gabriel Allon is back and out for revenge - determined to hunt down the world's most dangerous terrorist, a shadowy ISIS mastermind known only as Saladin.
Just months after a deadly attack on America, terrorists leave a trail of carnage through London's glittering West End. The attack is a brilliant feat of planning and secrecy, but with one loose thread.
The thread leads Gabriel Allon and his team to the south of France and the gilded doorstep of Jean-Luc Martel and Olivia Watson. A beautiful former British fashion model, Olivia pretends not to know the true source of Martel's enormous wealth. And Martel, likewise, turns a blind eye to the fact he is doing business with a man whose objective is the very destruction of the West.
Written in seductive and elegant prose, the story moves swiftly from the glamour of Saint-Tropez to the grit of Casablanca and, finally, to an electrifying climax.
A dazzling tale of avarice and redemption, set against the backdrop of the great conflict of our times. Silva has inherited the mantle of king of the spy thriller from John le Carré, and is taking the genre into the fascinating, terrifying world of 21st century espionage.
Just months after a deadly attack on America, terrorists leave a trail of carnage through London's glittering West End. The attack is a brilliant feat of planning and secrecy, but with one loose thread.
The thread leads Gabriel Allon and his team to the south of France and the gilded doorstep of Jean-Luc Martel and Olivia Watson. A beautiful former British fashion model, Olivia pretends not to know the true source of Martel's enormous wealth. And Martel, likewise, turns a blind eye to the fact he is doing business with a man whose objective is the very destruction of the West.
Written in seductive and elegant prose, the story moves swiftly from the glamour of Saint-Tropez to the grit of Casablanca and, finally, to an electrifying climax.
A dazzling tale of avarice and redemption, set against the backdrop of the great conflict of our times. Silva has inherited the mantle of king of the spy thriller from John le Carré, and is taking the genre into the fascinating, terrifying world of 21st century espionage.
Mr. Campion's Abdication
Margery Allingham , Mike Ripley
$44.95
Hardback • 256 pages
‘So where exactly did Albert Campion stand on the Abdication?’ ‘Behind the throne, slightly to the left?’ suggested Commander Charles Luke.
Margery Allingham’s Mr Campion finds himself masquerading as technical advisor to a very suspicious but glamorous Italian film producer and her crew hunting for buried treasure that never was in the Suffolk village of Heronhoe near Pontisbright which used to host trysts between Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson.
‘When it came to the Abdication Crisis in ’36 those dirty week-ends in Heronhoe were quickly forgotten, except not by the Prince. The story goes – that when he married Mrs Simpson, in 1937 that would be, he actually sent a valuable thank you gift to Heronhoe. That was what became known as the Abdication Treasure although there’s no record of anything going to Heronhoe Hall, or of anybody ever receiving anything from the Duke of Windsor and nobody anywhere claims to have actually seen anything resembling treasure.’
‘So how is Albert Campion involved? You said the treasure doesn’t exist.’
‘It doesn’t,’ Lord Breeze said firmly, ‘and I have been instructed to tell you to tell Campion, that unless he wants to risk embarrassing Buckingham Palace, he’d better lay off. There’s no such thing as the Abdication Treasure, so there’s nothing to find and Campion had better make sure he doesn’t find it!’
Margery Allingham’s Mr Campion finds himself masquerading as technical advisor to a very suspicious but glamorous Italian film producer and her crew hunting for buried treasure that never was in the Suffolk village of Heronhoe near Pontisbright which used to host trysts between Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson.
‘When it came to the Abdication Crisis in ’36 those dirty week-ends in Heronhoe were quickly forgotten, except not by the Prince. The story goes – that when he married Mrs Simpson, in 1937 that would be, he actually sent a valuable thank you gift to Heronhoe. That was what became known as the Abdication Treasure although there’s no record of anything going to Heronhoe Hall, or of anybody ever receiving anything from the Duke of Windsor and nobody anywhere claims to have actually seen anything resembling treasure.’
‘So how is Albert Campion involved? You said the treasure doesn’t exist.’
‘It doesn’t,’ Lord Breeze said firmly, ‘and I have been instructed to tell you to tell Campion, that unless he wants to risk embarrassing Buckingham Palace, he’d better lay off. There’s no such thing as the Abdication Treasure, so there’s nothing to find and Campion had better make sure he doesn’t find it!’
Twilight Wife
A. J. Banner
$29.99
Paperback
From bestselling author A.J. Banner comes a dazzling new novel of psychological suspense in the vein of S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep and Mary Kubica’s The Good Girl that questions just how much we can trust the people around us.
Thirty-four-year-old marine biologist Kyra Winthrop remembers nothing about the diving accident that left her with a complex form of memory loss. With only brief flashes of the last few years of her life, her world has narrowed to a few close friendships on the island where she lives with her devoted husband, Jacob.
But all is not what it seems. Kyra begins to have visions—or are they memories?—of a rocky marriage, broken promises, and cryptic relationships with the island residents, whom she believes to be her friends.
As Kyra races to uncover her past, the truth becomes a terrifying nightmare. A twisty, immersive thriller, The Twilight Wife will keep readers enthralled through the final, shocking twist.
Thirty-four-year-old marine biologist Kyra Winthrop remembers nothing about the diving accident that left her with a complex form of memory loss. With only brief flashes of the last few years of her life, her world has narrowed to a few close friendships on the island where she lives with her devoted husband, Jacob.
But all is not what it seems. Kyra begins to have visions—or are they memories?—of a rocky marriage, broken promises, and cryptic relationships with the island residents, whom she believes to be her friends.
As Kyra races to uncover her past, the truth becomes a terrifying nightmare. A twisty, immersive thriller, The Twilight Wife will keep readers enthralled through the final, shocking twist.
Dark Water (#5 Makana)
Parker Bilal
$27.99
Paperback • 304 pages
A scientist specialising in chemical warfare is on the run in Istanbul in a gripping new investigation for `one of crime fiction's most interesting and sympathetic detectives' (The Times) When Marcus Winslow appears at Private Investigator Makana's door one April morning, Makana does not realize that soon he will risk losing everything he has built for himself in Cairo. A representative of the British government, Winslow has come with a mission, one impossible to turn down: Ayman Nizari, an Iraqi scientist specialising in biochemical nerve agents, a man whose work could kill thousands, is on the run and asking for asylum. But he insists that he trusts only one man to bring him to safety: Makana. But why is Ayman demanding that only Makana can help him? And what part does Winslow have to play in this? The scientist has gone to ground in Istanbul, and Makana quickly discovers that in this place nothing is as it appears, in a case that will see his past and present collide with fatal consequences.
Crowned And Dangerous (#10 A Royal Spyness Mystery)
Rhys Bowen
$14.95
Paperback • 320 pages
Nothing is simple when you're thirty-fifth in line for the British crown, least of all marriage. But with love on their side, and plans to elope, Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her beau, Darcy O'Mara, hope to bypass a few royal rules. Their plans are thwarted when they learn that Georgie's future father-in-law has been arrested for the murder of a wealthy American. With the elopement postponed, they head for Ireland where Darcy's father insists he's innocent, and it's up to Georgie and Darcy to prove it - for better or worse.
Paradise Valley (#18 Joe Pickett)
C. J. Box
$29.99
Paperback • 352 pages
A KILLER ON THE ROAD He's the Lizard King - a serial killer who haunts North America's highways and truck stops, preying on runaways and prostitutes. After years on the road, he's tired. The net is closing around him. Its time to end it. For three years, Chief Investigator Cassandra 'Cassie' Dewell has been hunting the Lizard King. Twice she has come close to taking him, but this time she surely has him. The trap is set and baited. What happens next will cost three policemen their lives and Cassie her job. But she can't give up the hunt - she refuses to believe the charred body they pull from the flames is the Lizard King's. Tracking two missing fourteen-year-old boys, Cassie - alone - takes to the road. A road from which, quite possibly, there is no return. A road that ends in Paradise Valley.
A Voice in the Night (#20 Inspector Montalbano)
Andrea Camilleri , Stephen Sartarelli
$19.99
Paperback
A Voice in the Night is the twentieth compelling crime novel in the phenomenally successful Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri.
It occurred to him that he might not have had anything to do with Strangio's death. It was a voice in the night, an anonymous voice, that had told him this. A voice in the night that could easily have been the voice of his conscience.
Feeling his age, as his birthday rolls round once again, Inspector Montalbano decides to cheer himself up by dealing with a young driver's road rage in his own unique way.
But his joy is short-lived, as at police headquarters he receives an angry phone call from a supermarket boss; there's been a robbery at his store and Montalbano's colleague is treating him as a suspect. On arrival at the scene, Montalbano quickly agrees with Inspector Augello that this was no ordinary break-in, but with the supermarket's infamous links to the Mafia creating problems at every turn, this isn't going to be an easy case for the inspector to solve.
And to add to the inspector's burden, the young driver he made an enemy of earlier on has returned to police headquarters to report a shocking crime . . .
No Witness But The Moon
Suzanne Chazin
$18.99
Paperback • 352 pages
A reported home invasion in an upscale New York community forces Detective Jimmy Vega into a life-or-death decision. A Hispanic man who fits the description of the armed intruder is fleeing the scene. When he refuses to surrender - and reaches into his pocket—Vega has just seconds to act. Soon, a tragic mistake takes an even darker turn when Vega uncovers links between the dead man and his own mother’s unsolved murder.
Vega’s need for answers propels him back to his old Bronx neighborhood, where he’s viewed as a disgraced cop, not a homegrown hero. It also leaves him at odds with his girlfriend, activist Adele Figueroa. But when a shocking piece of evidence surfaces, it’s clear someone will do whatever it takes to keep Vega from putting the pieces together. Only by risking everything will Vega find justice, redemption, and most elusive of all: the ability to forgive himself.
Vega’s need for answers propels him back to his old Bronx neighborhood, where he’s viewed as a disgraced cop, not a homegrown hero. It also leaves him at odds with his girlfriend, activist Adele Figueroa. But when a shocking piece of evidence surfaces, it’s clear someone will do whatever it takes to keep Vega from putting the pieces together. Only by risking everything will Vega find justice, redemption, and most elusive of all: the ability to forgive himself.
The Wrong Side of Goodbye (#21 Bosch)
Michael Connelly
$19.99
Paperback
Only Harry Bosch can uncover LA's darkest secrets in this new gripping thriller from global bestseller Michael Connelly.
Harry Bosch is LA's newest private investigator. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't have an office and he only has himself to answer to.
Soon he is hired by Whitney Vance, an ageing reclusive billionaire who is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he met his great love - but she disappeared just after revealing she was pregnant. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?
Vance wants to know the truth, and Bosch is the only person he trusts. But Bosch's instincts tell him this will be a dangerous job - not just for himself, but for the person he's looking for...
