Search Results for: Born a Crime

52 BC, and Rome is in turmoil. Rival gangs prowl the streets as Publius Clodius, a high-born populist politician, and his arch-enemy Titus Milo fight to control the consular elections. But when Clodius is murdered on the famed Appian Way and Milo is accused of the crime, the city explodes with riots and arson.

As accusations and rumours fly, Gordianus is charged by Pompey the Great with discovering what really happened on the Appian Way that dark January night. Was it murder? And if so, should the perpetrator be condemned as a villain – or hailed as the saviour of the Roman Republic? For on the truth of that hangs the fate of Titus Milo . . .

Praise for Steven Saylor:

‘Saylor evokes the ancient world more convincingly than any other writer of his generation.’Sunday Times

‘Saylor’s scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals.’Ruth Rendell

‘With the scalpel-like deftness of a Hollywood director, Saylor puts his finger on the very essence of Roman history.’Times Literary Supplement

‘A full-blooded and action-packed work of fiction, cleverly built around a solid historical framework . . . it is an enthralling page-turner.’Daily Express

Death might be commonplace in 1857 in the Royal Free Hospital in London’s Gray’s Inn Road, but murder certainly isn’t. When the body of Prudence Barrymore, a gently bred, dedicated and passionate nurse, is discovered stuffed into a laundry chute no one – high born or low – can be beyond suspicion. But the police seem determined to concentrate their efforts on proving Dr Kristian Beck the culprit – because he is foreign. Concerned and unhappy with this state of affairs, Lady Callandra Daviot of the Board of Governers asks Investigator William Monk to pursue the case.
Monk, frustrated by the lingering traces of amnesia caused by an accident, agrees, and calls upon his old colleagues to aid him. Hester Latterly, an independent young woman who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, knew the dead woman there; Hester’s profession provides the perfect cover for her to obtain work at the Royal Free. And Oliver Rathbone, a brilliant barrister, who is brought in as counsel for the defence. But under the ever-present shadow of the gallows, and inching towards the appalling solution, the three begin to despair of justice ever prevailing.

‘The Dictionary of Crime is now the first book I reach for when beginning a new novel. An essential resource, it’s packed with explanations, insider information, contemporary and historical slang, as well as some downright bizarre laws and practices. It’s funny, fascinating and a damn good read’
M. W CRAVEN, winner of the 2019 Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year for The Puppet Show

‘A really good idea . . . executed neatly to come up with the perfect gift for crime lovers’
MAT COWARD, Morning Star

‘I found myself rolling around in it for hours, like a gangster’s moll on a bed full of money. Sheer delight!’
CATRIONA McPHERSON

‘Where was this book when I started writing? From Aconite to the Zodiac Killer is the essential companion for any serious reader or writer of crime’
LEYE ADENLE, author of When Trouble Sleeps

‘A fascinating compendium of crime facts which should be on the shelves of every crime writer ­­- and every crime reader’
SIMON BRETT

‘This is a dangerous book in so many ways, chock full of ways of killing people, from undetectable poisons to various types of guns. It contains riveting accounts of notorious murderers, is crammed with fascinating details of slang, and precise particulars of police procedures. The perfect gift for any true crime enthusiast and an indispensable guide for all crime fiction writers.’
S. W. WILLIAMS, author of Small Deaths and How to Write Crime Fiction

‘A remarkable achievement. At once elucidating and compelling, indispensable and unputdownable. It reads like a page-turning thriller. Whether a crime writer who needs to distinguish a blood agent from a bum beef or a reader with an interest in queer coal makers, this lexicon will keep you hooked, and leave you sublimely informed.’
GARY DONNELLY, author of Killing in Your Name and Blood Will Be Born

‘Fascinating, insightful and taking up permanent residency on my desk. Amanda Lees’ Dictionary of Crime is my new bible!’
CHRIS WHITTAKER, award-winning author of Tall Oaks, All The Wicked Girls and We Begin at the End

‘What a little gem this is ­- such a great idea and a valuable resource for writers. I found myself dipping into it at intervals and marvelling at the extent of the research that’s gone into it, as well as chuckling over some of the more unusual entries. My personal favourites? BINGO seat, nicker, moll buzzer and lully-prigger. Wouldn’t have had a clue what they meant . . . but I’m determined to work them in somewhere in a future novel!’
G. J. MINETTT, author of The Syndicate


‘A fascinating journey through the dark side of the human psyche. Highly recommended for anyone interested in criminals and crime’
PATRICK REDMOND, bestselling author of The Wishing Game

An essential popular A-Z reference guide for fans of crime fiction and true crime, in books, TV and film, helping to make sense of everything from asphyxiation to VX nerve agent.

