AUGUST 2016 - ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY...SOME OF AT LEAST....

A few more on to the imaginary shelves (device and desk drawer actually) in the month....

Latest from Brit Grit author - Paul D. Brazill - copy kindly sent by the man himself.

A killer priest is on the rampage across London and an egotistical Hollywood action movie star is out for revenge when is his precious comic book collection is stolen.Meanwhile, gangster Marty Cook's dreams of going legit swiftly turn pear shaped when one of his bouncers accidentally kills one of his salsa club's regular customers.Razor sharp wisecracks, gaudy characters and even gaudier situations abound in Cold London Blues, a violent and pitch-black Brit Grit comedy of errors.

Third book from Mike McCrary - copy received from author! Currently reading!

Art is about to imitate a life of crime. Jasper knows you don’t quit the movie business. The movie business quits you. He wants back in – Badly. Needs a comeback – Badly. And Jasper truly believes he can make a movie Hollywood will want – Badly. Genuinely Dangerous follows the nightmarish yet hilarious journey of Jasper Tripp, a down-and-out filmmaker who embeds himself in a crew of wild and mysterious criminals so he can film a documentary that’ll land him back in the Hollywood fast lane. From Mike McCrary, author of REMO WENT ROGUE, comes another unfiltered, unpredictable romp of a thriller where the insane becomes sane and life itself becomes Genuinely Dangerous.

Copy received from publisher - All Due Respect!

For ex-con and pool cleaning man Jess Forsyth, life is a California rhythm of surf, work, tacos, and drink. He’s gone straight, and he’s happy with that…Sort of. When he runs into an old pal, Jess finds himself taking money (and pride) from a well-heeled drug dealer. But things get twisted. On the journey that follows, Jess discovers you can’t escape what you are, especially when there’s cash for the taking. There are three kinds of fool in this life—the lost, the guilty, and the dead. But who the heck is who?

“Reminiscent of Irvine Welsh’s ‘Crime’ but with that Southern Californian feel that only sex, guns, drugs, murder and surfboards can bring to the party…” – Grant Nicol (author of On A Small Island, The Mistake and A Place To Bury Strangers)

"Matt Phillips speaks fluently the language of the dispossessed... His whiskey-soaked prose can at times be as slick as a man slinging snake-oil, and other times as brutal as a baseball bat to the head." – Eryk Pruitt (author of Hashtag and Dirtbags)

"Phillips' writing is so multi-layered and deep... [A]n author to watch out for..." – Regular Guy Reading Noir

"[Phillips] paints sharp, cutting scenes... He peppers the action with tight quips, imagining a very true world through a very discerning set of eyes." – Tim Learn (author of the‘Chewy-Noh series)

South African king of crime fiction - FREE AUDIBLE DOWNLOAD (12 hours plus..WTF!)

Why would a mathematics professor from Cambridge University, renting a holiday home outside Cape Town, require a false identity and three bodyguards? And where is he, now that they are dead? The only clue to the bodyguards' murder is the snake engraved on the shell casings of the bullets that killed them.

Investigating the massacre, Benny Griessel and his team find themselves being drawn into an international conspiracy with shocking implications. It seems it is not just the terrorists and criminals of Britain and South Africa who may fear the Professor's work, but the politicians too.

As the body count begins to spiral viciously, Benny must put his new-found love life aside and focus on finding the one person who could give him a break in the case: a teenage pickpocket on the run in the city. But Benny is not the only person hunting for Tyrone Kleinbooi . . .

Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger, COBRA is a relentlessly suspenseful, topical and richly rewarding novel from an author who is acclaimed around the world as a brilliant voice in crime fiction.

Already featured on the blog last month - copy from publisher!

A cop killer on the loose in Cardiff - introducing a dark and gritty new voice in crime fiction, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride and David Mark

At a squalid flat near the Cardiff docks, an early morning police raid goes catastrophically wrong when the police aren't the only unexpected guests. A plain clothes officer is shot dead at point blank range, the original suspect is left in a coma. The killer, identity unknown, slips away.

