For me, the best thing about January is it is too cold and wet for me to feel I should be getting outdoors and I am able to indulge myself with a comfy armchair, a cosy blanket and a pile crime novels. Here are three great new reads for the post Christmas season.
Half Way by B.E. Jones
This starts out as a story of strangers being trapped by a snowstorm in an isolated building just before Christmas. They soon realise that there is more going on than they first thought, especially when student Lee makes a discovery in the cellar. The local PC Lissa Lloyd is struggling to make a name for herself at the police station and jumps at the chance to investigate a missing person and heads out into the snow.
So far it seems like a classic plot but then the story becomes an intriguing and claustrophobic tale of twists and turns right up to the end, where nobody is quite who you think they are. I was completely caught by surprise by the final chapter. Each chapter changes which character we are focusing on to keep us readers on our toes and gives the book great pace as well as being unsettling, in a good way.
The author is a former police press officer and crime reporter bringing her ‘true crime’ knowledge to this murky world of the psychological thriller. I do hope the policewoman is not based on anyone she knows…
Little Brown pb £8.99
Under The Ice by Rachael Blok
Jenny is an exhausted young woman struggling to cope with the demands of new motherhood, let alone coping with family demands in the run up to Christmas. Then a child is murdered and Jenny starts having visions of the night of the murder.
Her sleepwalking in the crime scene leads to involvement in the investigation and the police are getting suspicious, but could a secret from her past hold the key to the solution?
A suspenseful, gripping drama that pulls you right into the confusion in Jenny’s head, which then contrasts with the clear headed lead investigator. I felt the author really captured both the domestic upheaval a new baby can bring and the fascination of good police procedure. This was a thoroughly enjoyable debut novel and I look forward to the author’s next book. – Great jacket, too.
Head of Zeus Hb £18.99
The Body In The Boat by A.J. Mackenzie
The year is 1796 and Romney Marsh is awash with smugglers. But some of the cargo is unusual. And a few days after a birthday party, why is the body of a respectable banker found afloat, having been shot dead?
The local clergyman Reverend Hardcastle, as acting Justice of the Peace, and his widowed friend Mrs Chaytor are drawn into a twisting mystery of high finance and organised crime with international implications.
This is the third outing for the engaging amateur detectives, written by an Anglo-Canadian husband and wife team of writers and historians. As well as the main characters being just charming enough, the minor characters are also nicely draw. The historical details are laid in without too much of a heavy hand, setting the scene nicely for this pacy and enjoyable adventure. Perfect to be devoured in one setting on a wet afternoon. Maybe with a tot of rum for authenticity.
Bonnier Zaffre pb £7.99
All I need now is someone to keep me topped up with hot chocolate and leftover Christmas cake.