This is an indispensable guide for fans of true crime and crime fiction, whether in books, film or on TV, who want to look behind the crime, to understand the mechanics of an investigation, to walk in their favourite detectives’ shoes and, most importantly, to solve the clues.

To do that, one needs to be fluent in the language of the world of crime. We need to know what that world-weary DI is talking about when she refers to another MISPER. We have to immediately grasp the significance of the presence of paraquat, and precisely why it is still a poison of choice.

If you want to know how many murders it takes for a killer to be defined as a serial killer, what Philip Marlowe means when he talks about being ‘on a confidential lay’ and why the ‘fruit of a poisonous tree’ is a legal term rather than something you should avoid on a country walk, this is the reference book you’ve been waiting for.

It covers police and procedural terms and jargon of many different countries; acronyms; murder methods; criminal definitions, including different types of killers; infamous killers and famous detectives; notorious cases often referred to in crime fiction and true crime; gangster slang, including that of the Eastern European mafia; definitions of illegal drugs; weapons; forensic terminology; types of poisons; words and phrases used in major crime genres, including detective fiction, legal thrillers, courtroom dramas, hardboiled crime, Scandi and Tartan Noir, cosy crime and psychological thrillers; criminology terms; and the language of the courts and the legal systems of British, American, French, Nordic and other countries.

From Aconite to the Zodiac Killer is an essential, go-to resource for readers and even for writers of crime fiction. More than simply a glossary, this is a guide that provides a doorway into a supergenre, and one that is not just for readers, but also for the many fans of film and TV dramas, of podcasts, and crime blogs. It is also an indispensable resource for writers or would-be writers of crime fiction.

‘Finch is a born storyteller’ PETER JAMES
‘Guaranteed to elevate your heart rate’ DAVID JACKSON

A GRIPPING AND EXPLOSIVE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MILLION COPY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A message no one was supposed to hear.

Jodie Martindale‘s disappearance remains a mystery, unsolved to this day.

A message that will change everything.

David Kelman covered the story. But he made a huge mistake, which cost someone their life.

A message from the missing.

Now, he has evidence he shouldn’t have. It’s a message from Jodie – who has been missing for six years – but sent just two weeks ago…

‘A spine-chilling mystery from the master of suspense’ M.J. ARLIDGE

‘This might be Finch’s best yet … Grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. If you only buy one crime novel this year, make sure it’s Never Seen Again‘ P.L. KANE

‘Exceptional crime writing. Paul Finch continues to raise the bar.’ M.W. CRAVEN

‘A cracking crime thriller that builds to an action-packed finale. Guaranteed to elevate your heart rate!’ DAVID JACKSON

READERS LOVE PAUL FINCH

5 stars ‘So bloody good… Pace, twists and what a plot!!’
5 stars ‘More twists & turns than a funfair ride. The author definitely knows his police stuff’
5 stars ‘[A] gripping, breath-holding up-all-nighter’
5 stars ‘Fast paced and seems to get faster with every page’
5 stars ‘Paul Finch is an absolute must have in your collection’

This brand new short story from international bestselling M. C. Beaton takes us back to Agatha Raisin’s very first case – the case that started it all!

At the age of 26, Agatha Raisin has already come a long way. She has clawed her way up since leaving the slum where she was born. She’s lost her Birmingham accent, run away from her drunken husband and found a job at a PR agency as a secretary. When her boss asks Agatha to go to the home of Brian Devese to tell him that he is soon going to be arrested for the murder of his wife and that the agency no longer wants to represent him, Agatha accepts the task – with some trepidation. Still, she’s used to doing her boss’s dirty work for her.

Brian, impressed with the pugnacious and fearless Agatha, asks her to handle his PR for him and even offers her an office and staff. So certainly the best thing Agatha can do for her first client is to find out who really murdered his wife and clear his name. And armed with only her wits and gumption, Agatha sets out to do just that.

