New Reviews: Black, Cross, Fossum, Harris, Holt, James, Kent, Radmann, Russell

The reviews are back after a break of a couple of weeks. (I've written up last weekend's Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.)

Settings this week include Brighton, London, Italy, Norway, Scotland, South Africa and the US.

Here are the new 9 reviews:

Terry Halligan reviews the third of Sean Black's US-set Ryan Lock series, Gridlock, which is now in paperback;

Amanda Gillies reviews Neil Cross's Luther prequel Luther: The Calling now out in paperback (complete with a quote from Sarah Hilary's review);

I review the first Inspector Sejer book from Karin Fossum In the Darkness, tr. James Anderson which was originally published in 1995 (in Norwegian);

Terry also reviews Oliver Harris's debut The Hollow Man which introduces amoral policeman Nick Belsey;

Anne Holt's first Hanne Wilhelmsen investigation is even older than In the Darkness but Maxine Clarke writes that The Blind Goddess, tr. Tom Geddes "remains fresh and engaging";

Mark Bailey reviews Peter James's new Roy Grace book, Not Dead Yet which he enjoyed, but it might be time to wrap up the series-long backstory mystery;

Susan White reviews Christobel Kent's The Dead Season the third in this Florence-based PI series;

Lynn Harvey reviews Christopher Radmann's striking debut set in South Africa: Held Up

and Geoff Jones reviews Craig Russell's Dead Men and Broken Hearts the fourth in the Lennox series set in 1950s Glasgow.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year.

New Reviews: Alec, Black, Brett, Corbin, Edwards, Lackberg, La Plante, Miller, Robinson

Here are this week's reviews:

Amanda Gillies reviews W Alec's Son of Perdition, which she highly recommends;

Equally recommended, this time by Terry Halligan, is Deadlock by Sean Black which is out in paperback;

I review the audio book of the second in this laugh out loud series written and read by Simon Brett: Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess - think Wodehouse meets Christie;

Sarah Hilary was less enthralled with Julie Corbin's Where the Truth Lies but says it may appeal to "those who like their crime a shade lighter than dark";

Maxine Clarke reviews Martin Edwards's new book in the Lake District series The Hanging Wood which reaches the high standard of the earlier books;

Lynn Harvey reviews the US edition of Camilla Lackberg's The Preacher, tr. Steven T Murray;

Geoff Jones review the new "Anna Travis" from Lynda La Plante: Blood Line which he enjoyed but cautions readers to read the previous one, Blind Fury, first;

Laura Root reviews the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger short-listed Kiss Me Quick by Danny Miller

and Susan White reviews the paperback release of Bad Boy by Peter Robinson.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

International Competition - Win 2 books by Sean Black

The current competition for copies of Lockdown and Deadlock by Sean Black is open internationally and closes on 31 August.

Enter the competition here.

Euro Crime has now reviewed Lockdown and Deadlock.

Between the Lines, reveals 5 things you didn't know about Sean Black.

And finally you can sample each book via the widgets below:

New Reviews: B Black, S Black, Kelly, Mallo, Moss, Sherez

Two competitions for August and one is open internationally:
Win one of three sets of Lockdown and Deadlock by Sean Black (Worldwide)
Win one of five copies of Inspector Cataldo's Criminal Summer by Luigi Guicciardi, tr Iain Halliday (UK & Europe)

Here are this week's reviews, which this week aren't restricted to Europe!:

Laura Root reviews Benjamin Black's third Quirke book, Elegy for April concluding that it "is another slice of classy Emerald Noir";

Michelle Peckham reviews one of this month's competition prizes Deadlock by Sean Black, set in the US and is one for fans of fast, action thrillers;

Terry Halligan reviews the second in Jim Kelly's new Norfolk-based series, Death Watch writing that "detective fiction needs more books of this high quality";

I pop over to 1970s Argentina in Ernesto Mallo's Needle in a Haystack, tr. Jethro Soutar which is rather a bleak read;

Maxine Clarke reviews Australian author, Tara Moss's Hit which has its first UK publication

and Geoff Jones is in Greece in Stav Sherez's The Black Monastery.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

New Competition -Two books by Sean Black

Euro Crime has three sets of Lockdown (paperback) and Deadlock (hardback) by Sean Black to giveaway. Just answer the simple question and include your details in the form below.

This competition is open internationally and will close on 31 August 2010.
Only 1 entry per person/per household please.
(All entries will be deleted once the winners have been notified.)

New York. It may be Christmas in New York, but for ex-soldier turned elite bodyguard Ryan Lock, it's business as usual: his mission is to protect one of America's most ruthless businessmen. A Bloody Shoot-Out. Suddenly gunshots ring out. People run for cover. Innocent people are mown down. Amid the chaos, Lock's hunt for the killers turns into an explosive game of cat and mouse. A Deadly Secret. Lock's search for the truth takes him from the rooftops of a New York skyscraper to a heavily fortified warehouse on the Hudson where he confronts one of the world's most dangerous women. As the clock ticks towards midnight on New Year's Eve, all routes into and out of Manhattan are sealed, and Lock realises that not only is his own life in terrible danger but so are the lives of millions of others...

His mission should have been straightforward: to keep one man alive for one week. One prisoner - Super-intelligent and brutally violent, Frank 'Reaper' Hays is a leading member of America's most powerful white supremacists prison gang. One bodyguard - Ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock has been hired to protect him. His mission is to keep Reaper alive for a week until he can be brought to trial. One week to stay alive - But Lock soon realises that he faces the toughest assignment of his career - just to survive ...

New Reviews: Black, Bruce, Cottam, Downie, Leather, Strachan

Two competitions for July and one is open internationally:
Win one of ten copies of Jail Bird by Jessie Keane (Worldwide)
Win one of five copies of The Assassin's Prayer by Ariana Franklin (UK & Republic of Ireland only)

Here are this week's reviews, including 3 debut novels:

Michelle Peckham reviews Sean Black's Lockdown the first in a series of thrillers set in America;

Maxine Clarke reviews Alison Bruce's Cambridge Blue the debut appearance for DC Goodhew;

Amanda Gillies reviews, ghost story The Waiting Room by F G Cottam;

Paul Blackburn reviews Ruso and the Root of all Evils by R S (Ruth) Downie published as Persona Non Grata in the US;

Terry Halligan finds himself appearing in Stephen Leather's Rough Justice the latest in the "Spider" series

and don't miss Laura Root's thoughtful review of The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and (a recently expanded list of) forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

Trailer - Lockdown

Sean Black's debut thriller, Lockdown will be out in paperback on 24 June:

New York. It may be Christmas in New York, but for ex-soldier turned elite bodyguard Ryan Lock, it's business as usual: his mission is to protect one of America's most ruthless businessmen. A Bloody Shoot-Out. Suddenly gunshots ring out. People run for cover. Innocent people are mown down. Amid the chaos, Lock's hunt for the killers turns into an explosive game of cat and mouse. A Deadly Secret. Lock's search for the truth takes him from the rooftops of a New York skyscraper to a heavily fortified warehouse on the Hudson where he confronts one of the world's most dangerous women. As the clock ticks towards midnight on New Year's Eve, all routes into and out of Manhattan are sealed, and Lock realises that not only is his own life in terrible danger but so are the lives of millions of others...