|summary=DCI Karen Shields runs the over-stretched Homicide and Serious Crimes Unit and it's an early-morning call which takes her to Hampstead Heath and a seventeen-year-old Moldovan boy who's dead under the ice in the pond. Even working out who he was is difficult and she's got no idea that she's at the edge of a web of organised crime and gang warfare which will take up much of her time. Hundreds of miles away DI Trevor Cordon lives in a sail loft in Newlyn and his day-to-day duties are, well, undemanding but he's shaken out of his rut when an old acquaintance dies in London and he heads off to the capital to find the friend's daughter. It's going to be a lot more complicated than he realises - and it touches on Karen Shield's problems in a way that neither of them could ever have imagined.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0434021628</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Adrian McKinty
|title=The Cold Cold Ground
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=
''The Cold Cold Ground'' is the first of a planned trilogy of police procedural novels featuring Sean Duffy. Set in 1980s Northern Ireland it's a little reminiscent of the TV show ''Life on Mars'', full of reminders of the music and events of the period that evokes nostalgia in those who lived through it. In all good police procedural novels, the hero has to have a 'thing' that sets him apart. With Duffy it is that he is a Catholic in a predominantly Protestant police force. What this means is that no one trusts him on either side of the religious divide. And as this is set during the worst of the 'troubles' with hunger strikes and rioting on the streets, not to mention car bombs and other acts of violence, this is a big issue for him.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846688221</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Andrea Camilleri
|title=The Terracotta Dog
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=Montalbano was somewhat surprised to find himself having a heart-to-heart conversation with one of the most feared Mafioso in Sicily - and even more surprised when Tano the Greek indicated that he'd like to be caught and arrested. He wasn't giving himself up, you note - he wanted it to look as though what had happened was outside his control. Meanwhile, the rest of the team were dealing with a supermarket heist - the proceeds of which were inexplicably abandoned at a filling station. To cap it all, Montalbano discovers a secret grotto in a mountain cave, with two young lovers, dead some fifty years but still embracing - all watched over by a life-size terracotta dog. It's not a normal day for the detective - but then what is normal for him?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0330492918</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Sue Grafton
|title=V is for Vengeance
|rating=5
|genre=Crime
|summary=
Ah, what bliss! To have a lovely fat copy of the latest in the Alphabet murder series sitting on my lap. This latest is reassuringly weighty, although I still managed to read it - or devour it as my husband would have it - in a very short time! I love the experience of reading these stories, finding myself caught up in Kinsey's world, unwilling to put the book down until I, along with Kinsey, have figured out what has been going on.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230745873</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Alan Bradley
|title=The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=Bishop's Lacey, the closest village to Buckshaw, the de Luce family home, was the traditional sleepy English village, particularly in the nineteen fifties when this story is set. The arrival of a travelling puppet show causes some excitement, although it has to be admitted that the show is there because the van broke down rather than because there was an intention to stage a performance. There's a need to raise money for the repair of the van so Rupert Porson, famed puppeteer from the BBC, agrees to put on two shows in the village hall. There is, of course, a grisly murder.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140911760X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Ben Pastor
|title=Liar Moon
|rating=4
|genre=Crime (Historical)
|summary=Near Verona, northern Italy, autumn 1943: Captain Martin Bora is a German military policeman, known to have conducted previous murder investigations. He is asked to look into the death of one Vittorio Lisi, a prominent local fascist who was run over in his wheelchair on his own estate by a car. The number one suspect is his widow Claretta.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1904738826</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Damian McNicholl
|title=Twisted Agendas
|rating=3
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=Writing about Ireland and the Irish, especially the dimension of the Troubles and the IRA, from a third hand American perspective is a recipe for cliché and stereotype. Balancing and interweaving the story of American journalist Piper with that of Irishman Danny's search for independence in London does enable McNicholl in some part to achieve a wry and knowing stance, making us hope for a clever twist away from the predictably which always seems so close.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908248025</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Alan Bradley
|title=I Am Half-Sick of Shadows: A Flavia de Luce Mystery
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=The finances of the de Luce family are in a dreadful state and Flavia's father makes the decision to allow a film company to make use of the family stately home, Buckshaw, as a location. Flavia is in her element with new people to investigate, new processes to mull over and her friendship with Dogger, her father's manservant, to progress. There's obviously something strange going on when the star of the film persuades the director - much against his will - to put on a benefit performance for the village. When there's a snow storm which cuts Buckshaw and many of the residents of the local village off from the outside world - and then a murder - you have the makings of a classic 'locked room' mystery.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1409114201</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Colin Cotterill
|title=Slash And Burn
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=The front cover suggests an action-packed, thriller-type read. But I hadn't bargained for the charm similar to [[:Category:Alexander McCall Smith|Alexander McCall Smith]]. So, a light read then, fair enough. And I could tell from Cotterill's one page 'Acknowledgements' that he is a witty writer. And that is certainly underlined by the chapter headings, such as 'Another Fine Mess' and 'Lipstick and Too Tight Underwear.'