Young and inexperienced, Will MacReady starts his first day on the CID. With the city in shock and the entire force reeling, he is desperate to help ­- but unearths truths that lead the team down an increasingly dark path...

Previously enjoyed author, a year or two ago - bought copy on Amazon.

S. C. HARKER.....

Returns to Binnacle Bay with a novel about small town life – and death

When unidentified man is found dead at the Cape Incognita lighthouse, Police Chief Pat Fitzlaff, begins an investigation that will reach over twenty years into the past to expose the dark legacy of a brutal crime. Pat reunites with Murphy, the giant, loveable hound, and connects the past to the present to uncover the shocking truth.

Copy from publisher!

A new instalment in the most famous series from the father of Italian crime fiction

Death is in the air at one of Milan's great fashion houses. As a new collection is unveiled, and the wealthy rub shoulders with the glamorous, owner Cristiana O'Brian escapes upstairs to discover the strangled body of her servant slumped on her bed - a single orchid by his side.

When Inspector Di Vicenzi is called in to investigate, the brilliant detective is puzzled; why is Cristiana behaving so suspiciously? And what is her estranged ex-husband doing there? As two further corpses appear, each accompanied by an orchid, Di Vicenzi must see through dirty tricks and slippery clues in order to uncover the real killer.

Augusto De Angelis's notorious sleuth returns in a cryptic murder mystery teeming with blackmail, deceit and revenge.

Augusto De Angelis (1888-1944) was an Italian novelist and journalist, most famous for his series of detective novels featuring Commissario Carlo De Vincenzi. His cultured protagonist was enormously popular in Italy, but the Fascist government of the time considered him an enemy, and during the Second World War he was imprisoned by the authorities. Shortly after his release he was beaten up by a Fascist activist and died from his injuries. The Murdered Banker and The Hotel of the Three Roses are also available from Pushkin Vertigo.

Copy received from publisher - lucky me!

We ll lock you both up in the same jail cell... a tough one... the sort of place that gives kindly old ladies the shivers.

At one of France s toughest prisons, an undercover cop is attempting to trap an enemy spy by posing as a fellow inmate. So Frank and Hal find themselves holed up together in a grimy, rat-infested cell, each warily eyeing the other. As they plan a daring escape, an unexpected friendship ensues but which is the cop and which is the spy?

'The French master of noir' Observer

Gritty and hard-hitting, The Wicked Go to Hell is a tense, paranoid fifties thriller about duty and conscience, deception and loyalty, and about what it means to be human whether you re the good guy or not.

Frédéric Dard (1921-2000) was one of the best known and loved French crime writers of the twentieth century. Enormously prolific, he wrote hundreds of thrillers, suspense stories, plays and screenplays throughout his long and illustrious career. Bird in a Cage, Crush and The Executioner Weeps (for which he won the 1957 Grand prix de littérature policière) will also be published by Pushkin Vertigo.

Bought copy when it was free on Amazon in the month. Found the actual book in the tubs a day or two afterwards!

“All Hat is a winner all the way.” — The Globe and Mail

Ray Dokes is fresh out of prison and fresh out of options…

He’s determined to turn his life around and stay out of trouble, but that means avoiding Sonny Stanton – the rich and violent heir of a thoroughbred dynasty

Two horses – one an arrogant creature that’ll bite you as soon as you look away, the other gentle and friendly.

But only one of them is worth more than a million dollars.

Stanton is a rich man and Ray is just an ex-convict.

But only one of them is a cruel man.

Ray soon learns that appearances can be deceptive.

When Stanton starts buying up all the local farmland, only one person is left standing in his way in a last-ditch effort to save her family farm - Etta Parr, Ray’s old flame.

However, when Stanton oversteps the mark yet again, Ray and his trusty gang have a taste for revenge.