In this spellbinding eBook novella of otherworldly desire, a woman whose destiny was born from a blood kiss discover that second chances do come… even for immortals.


A shimmering holiday gala lights up an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands, but beautiful widowed Breedmate Danika MacConn feels alone in the crowd. Even, among the friends and festivity of the Darkhaven celebration, she can’t forget her lost love, a fallen warrior of the Order. Her brief return to her mate’s homeland has become treacherous after rejecting the advances of a dangerous Edinburgh crime boss with a taste for blood sport. As Danika seeks to expose the vampire and his dark trade , she discovers an unexpected ally in his forbidding, enigmatic henchman, Brannoc, a man who exudes heat, danger, and dark menace…

Celebrity, identity and sexuality – the three poles of our fame-obsessed society, each one a magnet for secrets and lies.
Despite her youth, Russian-born Yana Ivanova is already a Hollywood legend. She lives in a beautiful house in Beverly Hills with Jimmy, a sitcom star, and Penny, her British PA. Theirs is a strange and uneasy partnership, held together by sex, secrets and the fear of scandal. Then Yana starts receiving threatening letters from an anonymous but very knowledgeable source. Suspicion turns to fear, and fear leads to murder. But who exactly is conning whom?
Stella Duffy has written crime novels and dark romantic comedies. Here she combines the two in a smart, sexy, suspenseful new novel. Poison pen letters, fake identities, misplaced affection, betrayal and murder . . . Still think a menage à trois sounds fun?

Though he was born into a leopard’s lair in the bayou, Joshua Tregre’s fighting skills were honed in the rain forests of Borneo. Sleek and deadly, he’s the perfect man to take over a crime syndicate back home in Louisiana’s lush swamp lands. His razor-sharp instincts give him an edge in the violent underworld he knows so well but even the watchful leopard inside him isn’t prepared for the threat that comes from the girl next door…

She is a woman who can create beauty out of thin air – and out of the ruins of her own life. The games that dangerous men play have taken their toll on her but she is bent, not broken. And it’s her fierce spirit that’s like a lure to Joshua, a temptation he can’t resist – even if it means bringing his true nature into the light…

A quiet Suffolk village, 1944: Fourteen-year-old Gerald Haxton is a lonely boy who regards his still-born twin brother Jack as his only friend. His mother, a famous children’s writer, guards Jack’s memory jealously, claiming him as the model for the boy detective in her series of adventure stories, and Gerald, disturbed and unpopular, has no hope of ever measuring up to him. Playing in the woods near his home, Gerald discovers the body of his elder sister buried in a shallow grave. She has been beaten to death with a wooden stake and her boyfriend, a young G.I., is hanged for the crime.

London 1995: As the country prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of VE Day, Gerald, who remains a loner, is nearing retirement. Obsessed by routine, he still talks to his dead brother Jack. Surrounded by nostalgic artefacts at the TV prop-hire company where he works, he is constantly reminded of the past, and, with it, his sister Vera’s death. Hoping to escape his lonely existence, he takes to following Mel, the twelve-year-old daughter of a colleague. A few days later, Mel, who bears a striking resemblance to Vera, disappears…

The new novel from the internatinal bestselling author of Roma, is set against the background of Caesar’s stupendous quadruple triumphs in Rome in 46 BC, full of colour and spectacle.

Having obliterated the opposition, Caesar is now dictator for life. In the upcoming celebrations, Vercingetorix the Gaul is scheduled to be executed, as is Arsinoë, the sister of Cleopatra…and Cleopatra herself is in Rome on a state visit, trying to convince Caesar to acknowledge their son as his heir.

Marc Antony and Caesar are at odds; Cicero is making a fool of himself with a new teenage bride; and Caesar’s wife Calpurnia, having fallen under the spell of an Etruscan soothsayer, is convinced of a plot on her husband’s life.

Murder and intrigue again draw Gordianus into the vortex of history.

Praise for Stephen Saylor

‘Saylor is on top form with the latest in his extraordinarily vivid series of crime novels set in ancient Rome.’ Sunday Times

‘Saylor’s gifts include authentic historical and topographical backgrounds and… sombre themes set off the brilliant scenery and clever plotting.’ Times Literary Supplement

‘Saylor’s scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals.’ Ruth Rendell

‘Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched… this is entertainment of the first order.’ Washington Post

‘Saylor has acquired the information of a historian but he enjoys the gifts of a born novelist.’ Boston Globe

Nature versus nurture…

The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.

Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. After reviewing security videos, it becomes clear that the victims were killed by a sniper firing a tactical laser rifle, who could have been miles away when the trigger was pulled. And though the locations where the shooter could have set up seem endless, the list of people with that particular skill set is finite: police, military, professional killer.

Eve’s husband, Roarke, has unlimited resources – and genius – at his disposal. And when his computer program leads Eve to the location of the sniper, she learns a shocking fact: There were two-one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda. Central Park was just a warm-up. And as another sniper attack shakes the city to its core, Eve realizes that though we’re all shaped by the people around us, there are those who are just born evil…

It will take all of Aunt Dimity’s otherworldly powers to restore tranquillity to a sleepy English village…

Savour a masterpiece of old-fashioned fun in Aunt Dimity Digs In, the fourth mystery to feature Nancy Atherton’s supernatural sleuth. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders.

‘Atherton is a superb writer who brings a lot of charm and wit to her story’ – Suspense Magazine

Lori Shepherd and husband Bill Willis are striving to adjust to Cotswold life with their new-born twins. But when a visiting archaeologist’s discovery stirs up local civil war in the village of Finch, Lori must use her expertise in rare books – and invaluable help from her otherworldly Aunt Dimity – to solve the mystery.
As Lori hunts down a missing document that promises to shed light on the situation, the archaeologist unearths an even greater mystery. But it is Aunt Dimity’s magic blue notebook that will provide the key to the buried secrets. For even the darkest acts can be overcome…

What readers are saying about Aunt Dimity Digs In:

‘I recommend [this series] for a rainy day curled up on the couch with a cup of tea‘

‘Simply the best and most beautiful cosy series in the world’

‘[A] quintessential cosy that adds some supernatural elements to soothe the soul while delighting its fans with magic‘

Jenny Casey was not born for this mission. She was modified for it.

The year is 2062, and after years on the run, Jenny Casey is back in the Canadian armed forces. Those who were once her enemies are now her allies, and at fifty, she’s been handpicked for the most important mission of her life – a mission for which her artificially reconstructed body is perfectly suited. With the earth capable of sustaining life for just another century, Jenny – as pilot of the starship Montreal – must discover brave new worlds. And with time running out, she must succeed where others have failed.

Now Jenny is caught in a desperate battle where old resentments become bitter betrayals and justice takes the cruelest forms of vengeance. With the help of a brilliant AI, an ex-crime lord, and the man she loves, Jenny may just get her chance to save the world. If it doesn’t come to an end first . . .

MAX WALKER – BLUE-EYED BOY OR GIRL NEXT DOOR?

‘Terrific. A poignant, brave and important book. – S J WATSON

‘A gripping read. Tarttelin is a natural storyteller’ MATT HAIG

‘Tarttelin broaches the topic of intersexuality bravely, describes the crimes committed against Max intensely, and evokes his ensuing emotions poignantly. A highly praised new author’ WE LOVE THIS BOOK

To the outside world, Max Walker is a golden boy: a loving son and brother, the perfect student, captain of the football team and every girl’s dream boyfriend. But Max was born intersex – neither fully boy nor fully girl. Now something terrible has happened to him, the consequences of which have left him questioning his gender identity.

Can the people around him – his girlfriend, his classmates, his ambitious parents – accept him for who he is? Or will Max’s secret tear his world apart?

Winner of the Stonewall Young Adult Literature Award

One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both their lives forever.

Two teenagers growing up in Oakland, California. One, Sasha, was born male but identifies as agender, wears skirts and attends a private school. The other, Richard, is an African American from a poor part of Oakland who attends a rough public school.

They have no reason to meet, except for eight minutes every day, they catch the same bus home. And one day, messing about, Richard spies Sasha napping. He flicks the flame of his lighter to Sasha’s skirt, and Sasha wakes up in a ball of flame.

What happens next, as the victim, the perpetrator and the community struggle to come to terms with their sadness and shock, is a story of recovery, reconciliation, forgiveness and, above all, hope. It’s about the power of being true to yourself, bravery and the good and bad in all of us.

And, remarkably, it’s all true.

Are the upper-class residents of Callander Square as innocent as they claim?