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857381970</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Gregg Olsen
|title=Victim Six
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=''Olsen will have you on the edge of your seat'' says Lee Child. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed some of Child's books so I couldn't wait to get started on this book. Would it be as good and as satisfying as Child's?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780331738</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Harlan Coben
|title=Shelter
|rating=4.5
|genre=Teens
|summary=Mickey Bolitar's girlfriend Ashley has disappeared, the latest in a long list of things to go wrong in his life. First his father died, then his junkie mother went into rehab, forcing him to move in with his uncle Myron, and now shy, beautiful Ashley has vanished.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780620055</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Ian Rankin
|title=The Impossible Dead
|rating=5
|genre=Crime
|summary=When it started it all seemed so simple. A constable in CID had been found guilty of, er, pressing his attentions on young women who came his way in the course of the job. Just to make certain that it wasn't a wider problem the Professional Standards Unit (or whatever it was being called this week) from another force was asked to investigate three officers who might have been overly supportive of the miscreant. Then an ex-policeman was shot by a weapon which couldn't exist and from there it all got, well, rather messy and in the middle of it all was Inspector Malcolm Fox of the Complaints.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0752889532</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Colin Cotterill
|title=Killed at the Whim of a Hat
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=Jimm Juree was a crime reporter, just a heartbeat away from getting the job of her dreams when family circumstances forced her to quit her job and move to a fishing village on the Gulf of Siam. Forget all about the up-market resorts like Phuket where the money goes. It never gets anywhere near Maprao. Mair, her daughter Jimm and son Arny along with Granddad Jah have to try and grub a living out of the Gulf Bay Lovely Resort and Restaurant. Jimm's sister, who used to be her brother, has chosen to stay in the city, where she lives her life online and not always on the right side of the law.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849165548</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Kjell Eriksson
|title=The Hand That Trembles
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=I read and reviewed recently Eriksson's [[The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson|The Princess of Burundi]] and was rather disappointed. How will this book shape up? Sven-Arne Persson is an astute politician. He knows when to press the flesh for best effect and also when to turn on the smiles - even if those smiles don't quite reach his eyes. In short, he is a career politician. Calculated. And there's a great line on page 21 which sums him up beautifully - 'He was a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of county politics ...'
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>074904019X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Kjell Eriksson
|title=The Princess of Burundi
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=Berit and Justus (mother and son) are waiting for John before they eat supper. He's late. Perhaps he's popped in to see an ex-colleague or nipped into the pub for a quick drink. But neither of these options ring true for Berit. John is currently unemployed which is a shame as he was very good at his last job. He's also not the most social or chatty of men. Some would even describe him as surly and a bit gruff.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0749040092</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Gladys Mitchell
|title=Watson's Choice
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=Sir Bohun (that's pronounced 'Boon', in case you're wondering) Chantrey is not the brightest or most sensitive of men, but Sherlock Holmes is one of his great passions in life. To celebrate the great man's anniversary he throws a party at which the guests are invited to come as characters from the stories. Our heroine, Mrs Bradley, and her secretary Laura Menzies are among the guests but not everyone there is interested in Sherlock Holmes. Quite a few are interested in Chantrey's money and his announcement that he is to marry his poverty-stricken nursery governess provokes anger in certain quarters. Then the Hound of the Baskervilles makes an unscheduled appearance...
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099548593</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Gianrico Carofiglio
|title=Temporary Perfections
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=This is the fourth book in the popular Guido Guerrieri series. The front cover is eye-catching, as is the title. As early as p.9 I could see that Carofiglio has a nice line in wit and irony. Ergo - 'When you appear before the Court of Cassation, you feel you're in an orderly world, part of a justice system that works ... the world is not orderly and justice is not served.'
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1904738729</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Shuichi Yoshida
|title=Villain
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=Well, I suppose I'd better begin with the bad which was there were moments at the start of this novel when I thought I couldn't possibly read it right to the end. It's written in such a stilted, factual style with details about the road networks of the local area and exactly how much anyone pays for anything they eat or buy or rent! Faced, for example, with the paragraph ''cars setting out from Nagasaki that take the pass road to save money take the Nagasaki Expressway from Nagasaki to Omura, then to Higashi-Sonogi and Takeo, and get off at the Saga Yamato interchange. Intersecting this east-west Nagasaki Expressway at the interchange is Route 263'' I thought I'd never manage to read more than a couple of lines before falling asleep! Still, I persisted and actually, I'm glad I did.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099526654</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Ryan David Jahn
|title=The Dispatcher
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=Ian Hunt works as a dispatcher taking 911 calls in rural Texas. One day he takes a call from his 14 year old daughter. That would be enough to ruin your day in itself, but the daughter in question was kidnapped seven years ago, presumed dead. They have even held a funeral for her. That's really going to mess with your mind. What ensues is a desperate chase to find her once more before the kidnapper can escape or worse.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230755968</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Dan Andriacco
|title=No Police Like Holmes
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=At the 'Investigating Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes' Colloquium (in the UK it would probably be a conference) the St Benignus College in Erin, Ohio is due to receive a donation of the third largest collection of Sherlockiana in the world – including some rare pieces of substantial value. The plan is that there should be good publicity for the college and that the attendees have a good time – deerstalker hats not being compulsory. But even the best-laid plans are derailed by theft and murder. Jeff Cody is the public relations director at the college and he's determined to solve the crimes before his eccentric brother in law, Professor Sebastian McCabe.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178092206X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Susan Hill
|title=The Shadows in the Street
|rating=4
|genre=Crime
|summary=This is the fifth novel in Susan Hill's series about the detective Simon Serrailler. Although you could probably follow the story without knowing the previous books I think it does help to have some background on who all the characters are. I really love the way Hill weaves her story around some wonderful character studies. Simon is actually hardly in this novel, and the focus instead is on the 'extras', with a lot of details being put into characters who will only be around for this particular novel but who live and breathe through it wonderfully well.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099499282</amazonuk>
}}