But Ray has to be careful.

One wrong move and he’ll find himself back behind bars.

And this time, they’ll be no getting out…

Bought copy from Amazon!

A SERIAL KILLER STALKS THE STREETS...
Shawnee Daniels - computer forensics specialist/hacker for RPD by day, cat burglar by night - always believed her "fearlessness rules" mantra would keep her on top and out of jail. When she hacks a confiscated hard drive at the Revere P.D., she focuses on a white-collar criminal accused of embezzlement. To teach him a lesson and recoup the funds she breaks into his massive contemporary in Bear Clave Estates. Jack has even more secrets, deadly secrets, secrets worth killing over.

A CAT BURGLAR PICKS THE WRONG HOUSE TO ROB...
Shawnee thinks she made it out clean until a deadly package arrives at her door soon after. He's found her. As a glowing eagle taunts her Skype screen, Jack tells her she stole his precious trophy box -- and he wants it back!

THEIR LIVES COLLIDE...
When her "helpful" best friend convinces her to date charismatic Detective Levaughn Samuels, her two worlds threaten to implode. Ordinarily Shawnee keeps a firm line between her professions, but dating Levaughn might help her get this psycho off her tail.

AND NOW, NO ONE IS SAFE...
In this lightning-fast-paced psychological thriller of secrets and lies, Shawnee juggles being stalked by a serial killer, dating the lead detective on the case, and tap dancing around her librarian best friend.If she doesn't find the trophy box, the killer's coming for her. If she doesn't expose her secrets and lies, more will die. And if she does, she could lose her freedom and everyone she holds dear.

Copy from author who I've read previously. CURRENTLY FREE ON AMAZON KINDLE - so I bought it as well!

The body count is rising…

When psychopath Daniel Moxley makes his escape while being escorted to Broadmoor high security prison, he sets off on a trail of bloody revenge, leaving police forces throughout the north of England floundering in his wake.

Moxley’s paranoia has him seemingly selecting victims at random. The only thing they have in common is the gruesome nature of their killings. Police, prison warders and even old ladies have been the target of Moxley’s cold-blooded murder spree.

When Detective Inspector Vinnie Palmer is assigned to the case, Moxley decides that he too must die, but not before he has led him from one blood-soaked scene to another. Among his victims is Vinnie’s offsider, Detective Constable Rob Hill, who he discovers has his own dark and destructive secret that rips Vinnie’s life apart.

With the help of Moxley’s psychiatrist, Vinnie delves deep into the man’s criminal past and uncovers a history of corrupt police, sexual coercion and gaol brutality. But when Vinnie closes in on Moxley and takes the law into his own hands, he ends up suspended and stripped of his police powers.

Determined not to let Moxley escape justice, Vinnie continues his pursuit of the maniac as a private citizen. He teams up with determined television reporter Christine Jones and together they pursue Moxley north to Scotland and back again. But the killer always seems to be one step ahead, leaving a trail mutilated bodies in his wake.

Lured on by Moxley’s taunts, Vinnie discovers that it is his own wife – a fellow police worker – who has been an unwitting aid in Moxley’s deadly deeds.

As a result, his suspension is lifted in time for him and Christine to gain full police support and finally confront Moxley in a terrifying final encounter.

But is it too late?

Roger A Price is a crime fighter turned crime writer who spent more than thirty-one years in the police force. He served across the UK, Europe and the Far East before retiring as a detective inspector in charge of a covert undercover drugs unit that achieved national acclaim.

French Noir from the publisher!

A widow's quiet retirement in the foothills of the Alps is turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious stranger.

Recently widowed grandmother Éliette is returning to her home in the mountains when her micro-car breaks down. A stranger comes to her aid on foot. Éliette offers him a lift, glad of the interruption to her humdrum routine. That night, her neighbours' son is killed in a road accident. Could the tragedy be linked to the arrival of her good Samaritan?