Harry Bosch is LA's newest private investigator. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't have an office and he only has himself to answer to.
Soon he is hired by Whitney Vance, an ageing reclusive billionaire who is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he met his great love - but she disappeared just after revealing she was pregnant. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?
Vance wants to know the truth, and Bosch is the only person he trusts. But Bosch's instincts tell him this will be a dangerous job - not just for himself, but for the person he's looking for...
Off Reservation
Bram Connolly
$29.99
Paperback
Ultra-tough and ultra-lethal, Australian Commando Captain Matt Rix is one of Special Forces' most lethal operators. But when a training exercise goes horribly wrong, he is given an ultimatum that brings his world crashing down. There is only one choice left to him and that's to go 'off reservation'.What follows is the frantic pursuit of escaped Taliban commander Faisal Khan. Chasing Khan across Turkey would be easy; stopping a nuclear weapon he has received from falling into the hands of the world's most feared terrorist organisation, that's going to be the hard part.Rix might be disgraced and discarded, but he should never be underestimated. Nothing is ever as it seems...On The Fighting Season'...military fiction of the first order: as tough as nails and packed with insider knowledge of someone who has done it for real.' Matthew Reilly 'Action packed, gritty and authentic to the core.' Merrick Watts
Signal Loss: Peninsula Crimes 7
Garry Disher
$23.99
Paperback • 240 pages
A small bushfire, but nasty enough for ice cooks to abandon their lab. Fatal, too. But when the bodies in the burnt-out Mercedes prove to be a pair of Sydney hitmen, Inspector Hal Challis's inquiries into a local ice epidemic take a darker turn. Meanwhile, Ellen Destry, head of the new sex crimes unit, finds herself not only juggling the personalities of her team but hunting a serial rapist who leaves no evidence behind. The seventh instalment in Garry Disher's celebrated Peninsula Crimes series sets up new challenges, both professional and personal, for Challis and Destry. And Disher delivers with all the suspense and human complexity for which readers love him. Garry Disher has published almost fifty titles-fiction, children's books, anthologies, textbooks, the Wyatt thrillers and the Peninsula Crimes series. He has won numerous awards, including the German Crime Prize (twice) and two Ned Kelly Best Crime novel awards, for Chain of Evidence (2007) and Wyatt (2010). Garry lives on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
Berlin Red (#7 Pekkala)
Sam Eastland
$19.99
Paperback • 400 pages
April 1945 - Inspector Pekkala is in a race against time as he heads to Berlin to capture the plans for a secret weapon that could change the course of the war.
April, 1945.East of Berlin, the Red Army stands poised to unleash its final assault upon the ruined capital of Hitler's Thousand Year Reich.To the north, at a lonely outpost near the Baltic sea, German scientists perfect a guidance system for the mighty V2 rocket, which has already caused massive damage to the cities of London and Antwerp. This device, known only by the codename Diamondstream, will allow the rocket to arrive at its target with pin-point accuracy. So devastating is the potential of this newly-mastered technology that Hitler's promise to the German people of a 'miracle weapon' that will turn the tide of the war might actually come true.
When a radio message sent to Hitler's Headquarters, heralding the success of Diamondstream, is intercepted by an English listening station, British Intelligence orders one of its last agents operating in Berlin to acquire the plans for the device, Desperate to evacuate their agent from the doomed city before the Red Army swarms through its streets, British Special Operations turns to the Kremlin for help. They ask for one man in particular - Inspector Pekkala.
Anxious to acquire the plans for himself, Stalin readily agrees to risk his finest investigator on what appears to be a suicide mission. But when Pekkala learns the reason that the British have singled him out, he knows that he must make the journey, no matter what the outcome might be. The agent he must rescue is the woman he had planned to marry, before the Revolution tore them apart, sending her to Paris as a refugee and Pekkala to a gulag in Siberia.
April, 1945.East of Berlin, the Red Army stands poised to unleash its final assault upon the ruined capital of Hitler's Thousand Year Reich.To the north, at a lonely outpost near the Baltic sea, German scientists perfect a guidance system for the mighty V2 rocket, which has already caused massive damage to the cities of London and Antwerp. This device, known only by the codename Diamondstream, will allow the rocket to arrive at its target with pin-point accuracy. So devastating is the potential of this newly-mastered technology that Hitler's promise to the German people of a 'miracle weapon' that will turn the tide of the war might actually come true.
When a radio message sent to Hitler's Headquarters, heralding the success of Diamondstream, is intercepted by an English listening station, British Intelligence orders one of its last agents operating in Berlin to acquire the plans for the device, Desperate to evacuate their agent from the doomed city before the Red Army swarms through its streets, British Special Operations turns to the Kremlin for help. They ask for one man in particular - Inspector Pekkala.
Anxious to acquire the plans for himself, Stalin readily agrees to risk his finest investigator on what appears to be a suicide mission. But when Pekkala learns the reason that the British have singled him out, he knows that he must make the journey, no matter what the outcome might be. The agent he must rescue is the woman he had planned to marry, before the Revolution tore them apart, sending her to Paris as a refugee and Pekkala to a gulag in Siberia.
Deadfall
Linda Fairstein
$29.99
Paperback • 400 pages
A wild heart beats within New York City. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don't always have claws and fangs, as Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace know all too well. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking drive-by murder of an important city employee - someone Alex has worked with for years - the trio must discover who the bigger snake is: the killer or the victim.Investigations into the death provide more questions than answers, as a tangled mess of secrets slowly comes to light. From bribes to secret societies, from big-game hunting to the illegal animal trade, from New York City zoos to behind closed doors in government buildings, Alex will have her work cut out for her if she wants to uncover the truth - and uphold the integrity of the office she has so proudly served.
Perfect Prey (#2 D I Callanach)
Helen Fields
$29.99
Paperback • 480 pages
The second in the terrifying DI Callanach crime series. Fans of M.J. Arlidge will be hooked from the very first page.In the midst of a rock festival, a charity worker is sliced across the stomach. He dies minutes later. In a crowd of thousands, no one saw his attacker. The following week, the body of a primary school teacher is found in a dumpster in an Edinburgh alley, strangled with her own woollen scarf.DI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach have no motive and no leads - until around the city, graffitied on buildings, words appear describing each victim.It's only when they realise the words are appearing before rather than after the murders, that they understand the killer is announcing his next victim...and the more innocent the better.
The Hours Before Dawn
Celia Fremlin , Chris Simmons , Laura Wilson
$19.99
Paperback • 256 pages
Louise would give anything - anything - for a good night's sleep. Forget the girls running errant in the garden and bothering the neighbours. Forget her husband who seems oblivious to it all. If the baby would just stop crying, everything would be fine. Or would it? What if Louise's growing fears about the family's new lodger, who seems to share all of her husband's interests, are real? What could she do, and would anyone even believe her? Maybe, if she could get just get some rest, she'd be able to think straight.
If I Die Tonight
A. L. Gaylin
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
The new, standout thriller from the Edgar-nominated author'Completely absorbing, with a knock out twist.' - Harlan CobenThere was a time when Jackie Reed knew her sons better than anyone. She used to be able to tell what they were thinking, feeling, if they were lyinga But it's as though every day, every minute even, she knows them a little less. Her boys aren't boys anymore, they're becoming men - men she's not sure she recognises, men she's not sure she can trust.So when one of her son's classmates is killed in suspicious circumstances, people start asking questions. Was it really a hit and run? A car-jacking gone wrong? Or something much more sinister? Now Jackie must separate the truth from the lies. How did that boy end up on the road? And where was her son that night?
I Know a Secret (#12 Rizzoli and Isles)
Tess Gerritsen
$32.99
Paperback • 336 pages
I have a secret. And someone wants to make sure I never tell . . . In a house decorated with horror movie posters, a young woman's body is found. She lies on her bed, two bloodied objects clutched in her palm. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are called to the murder scene, but even faced with this gruesome sight they are unable to identify the immediate cause of death. Their investigation leads them to a high-profile murder case that was seemingly solved years before. But when another body is found in horrific circumstances, the link between the two bodies is clear. Was the wrong person sent to prison? Is the real killer out there right now, picking off new targets? One woman knows the killer is coming for her next. She's the only one who can help Rizzoli and Isles catch him.But she has a secret that she has to keep . . .
The Absence of Guilt
Mark Gimenez
$19.99
Paperback • 480 pages
Mark Gimenez, author the massive international bestseller The Colour of Law, is back, as superstar lawyer Scott A. Fenney takes the stand for an impossible case. An ISIS attack on America is narrowly averted when the FBI uncovers a plot to detonate a weapon of mass destruction in Dallas, Texas during the Super Bowl.A federal grand jury indicts twenty-four co-conspirators, including Omar al Mustafa, a notorious and charismatic Muslim cleric known for his incendiary anti-American diatribes on YouTube and Fox News. His arrest is greeted with cheers around the world and relief at home. The President goes on national television and proclaims: 'We won!'There is only one problem: there is no evidence against Mustafa. That problem falls to the presiding judge, newly appointed U.S. District Judge A. Scott Fenney.If Mustafa is innocent, Scott must set the most dangerous man in Dallas free, with no idea who is really guilty.And with just three weeks before the attack is due . . .
Too Easy
J.M. Green
$29.99
Paperback • 288 pages
On a stormy Halloween night, Stella gets a call from her best friend, Detective Phuong Nguyen. Phuong has a problem. Or rather her lover, Bruce Copeland, does. Copeland, fearing being falsely accused of involvement in a police corruption investigation, knows that only one person can prove that he is the only innocent cop in his unit - but this saviour-to-be has gone missing. So it's up to Stella to find the missing man, and convince him to testify for Copeland. Easy. Meanwhile, Stella finds herself drawn to the mysterious Cuong - Phuong's eccentric cousin - a gambling addict with a crippling obsession with the supernatural. Cuong has been mixing with some unsavoury types at the race track, and with the Melbourne Cup only days away, Cuong is desperate to find the money he owes - before his ghosts come back to haunt him. When the fascinators and fake tan are on, the big money is out and the horses are off - and the race for Stella to get her man to a police station, and Cuong out of the country alive, is on. Easy? Too Easy.
After I've Gone
Linda Green
$29.99
Paperback • 432 pages
STATUS UPDATE: You have 18 months left to live... On a wet Monday in January, Jess Mount checks Facebook and discovers her timeline appears to have skipped forward 18 months, to a day when shocked family and friends are posting heartbreaking tributes to her following her death in an accident. Jess is left scared and confused: is she the target of a cruel online prank or is this a terrifying glimpse of her true fate? Amongst the posts are photos of a gorgeous son she has not yet conceived. But when new posts suggest her death was deliberate, Jess realises that if she changes the future to save her own life, the baby boy she has fallen in love with may never exist.