In New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s second Victorian Inspector Pitt mystery, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt find that everyone in Callander Square has something to hide – but someone will kill to keep a secret. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘Murder fans who prefer their crimes with a touch of class should heat some scones and nestle back for the afternoon’ – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When the bodies of two infants are dug up in the Callander Square gardens, the upper-class residents resent the intrusion of Inspector Thomas Pitt into their well-ordered lives. They dismiss it as the desperate act of some low-born girl, but Pitt is not convinced that the case should be so easily dropped.

Also intrigued by the mystery, and able to move in the places to which Thomas would never gain access, Charlotte probes into the lives and secrets of the residents – secrets that could lead even the most upright aristocrat to kill. But will the Pitts solve the mystery in time to save the innocent residents of Callander Square from the murderer among them?

What readers are saying about Callander Square:

‘Perry blends period detail, detection, and rot-beneath-the-genteel-surface social commentary with great skill‘

‘This is one of those rare books that you have to read in one go‘

‘Loved this story from beginning to end‘

‘Shadow Man is a harrowing and horrific game of consequences’ Val McDermid

THE BRILLIANTLY COMPELLING SECOND NOVEL IN THE DI LUKAS MAHLER SERIES

A missing child. A seventy-year-old murder. And a killer who’s still on the loose.

Ten year-old Erin is missing; taken in broad daylight during a friend’s birthday party. With no witnesses and no leads, DI Lukas Mahler races against time to find her. But is it already too late for Erin – and will her abductor stop at one stolen child?

And the discovery of human remains on a construction site near Inverness confronts Mahler’s team with a cold case from the 1940s. Was Aeneas Grant’s murder linked to a nearby POW camp, or is there an even darker story to be uncovered?

With his team stretched to the limit, Mahler’s hunt for Erin’s abductor takes him from Inverness to the Lake District. And decades-old family secrets link both casesin a shocking final twist.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MARGARET KIRK’S DEBUT NOVEL SHADOW MAN:

‘Gripping’

‘Kept me on my toes right to the end’

‘Another great detective is born’

‘Shadow Man has a taut plot, maintains suspense cleverly and is crisply written’

‘The city of Inverness is almost a character in its own right’

‘A top-notch crime thriller, full of intricate twists with a disturbing insight into the mind of a cold blooded killer’

‘Dark and atmospheric, I just couldn’t put it down’

‘A beautifully told stroy about the raw pain and ecstasy of motherhood. I loved it.’ Jane Corry

‘I adored this powerful, emotive and sensitively written story about love and loss/’ Louise Jensen

‘Haunting and heart-rending … a beautifully told story’ Victoria Selman


‘Who am I? Why am I here? Why did my mother give me away?’

On the surface, Luke and his girlfriend Hannah seem to have a perfect life. He’s an A&R man, she’s an arts correspondent and they are devoted to their new-born son Samuel.

But beneath the gloss Luke has always felt like an outsider. So when he finds his birth mother Alice, the instant connection with her is a little like falling in love.

When Hannah goes back to work, Luke asks Alice to look after their son. But Alice – fuelled with grief from when her baby was taken from her 27 years ago – starts to fall in love with Samuel. And Luke won’t settle for his mother pushing him aside once again…

* * * * *

Why real readers love this emotionally gripping story by the author of HIM:


‘Read it, read it, read it. One of my books of the year, without a doubt.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Beautiful, haunting, emotional, and totally addictive.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A realistic, character driven, highly-emotional and addictive read.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Be warned: this novel will take over your life while you are reading it.’ Goodreads reviewer

First in a delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, introducing amateur sleuth Su Lin, a local girl stepping in as governess for the Acting Governor of Singapore.

1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after Acting Governor Palin’s daughter dies suddenly – and in mysterious circumstances – mission school-educated local girl Su Lin – an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage – is invited to take her place.

But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House. It now takes all Su Lin’s traditional skills and intelligence to help British-born Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy solve the murders – and escape with her own life.

‘Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life, without ever getting in the way of a classic puzzle plot. But what’s a setting without a jewel? Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I’ve met in a long while.’ Catriona McPherson

‘Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu’s teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels.’ Rhys Bowen

The true story behind the ‘Fatty Arbuckle’ Scandal

David Yallop is no stranger to controversy. The impact of his investigations in such bestsellers as In God’s Name, Beyond Reasonable Doubt and To Encourage the Others has reverberated around the world. In The Day the Laughter Stopped, he uncovers the incredible true story behind the Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle scandal of 1921, when the fat film comedian stood accused of the rape and murder of a pretty screen actress.