Truly Evil (#2 Pearson & Russell)
Mark Hardie
$29.99
Paperback • 368 pages
A gripping thriller that brings together the secrets of the past and the crimes of the present in a twist that will leave you gasping - perfect for fans Patricia Gibney's The Missing Ones and Rachel Abbott's The Sixth Window.
A body has been found dumped on the shores of Southend. Already under scrutiny following the murder of a corrupt cop, DS Frank Pearson and DC Cat Russell of the Essex Major Investigation Team are tasked with solving the case quickly, and quietly.
When the victim's identity is revealed, the list of suspects begins to grow: a young woman knows more than she's letting on, but is she really involved? Or there's the estranged father, who's been trying to find the victim for months. One thing is clear: no one is telling the whole truth.
Then a shocking tragedy leads Pearson to a similar murder case from decades before. Is it a coincidence, or is history repeating itself? As Pearson and Russell search for the answer, they find themselves drawn into a terrifying cover-up going back fifty years...
A body has been found dumped on the shores of Southend. Already under scrutiny following the murder of a corrupt cop, DS Frank Pearson and DC Cat Russell of the Essex Major Investigation Team are tasked with solving the case quickly, and quietly.
When the victim's identity is revealed, the list of suspects begins to grow: a young woman knows more than she's letting on, but is she really involved? Or there's the estranged father, who's been trying to find the victim for months. One thing is clear: no one is telling the whole truth.
Then a shocking tragedy leads Pearson to a similar murder case from decades before. Is it a coincidence, or is history repeating itself? As Pearson and Russell search for the answer, they find themselves drawn into a terrifying cover-up going back fifty years...
You Belong to Me
Colin Harrison
$21.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Paul Reeves is a successful New York lawyer with a seemingly charmed life. He has an adoring girlfriend, a beautiful apartment on the Upper West Side and a voracious appetite for rare and beautiful maps. But when his seductive, all-American neighbour Jennifer Mehraz - wife of the suave but shadowy young businessman Ahmed Mehraz - desperately pleads for his help, Paul is catapulted into Manhattan's dangerous underworld. Behind its glamourous facade, this city is a dark and troubling place where anything can be bought for a high enough price... As past and present collide, devastating secrets are unearthed, loyalties put to the test and Paul will be forced to consider what he is willing to sacrifice to possess what - and who - he most desires.
The Susan Effect
Peter Hoeg , Martin Aitken
$32.99
Paperback • 352 pages
Susan Svendsen has a special talent- she has a unique ability to make people confide in her and tell her their innermost secrets. She has exploited that talent, and now has a prison sentence hanging over her head for punching a Bollywood actor in an Indian casino. To make matters worse, her husband is on the run from the mafia, one of her children has been accused of antiquity smuggling and the other has run off with a monk. But Susan gets an offer from a former government official - an offer to use her power one more time and have all her charges dropped so she can return to Denmark. Together with her family, she must track down the last surviving members of a secret think tank of young talents founded in the 1970s, the so-called Future Committee, and find out what was written in the committee's final report. But the report is apparently covering up information of great value, and some powerful people are determined it is not revealed.
Down for the Count (#2 Harry Kvist)
Martin Holmen
$24.99
Paperback
Harry Kvist has been in Langholmen jail for a year and a half, but is about to be released. He is looking forward to building a life with his new lover outside the prison gates. But no sooner is he back home than he finds his friend Beda has been murdered and, even worse, that her disabled son Petrus is accused of the crime. Harry investigates, finding evidence of a cover-up and a trail of guilt leading all the way to the royal family. What will Harry have to do to free Petrus and bring the real murderers to justice?
Finisterre
Graham Hurley
$19.99
Paperback • 400 pages
Germany, October 1944: Dozens of cities lie in ruins. Enemy armies are at the gates. For the Thousand Year Reich, time is running out. Desperate to avoid the humiliation of unconditional surrender, German intelligence launch Operation Finisterre - a last-ditch plan to enable Hitler to deny the savage logic of a war on two fronts and bluff his way to the negotiating table. Success depends on two individuals: Stefan Portisch, a German naval officer washed ashore on the coast of Spain after the loss of his U-boat, and Hector Gomez, an ex-FBI detective, planted by Director J. Edgar Hoover in the middle of the most secret place on earth: the American atomic bomb complex. Both men will find themselves fighting for survival as Operation Finisterre plays itself out.
Bone Box (#9 Decker & Lazarus)
Faye Kellerman
$19.99
Paperback • 448 pages
They thought the murders were over.But now there's a new victim... On a crisp September morning in the woods of upstate New York, Rina Decker stumbles upon human remains. She calls her husband, Peter, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD. Within hours, the forest is transformed into a frenetic crime scene.As Decker and his partner, Tyler McAdams, further investigate, they realize they're most likely dealing with a missing student from the Five Colleges of Upstate.And when more bodies are found in the same area, Decker and McAdams know this isn't just a one-off murder case. Now they must race to protect their community from a psychopathic killer still in the area - and on the hunt for a fresh victim.
The Bone Field
Simon Kernick
$19.99
Paperback • 416 pages
A missing girl. A ruthless crime gang. A man so evil he must be stopped at any cost. DI Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd begin a desperate hunt for the truth that will take them into a dark and terrifying world of corruption and deadly secrets, where murder is commonplace, and nothing and nobody is safe... When the bones of a 21-year old woman who went missing without trace in Thailand in 1990, are discovered in the grounds of an old Catholic school in Buckinghamshire, an enduring mystery takes on a whole new twist. Her boyfriend at the time, and the man who reported her missing, Henry Forbes, now a middle-aged university lecturer, comes forward with his lawyer and tells DI Ray Mason of the Met's Homicide Command that he knows what happened to Kitty, and who killed her.
A Stranger in the House
Shari Lapena
$32.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Why would you run scared from a happy home? You're waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work. You're making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day.That's the last thing you remember.You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there. They tell you that you were in an accident; you lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous part of town.The police suspect you were up to no good. But your husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend isn't so sure. And even you don't know what to believe...
The Last Place You Look
Kristen Lepionka
$29.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Nobody knows what happened to Sarah Cook. The beautiful blonde teenager disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her parents were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend Brad Stockton - black and from the wrong side of the tracks - was convicted of the murders and is now on death row. Though he's maintained his innocence all along, the clock is running out. His execution is only weeks away when his devoted sister insists she spied Sarah at an area gas station. Willing to try anything, she hires PI Roxane Weary to look at the case and see if she can locate Sarah.Roxane finds herself drawn in to the story of Sarah's vanishing act, especially when she links the disappearance to one of her father's unsolved murder cases involving another teen girl. The stakes get higher as Roxane discovers that the two girls may not be the only beautiful blonde teenagers who've turned up missing or dead. As her investigation gets darker and darker, Roxane will have to risk everything to find the truth. Lives depend on her cracking this case - hers included.
Hunting The Hangman
Howard Linskey
$15.99
Paperback • 320 pages
In 1942 two men were trained by the British SOE to parachute back into their native Czech territory to kill the man ruling their homeland. Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik risked everything for their country. Their attempt on Reinhard Heydrich's life was one of the single most dramatic events of the Second World War, with horrific consequences for thousands of innocent people.
The Nursing Home Murder: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel
Ngaio Marsh , Stella Duffy
$24.99
Hardback • 240 pages
I assure you that if the opportunity presented itself I should have no hesitation in putting you out of the way.’
The next day the Home Secretary dies during an emergency operation performed by the very man who had uttered this threat. But as Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn discovers, the victim had a lot of enemies – and the surgeon wasn’t the only person in the operating room with motives for murdering him...
Following her debuts A Man Lay Dead and Enter a Murderer, The Nursing Home Murder was widely considered to be the book with which Ngaio Marsh, said The Times, ‘transformed the detective story from a mere puzzle to a full-blown and fascinating novel’. It became her all-time bestseller and helped to cement Marsh’s reputation as one of the Golden Age ‘Crime Queens’ alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Marjorie Allingham.
This Detective Story Club classic is introduced by the New Zealand writer and theatremaker Stella Duffy, and includes a never-before-seen excerpt from the unfinished Inspector Alleyn novel Money in the Morgue.
The next day the Home Secretary dies during an emergency operation performed by the very man who had uttered this threat. But as Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn discovers, the victim had a lot of enemies – and the surgeon wasn’t the only person in the operating room with motives for murdering him...
Following her debuts A Man Lay Dead and Enter a Murderer, The Nursing Home Murder was widely considered to be the book with which Ngaio Marsh, said The Times, ‘transformed the detective story from a mere puzzle to a full-blown and fascinating novel’. It became her all-time bestseller and helped to cement Marsh’s reputation as one of the Golden Age ‘Crime Queens’ alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Marjorie Allingham.
This Detective Story Club classic is introduced by the New Zealand writer and theatremaker Stella Duffy, and includes a never-before-seen excerpt from the unfinished Inspector Alleyn novel Money in the Morgue.
Friend Request: The most addictive psychological thriller you'll read this year
Laura Marshall
$29.99
Paperback • 384 pages
When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past she feels sick.Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.Because Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty-five years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers' party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life knowing herself responsible for Maria's disappearance. But now Maria is back. Or is she?As Maria's messages start to escalate, Louise forces herself to reconnect with the old friends she once tried so hard to impress, to try to piece together exactly what happened that fateful night. But when another friend's body turns up in the woods outside their old school, Louise realises she can't trust anyone and that she must confront her own awful secret to discover the whole truth of what happened to Maria...
Give Me the Child
Melanie McGrath
$29.99
Paperback • 384 pages
An unexpected visitor. Dr Cat Lupo aches for another child, despite the psychosis which marked her first pregnancy. So when Ruby Winter, a small girl in need of help, arrives in the middle of the night, it seems like fate. A devastating secret. But as the events behind Ruby's arrival emerge  her mother's death, her connection to Cat  Cat questions whether her decision to help Ruby has put her own daughter at risk. Do we get the children we deserve? Cat's research tells her there's no such thing as evil. Her history tells her she's paranoid. But her instincts tell her different. And as the police fight to control a sudden spate of riots raging across the capital, Cat faces a race against time of her own.
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly
Adrian McKinty
$19.99
Paperback • 352 pages
Belfast 1988: a man has been shot in the back with an arrow. It ain't Injuns and it isn't Robin Hood. But uncovering exactly who has done it will take Detective Inspector Sean Duffy down his most dangerous road yet, a road that leads to a lonely clearing on the high bog where three masked gunmen will force Duffy to dig his own grave. Hunted by forces unknown, threatened by Internal Affairs and with his relationship on the rocks, Duffy will need all his wits to get out of this investigation in one piece.
British Manor Murder (#23 Lucy Stone)
Leslie Meier
$14.95
Paperback
Lucy Stone is excited to join her friend Sue at Moreton Manor, home to the Earl of Wickham. She's there to enjoy the Heads Up! hat exhibition and have a taste of the English aristocratic lifestyle, but her peaceful holiday is shattered when a person who's been bludgeoned to death is found in a hidden, sealed-off room... Was the victim trying to make off with the family riches? And can an amateur detective from small-town America ever get to the bottom of this very English mystery? Lucy puts her sleuthing skills to the test.
The Dark Room
Jonathan Moore
$22.99
Paperback • 304 pages
A gripping new thriller from the author of Simon Mayo's BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice The Poison Artist.They thought they'd buried their secrets Homicide inspector Gavin Cain is standing by a grave when he gets the call. Cain knows there's something terrible in the coffin they're about to exhume. He and his team have received a dying man's confession and it has led them here.But death doesn't guarantee silenceCain is summoned by Mayor Castelli, who has been sent sinister photographs of a woman that he claims he doesn't know and a note threatening that worse are on their way.And now light will be shone on a very dark place...As Cain tries to identify the woman in the pictures, and looks into the mayor's past, he finds himself being drawn towards a situation as horrifying and as full of secrets as the grave itself.'Smart plotting. Nary a false note. Suspense that never stops. If you like Michael Connelly's novels, you will gobble up Jonathan Moore's The Dark Room' James Patterson
Dig Two Graves
Carolyn Morwood
$24.99
Paperback • 296 pages
Six international artists are invited to a residency in southern Spain. What could possibly go wrong? Writer's block and paintings of oranges. Love, lust, revenge. A sculptor left for dead on the side of a mountain. 'Part love story, part thriller and wholly page-turning, Dig Two Graves shows us once again that Morwood is a classy act.' - The Australian For readers who like their crime/thrillers gore-free and more refined. In the vein of Josephine Tey. Praise for Morwood's novels: 'A perceptive and disturbing journey through the delicate web of human relationships... Atmospheric and firmly rooted in her native Melbourne, this is a fascinating read.' -Val McDermid 'This may be the most original Australian crime novel debut since Barry Maitlands' 'The Marx Sisters.'' - Australian Book Review 'Confirms Morwood's status as one of the brightest new stars on the Australian crime fiction scene. Highly recommended.' - Canberra Times 'Engaging Oz whodunit... showing serious muscle beneath the civilities.' - Literary Review
Charcoal Joe (#14 Easy Rawlins)
Walter Mosley
$22.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Seymour Brathwaite, a young physicist, was found standing over the body of a murdered man. Charcoal Joe, one of the deadliest men in America, wants Brathwaite cleared. Easy Rawlins, a renowned Los Angeles PI, cannot refuse Charcoal Joe. But what links the king of the LA underworld to Seymour Brathwaite? And can Easy find the evidence before he gets embroiled in something much, much worse?
A Necessary Evil
Abir Mukherjee
$32.99
Paperback • 384 pages
India, 1920. Captain Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of the Calcutta Police Force investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharajah's son.
The fabulously wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore is home to tigers, elephants, diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun. But when the heir to the throne is assassinated in the presence of Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant 'Surrender-Not' Banerjee, they discover a kingdom riven with suppressed conflict. Prince Adhir was a moderniser whose attitudes - and romantic relationship - may have upset the more religious elements of his country, while his brother – now in line to the throne – appears to be a feckless playboy.
As Wyndham and Banerjee desperately try to unravel the mystery behind the assassination, they become entangled in a dangerous world where those in power live by their own rules and those who cross their paths pay with their lives. They must find a murderer, before the murderer finds them...
The fabulously wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore is home to tigers, elephants, diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun. But when the heir to the throne is assassinated in the presence of Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant 'Surrender-Not' Banerjee, they discover a kingdom riven with suppressed conflict. Prince Adhir was a moderniser whose attitudes - and romantic relationship - may have upset the more religious elements of his country, while his brother – now in line to the throne – appears to be a feckless playboy.
As Wyndham and Banerjee desperately try to unravel the mystery behind the assassination, they become entangled in a dangerous world where those in power live by their own rules and those who cross their paths pay with their lives. They must find a murderer, before the murderer finds them...
Someone Always Knows (#31 Sharon McCone)
Marcia Muller
$14.95
Paperback • 384 pages
Finally settled into their new home after losing their house in a fire, and fully established in their new shared offices, private investigator Sharon McCone and her business partner husband Hy are starting to feel comfortable. That calm is shattered when Hy's former colleague Gage Renshaw - a shady troublemaker who they had presumed dead - reappears, and it's unclear what he wants from his prosperous former associate.Meanwhile, Sharon has a new client with a desire to rid a derelict house he's just bought in the city's notorious Western Addition neighborhood from intruders, drug users, and thugs. However, the abandoned house holds its share of secrets, and soon Sharon is contending with more than a simple eyesore as she searches for the individual who is obsessed with destroying her life....
The Store
James Patterson
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
The Store doesn't just want your money - it wants your soul.Imagine a future of unparalleled convenience. A powerful retailer, The Store, can deliver anything to your door, anticipating the needs and desires you didn't even know you had.Most people are fine with that, but not Jacob and Megan Brandeis. New York writers whose livelihood is on the brink of extinction, Jacob and Megan are going undercover to dig up The Store's secrets in a book that could change the entire American way of life. But after a series of unsettling discoveries, Jacob and Megan's worst fears about The Store seem like just the beginning.Harbouring a secret that could get him killed, Jacob has to find a way to escape The Store's watchful eye and publish his expose - before the truth dies with him.
Fifty Fifty
James Patterson
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
The world's bestselling thriller writer James Patterson once again joins forces with award-winning crime writer Candice Fox for a compulsive page-turner in the Australian outback.It's not easy being a good detective - when your brother's a serial killer.Sam Blue stands accused of the brutal murders of three young students, their bodies dumped near the Georges River. Only one person believes he is innocent- his sister, Detective Harriet Blue. And she's determined to prove it.Except she's now been banished to the outback town of Last Chance Valley (population 75), where a diary found on the roadside outlines a shocking plan - the massacre of the entire town. And the first death, shortly after Harry's arrival, suggests the clock is already ticking.Meanwhile, back in Sydney, a young woman holds the key to crack Sam's case wide open. If only she could escape the madman holding her hostage...
Trespass (#4 Celcius Daly)
Anthony J. Quinn
$19.99
Paperback • 336 pages
The abduction of a child propels Celcius Daly into a forty-year-old quest for justice. The abduction of a child entangles Celcius Daly in a forty-year-old quest for justice. Inspector Celcius Daly is leading the search for a ten-year-old boy, abducted in broad daylight from the car park outside Armagh Courthouse. His investigation leads to a notorious group of travellers long suspected of smuggling and organised crime. Digging deeper, Daly discovers some harrowing truths about their past treatment and unearths a family secret linked to an unsolved crime during the Troubles - the disappearance of a young traveller woman and her baby. Under investigation by Internal Affairs, hounded by Special Branch, ostracised by his colleagues, Daly realises just how much he has in common with the outcast travellers. But dare he risk becoming entangled in a vigilante vendetta? Just how far will this group of outsiders go to find their own justice?
The Marriage Pact
Michelle Richmond
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
Alice and Jake are the perfect couple - sort of. On the day of their wedding, a stranger offers them the chance to join a mysterious group, known as The Pact. With its promise of a lifelong marriage of happiness, Jake and Alice are persuaded to accept. The goals of the society seem sound - and the couple are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, sense of community and like-minded couples. But then one of them breaks the rules. Alice and Jake are about to discover that, like marriage, The Pact is for life. The members will go to any lengths to ensure nobody leaves - until the marriage of their dreams becomes their worst nightmare.
Two Lost Boys
L. F. Robertson
$16.99
Paperback • 400 pages
Janet Moodie has spent years as a death row appeals attorney. Overworked and recently widowed, she's had her fill of hopeless cases, and is determined that this will be her last. Her client is Marion `Andy' Hardy, convicted along with his brother Emory of the rape and murder of two women. But Emory received a life sentence while Andy got the death penalty, labelled the ringleader despite his low IQ and Emory's dominant personality.Convinced that Andy's previous lawyers missed mitigating evidence that would have kept him off death row, Janet investigates Andy's past. She discovers a sordid and damaged upbringing, a series of errors on the part of his previous counsel, and most worrying of all, the possibility that there is far more to the murders than was first thought. Andy may be guilty, but does he deserve to die?
Three Minutes (#2 Ewert Grens)
Anders Roslund , Borge Hellstrom
$29.99
Paperback • 496 pages
One-time Swedish government agent Piet Hoffmann is on the run: both from the life prison sentence he escaped, and from the Polish drug mafia he double-crossed. Only Hoffmann's handler, Erik Wilson, knows he now hides in Cali, Colombia, living under a false identity with his wife Zofia and sons Rasmus and Hugo.
But life on the run is precarious. And so when Hoffmann, in order to survive, accepts employment as a bodyguard and hit man for the Colombian cocaine mafia, and is simultaneously approached by the US DEA to infiltrate the same cartel, he chooses to say yes to both. Hoffmann has a new, lucrative double life.
However, Hoffmann's successful balancing act is short lived. When Timothy D. Crouse, Chairman of the US House of Representatives, is kidnapped while on a trip to Colombia, US forces settle on a new enemy for their next War on Terror. This gives the cartel and the US government the same problem. Piet Hoffmann.
Condemned and hung out to dry, Hoffmann is stranded, and marked. Yet Erik Wilson will find him help from the most unlikely of figures - the stubborn, acerbic Swedish detective who has never forgotten Piet Hoffmann's face. DCI Ewert Grens - the enemy who Hoffmann once tricked - will now become the only ally he can trust.
But life on the run is precarious. And so when Hoffmann, in order to survive, accepts employment as a bodyguard and hit man for the Colombian cocaine mafia, and is simultaneously approached by the US DEA to infiltrate the same cartel, he chooses to say yes to both. Hoffmann has a new, lucrative double life.
However, Hoffmann's successful balancing act is short lived. When Timothy D. Crouse, Chairman of the US House of Representatives, is kidnapped while on a trip to Colombia, US forces settle on a new enemy for their next War on Terror. This gives the cartel and the US government the same problem. Piet Hoffmann.
Condemned and hung out to dry, Hoffmann is stranded, and marked. Yet Erik Wilson will find him help from the most unlikely of figures - the stubborn, acerbic Swedish detective who has never forgotten Piet Hoffmann's face. DCI Ewert Grens - the enemy who Hoffmann once tricked - will now become the only ally he can trust.
The Hermit
Thomas Rydahl , K. E. Semmel
$17.99
Paperback • 480 pages
A car is found crashed on a beach in the Canary Island resort of Fuerteventura. In the trunk is a cardboard box containing the body of a small boy — no one knows his name, and there is no trace of a driver.