Arbuckle’s is the story of a man born in extreme poverty who was destined to rise to the heights of a multi-million dollar career, only to have it snatched from him by a wave of hysteria and bigotry that swept the globe. It is the story of Hollywood and what really happened in the corridors of power; the political corruption of San Francisco; the immorality of a president. How Charlie Chaplin’s career was saved. How Buster Keaton’s was begun. Both by Arbuckle. It is a life story that ranges from comic heights to tragic depths.

The Day the Laughter Stopped confirms David Yallop’s reputation as the world’s greatest investigative author, combining exhaustive research with compulsive narrative.

In his impassioned-yet-measured book, Rafael A. Mangual offers an incisive critique of America’s increasingly radical criminal justice reform movement, and makes a convincing case against the pursuit of “justice” through mass-decarceration and depolicing.
After a summer of violent protests in 2020-sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks-a dangerously false narrative gained mainstream acceptance: Criminal justice in the United States is overly punitive and racially oppressive. But, the harshest and loudest condemnations of incarceration, policing, and prosecution are often shallow and at odds with the available data. And the significant harms caused by this false narrative are borne by those who can least afford them: black and brown people who are disproportionately the victims of serious crimes.
In Criminal (In)Justice, Rafael A. Mangual offers a more balanced understanding of American criminal justice, and cautions against discarding traditional crime control measures. A powerful combination of research, data-driven policy journalism, and the author’s lived experiences, this book explains what many reform advocates get wrong, and illustrates how the misguided commitment to leniency places America’s most vulnerable communities at risk.
The stakes of this moment are incredibly high. Ongoing debates over criminal justice reform have the potential to transform our society for a generation-for better or for worse. Grappling with the data-and the sometimes harsh realities they reflect-is the surest way to minimize the all-too-common injustices plaguing neighborhoods that can least afford them.

For the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Matthew Bartholomew series, Sphere is delighted to reissue all of the medieval monk’s cases with beautiful new series-style covers.

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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…

In February 1355, amid the worst snows in living memory, two well-born murderers return to Cambridge after receiving the King’s pardon – but they show no remorse, and are in fact ready to confront those who helped convict them.

When Matthew Bartholomew is called to the local mill to examine two corpses, he and Brother Michael know who to question, but in the fledgling university city, nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems…

It’s the year 1260 and the great cathedral – the most ambitious building in all of Christendom – is rising above the streets of Cologne. Far below its soaring spires and flying buttresses, an assassin of unnatural talent surveys his new hunting ground.

More shadow than man, the assassin is quick to take his first life. But there is a witness to his crime: a flame-haired thief known as Jacob the Fox. Justly terrified by the black-clad spectre, Jacob runs for his life, convinced that he’s pursued by the Angel of Death itself.

For all his street-smart cunning, the wily Fox cannot shake off the assassin – a cruel, efficient murderer who favours a pistol-grip crossbow as his weapon of choice. Fate, injury and desperation lead Jacob to seek help from a beautiful clothes dyer, her drunken rascal of a father, and her learned uncle, a man of God who loves a battle of wits almost as much as he loves a bottle of wine.

With the threat of an untimely death at the end of a crossbow bolt never far way, Jacob’s unlikely cabal find themselves faced with a conspiracy born of an unquenchable thirst for revenge, a conspiracy that threatens to tear Cologne apart and stain the city with blood.

A superb, powerful thriller from ‘one of crime fiction’s new stars’ [Sunday Telegraph]

John Harper has always been alone. His mother died when he was just seven years old and he was raised in New York by an aunt he barely knew. He never even made his father’s acquaintance – a man who died shortly after he was born. After leaving the Big Apple as soon as he was old enough, his life consisted of one moderately successful book, a collection of affectionately received newspaper columns and a comfortable existence in Miami.

Then everything changes. A liquor store heist goes wrong – and turns John’s existence on its head. It seems that his father didn’t die all those years ago. In fact, he has thrived in the New York underworld. But now the man himself lies critically injured in a Manhattan hospital and it’s time for father and son to meet at last . . .