The last thing Fuerteventura needs is a murder. The island’s already got half-empty bars and windswept beaches, and the local police are under pressure to cut the investigation short. But long-time islander Erhard, who sees more than most people, won’t let the investigation drop — and he has nothing to lose. He has severed ties with his wife and child in Denmark, and has cut himself off from the modern world.
The question is: can an old man who knows nothing about cell phones, the internet, or social media possibly solve a murder in the modern world, especially one that stretches far beyond the sandy beaches of Fuerteventura?
The last thing Fuerteventura needs is a murder. The island’s already got half-empty bars and windswept beaches, and the local police are under pressure to cut the investigation short. But long-time islander Erhard, who sees more than most people, won’t let the investigation drop — and he has nothing to lose. He has severed ties with his wife and child in Denmark, and has cut himself off from the modern world.
The question is: can an old man who knows nothing about cell phones, the internet, or social media possibly solve a murder in the modern world, especially one that stretches far beyond the sandy beaches of Fuerteventura?
Don't Close Your Eyes
Holly Seddon
$29.99
Paperback • 336 pages
In a novel that is stunning in its twists, shocks, and gripping psychological suspense, two sisters find themselves on the razor's edge of sanity.Untold secrets, a ghastly lie, and suffocating guilt hold them back. Only one astounding act can set them free. And one last revelation will leave readers gasping in surprise.Robin and Sarah weren't the closest of twins. They weren't even that similar. But they loved each other dearly. Until, in the cruellest of domestic twists, they were taken from one another. Now, in her early 30s, Robin lives alone. Formerly a famous rock star, now agoraphobic and suffering from panic attacks, she spends her days pacing the rooms of her house. The rest of the time she watches - watches the street, the houses, the neighbours. Until one day, she sees something she shouldn't...And Sarah? Sarah got what she wanted - the good-looking man, the beautiful baby, the perfect home. But she's just been accused of the most terrible thing of all. She can't be around her new family until she has come to terms with something that happened a long time ago. And to do that, she needs to track down her twin sister.But Sarah isn't the only person looking for Robin. As their paths intersect, something dangerous is set in motion, leading Robin and Sarah to fight for much more than their relationship...
Maigret Goes to School (#44 Maigret)
Georges Simenon , Linda Coverdale
$16.99
Paperback • 176 pages
When a school teacher from a small coastal town near La Rochelle asks Maigret to help prove he is innocent of murder, the Inspector returns with him to his insular community and finds the residents closing ranks to conceal the truth.'What was he doing there? A hundred times, in the middle of an investigation, he'd had the same feeling of helplessness or, rather, futility. He would find himself abruptly plunged into the lives of people he had never met before, and his job was to discover their most intimate secrets. This time, as it happened, it wasn't even his job. He was the one who had chosen to come, because a teacher had waited for him for hours in the Purgatory at the Police Judiciaire.'Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. 'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
Walk in Silence
J. G. Sinclair
$29.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Find the boy. Bring him home. Keep him safe.Keira Lynch is a lawyer who's used to trouble; she's only just landed in Albania, and already, she's neck deep. She thought money would help her find the boy, but in a brutal underworld where anything can be bartered - trust, loyalty, even lives - his kidnappers have other ideas. They want the freedom of one of their gang members. A man Keira is about to help bring to trial back in the UK; a man who once put three bullets in her chest.Can she walk away in silence, and save the boy? Or will she have to play the game, fight and risk losing everything?
The Good Daughter
Karin Slaughter
$32.99
Paperback • 464 pages
Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind ...
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy smalltown family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father - Pikeville's notorious defence attorney - devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself - the archetypal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again - and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatised - Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case which can't help triggering the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress.
Because the shocking truth about the crime which destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried for ever...
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy smalltown family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father - Pikeville's notorious defence attorney - devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself - the archetypal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again - and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatised - Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case which can't help triggering the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress.
Because the shocking truth about the crime which destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried for ever...
Wolves in the Dark
Gunnar Staalesen , Don Bartlett
$19.99
Paperback • 240 pages
Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg Veum's life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts.When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he's accused of being part of a paedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material ...and who is seeking the ultimate revenge.When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest - and most personal - case yet.Chilling, shocking and exceptionally gripping, Wolves in the Dark reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world's foremost thriller writers.
Nothing Short of Dying (#2 Clyde Barr)
Erik Storey
$14.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Clyde Barr has been on the run for sixteen years. Now he’s back in the Colorado wilderness, hoping for some peace and quiet.
Then Clyde receives a frantic phone call for help from his sister Jen. But the line goes dead. She’s been taken.
Clyde doesn’t know where Jen is. He doesn’t know who has her. He doesn’t know how much time he has. All he knows is that nothing short of dying will stop him from saving her...
Then Clyde receives a frantic phone call for help from his sister Jen. But the line goes dead. She’s been taken.
Clyde doesn’t know where Jen is. He doesn’t know who has her. He doesn’t know how much time he has. All he knows is that nothing short of dying will stop him from saving her...
A Climate of Fear (#8 Chief Inspector Adamsberg)
Fred Vargas , Sian Reynolds
$19.99
Paperback • 416 pages
A woman is found dead in her bath. The murder has been disguised as a suicide and a strange symbol is discovered at the scene.Then the symbol is observed near a second victim, who ten years earlier had also taken part in a doomed expedition to Iceland.How are these deaths, and rumours of an Icelandic demon, linked to a secretive local society? And what does the mysterious sign mean? Commissaire Adamsberg is about to find out.
Death in the Tuscan Hills (#5 Inspector Bordelli)
Marco Vichi
$19.99
Paperback • 368 pages
Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger 2017. Spring, 1967. The trail of tragedy and destruction that followed the previous winter's flood seems to have died down; Florence is beginning to recover. But Inspector Bordelli does not feel the same sense of relief - he has not had a moment's peace since his investigation of a young boy's murder went disastrously wrong.Unsettled and embittered, Bordelli resigns from the force and leaves the city. He could not continue to work as a policeman while the perpetrators of such a terrible crime were still at large.Now, in the solitude of his new home in the Tuscan hills, he spends his days cooking, going for long walks and learning to grow his own vegetables. But the thought of that case - of justice not served - is constantly with him. Until fate, in which he has never believed, unexpectedly offers him the chance of retribution ...
And Fire Came Down (#2 Caleb Zelic)
Emma Viskic
$29.99
Paperback
SIGNED COPIES SHIPPING NOW!
The trail leads Caleb back to his hometown, Resurrection Bay. The town is on bushfire alert, and simmering with racial tensions. As Caleb delves deeper, he uncovers secrets that could ruin any chance of reuniting with Kat, and even threaten his life.
Driven by his own demons, he pushes on. But who is he willing to sacrifice along the way?
Emma at Abbey’s Hear more
More of the latest new releases
You Will Know Me
Megan Abbott
$19.99
Paperback
Katie and her husband Eric have made their daughter Devon the centre of their world. Talented, determined, a rising gymnastics star, Devon is the focus of her parents' lives and the lynchpin of their marriage. There is nothing they wouldn't do for her. When a violent hit-and-run accident sends shockwaves through their close-knit community, Katie is immediately concerned for her daughter. She and Eric have worked so hard to protect Devon from anything that might distract or hurt her. That's what every parent wants for their child, after all. Even if they don't realize how much you've sacrificed for them. Even if they are keeping secrets from you... A mother knows best...
Are You Sleeping
Kathleen Barber
$29.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Josie Buhrman has spent the last ten years trying to escape her family's reputation and with good reason: her father was murdered, her mother ran away to join a cult, and her twin sister Lanie, once Josie's closest friend and confidant, betrayed her. Now, Josie has settled in New York with her boyfriend Caleb, and that's where she intends to stay. The only problem is that she has lied to Caleb about every detail of her past - starting with her last name. Then investigative reporter Poppy Parnell sets off a media firestorm with a hit podcast that reopens the case of her father's murder, Josie's carefully constructed world begins to unravel ...Josie is forced to return to her hometown where she must confront the lies from her past - as well as those on which she has staked her future.
The Killing Ship
Simon Beaufort
$29.95
Paperback • 224 pages
A group of scientists in the Antarctic face a desperate battle for survival as they are hunted down by hostile intruders. Having spent the summer conducting fieldwork on stark Livingston Island, marine biologist Andrew Berrister is looking forward to returning to civilization. But his final days in Antarctica take an unexpected turn when it becomes clear that he and his small group of scientists are not alone on the island. Deducing that the intruders are a crew of illegal whalers, the scientists face an increasingly desperate struggle for survival when two members of their shore party disappear and their supplies are deliberately sabotaged. As Berrister and his remaining companions flee across the treacherous, icy terrain, they are pursued unrelentingly by ruthless killers whose true reasons for being in the Antarctic are darker and more dangerous than the scientists could ever have imagined.
Crime Chronicle - Cosy Crime
abbeys.com.au
A Toast To Murder (#5 Mack's Bar)
Allyson K. Abbott
$14.99
Paperback • 352 pages
As Milwaukee counts down to New Year's Eve, bar owner Mackenzie oMacko Dalton has but one resolution-unmask the dangerous mastermind who has been taunting her and killed bouncer Gary Gunderson. Mack and her fellow barflies have fleshed out a suspect and arranged an invite-only party to put a cork in the murderer's game for good. But when the clock strikes midnight and their suspect is found cold and stiff in the upstairs lounge, it seems the celebration may have come too soon. Now Mack must rely on her special talents to find the real criminal among the crowd of revelers-or someone won't survive until last call...
Wrong Side Of The Paw (#6 Bookmobile Cat)
Laurie Cass
$14.95
Paperback
As their bookmobile rolls along the hills of Chilson, Michigan, Minnie the librarian and her rescue cat Eddie spread good cheer and good reads. And when her faithful feline finds his way into the middle of a murder, Minnie is there, like any good librarian, to check it out. Eddie turns a routine bookmobile stop into anything but when he makes a quick escape and hops into the back of a parked pickup truck. When the pickup turns out to have a dead body inside, a local lawyer falls under suspicion. But Minnie and Eddie think there's more to this case than meets the eye...
Cat About Town (#1 Cat Cafe)
Cate Conte
$14.95
Paperback
Maddie James has arrived in Daybreak Island, just off the coast of Massachusetts, eager to settle down and start her own business - and maybe even fall in love. When a stray orange tabby pounces into her life, she's inspired to open a cat cafe. But little does Maddie know that she's in for something a lot more catastrophic when her new furry companion finds the dead body of the town bully. Now all eyes are on Maddie: Who is this crazy cat-whisperer lady who's come to town? If pet-hair-maintenance and crime-fighting weren't keeping her busy enough, Maddie now has not one but two eligible bachelors who think she's the cat's pajamas... and will do anything to win her heart. But how can she even think about happily-ever-after while a killer remains on the loose - and on her path?
The Bookshop Detective (#2 Bookshop by the Sea)
Jan Ellis
$19.99
Paperback • 288 pages
When a ghost ship is spotted on the horizon one spring evening, bookseller Eleanor decides to investigate the myths and legends of Combemouth, the seaside town where she runs The Reading Room. As Eleanor digs deeper into the town's history, she becomes intrigued by a Victorian crime report and is determined to find out what happened to a boy at the centre of the court case. As she begins to uncover the truth - aided by the vicar but somewhat stalled by the local librarian - she has a challenge on her own horizon. Daniel - her husband of six months - is determined that they give up their separate homes and find a new place together. But Eleanor adores her cottage by the sea and resists, guaranteeing that things turn a little frosty as the summer begins. A book launch, an exploding dress, some salsa-dancing pensioners and an ageing rock star make this a fun rom-com mystery with a difference.
Addressed to Kill (#3 Postmistress Mystery)
Jean Flowers
$14.95
Paperback
Third in the Postmistress Mystery series by Jean Flowers, following Death Takes Priority and Cancelled by Murder... Love is in the air for postmaster Cassie Miller and the residents of North Ashcot, Massachusetts. Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and the town is gearing up for a special dinner dance at the senior center. With the local musical group performing at the dance displaced from their regular practice location, Cassie is all too happy to host them during off-hours at the post office. But not everything is coming up roses. When one of the musicians, Dennis Somerville, is found shot in his home, rumors swirl over who might have wanted him dead. Cassie must determine if there is a link between a string of recent break-ins and Dennis's murder before another victim winds up with more than a broken heart.
Muffin to Fear (#5 Merry Muffin)
Victoria Hamilton
$14.95
Paperback
In the latest from the national bestselling author of Much Ado About Muffin, newlywed baker Merry Wynter has some unwanted guests looking for ghosts at Wynter Castle... While Merry is distracted by her quickly planned marriage to Virgil Grace and a blissful honeymoon in New York, her friend Pish invites the ghost-hunting crew from the TV show Haunt Hunt to investigate Merry's home, Wynter Castle. Merry soon discovers that not only is the crew out of sync, there are so many feuds and squabbles, it's a miracle they get a show produced at all. It all goes from bad to worse when the show's psychics claim to have contact with people murdered on Merry's property. When two cast members are found dead, Merry and Virgil must figure out who's picking off the Haunt Hunt team before their hard-earned happily ever after is cut short. INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!
Yarned And Dangerous (#1 Tangled Web)
Sadie Hartwell
$14.95
Paperback • 288 pages
Josie Blair left Dorset Falls twelve years ago in hopes of making it big in New York City. But after earning an overpriced master's degree and getting fired by a temperamental designer, she finds herself heading back to her hometown. Her great-uncle was injured in a car accident, and newly unemployed Josie is the only person available to take care of him. Uncle Eb's wife didn't survive the crash, so Josie is also tasked with selling the contents of her Aunt Cora's yarn shop. But the needling ladies of the Charity Knitters Association pose a far bigger challenge than a shop full of scattered skeinsaMiss Marple Knits is one of the few businesses still open in the dreary downtown. Josie can't imagine how it stayed open for so long, yet something about the cozy, resilient little shop appeals to her. But when one of the town's most persnickety knitters turns up dead in a pile of cashmere yarn, Josie realizes there's something truly twisted lurking beneath the town's decaying fapadea
A Tangled Yarn (#5 Yarn Retreat)
Betty Hechtman
$14.95
Paperback
Betty Hechtman knits up murder and mayhem in the latest in the national bestselling Yarn Retreat Mystery series. Casey Feldstein has her hands full with preparations at the Vista Del Mar hotel on the scenic Monterey Peninsula as another yarn retreat begins. The retreaters will be thrown for a loop this time, learning the trendy art of arm knitting and finger crocheting. But not everyone is enthusiastic about trying something new, and Casey is forced to come up with an alternative craft for her less adventurous pupils. Things go from worst to worsted when a travel writer from a neighboring retreat group is found dead in his room among a sea of feathers. When one of the owners of Vista Del Mar pleads for help, Casey gets hooked into the case and must unravel a delicate skein of secrets to catch a killer. INCLUDES KNITTING PATTERNS AND A RECIPE!
Chime and Punishment (#3 Cloak Shop)
Julianne Holmes
$14.95
Paperback • 304 pages
Expert clockmaker Ruth Clagan has another murder on her hands in the third Clock Shop Mystery from the author of Clock and Dagger. Years ago, the serenity of picturesque Orchard, Massachusetts, was shattered by a fire that destroyed the town's beloved clock tower. Ruth inherited the dream of repairing it from her late grandfather. Now that she's returned home to run his clock shop, the Cog & Sprocket, she's determined to make it happen, despite wrenches that are being thrown into the works by her least favorite person, town manager Kim Gray. A crowd of residents and visitors are excited to see the progress of the tower at a fund-raiser for the campaign, until Kim is found crushed under the tower's bell, putting an end to all the fun. The list of suspects is so long it could be read around the clock, and it includes some of Ruth's nearest and dearest. Time's a-wastin' as Ruth tries to solve another murder in her beloved Orchard while keeping the gears clicking on her dream project.
Knot What You Think (#5 Quilting)
Mary Marks
$14.95
Paperback • 288 pages
The newest member of Martha's close-knit quilting circle has an eye for couture. But when the designer's fingerprints are found blanketing a crime scene, Martha must prove that he didn't have a hand in homicide! a Martha Rose is alarmed by the discovery of Dolleen Doyle's dead body, especially when evidence suggests a fellow quilter committed the crime.a Set on clearing her pal, Martha searches for answers-but with ties to a convicted fraudster's stolen millions and a secret office room, the victim's past raises even more questions. As Martha inches towards the culprit, she learns that wrapping the case up - and living to baste another square - will be trickier than she ever imagined...
If The Haunting Fits, Wear It (#5 Haunted Vintage)
Rose Pressey
$14.99
Paperback • 304 pages
When Cookie Chanel lands a dream assignment of providing vintage hats for a high-society Kentucky Derby party, she's brimming with excitement. Leaving her mother and best friend to mind the store at It's Vintage Y'All, Cookie packs up her psychic cat and races to Kentucky. But before she can hang her hat, her enthusiasm is dampened when the rider of the potential Derby-winning horse is put out to pasture. Now she's saddled with the jockey's ghost, who insists she find his killer. With suspects ranging from an odds-on favorite to a dark horse, Cookie may just find herself in a dead heat before the photo finish...
Dressed to Confess (#3 Costume Shop)
Diane Vallere
$14.95
Paperback
Costume shop owner Margo Tamblyn faces a deadly conspiracy when a small-town festival turns into big-time trouble. It's no secret around Proper City, Nevada, that the Sagebrush Festival, the town's annual family-friendly event, is the place to be. This year's theme of board games has everything from Conspiracy to Clue. Margo Tamblyn's costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, has been tasked with providing costumes for the festival headliner, the Domino Divas. But on the night of the performance, one fallen Domino threatens to bring down the whole show when head dancer Ronnie Cass is found in her dressing room, unmasked, unprepared, and very, very dead. As the police investigate, Margo learns that Don Digby, her father's best friend, is the prime suspect, tied to the victim by an unsolved robbery connected to Proper City's past. As conspiracies abound and theories are debunked, Margo seeks to unmask the real killer before her dad's buddy winds up in a costume made with prison stripes. INCLUDES RECIPES AND COSTUME IDEAS!
Crime Chronicle - Historical Crime
abbeys.com.au
Death Comes to Lynchester Close (#14 Lord Francis Powerscourt)
David Dickinson
$22.99
Paperback • 384 pages
Lord Francis Powerscourt is visited at home in London by the Bishop of Lynchester who wants his advice about the suspect for the death of an aged parishioner.
Powerscourt advises that discretion rather than accusation is the best way forward, but this is just the start of his association with the diocese of Lynchester. The death of the parishioner has left available a property in the cathedral close which traditionally the church rents out to a suitable tenant.
Four worthy candidates are nominated... and then one of them, the retail king of the south of England, is found dead in the house, poisoned by strychnine. So once again Powerscourt is summoned by the bishop as this time there is no doubt of foul play.
But there are many suspects from which to choose - there are the other candidates who want to live in that very desirable property... or could it be more complex than that? Very soon Powerscourt uncovers a trail of greed, deception and death which goes straight to the heart of the cathedral itself.
Powerscourt advises that discretion rather than accusation is the best way forward, but this is just the start of his association with the diocese of Lynchester. The death of the parishioner has left available a property in the cathedral close which traditionally the church rents out to a suitable tenant.
Four worthy candidates are nominated... and then one of them, the retail king of the south of England, is found dead in the house, poisoned by strychnine. So once again Powerscourt is summoned by the bishop as this time there is no doubt of foul play.
But there are many suspects from which to choose - there are the other candidates who want to live in that very desirable property... or could it be more complex than that? Very soon Powerscourt uncovers a trail of greed, deception and death which goes straight to the heart of the cathedral itself.
Vita Brevis (#7 Medicus Investigation)
Ruth Downie
$24.99
Paperback • 384 pages
Ruso and Tilla and their new baby daughter have left Roman-occupied Britain - and the military - for Rome at the urging of Ruso's patron, Accius. Their excitement upon arriving is soon dulled by the discovery that the grand facades of polished marble mask an underworld of corrupt landlords and vermin-infested tenements. There are also far too many doctors - some skilled, but others positively dangerous.
Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor, Doctor Kleitos, has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help Accius win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the unfortunate man in the barrel.
Ruso thinks he has been offered a reputable medical practice only to find that his predecessor, Doctor Kleitos, has fled, leaving a dead man in a barrel on the doorstep and the warning, "Be careful who you trust." Distracted by the body and his efforts to help Accius win the hand of a rich young heiress, Ruso makes a grave mistake, causing him to question both his competence and his integrity.
With Ruso's reputation under threat, he and Tilla must protect their small family from Doctor Kleitos's debt collectors and find allies in their new home while they track down the vanished doctor and find out the truth about the unfortunate man in the barrel.
His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
$7.99
Paperback • 116 pages
During the dark days of World War I, a young British soldier asked Arthur Conan Doyle what Sherlock Holmes was doing to assist in the war effort. That encounter reputedly inspired the story "His Last Bow," in which the celebrated detective is drawn from his retirement to reunite with the ever-faithful Dr. Watson for their final challenge, unmasking a German spy.
Seven additional short stories, originally published in The StrandMagazine, recount episodes leading up to the master sleuth's grand finale. "The Bruce-Partington Plans," also involves espionage, this time in an earlier setting and concerning the recovery of purloined plans for building a submarine.
Other mysteries find Watson and Holmes pursuing a deposed dictator, unraveling a crime of passion, tracking down a foreign crime syndicate, outwitting a poisoner, investigating an heiress's disappearance, and interrupting their vacation in Cornwall to solve a devilish case of murder and madness.
Seven additional short stories, originally published in The StrandMagazine, recount episodes leading up to the master sleuth's grand finale. "The Bruce-Partington Plans," also involves espionage, this time in an earlier setting and concerning the recovery of purloined plans for building a submarine.
Other mysteries find Watson and Holmes pursuing a deposed dictator, unraveling a crime of passion, tracking down a foreign crime syndicate, outwitting a poisoner, investigating an heiress's disappearance, and interrupting their vacation in Cornwall to solve a devilish case of murder and madness.
A Deadly Brew (#4 Matthew Bartholomew)
Susanna Gregory
$19.99
Paperback • 464 pages
The winter of 1353 has been appallingly wet, there is a fever outbreak amongst the poorer townspeople and the country is not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the plague. The increasing reputation and wealth of the Cambridge colleges are causing dangerous tensions between the town, Church and University. Matthew Bartholomew is called to look into the deaths of three members of the University of who died from drinking poisoned wine, and soon he stumbles upon criminal activities that implicate his relatives, friends and colleagues - so he must solve the case before matters in the town get out of hand...
A Grave Concern (#22 Matthew Bartholomew)
Susanna Gregory
$19.99
Paperback • 448 pages
Identifying the murderer of the Chancellor of the University is not the only challenge facing physician Matthew Bartholomew. Many of his patients have been made worse by the ministrations of a 'surgeon' recently arrived from Nottingham, his sister is being rooked by the mason she has commissioned to build her husband's tomb, and his friend, Brother Michael, has been offered a Bishopric which will cause him to leave Cambridge.Brother Michael, keen to leave the University in good order, is determined that the new Chancellor will be a man of his choosing. The number of contenders putting themselves forward for election threatens to get out of control, then more deaths in mysterious circumstances make it appear that someone is taking extreme measures to manipulate the competition.With passions running high and a bold killer at large, both Bartholomew and Brother Michael fear the very future of the University is at stake.
A Wicked Deed (#5 Matthew Bartholomew)
Susanna Gregory
$19.99
Paperback • 512 pages
Matthew Bartholomew, doctor of medicine and fellow of Michaelhouse, Cambridge, is travelling with a party from the college to accept the gift of the living of a parish in Grundisburgh, Suffolk. One of his companions, Unwin, an unworldly scholar, is to be installed as priest. When they arrive, they are immediately thrust into the machinations of local boundary disputes between three landowners, but all such squabbles seem mere trivia when Unwin is murdered in the very church which was to have been his home. While trying to investigate a possible motive for his killing, Bartholomew discovers that this is not the first unnatural death in the village - deaths which everyone has put down to the curse of the plague-dead village. He is of too practical a mind to believe the superstitions, but is he wily enough to work out the real motive behind the murders and who will gain from them?
The Sun King Conspiracy
Yves Jego , Denis Lepee , Sue Dyson
$19.99
Paperback • 448 pages
'Who can I trust in this nest of vipers?'1661 is a year of destiny for France and its young king, Louis XIV.Cardinal Mazarin, the Chief Minister who has governed throughout the King's early years, lies dying. As a fierce power struggle develops to succeed him, a religious brotherhood, guardian of a centuries-old secret, also sees its chance to influence events.Gabriel de Pontbriand, an aspiring actor employed as secretary to Moliere, becomes unwittingly involved when documents stolen from Mazarin's palace fall into his hands. The coded papers will alter Gabriel's life for ever, and their explosive contents have the power to change the course of history for France and the rising Sun King himself.
The Circus Train Conspiracy (#14 Inspector Robert Colbeck)
Edward Marston
$39.99
Hardback
Following a string of successful performances along the west coast, the Moscardi Circus is travelling by train to Hexham on the Newcastle to Carlisle Railway for their next show. Yet a collision on the track with a couple of sleepers causes pandemonium: passengers thrown about and animals escaping into the night. When the headless body of a woman is discovered in nearby woodland, Inspector Colbeck is desperate to lend assistance, believing the two incidents to be connected, however a reluctant Superintendent Tallis forbids him from doing so. Torn between his desire to detect and his duty as a father, Colbeck agrees, until contact from an old friend is made and Tallis relents.
An Unlikely Agent
Jane Menczer
$19.99
Paperback • 400 pages
London, 1905. Margaret Trant lives with her ailing, irascible mother in a dreary boarding house in St John's Wood. The pair have fallen on hard times, with only Margaret's meagre salary from a ramshackle import-export company keeping them afloat.
When a stranger on the tram hands her a newspaper open at the recruitment page, Margaret spots an advertisement that promises to 'open new horizons beyond your wildest dreams!'. After a gruelling interview, she finds herself in a new position as a secretary in a dingy backstreet shop. But all is not as it seems; she is in fact working for a highly secret branch of the intelligence service, Bureau 8, whose mission is to track down and neutralise a ruthless band of anarchists known as The Scorpions.
Margaret's guilty love of detective fiction scarcely prepares her for the reality of true criminality, and her journey of self-discovery forms the heart of this remarkable novel, as she discovers in herself resourcefulness, courage, independence and the first stirrings of love.
When a stranger on the tram hands her a newspaper open at the recruitment page, Margaret spots an advertisement that promises to 'open new horizons beyond your wildest dreams!'. After a gruelling interview, she finds herself in a new position as a secretary in a dingy backstreet shop. But all is not as it seems; she is in fact working for a highly secret branch of the intelligence service, Bureau 8, whose mission is to track down and neutralise a ruthless band of anarchists known as The Scorpions.
Margaret's guilty love of detective fiction scarcely prepares her for the reality of true criminality, and her journey of self-discovery forms the heart of this remarkable novel, as she discovers in herself resourcefulness, courage, independence and the first stirrings of love.
The Iron Water (#4 DI Tom Harper Mystery)
Chris Nickson
$29.95
Paperback • 224 pages
Two macabre discoveries in a single morning present an intriguing challenge for Detective Inspector Tom Harper Leeds, England. July, 1893. D.I. Tom Harper is witnessing the demonstration of a devastating new naval weapon, the torpedo, at Roundhay Park. The explosion brings up a body in the lake, a rope lashed tightly around its waist. At the same time, dredging operations in the River Aire are disrupted when a woman's severed leg floats to the water's surface, still clad in its stocking and boot. Could the two macabre discoveries be connected? Harper's investigations will lead him right to the heart of the criminal underworld that underpins the city - and into the path of a merciless killer.
The Painted Queen (#20 Amelia Peabody)
Elizabeth Peters , Joan Hess
$49.99
Hardback • 352 pages
Egypt, 1912. Amelia Peabody and her dashing archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless, stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti in this long-awaited, eagerly anticipated final installment of Elizabeth Peters's bestselling series.
Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling excavation season, Amelia Peabody is relaxing in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo, when a man with knife protruding from his back staggers into her chamber and utters a single word-"Murder"-before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Among the few possessions he is carrying is a sheet of paper with Amelia's name, and a calling card bearing one word: "Judas." Most peculiarly, the stranger is wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye.
It quickly becomes apparent that someone has saved Amelia from a would-be assassin-someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid archaeologist. And there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos.
But neither assassins nor the Genius of Crime will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Armana, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic bust of Nefertiti, stepmother to King Tutankhamun.
For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge... and perhaps be unmasked at last.
Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling excavation season, Amelia Peabody is relaxing in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo, when a man with knife protruding from his back staggers into her chamber and utters a single word-"Murder"-before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Among the few possessions he is carrying is a sheet of paper with Amelia's name, and a calling card bearing one word: "Judas." Most peculiarly, the stranger is wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye.
It quickly becomes apparent that someone has saved Amelia from a would-be assassin-someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid archaeologist. And there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos.
But neither assassins nor the Genius of Crime will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Armana, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic bust of Nefertiti, stepmother to King Tutankhamun.
For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge... and perhaps be unmasked at last.
The Secrets of Wishtide (#1 Laetitia Rodd)
Kate Saunders
$19.99
Paperback • 352 pages
Mrs Laetitia Rodd is the impoverished widow of an Archdeacon, living modestly in Hampstead with her landlady Mrs Bentley. She is also a private detective of the utmost discretion. In winter 1850, her brother Frederick, a criminal barrister, introduces her to Sir James Calderstone, a wealthy and powerful industrialist who asks Mrs Rodd to investigate the background of an 'unsuitable' woman his son intends to marry – a match he is determined to prevent.
In the guise of governess, she travels to the family seat, Wishtide, deep in the frozen Lincolnshire countryside, where she soon discovers that the Calderstones have more to hide than most. As their secrets unfold, the case takes an unpleasant turn when a man is found dead outside a tavern. Mrs Rodd's keen eyes and astute wits are taxed as never before in her search for the truth – which carries her from elite drawing rooms to London's notorious inns and its steaming laundry houses.
Dickensian in its scope and characters, The Secrets of Wishtide brings nineteenth century society vividly to life and illuminates the effect of Victorian morality on women's lives. Introducing an irresistible new detective, the first book in the Laetitia Rodd Mystery series will enthral and delight.
In the guise of governess, she travels to the family seat, Wishtide, deep in the frozen Lincolnshire countryside, where she soon discovers that the Calderstones have more to hide than most. As their secrets unfold, the case takes an unpleasant turn when a man is found dead outside a tavern. Mrs Rodd's keen eyes and astute wits are taxed as never before in her search for the truth – which carries her from elite drawing rooms to London's notorious inns and its steaming laundry houses.
Dickensian in its scope and characters, The Secrets of Wishtide brings nineteenth century society vividly to life and illuminates the effect of Victorian morality on women's lives. Introducing an irresistible new detective, the first book in the Laetitia Rodd Mystery series will enthral and delight.
Crime Chronicle - True Crime
abbeys.com.au
The Contractor
Mark Abernethy
$29.99
Paperback
'I fix things. I can build you a house or remodel your bathroom. I can also make bad situations - and bad people - disappear.' Meet Mike. Runs a building site, drives a ute, likes a beer, loves his nail-gun. But Mike is hiding in plain sight. When the Pentagon call him in as 'Big Unit', he's another kind of contractor - one as handy with a Colt M4 as he is with a Skilsaw, a man as accustomed to danger, death, and pain as he is to a hammer and nails. In six action-packed true stories we follow a man who left foreign intelligence for a life 'on the tools', only to discover there's too many dangerous scenarios and terrible people still out there. The good guys need a James Bond in Blundstones. They need The Contractor. Tradie. Spy. Big Unit. Follow Big Unit as he goes undercover to save a family trapped by an ISIS-run drug cartel in the seedy back streets of Northern Pakistan to terrorist-besieged Paris to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with Australia's most wanted murderer.
The Murder of Sonny Liston: A Story of Fame, Heroin, Boxing & Las Vegas
Shaun Assael
$22.99
Paperback • 320 pages
On January 5th 1971, former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston was found dead at his Las Vegas home. Liston's death, labelled an overdose, has long hung over Las Vegas and the boxing world, leaving unanswered questions about his ties to mob kingpins, drug lords, billionaire hoteliers and powerful promoters. Against the backdrop of the pivotal era in the history of Las Vegas when the mob turned a sleep desert oasis into a gambling paradise, The Murder of Sonny Liston is both a riveting murder hunt and a stunning portrait of a city that was home to the Rat Pack, race riots and glittering high-rises along the strip.
Defeating Terror: Behind the hunt for the Bali bombers
David Craig
$29.99
Paperback
In 2002 Australia was rocked by the terrorist bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. Then, in 2005 the country was rocked again by another bombing that claimed the lives of a further 20 people and injured 100 others. In Defeating Terror, former Australian Federal Police agent, David Craig, draws on his first-hand experience to tell the true story behind the terrorists who instigated the Bali bombings. Craig takes us behind the scenes of the joint global investigations, that painstakingly pieced together the evidence to finally understand who the bombers were and how they could be tracked down. This is an event that remains very fresh in the minds of Australians, and Defeating Terror finally puts together the whole of its back story. Craig takes us behind the front-line fight, exposing the strengths, fears and vulnerabilities of both sides and showing us what really happened behind the headlines.
Pablo Escobar: My Father
Juan Pablo Escobar
$22.99
Paperback • 368 pages
Until now, we believed that everything had been said about the rise and fall of the most infamous drug lord of all time, Pablo Escobar - from books to film to the cult series `Narcos'. But these versions have always been told from the outside, only capturing half the truth, and never from the intimacy of his own home. Now, more than two decades after the full-fledged manhunt finally caught up with Escobar, his son brings us the dramatic truth as never before.
Here we find a man of contradictions - generosity and infinite love for his family; yet capable of the most extreme acts of cruelty and violence. In a deeply personal exploration of his father, we see the inner world of a man who was celebrated by some as a benevolent Robin Hood figure and by others, as a dangerous leader of the most ruthless mafia organisation in human history, reaping vengeance and death on anyone that might stand in his way.
When Escobar died, his then teenage son vowed revenge. But Escobar Jr. quickly recognised that meant following in his father's footsteps-something neither of them had ever wanted. With his change of heart, he denounced the Pablo Escobar legacy. This is far from the story of a child seeking redemption, but a shocking look at the consequences of violence and his attempt to come to terms with it.
Here we find a man of contradictions - generosity and infinite love for his family; yet capable of the most extreme acts of cruelty and violence. In a deeply personal exploration of his father, we see the inner world of a man who was celebrated by some as a benevolent Robin Hood figure and by others, as a dangerous leader of the most ruthless mafia organisation in human history, reaping vengeance and death on anyone that might stand in his way.
When Escobar died, his then teenage son vowed revenge. But Escobar Jr. quickly recognised that meant following in his father's footsteps-something neither of them had ever wanted. With his change of heart, he denounced the Pablo Escobar legacy. This is far from the story of a child seeking redemption, but a shocking look at the consequences of violence and his attempt to come to terms with it.
Last King of the Cross
John Ibrahim
$34.99
Paperback
Last King of the Cross lays bare Australia's most notorious underworld figure. In the mongrel tongue of the streets, John writes of fleeing war-torn Tripoli with his family and growing up in Sydney's rough and tumble west - before establishing himself as a tough guy and teen delinquent, then a bouncer, enforcer and nightclub king on the Golden Mile. Bullets fly, blades flash and bodies fall. In a city of shadows, John builds his army and empire - partying like a playboy prince of darkness while staying one step ahead of the cops, the outlaw gangs and hungry triggermen, plotting to take him and his family down. Crazier than Goodfellas, more compelling than The Godfather, Last King of the Cross is a colourful crime saga like no other and powerful proof that truth is always stranger than fiction.
Australia's Toughest Prisons: Inmates
James Phelps
$22.99
Paperback • 272 pages
'Porky Pig' stalks the yard, snorting and grunting as he stares down the prison guard.
'Whatcha looking at,' yells Martin Bryant, Australia’s worst serial killer. The guard stays silent. Says nothing. He simply takes one step towards the monster, now fat, bald and broken. 'Leave me alone,' he screams.
He then runs to the corner of the yard where he crouches, cowers, and calls for help like the coward he is.
Bryant – who killed 35 people and injured another 23 at Port Arthur in 1996 – is a 160 kg slob who trades Mars Bars for protection in Risdon Prison. Nineteen years after Australia’s worst massacre, his blond hair is gone, and so is his self-righteous smirk . . . but he is as evil as ever. Bryant has attacked several jail workers and has showed no remorse for the crimes that shook the nation. He is just one of the killers you will meet in Australia's Toughest Prisons: Inmates.
You will hear from the inmate who almost escaped from Silverwater Jail in a stolen helicopter, from the rugby league player who almost became a drug mule, from the bikie boss who ran a million-dollar jail drug trade, from the founding Brothers 4 Life members on how the violent gang ran a crime empire from within jail and from the men that watched Carl Williams beaten to death inside Victoria's most secure jail.
The secret lives of Australia’s most evil men will be revealed for the first time, with Inmates going on the record to talk about killers like Bryant, Ivan Milat, Neddy Smith, Carl Williams, Mark 'Chopper' Read, Michael Kanaan and Lindsay Robert Rose.
Award-winning author and journalist James Phelps reveals the horror of life inside Australia’s most notorious jails including Grafton, Pentridge, Minda, Risdon, Silverwater, Bathurst and Lithgow.
'Whatcha looking at,' yells Martin Bryant, Australia’s worst serial killer. The guard stays silent. Says nothing. He simply takes one step towards the monster, now fat, bald and broken. 'Leave me alone,' he screams.
He then runs to the corner of the yard where he crouches, cowers, and calls for help like the coward he is.
Bryant – who killed 35 people and injured another 23 at Port Arthur in 1996 – is a 160 kg slob who trades Mars Bars for protection in Risdon Prison. Nineteen years after Australia’s worst massacre, his blond hair is gone, and so is his self-righteous smirk . . . but he is as evil as ever. Bryant has attacked several jail workers and has showed no remorse for the crimes that shook the nation. He is just one of the killers you will meet in Australia's Toughest Prisons: Inmates.
You will hear from the inmate who almost escaped from Silverwater Jail in a stolen helicopter, from the rugby league player who almost became a drug mule, from the bikie boss who ran a million-dollar jail drug trade, from the founding Brothers 4 Life members on how the violent gang ran a crime empire from within jail and from the men that watched Carl Williams beaten to death inside Victoria's most secure jail.
The secret lives of Australia’s most evil men will be revealed for the first time, with Inmates going on the record to talk about killers like Bryant, Ivan Milat, Neddy Smith, Carl Williams, Mark 'Chopper' Read, Michael Kanaan and Lindsay Robert Rose.
Award-winning author and journalist James Phelps reveals the horror of life inside Australia’s most notorious jails including Grafton, Pentridge, Minda, Risdon, Silverwater, Bathurst and Lithgow.
Murder at Myall Creek
Mark Tedeschi
$22.99
Paperback
In 1838, eleven convicts and former convicts were put on trial for the brutal murder of 28 Aboriginal men, women and children at Myall Creek in New South Wales. The trial created an enormous amount of controversy because it was almost unknown for Europeans to be charged with the murder of Aborigines. It would become the most serious trial of mass murder in Australia's history.The trial's prosecutor was the Attorney General of New South Wales, John Hubert Plunkett. It proved to be Plunkett's greatest test, as it pitted his forensic brilliance and his belief in equality before the law against the combined forces of the free settlers, the squatters, the military, the emancipists, the newspapers, and even the convict population.From the bestselling author of Kidnapped and Eugenia, Murder at Myall Creek follows the journey of the man who who arguably achieved more for modern-day civil rights in Australia than anyone else before or since.
City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris
Tucker
$38.95
Hardback • 336 pages
In the late 1600s, Louis XIV assigns Nicolas de la Reynie to bring order to the city of Paris after the brutal deaths of two magistrates. Reynie, pragmatic yet fearless, tackles the dirty and terrifying streets only to discover a tightly knit network of witches, poisoners and priests whose reach extends all the way to Versailles. As the chief investigates a growing number of deaths at court, he learns that no one is safe from their deadly love potions and inheritance stews -not even the Sun King himself. Based on court transcripts and Reynie's compulsive note-taking, Holly Tucker's riveting true crime narrative makes the characters breathe on the page as she follows the police chief into the dark labyrinths of crime-ridden Paris, the glorious halls of royal palaces, secret courtrooms and torture chambers in a tale of deception and murder that reads like fiction.
Mafia Life: Love, Death and Money at the Heart of Organised Crime
Federico Varese
$29.99
Paperback
A compelling new account of life inside the mafia around the world. What is it like to belong to the mafia? How do you join? What does it do to your loved ones? How do you make it to the top? And what happens if you break the rules?
The Japanese Yakuza. The Chinese Triads. The Sicilian Cosa Nostra. The Calabrian N'Drangheta. The New York Mafia. The Russian Vory -v -Vakone.
Today, mafias operate across the globe, with hundreds of thousands of members and billions of pounds in revenue. From Hong Kong to New York, these vast organisations spread their tentacles into politics, finance and everyday life. But what is it like to belong to the Mafia? How do you join? What does it do to your loved ones? How do you make it to the top? And what happens if you break the rules?
Criminologist Federico Varese draws on a lifetime's research to give us access to some of the world's most secretive societies. Mixing reportage with case studies and historical insights, this is the story of mafia as it really is: filled with boredom and drama, death and disaster, ambition and betrayal.
Infiltrating initiation ceremonies from Russia to England, visiting exclusive gambling clubs in Macau and Mafia summits in Dubai luxury hotels, Varese builds up a unique picture of life in the mafia from the inside.
The Japanese Yakuza. The Chinese Triads. The Sicilian Cosa Nostra. The Calabrian N'Drangheta. The New York Mafia. The Russian Vory -v -Vakone.
Today, mafias operate across the globe, with hundreds of thousands of members and billions of pounds in revenue. From Hong Kong to New York, these vast organisations spread their tentacles into politics, finance and everyday life. But what is it like to belong to the Mafia? How do you join? What does it do to your loved ones? How do you make it to the top? And what happens if you break the rules?
Criminologist Federico Varese draws on a lifetime's research to give us access to some of the world's most secretive societies. Mixing reportage with case studies and historical insights, this is the story of mafia as it really is: filled with boredom and drama, death and disaster, ambition and betrayal.
Infiltrating initiation ceremonies from Russia to England, visiting exclusive gambling clubs in Macau and Mafia summits in Dubai luxury hotels, Varese builds up a unique picture of life in the mafia from the inside.
